Bayou Rouges: Dirty Part 15

"Yes. There's one in the mall and one next to Costco," Riley said.

Jess gazed dumbfounded at her sister. "How do you know these things?"

"I wanna be a designer."

They laughed and finished off the sandwiches. Jess jumped up from the table, "Who wants chocolate pudding?"

Two hands went up.

They shared pudding, and then the girls went to work on homework while Sawyer cleaned the kitchen. As he cleared the table his mind wasn't far from her. He'd thought about sending her a bouquet, but he really wanted to try and put some of this money away for when they were really desperate. When he'd called Flowers by Rachel and had been told it would cost seventy-five dollars to deliver a half dozen roses he declined.

He shouldn't have used her body in the way he had. His only explanation was that they'd both been skirting around their attraction for days and the pent up tension broke free like a dam had been removed.

During s.e.x she'd been as frenzied as he was. That didn't excuse the way he'd left things. If not flowers maybe he could send her a text. Something simple...How are you? How do you think she is after you f.u.c.ked the h.e.l.l out of her and then told her to get lost? Okay, so not how are you? Maybe I'm sorry. Or can you forgive me?

No. Definitely no to both. He was drying dishes when he heard the door. With the dish towel in his hands he walked to answer it. There really was nothing he could say to Courtney in short of I'm sorry and he decided he'd do that first thing tomorrow after he arrived at the cheese shop.

Opening the door his eyes settled on a very wet, very blue-eyed angel holding a white basket filled with a liver-colored lab pup with a red bow tied around its neck. He was frozen in the very spot where he stood in the doorway. Water dripped from her hair and slid down her face. She smiled, but he didn't return it because he couldn't. One million things were coursing through his mind...

...the dog, her wet cream-colored blouse, the crystal blue of her eyes, her perfect smile that sent sparks straight to his c.o.c.k, the gentle clearing of her voice, his sisters. s.h.i.+t! His sisters! He stepped from the house and pulled the door closed.

Her smile had diminished to be replaced with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. "I uh...I have a...um...friend. Her dog's had pups. He's just like Liver."

He tried to talk. He felt the knot in his throat bobbing up and down, but it wasn't working to produce speech. She looked anxiously down. "If you don't want him I can take him back."

He heard the pitter patter of feet inside the house. The evidence of her c.o.c.ked brow indicated she'd heard it too. Hard not to-they sounded like a heard of rhinoceros. How would he explain them?

"I see. Well I'll just be going then. Sorry to bother you." She stepped from the dry porch and out into the pouring rain.

"No." His voice was a whisper. Should he invite her in? Would it upset the girls? He couldn't let her leave. He shook out his shock and ran after her, whistling loudly. When he tapped on the trunk of her car her brake lights lit up. She rolled her window down a fraction. The rain drenched him as he stood before her car. "I'm sorry. Please, come inside."

"It's okay, Sawyer. Really. It's not a big deal."

"No, please. I want you to."

"It didn't seem like you did."

"I know, but I do. I really, really do. Please."

The window rolled up, and for a second he thought she was going to drive away but the car's engine died and he heard the crack of her door. He helped her with the basket and they made it onto the porch. "I'm sorry, Courtney. I was just a little shocked."

"Well that's okay. I can see you have company so if I need to leave just tell me."

"No. I don't have company." Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Come inside and I'll get you a towel and you can meet my sisters."

"Sisters."

From a basket of laundry in the living room he reached for towels and pa.s.sed her one. They dried their hair and arms, and then she cuddled the little pup in a towel-well she attempted, but he was only interested in biting the corners of the towel.

He watched her play with the little guy and his heart swelled. "You brought him for me?"

"Yeah." She shrugged. "Clara told me about Liver. I'm so sorry."

He reached down and picked up the pup. He stilled immediately as Sawyer held him out at face level and they summed up one another. He chuckled. "Cute. Very cute. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"I'm glad. I was hoping you'd want him. I know his mother is a great hunter."

"I'm sorry, Courtney. I'm sorry about everything. I uh...when you arrived on my porch I was a little shocked." He set the dog down. "Those responsibilities I have are my sisters. I'm their guardian. I've more or less raised them, but a few years ago we were left completely on our own. I work days and sometimes nights and then I come home and cook dinner, get baths out, do laundry, supervise homework, and get them in bed by nine. I don't know where a girlfriend would fit into the equation, but if one could..." He rubbed at his chin. "I don't know what I'm saying. I'm rambling." He chuckled. "I guess I'm a little nervous, and you haven't said a word."

She grabbed his hand in hers. "I haven't spoken because I've been listening. You're amazing. I'd like to meet these sisters of yours, if I could."

"Of course."

He pulled her through the house and toward the room the girls shared. He pushed the door to their room open. A large box covered with a sheet vibrated with giggles. "I thought you were doing homework."

A flashlight shone from beneath one flap on the box, "In the box, Murph. Relax. She's got the state capitals down...except for West Virginia."

"Charleston!"

"Hey...high five." The snap could be heard outside of the box.

His eyes met Courtney's. "I'm guessing we're going to have to enter the fort if you wanna meet them."

"I love forts...back in the day, I was quite the builder."

She. Was. Amazing. He was aware of the big dumb smile on his face that was currently beaming at her.

A piercing cry broke through the air. Little Liver had made it around the corner and was demanding to be held by Sawyer. He'd sat between Sawyer's feet and scratched at his jeans.

The whines had the girls on hands and knees crawling from the fort.

Riley gasped, "It's a puppy!"

"Murph, you got us a puppy?" Jess said clutching her chest.

"Actually, Courtney got it for us."

"Who's Courtney?" they asked in unison as they played with little Liver, not looking up.

"Come here and meet her."

Their heads popped up at once. Riley took in her attire from head to toe, her smile growing all the while. Jess observed with a reserved frown. "Courtney?"

"Yes. And you're Jess?"

"Jessica, but everybody calls me Jess."

Jess stood, looking from Courtney to Sawyer. "You're my brother's friend?"

Courtney shrugged. It was the first time he'd seen her unsure about anything. He intervened, "Yes, she's a very good friend of mine."

"I didn't know," Jess said, puzzled.

"I like your shoes." Riley said as she gave them a good look, and then stood.

"Courtney works in real estate right next door to the cheese shop."

Jess smiled. "Cool. Murph needs friends."

"Your dress is real fancy," Riley smiled, and then reached out to run her hands down the material of Courtney's skirt.

"Riley," Sawyer admonished with a shake of his head.

Courtney giggled, "That's okay. And thank you for the compliment."

"Do you have a fancy bag too?"

Sawyer nodded. "She does...A Michael Kors."

"Murph, you know Michael Kors?" Jess asked on a c.o.c.ked brow.

"Of course. Everybody who's anybody knows Michael Kors."

Riley squealed in a fit of laughter and Jess giggled. Next to him Courtney stood beaming...at him. He knew he was in trouble when his heart sighed at the vision before him. s.h.i.+t! He was going to fall hard and fast, if he hadn't already.

They migrated to the living room-Riley's arms full of the liver-colored sleeping lab. Dropping the fat-bellied pup into his white wicker basket, Riley stood admiring the infamous MK bag. She hefted a large gold lock apparatus from the front of the bag into her palm and tested its weight. "You can lock it up?"

Courtney looked on the lock as if seeing it for the first time. "Huh, I guess you can, but it would make it extremely difficult to grab your wallet or phone."

"Maybe it's for when you travel. Like on a plane," Jess added.

Courtney nodded and Riley laced her arm through the hole made by the straps of the bag and slid them onto her shoulder. She moved back, effectively sliding the bag from the coffee table, and then sagged under its weight. "Whoa, this is heavy!"

Sawyer nodded in affirmation. "Courtney likes to carry her rock collection around with her."

"Really?" Riley asked with wide eyes.

"No. I have no rocks in the bag."

Courtney and Sawyer sat on the couch while Jess sat cross-legged on the floor, stroking the sleeping pup's back. "I think we should call him Levi."

"Levi?" Sawyer questioned.

"Yeah, it's still close enough to Liver, but no one can replace our Liver."

"Levi. I like it," Courtney smiled.

"Me too," Sawyer's gaze met hers and locked for several beats. "Thank you for coming."

"You are most welcome."

"I'm really sorry about Sat.u.r.day night."

She shook her head. "Don't mention it because I'm not."

With a crease between her brows, Jess scrutinized their interaction and their words. "You guys were together on Sat.u.r.day night? I thought you were working at the cheese shop."

"He was, but once the bachelorette party started, he took a break and went to dinner with me."

He sat back and listened as the girls discussed him like he wasn't in the room. Courtney was great at communicating the facts that were needed and leaving certain details of their night private.

"So were you like on a date?" Jess inquired.

He was so not getting into this conversation!

"It was a date-with a very handsome, hardworking man."

"Is Sawyer your BF?"

What the h.e.l.l is a BF?

"Hmm, you know Jess, I can't answer that. We haven't used that word yet."

"Do you want him to be?"

"Well I can't tell all of my secrets now, can I?"

"What's BF?" The girls giggled at his question.

"What?"

Riley froze, striking a catwalk pose and said, "It means boyfriend."

His eyes bugged while all of the women in his living room laughed.

"Oh my G.o.d, you have the chocolate bar!" Riley set the bag that was half her size down on the coffee table. "I heard it smells like chocolate...does it smell like chocolate?"