“Thanks,” Sarah mumbled a little sadly. No matter what they thought about her, if Lawson had decided that she needed to leave, what choice did she have? He co-owned the place, after all, and if he wanted her to take a break, that was that.
She just still couldn’t believe he wanted her gone. One little freak-out and he was pushing her out the door. No! No. It just wasn’t right. There had to be more to it. She’d worked too hard to get where she was and she wasn’t going to let him tell her she had to go. She couldn’t abandon all the people who came to her for help, all the progress she’d made with them in their recoveries.
“You guys are right,” she told them, suddenly feeling a surge of certainty in her chest. That kiss had thrown her for a loop and scattered her brain, but now she was thinking clearly. Her mind was back on track. She knew what she needed, and she needed to be here; she wasn’t about to let Lawson just kick her out. This was her home and she wasn’t going anywhere.
“You’re going to stay?” Bailey asked, her face brightening.
Sarah nodded with a smile. “I’m going to stay,” she replied. “There are too many people who depend on me for guidance and I don’t want them to have setbacks. I need to stay busy, too, keep to a routine. I can work on my own stuff while still helping others with theirs, right? I don’t have to leave to deal with my own problems.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” River agreed. “You’ve got the right idea.”
“Yeah, I don’t know why Lawson was trying to chase me out of here,” she remarked, shaking her head. “I work with so many of the residents, what would they have done while I was away? Bring in someone unfamiliar? That could cause other issues and setbacks. Honestly, sometimes, I don’t know what’s going on inside his head.”
River and Bailey exchanged a look, which Sarah noticed at once.
She furrowed her brow and glanced between them. “What is it?” she asked, confused.
“You really don’t know, do you?” Bailey asked, with a slight laugh.
“I really don’t,” she replied. “You want to fill me in?”
“You know, for a smart woman, you can be really dense sometimes,” River teaser her gently.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sarah protested. “Why are you looking at me like that? What am I missing?”
“You really don’t know how Lawson feels about you?” Bailey asked.
Sarah frowned at her. Had she seen the kiss? She hoped not. She felt like she didn’t want that exposed to anyone else. She was hurt and embarrassed about what had happened after the kiss, and she didn’t want to have to explain all of that to anyone.
“I mean, I know… I guess he… But he wants me gone,” she replied.
“He wants to keep you safe,” River said gently. “He’s protective of you. That’s what this is all about.”
Sarah shook her head in denial. “I don’t know if I can believe that,” she muttered, looking down at her hands. It was a sweet thought, him caring about her like that. But if he really wanted her, then he would have told her that after their kiss. Instead, he just stared at her, jaw set tight, unable to come out and say what she needed to hear.
“You should,” Bailey laughed. “Everyone else can see it. Including us.”
“Yeah, well, until I hear it from him, I think I’ll play it safe,” she insisted.
She could sense that the two of them were still not entirely convinced by her protestations, and she felt heat rising in her cheeks.
“Wait, you’re blushing,” River pointed out all of a sudden.
Sarah ducked her head, willing her cheeks to stop giving away her thoughts. She hoped her friends would just drop it.
She should have known better.
“You’re blushing because you’re thinking about Lawson, aren’t you?” Bailey teased.
“No, it’s not that!” Sarah protested. “I just… I don’t know.”
“Did something happen between the two of you?” River asked eagerly, planting herself on the edge of the bed and looking at her expectantly.
Sarah parted her lips, considering what to say. Maybe it would do her good to share what was going on with them, and get it off her chest. These women were her friends, and she knew she could trust them.
“I mean, I guess you could say that,” she admitted.
Bailey clapped her hands together. “Okay, now you totally have to spill,” she urged her. “What happened?”