“That’s rude, Eddie,” Janice said curtly. “Are you still going on about that high school garbage? You’re an idiot. Seriously!” She turned to Olivia. “For me, I’m sorry if I ever gave you a hard time, Olivia. I really am. Eddie should be, too.”
“I’m joking,” Eddie said. “Aren’t I, Olivia?”
“Hey,” Sawyer growled. “You keep that up, and you’ll be dealing with me, personally.”
Eddie’s laughter evaporated and he shot Sawyer a nasty look. “Whatever.”
While Eddie rang up the tab, Sawyer glanced down at Olivia beside him. Her face had gone from pink to stark white, and her eyes glittered with anger. Her grip on Lizzie had tightened, and she’d pressed her lips together into a line.
“Olivia...” he said softly. It felt good to finally be able to contribute something—even if that was a handful of cash. But there was something else going on here that he only partly understood. Something pointed and ugly, and it had hit its mark in Olivia.
“We’re going to the bank, and I’m paying you back right now,” she said, her voice low.
“Not necessary,” he said.
“I’m paying you back,” she repeated, this time with an edge to her tone, but when she glanced toward him, he saw tears mist her eyes.
When Eddie gave Sawyer his change, she blinked back the emotion.
“My brother won’t be coming back here,” she said curtly. “And I’ll follow up with Norm, myself, and tell him that I’ve paid the bill. So don’t try anything.”
“I’m a witness,” Janice said, coming up beside Eddie. “I saw you pay up in full.”
Olivia and the waitress exchanged a look.
“Thanks,” Olivia said. “I appreciate that.”
“We women have to stick together, right? And he’s a piece of work.” She hooked a thumb toward Eddie.
“Hey, whatever...” Eddie put his hands up. “You staying to eat, or leaving?”
“Leaving,” Olivia said curtly.
Olivia turned on her heel and headed for the door. Sawyer followed her, glancing over his shoulder at the man who stood behind the counter, muttering something under his breath. Sawyer might have known who the guy was before this stupid accident, but he was pretty confident that there were no conditions under which he’d actually like the guy. Olivia opened the door and held it until he grabbed it.
“Are you okay?” he asked as they hit the fresh air once more. The tinkle of the bell was muffled as the door swung shut behind them.
“No,” she said, and her chin trembled. Then she clamped a hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut as a tear escaped.
Oh, crud. He had a violent urge to go back into that diner and punch Eddie square in the jaw. But he was holding a toddler, and so was Olivia. So he did the only thing he could and planted his free hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward, away from the diner and back toward where the truck was parked.
“Let’s go,” he growled, tugging her close against his side. He didn’t have a plan. He was moving on instinct right now, and everything inside of him was telling him to get her out of here.
He might not remember much, but he was still a man, and he wasn’t letting her get insulted on his watch.
Sawyer’s hand was warm against Olivia’s back, and he guided her with the firm pressure of his fingertips. Olivia’s heart was pounding, and she held Lizzie close as she did her best to match Sawyer’s much longer strides. Noticing her struggles, he slowed, keeping in pace with her.
Eddie Dane, of all people... He’d just been some goofy loser in high school—he hadn’t been a part of the original bullying that followed her all of senior year. But that just went to show how far those rumors had flown. This was why she’d had no other choice but to get out of town and start her life in the city—where there were enough people that one stupid rumor couldn’t ruin a girl’s life.
And yes, she’d pushed her mother to help her get away...she’d begged her mom to apply for those loans for her to go to Montana State so she could escape all the ugliness. For people like the Whites, that was no problem. For the Martins, it had taken everything they had. And it had left nothing for Brian. Anger mingled with guilt tangled up together inside of her.
“There—” Sawyer said, his voice close to her ear. “The park across the street.”
Sawyer looked both ways, but Olivia’s eyes were blurred with tears that she was still trying to blink back, and she followed him almost blindly as he led her across the road.
The park was small—just a slide, a couple of swings and some benches surrounding them. Sawyer took Lizzie from her arms and Olivia sank onto the bench, watching as he set the girls down next to the slide. He patted it a couple of times. The toddlers looked at him with that round-eyed curiosity of young children, and then sat down on their bottoms and reached for a couple of twigs.
When Sawyer slid onto the bench next to her, he sat close enough that his leg pressed against hers, welcome warmth on that chilly day. She sucked in a stabilizing breath. She was supposed to be here for him, not the other way around. Besides, this was an old problem that had already been solved by her leaving town.
“So what was that?” Sawyer asked quietly.
Olivia looked over at him, but his gaze was pinned to his daughters as they scratched in the sand with their twigs.
“That’s what I meant by this town having a long memory,” she replied.
“Do you want me to go back there and set him straight?” he asked, and she eyed him for a moment to see how serious he was. He met her gaze evenly, and his jaw tightened.
“No,” she said with
