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But Sawyer hadn’t He’d turned hi house to prove it

The place needed work A lot of work, actually The house was older, built in the 1970s The color scheht paint for the living rooarage ever since His garage Christ At least he didn’t have a white picket fence and two-point-four kids

When he’d first told his dad that he’d bought the house, the old onna keep it up?"

No, he’d just spent 250,000 to let the thing rot away Grireen walls and went straight to the kitchen The refrigerator held beer, a questionable gallon ofthat had

Sto, he took a beer, pulled out his cell phone, and called the diner, surprised when he heard "Eat Me" in Amy’s usual brisk cheer

"Aone home some serious bank in tips today You need a late dinner, Sheriff?"

"Yeah You have anyone ht?"

"For you, yes Let er, extra blue, side of fries, and a dinner salad with no toetable and despite the fact that you’re six feet three of pure man, you eat like a little boy"

"Hey," he said "Salad’s a vegetable"

"Iceberg lettuce is a single step up froet the salad," Sawyer said "And ers and double the fries"

While he waited for his dinner, he went into the garage and eyeballed the buckets of paint "Fuckers," he said to the room "You ready?" he asked his walls

They didn’t have an opinion

He’d taken a second beer and rolled two very nice plain "ecru" stripes when the doorbell rang He answered while reaching into his pocket for money to pay the delivery kid

But it wasn’t a delivery kid at all

It was Chloe, wearing a short deniora sweater that was slipping off one shoulder, revealing a little black strap of soht for sore eyes

"Hey," she said

Ever since their little playtiether had vacillated between aardness and their usual lust-filled aniht noas a little of both He cleared his throat "Hey"

"I forgot to say thanks at the hospital earlier, for gettingon lad you didn’t have to explain that to Tara"

He felt his brows knit together and his sto" She flashed a shten up, Sheriff, otherwise life sucks golf balls" Looking like sin on a stick, she held up two large bags froo for Maddie and Tara and found Aot soh food for two nor sheriff" She tried to coress

"Inhaler?" he asked

"In my pocket, Sheriff Sir" She added a salute "Can I come in now?"

This was a very bad idea, of course, but she si seductively in that skirt as she walked through his nearly e room

She looked at the feipes he’d taken with the roller "Co, are we?"

"Been busy"

She’d been busy, too, he knew Everyone and their mother in Lucky Harbor had felt free to keep hi care of Lance, working at various hotel spas in the state, giving geriatric yoga classes at Matt’s studio to Lucille and her cronies, and planning a sunroom renovation at the inn for a day spa

And if she’d trespassed, done any B&E, or anything else illegal, he hadn’t caught wind of it Or maybe she’d laid low No doubt she still had that rowdy untethered spirit that he was so inexplicably attracted to But she’d changed over the last few months Not settled down--not in any way, shape, or for better

She’d found a place to belong

He wondered if she even knew it yet Best not to ask Best not to keep her here one second longer than necessary, as they clearly didn’t have themselves under control around each other

Or maybe that was just him He didn’t have himself under control, not when his hands were shoved deep in his pockets to keep the hard to remember why they were a bad idea

Because she’s the opposite of your type She was crazy unpredictable, spontaneous…

Okay, that was a load of bullshit She spoke to the part of hiht And that That hy this was a bad idea He wasn’t ever going to be the man she wanted or needed, one who’d fly off a lider simply for the thrill One who’d open a vein and bleed out his emotions at the drop of a hat Or crawl under a fence into private property to rescue a couple of dogs

He wasn’t that guy He’d coations of duty and discipline His job sed him whole, and that was just hoas So he stood in the doorway of the dining roo for her to set down the food and leave

Instead, she turned to hiious "You may not know this about me," she said "But I’oner

Chapter 15

"Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly"

Chloe Traeger

Sawyer shook his head at Chloe "I’ to ask you to help " She took a second, longer look around at his nearly e room, the equally sparse kitchen

He knehat she saw She sahat he’d just been thinking hio before the paint furavate your asthma"