The Story Of Us - Teri Wilson Page 0,47

the cobblestone streets and old brick buildings that told Waterford’s story. And their story.

She bit her lip and cast a pleading glance at Lucy. “Can you watch the store a while?”

She hated to ask. They had so much on their plate already, but as usual, Lucy was more than ready to step up to the plate.

“Yeah.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal.

But it was. Lucy’s friendship was precious, and Jamie didn’t even want to think about what it might be like to not see her every day at True Love.

Of course, if her plan worked out the way she intended, she wouldn’t have to give that up. She gave Lucy a quick hug, grabbed her coat and darted for the door. “Thank you.”

The Oregon air smelled like pine and felt cool on her face as she made her way down the sidewalk, dialing Sawyer’s number as she went. She tried not to think about the fact that she’d somehow managed to memorize his cell number since he’d been back in town or that she’d had to stop herself from dialing it a few times.

Waterford felt different, now that Sawyer was back. Jamie woke up every morning feeling alive in a way she hadn’t in a very long time, the day stretching before her like an enchanted, shimmering world of possibility. She knew it didn’t make sense. The future—specifically, her future and the future of True Love—was anything but certain right now. Waking up feeling like an anvil had been placed dead in the center of her chest would have made more sense.

But she couldn’t quite help it. Truthfully, she’d enjoyed every moment she’d spent with Sawyer in the past few days, even the moments they’d spent arguing. It boggled the mind.

She refused to let that enjoyment distract from her mission, though. She and Sawyer were not Mary and Harrison. The most important thing was saving True Love—way more important than any doomed attempt at a relationship with Sawyer. She could tell that Sawyer was beginning to reconnect with Waterford, though. She’d even been fool enough to believe that his recent pizza-tossing episode had been a simple sentimental exercise instead of a way to persuade Chuck and his dad to succumb to the dark side.

Still, he seemed more and more at home there every day. If she could just get him to see that Waterford was truly worth saving just as it was, she knew he’d come around. She wasn’t sure when exactly it had happened—probably sometime around the moment she’d witnessed him feasting on Sundae Madness at Jeff’s—but she’d come to the conclusion that deep down, he was still the same Sawyer O’Dell she’d fallen in love with. He just didn’t know it.

All Jamie needed to do was remind him…

Without accidentally falling in love with him all over again in the process.

No problem at all.

She’d have to be the biggest fool in the world to make that mistake.

Sawyer didn’t have a clue why Jamie wanted him to drop everything he was doing and meet her at town hall, but he was ninety-nine percent certain it didn’t have anything to do with signing the Ridley offer.

Make that one hundred percent. He knew Jamie well enough to know that she’d never, ever turn her back on True Love. Still, he did indeed drop everything he was doing the minute she called. Dana had made it expressly clear that he was supposed to keep the lines of communication with Jamie open. He didn’t have much of a choice.

Keep telling yourself that, he thought as he jammed his hands in the pockets of his puffer vest and crisscrossed the quaint maze of blocks in the business district, making his way toward Jamie. He wasn’t Ridley’s lackey. He wasn’t even an employee yet, so he definitely had a choice in the matter. Like so many times before, he simply chose Jamie.

He was beginning to suspect that he always would.

Dial it down, Romeo. She didn’t ask you to run off into the sunset with her. This probably isn’t even a date.

The realization was surprisingly disappointing. Still, his breath hitched when he spotted her standing in the street with her face tipped upward, blond waves tumbling down her back as she gazed at the old church’s spire. The reverence in her eyes made his heart hurt. And he was suddenly very glad his hands were safely buried in his pockets to prevent him from acting on the crazy impulse he had to bury his