Changing Hearts Page 10

  We were immediately ushered into a private dining room. My father and his business associates stood when we walked in. It wasn’t on my behalf.

  “You made it.” Dad glanced down at his Patek Philippe watch, a gift from my grandfather when he married my mother. “Right on time.”

  He looked disappointed he couldn’t get on my shit for being late.

  “Don and Chester, this is my son, Sawyer.” He glanced at me when he said son. A good reminder that it was by his grace alone he used that word. “And we have—”

  “Shelly Hastings,” I injected.

  Shelly stepped forward and greeted each man in turn. I could tell Dad was impressed.

  “Hastings,” the man who introduced himself as Donald Reed said. “Is your father Byron Hastings?”

  There was a moment when her façade cracked, but she rebounded quickly.

  “Yes, he is.” Her smile filled her face. However, there was a story there.

  “Excellent lawyer,” Don agreed.

  “That he is.” She nodded politely.

  Dad indicated for Shelly to take the seat next to him. I sat on her other side.

  “So, Shelly,” Dad began. “What are you studying in school?”

  “I’m pre-law.”

  I managed to contain my shock. Layton was a large school and outside of that women’s study class, Shelly and I hadn’t shared any classes.

  “Am I to assume that’s how you met my son?” Dad asked quietly.

  Shelly might have answered, but Chester finally spoke having not heard Dad’s question. “Will you join your father’s firm?”

  “No.” There was finality in her answer.

  “Embarking on your own. I can admire that,” Don said.

  “I’m minoring in women’s studies. I plan to become an advocate for women’s rights.”

  “You mean like helping battered women?” Dad was smooth in his delivery, but the message was there. His political pals would accept that answer, but not much more.

  I closed my eyes for a second, trying to figure a way to stop the train wreck that was about to happen. No way would Shelly back down.

  “That and so much more.” Her reply was sugary sweet.

  The other two men started talking, but Shelly and my father traded a check and checkmate glare.

  Thankfully, the conversation shifted to politics that had nothing to do with Shelly’s career track and everything to do with a president they wanted out of office through the rest of the meal.

  After we all declined dessert, Don asked a question both men wanted the answer to.

  “So, will your other son be joining you on the campaign trail?”

  Dad gritted his teeth while maintaining a smile. “Tomas?”

  “Yes, my daughter received an invitation to his upcoming nuptials,” Don continued.

  The men spoke volumes by just trading glances at each other.

  “Well, I think that was premature on his part. Boys will be impulsive, especially when they want to make a point.”

  Chester jumped in. “So that’s all it is. A boy who wants to get back at his father the only way he can?”

  My brother was legally an adult, so the use of boy was a way of putting him in his place even though he wasn’t here to witness the conversation.

  “He will be handled.”

  “Are you sure of that?” Don asked.

  “There are ways.”

  “We want to be sure there won’t be a potential embarrassing story somewhere down the line,” Chester added.

  Dad looked on the verge of turning red-faced. If his jaw got any tighter, it would snap.

  “Like I said, it will be handled. Sawyer will be the face of my sons on the campaign trail. Won’t you?”

  I wanted to tell him, fuck you, you should embrace the son you have. But then I was reminded why I couldn’t do that and simply nodded.

  Dad smiled before we all stood. He said goodbye to his potential campaign donors but told us to wait for him. After they were gone, he asked Shelly for a minute to talk to me.

  Shelly excused herself to use the bathroom, leaving me alone with the man who had me by the balls, and I hated it. I’d done enough research to know I couldn’t get a loan to pay for school in time. I would have to drop out and reapply for spring semester.

  “Sawyer.” Dad sounded annoyed, which meant he’d been talking to me and I hadn’t been listening.

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you should know that Sigma requested my input for the induction ceremony.”

  Shit. He shouldn’t be telling me this. The fact that he was meant he was about to make me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

  “You’re aware of the security cameras in the house. What you might not be aware of is that I’ve kept certain ones over the years.” His pause made my gut seize. “There are two that would be of particular interest, like Ashton’s confession.”

  “Bullshit,” I sneered. “You will not—”

  “I will.” It was a fucking standoff as my blood boiled underneath my skin. “And let’s not forget the night your brother threw you a graduation party without my permission. From the little I saw, your words and actions may suggest you had no idea what you were doing…or not.”

  Bile shot to the back of my throat.

  “Yes.” Dad knew he’d won. “You will do as I ask.”

  I caught Shelly headed our way.

  “I will remind you that security is the upmost importance in every home I own.”

  That meant the one on campus. Fuck.

  Shelly came over and looped an arm through mine. “Is everything okay?”

  The implications of what he’d just said made me sick.

  He clasped her free hand. “Everything is fine. It was such a pleasure meeting you today.” Then he let go and tipped his head in my direction. “Sawyer.”

  There wasn’t anything left to say as he left.

  “What’s going on?” Shelly asked.

  That’s when I felt my teeth grinding.

  “Nothing. Let’s go.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  Shelly

  Sawyer wouldn’t talk on the drive home. I was left to ponder the evening because he’d been silent through most of the ride. It had to be something his father had said.

  “I didn’t know you were pre-law.”

  His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

  Annoyance burned bright in my gaze. “And obviously you don’t want me to know anything about you either.”

  His shoulders did a slow rise and fall. What had happened earlier? Clearly, he was on edge.

  “Why bother when you’ve already been judged?”

  Poisonous venom seeped from his words.

  “I get that your father pissed you off, but don’t be an asshole to me after I just did you a favor.”

  He sat on that for a while as the tension in the air dissipated around us. I didn’t know how many minutes we sat in silence. But out of nowhere he spoke.

  “I’m pre-law because that pays the tuition bill. But I’m minoring in psychology.”

  “Like Brie? Does she know?”

  Questions swirled in my head like a sandstorm, organized but chaotic.

  “Did you know my major?” he asked.

  I guessed it was true. We had the same major but hadn’t crossed paths. Well, we had. I’d seen him in the building where I had classes, but I didn’t pay it much mind as I’d tried to forget him.

  “So why…” The answer to my question crystalized in my head. “Ashton,” I whispered. Then I glanced at him. “Are you doing this for him?”

  I’d hung out with Ashton in a misguided attempt to date him. How could a girl resist a guy like him: crazy good-looking, incredibly sweet, with a dark mystery that surrounded him? He was very secretive and never spoke much about anything.

  Sawyer pursed his lips and said nothing.

  “So you’re just going to shut me out now?”

&
nbsp; His gaze drifted to me for just a second before it was back on the road.

  When he spoke, his voice carried a slight manic chuckle underneath it all.

  “How can I shut you out when you were never in?”

  I shivered from the coolness of his tone and decided unless I wanted all-out war, to say nothing more. He was right. We weren’t friends and his life was none of my business.

  Despite his comments, he tried to open the door for me. But I nearly hit him with it as I barreled out on my own. I’d only carried a small purse and hadn’t brought my keys. I waited for him at the front door.

  Once we were inside, I tossed a thank you over my shoulder before heading straight back to my room. It was a wonder how he could infuriate me so.

  Thirst burned my throat, forcing me out into the common area. I walked out intending to go into the bathroom to brush my teeth, when I saw Sawyer standing in the kitchen staring through the beer bottle he held like it wasn’t there. It was times like that I found myself softening toward him. I glanced at the ground for a second. When I looked up again, he was gone.

  I pushed thoughts of sympathy away and did as I’d planned. It wasn’t long before I was back in my small room with a bottle of water. Moonlight streamed through the single window as it took a while before I made up my mind to place a call.

  The female voice that answered stilled my tongue.

  “Hey,” the girl said again.

  I cleared my throat. “Is David around?”

  She didn’t answer me. Instead, I heard her muffled voice speaking to someone else. The reply I heard loud and clear.

  “Who said you could answer my phone?” David said before speaking into it. “Hello.”

  “David.”

  The same female was close. I heard her ask, “Who is that?”

  “My girlfriend.” David’s tone was less than friendly. “Shelly, wait a minute.” Then as seconds passed, the noise in the background grew softer. “Okay, what’s up?”

  “I just called to talk, but it sounds like you’re busy.”

  “I’m not. You know how things are here.”

  The frat house constantly had people coming and going. Seniority members got to live there. A choice I could have made if I’d pledged a sorority, which I had not.

  “Yeah, I don’t want to interrupt.”

  “You can always come over,” he offered.

  “It’s late.”

  “I miss you.”

  Even over the phone, I could hear the desire in his voice. Though he had tried, I hadn’t yet given in. His reputation of being a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy had made me hesitant to go there. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

  “As tempting as your offer is, we have class tomorrow.”

  It was the first day of my senior year.

  “Okay, how about tomorrow? I can take you to dinner, just you and me.” That sounded nice. “Meet me after practice at the locker room.”

  He gave me an approximate time.

  “Sounds good.”

  “Sweet dreams, Shell.”

  “Back at you.”

  The next day dawned and I was out of the house early. As a morning person, I liked to get my classes over early. The Oklahoma heat was in full force, so shorts and a T-shirt was my uniform of choice.

  From my bedroom, I walked down the hall into the large space that encompassed the living room, kitchen, and dining room. I stopped at the counter and peered to my left to see the sofa wasn’t unoccupied. Sawyer was sunk low in the cushions, staring mindlessly at the TV, which was tuned to some sports channel. He didn’t notice me, so I opted not to say anything. There was a strange vibe between us and I wasn’t sure if he was still pissed off or not. I paused at the front door and glanced his way. He still hadn’t looked in my direction. I pursed my lips and exited the house.

  Classes weren’t going to be easy this year, but I was happy with the professors I chose. By the end of the day, I was looking forward to meeting up with David. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, saving up my calorie count for a big dinner that night.

  With a cold bottle of water I bought at the coffee house, I headed for the field. As I neared, the only guys I saw were football players, not a baseball player in sight. I drifted in the direction of the stands just to get a closer look. I hadn’t gotten far when Brie tackle hugged me.

  “Shell, what are you doing here?”

  I don’t think I’d seen Brie that happy before. She practically radiated.

  “I’m meeting David.”

  I cupped a hand over my eyes to block some of the bright sunshine. A ball sailed across the field and landed in the arms of one of the players. When Brie started jumping and clapping, I guessed it was Chance.

  “Can you believe it?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “I didn’t know Sawyer was that good. Chance said he’s been holding out.”

  So that had been Sawyer who’d thrown that perfect ball Chance caught on the run? I thought about what he’d said about me not knowing much about him.

  A whistle blew and Brie dragged me over to where the guys began to stream off the field. Chance jogged straight for Brie and wrapped her in his sweaty arms. When Sawyer pulled off his helmet, our eyes connected for a second, and then he immediately glanced away. Before, I’d reveled in our equal displeasure of one another. It was an easy way for my heart to forget him and the hurt he’d caused me or that I’d caused myself. I didn’t like it so much now.

  “Shelly.”

  I glanced up to find Ashton. He gave me that look of his that made me feel special.

  “Hey.”

  He was about to say something when a commotion broke out behind us. Ashton looked over my shoulder and took off before I could see what was going on. When I did, David sat flat on his ass in the dirt cupping his nose, with several guys heading over to subdue a looming figure. He didn’t stay down either as he scrambled to get to his feet. Cheerleaders stepped away from what was looking like a prelude to a fight and I ran right into the fray.

  I wedged myself between David and Sawyer. Sawyer’s eyes burned on my skin and I tried not to be affected by it. The look of betrayal there enraged me. How dare he think I was in the wrong?

  “What’s your problem?” I demanded.

  “You,” he said, shrugging off Ash and letting Chance steer him into the locker room.

  I turned around to stare daggers at David. There was no way he was completely innocent. Something had set Sawyer off. Most likely David had said something that earned him the split lip.

  “What happened?”

  David glanced toward the door Sawyer went through and shrugged. “You tell me. Why does Cargill have a hard-on for you?”

  TWENTY-THREE

  Ashton

  I tried to silently apologize to Shelly with a sympathetic glance before I followed after Chance and Sawyer.

  “I’m good,” Sawyer said, roughly shaking Chance off.

  Chance, who was used to manhandling belligerent people, stepped back with annoyance. He lifted a finger along with his brows and walked backward with pursed lips.

  “Handle it,” he finally said, aiming a finger in Sawyer’s direction.

  Guys continued to funnel into the locker room past us. I stared into unfathomable eyes that held little to no emotion, at least not for me.

  How did we get here? I didn’t know I’d spoken out loud until he answered me.

  “You walked away.”

  “You gave me no choice,” I countered.

  “You can walk away now.”

  The grin that curved his mouth wasn’t one I welcomed.

  “Tell me you feel something for Shelly.”

  “That’s none of your business,” he sneered.

  “It is. You have a way of making people fall in love with you and walking away when that happens.”

  He stared at me a minute longer before stalking off. I didn’t follow. I hated the divide between us, but I couldn’t go on like ho
w it’d been forever. Yet, I missed the fucker like crazy. He kept the demons away at night. Now I was forced to slay the dragons alone.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Sawyer

  An early dinner at the café had brightened my mood. I’d made plans that should take my mind off of everything. I walked in the door to find Shelly putting groceries in the fridge. I’d already eaten and calmed down, but the look she spared me said she hadn’t quite forgiven me yet. She pulled out a bag of shredded cheese. While she put it away, I tried to break the ice.

  “What do they call cheese that isn’t yours?”

  The glare she gave me could freeze fire. I went for it anyway.

  “Nacho cheese.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. At least that was something. When she produced a bag of uncooked shrimp, I tried again.

  “Why didn’t the shrimp share his treasure?”

  That time she didn’t even glance up.

  “Because he was a little shellfish.”

  I drummed my hands on the counter to finish off my joke. She tried to hide it, but her grim expression cracked. I pointed at her.

  “See, I made you smile. What ya cooking?”

  Her smile wasn’t friendly. “I’m cooking dinner for David to make up for your assholery. And don’t think your corny jokes make up for what you did.”

  I tamped down the slight annoyance that struck. “What? Me the asshole?” I pointed at my chest. “When has defending your honor become a crime?”

  Her eyes narrowed for a second. Then something changed and her jaw dropped.

  “Seriously? You call punching my boyfriend because he was talking to some girl chivalry?”

  I nod.

  “I call it excessive.” She rubbed at her temple. “I’m not a jealous female. He can talk to whoever he wants.”

  The words may have come from her mouth, but I didn’t buy it. For a second, she believed me. He must have said something to try and explain away his actions.