But I must admit, after a bit of initial stiffness and awkwardness, lunch with Sawyer has been actually a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be. The conversation is light and fun – he has a better sense of humor than I thought. I don’t remember the last time I laughed as hard as I am sitting at that table with him.
We’ve burned through forty-five minutes, and honestly, it seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. The atmosphere between us is definitely a hell of a lot more comfortable today than it was when we went to dinner. I don’t know why that’s changed, but I’m glad it did. Not that I plan on making this a regular thing.
Things seem less tense between us, but in his eyes, I can still see the shadow of trepidation. There’s something on his mind. Even though he’s doing a good job of obscuring whatever is on his mind, I can see it. It makes me more than a bit curious, but I’m not going to force it out of him. I’ll let him play this out in his own time. At least for now.
“So, was it as bad as you feared?” I motion to the lunch truck.
“Well, Hep C doesn’t start showing symptoms for a few weeks, so…”
I laugh. “Are you always this much of a drama queen?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Wonderful,” I roll my eyes.
His chuckle is a rich, deep rumble in his chest that sounds like thunder rolling in. I have to admit that this version of Sawyer, as I’m getting to know him, is very different from the one I knew back in college. He’s confirming the initial, more favorable impression of him I got back in the borough board room.
I have to say, this version of him is very attractive – as much as it pains me to admit that. He’s charming. Funny. He’s obviously very intelligent and well-spoken. And although I’d never tell him – his ego is inflated enough – his confidence and take-charge personality is also kind of attractive to me. I like that he doesn’t waffle and isn’t wishy-washy about things. I like that he’s a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. I respect that.
Oh, he can certainly cross that line into cocky and arrogant – and that’s about as much of a turn off as anything. But his self-assuredness is an attractive quality.
“I’m man enough to admit that I may have judged your lunch truck too quickly,” he grins. “It was a lot better than I expected it to be.”
I grin foolishly, basking in the glow of a win. It’s a cheap and petty win, but I’ll take it, nonetheless. But then I recall the mountain of case files on my desk and all of the work waiting for me, and that shine starts to dull a bit. As much as I’m enjoying lunch with Sawyer, I can’t hang out here, slacking off forever.
Sawyer gathers up all the empty plates, taking them all over to the trash can and disposing of them for me. I don’t recall him ever being this neat before, but I wonder if I just missed it. It’s amusing, if nothing else. He comes back to the table and sits down across from me again, and all of a sudden, that tense awkwardness that’s marked most of our time interacting together recently is back.
“Everything okay?” I probe.
“Yeah, I just – I needed to talk to you about something.”
I can see the strain in his eyes and the set of his jaw. Whatever is on his mind is pretty heavy, and I’m more curious than ever. But there’s a sinking feeling inside of me. I think this has to do with the talk he said he’d have with the people at Compass. And judging by the look on his face, I have to assume it’s a talk that didn’t go well. I should have known it was going to happen. Well-connected or not, Sawyer isn’t a miracle worker. Nor is this really his fight – he was doing me a favor.
“They said no,” I state, hoping that verbalizing it will take some of the sting out of it. “Compass isn’t going to grant the delay.”
Sawyer looks at me, his expression absolutely pained. I can tell there’s more to this story than what I’m assuming. And judging by the look on his face, I have to think it’s a lot worse than I expected.
“What is it?” I ask, my voice tentative.
He clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair, the trepidation on his face growing with every passing second – which only serves to increase my own anxiety.
“Okay, look, there is no easy way for me to tell you this, so I’ll just be blunt…”
His voice trails off as he seems to be gathering himself for whatever it is he has to tell me. This is probably the first time I’ve ever seen Sawyer looking uncomfortable or uncertain about anything. He clears his throat again and then looks at me.
“So, about Compass,” he starts. “It’s a funny story, really –”
“It’s probably safe to say that when it comes to Compass, I’m going to fail to see the humor in anything,” I cut him off.
“Fair enough,” he responds. “It’s just…”
His voice tapers off, and that look of uncertainty on his face deepens. As a memory long forgotten resurfaces in the forefront of my mind, all of the pieces fall into place. The picture becomes clear to me – and I am just barely resisting the urge to scream out loud. I don’t know how in the hell I didn’t see or remember it before. Inwardly, I’m kicking my own ass for it.
“Compass is your dad’s company,” I say softly.
Sawyer takes in a deep breath, with a grimace on
