Deceived: Devon Brothers, #2, page 5
“Nah, it’s fine. Sawyer needed some excitement in his life,” she offered with a chuckle and that made Avalynn’s eyebrows rise.
If anyone had an exciting life, she’d think it’d be Sawyer. She didn’t know a ton about him, but she did know about his family. The Devons had been coming into the restaurant since before she started working there and over the years she’d grown to know them, overhearing their conversations, their arguments, and their celebrations.
She remembered when Sawyer got accepted to Harvard, and when he landed his first big job in the city. How his brothers egged him on when he bragged about his new penthouse in Rittenhouse Square. For every event, they came to the restaurant to celebrate with dinner and drinks, and Avalynn would stand back and admire them. Admire the fact that they had each other to cheer on and celebrate with. She hadn’t had that kind of excitement in her life. Then again, her life really didn’t have that much to celebrate.
“OK, just put it in neutral,” Cade said to Sawyer as they got into their respective vehicles. Cade gave his truck some gas and slowly pulled the Porsche from its muddy grave. There was an awful scraping sound and Avalynn could see Sawyer’s pained expression through the windshield. She winced and visibly recoiled at the sound.
“God, I feel so awful, I hope there’s not too much damage,” she said and Kit patted her on the arm.
“It’s fine, he’ll deal with it. You know how men are with their cars.”
Avalynn sighed audibly. She really didn’t know about men and their cars. And Sawyer didn’t seem like the kind of guy that would put that much effort into it aside from keeping it clean and running.
Once the car was on solid ground, Cade got out of his truck and dropped to the ground to remove the rope. She could tell by the look on Sawyer's face that he was perturbed and just wanted to leave, so she made her way to the side of his car and waited as his window lowered.
“Again, I’m really sorry about all this. If there’s any damage—”
“Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t your fault,” he said, then he nodded and rolled the window back up, effectively cutting her off once more.
She gave him a quick, sharp nod and stepped back. And again, perceptive as ever, Kit made her way over and gave her a comforting smile.
“Like I said... men and their cars. Am I right?” she said with a laugh. “Hey, we’re just headed back to the farm if you want to come with us. I got some fresh slab bacon and some cornbread at the Amish stand and was going to make breakfast for Cade.”
“Thanks, but we already ate at my place, and I have lots of stuff to take care of today. It’s one of my few days off.”
Kit gave a nod and headed to the truck.
“Just know our door is always open. Don’t be a stranger,” she added, gave her a wave, and in an instant, they were gone.
Chapter Seven
“I can’t believe you left me there,” Sawyer groused as he entered the kitchen and tossed his keys onto the table.
Cade rolled his eyes and opened the fridge to deposit the items they had purchased at the farm stand.
“Such a baby,” he said with a laugh. “What did she do, make you sleep on the floor?”
“Her sheets not a high enough count for you?” Kit added, coming in behind them.
Sawyer turned a cold, angry face at both of them, then headed down the hall toward the office.
“Did you know she lives in a shed?” he shouted, hoping they could hear him.
“A what?” Cade asked as he followed behind.
“A shed! You know, one of those things that you park your lawnmowers in,” Sawyer spat as he entered the office and dropped into the chair behind the desk.
“Get out of here,” Cade said, waving him off. “You’re crazy.”
Sawyer glared at him.
“I’m being serious. She lives in a shed. One of those ones that looks like a barn.”
Cade furrowed his brows.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m telling you! I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. It’s a shed. She said old Peterson used to use it for hunting storage or something and he gave it to her because she couldn’t afford an apartment in the area,” Sawyer said.
“Why didn’t she just move somewhere more affordable?” Kit asked as she came into the room and dropped into the seat opposite Sawyer.
“She said her job was here and she wanted to stay.”
Cade shook his head and leaned against the doorjamb.
“A shed? Really?”
“Really,” Sawyer affirmed.
“I mean, so you slept on the floor?” Cade asked, confused. “That must have been awful.”
Sawyer nodded, still not believing what he’d gone through. And then his face relaxed.
“No,” he said, thinking back. “It was actually... pretty nice.”
Cade turned to Kit, and they gave each other confused glances.
“Wait... she lives in a shed, and it was nice?” Cade asked.
“Yeah,” Sawyer said, then gave a laugh. “It’s like one of those tiny home things. The inside is remarkably comfortable. It has a loft bedroom, full kitchen... everything is in there. And I slept on the couch.”
“Oh my God, I’ve always wanted to do that!” Kit exclaimed, bouncing in her seat and Cade raised his brows at her.
“You want to live in a tiny house?” he asked. “You never said anything about that.”
“I just think it’s such a cool idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love this house, but why does anyone need so much space? It’s just more to clean, more to take care of.”
“OK...” Cade said with a grimace. “I guess, but how do you stretch out and relax in a place that small?”
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t cramped at all. She had a full-sized couch, big TV, moderate kitchen with full-sized appliances. And she had a queen-sized bed from what I could see,” Sawyer said and gave his brother a smirk when Cade’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah, about that,” Cade started. “Why were you there in the first place?”
“I stopped at the meeting house for dinner last night, was the last one there and her car broke down so since I was already coming over here, I offered her a ride.”
“She couldn’t call AAA?” Cade asked.
“Her phone had died.”
“You didn’t think to lend her yours to make the call?” Cade asked.
Sawyer shrugged.
“I didn’t think it was such a big deal. It's not like it was out of my way.”
“Sure, until you bottomed out your ride,” Cade offered with a laugh and Sawyer gave him another grimace.
“That was unexpected,” he said.
“And she feels awful about it,” Kit said. “I think she was about to offer to pay for the damage, but I cut her off.”
“Pay for the damage?” Sawyer smirked. “She couldn’t afford the touch-up paint for it. No. She doesn’t need to pay for anything. It was my responsibility.”
“Which was why I told her not to worry about it, poor thing,” Kit said, ticking her tongue.
“Did you know her parents dumped her there?” Sawyer asked and Cade quickly shook his head.
“I didn’t know her parents at all. What do you mean they dumped her?”
“They retired, sold their house, and left. Left her here. I mean, she said she agreed to it, but Jesus...” Sawyer groused.
“That’s a bit harsh. Was there some kind of beef between her and her parents?” Cade asked.
“Not that I’m aware of but I didn’t ask. She just said they wanted to move out west and she wanted to stay so they sold the house, gave her some money, and left.”
“Well, there you go,” Cade shrugged.
“Her parents’ house was in Jefferson Commons,” Sawyer added and gave his brother a knowing glance.
“Ah,” Cade said with a nod and a sigh. “Well, I can see why they left. How old was she when they left?”
“Eighteen.”
“That’s a bit young.”
“That’s what I said, but she said they all agreed. I mean, how can you just up and move and leave your kid with nowhere to live? That’s just awful,” Sawyer said. And based on his conversation with Avalynn, he knew they lived in two totally separate worlds. That wouldn’t even have been a consideration to his parents. There is no way in holy hell they would have just packed up and left any of them there at that age.
“Yeah, there had to have been some situation with their move. I can’t see them just saying we’re out of here and leaving her,” Kit said. “My parents begged me to live at home so I can’t imagine that.”
Sawyer shook his head. He couldn’t imagine it either.
“She did say that Peterson helped her quite a bit, let her crash at his place until she was able to make the shed livable. Not sure why she didn’t just stay at his place,” Sawyer added.
“Probably because she was an eighteen-year-old girl who didn’t want to be living with an old guy in the backwoods. No matter how strapped you are, you need your privacy,” Kit said.
“Yeah, and Peterson’s place is small so she would have had no privacy. I can see where that would have been an issue for her,” Cade offered. “Still, a shed, really?”
Sawyer shrugged and booted up the PC on the desk in front of him.
“Do you plan on seeing her again?” Kit asked, giving him a smile, but Sawyer gave a smart look.
“I mean, at the restaurant, sure, but that was no social visit last night, I assure you.”
Cade handed him a couple of envelopes.
“Bills,” he said. “Do your magic.”
“Yeah, no worries. Also, just a heads up, I’m going to be out of the country over the weekend, but I’ll have my cell with me,” Sawyer said.
“Oh, where to now?” Cade asked.
Sawyer rolled his eyes as he typed.
“Micheline is pissed at me again, and in order to shut her up and give myself a few days peace from her, I offered to take her to dinner anywhere she liked.”
“Let me guess, the restaurant isn’t anywhere nearby,” Cade said, shaking his head.
“Not even close. She wants to go to Italy.”
“Italy?” Kit asked incredulously.
“Yeah. I mean, I have tons of air miles to blow, so I don’t care. If it buys me some alone time, I’m willing to do it.”
“Oh my God, if you despise her that much, why do you bother?” Cade asked.
“I don’t despise her. She can just be a bit... overbearing. And needy. And I owe that to her father,” Sawyer admitted rather hesitantly.
“Really? And what do you owe that shyster?” Cade asked.
Sawyer exhaled and gritted his teeth. Bringing up Cartwright was always a sore topic. Micheline’s father was a very wealthy businessman in the area, growing his wealth as a developer and an investor. The fact that he’d had a hand in turning the residential areas surrounding the farm into overpriced and vacant corporate areas didn’t sweeten his name on anyone’s tongues. Not by a long shot. But Sawyer didn’t have the luxury of avoiding the man. His firm had been trying to land him as a client for years and when he started dating Micheline, he knew it was his ticket. To everything. The partners at his firm began treating him like a big deal and once he got into Cartwright’s good graces, it was just a matter of time. Signing him on would be monumental for his career. He just never considered he’d have to stick it out with Micheline for so long to make that all possible, so he was beginning to realize he needed to get his priorities in check before that woman drove him to drink. Or worse.
“You know my firm needs him as a client,” was all Sawyer said.
Cade rolled his eyes and headed toward the door.
“I don’t know why you bother. I thought you were better than that.”
“Better than what?”
“Better than kissing his ass to get ahead in your career. Is that what Harvard is teaching these days?” Cade asked with a chuckle.
“Harvard doesn’t teach that, life does. Business is cutthroat. It always has been. In order to get ahead, you have to be ready to eat shit on occasion.”
Cade continued to chuckle and shook his head.
“You must love the taste of shit then.”
Sawyer growled under his breath and watched as Cade left the office.
“Don’t mind him,” Kit said, giving him a sad smile. “You know he just worries about you. And he’s been worried about Parker too.”
“Have you guys heard from him at all?” Sawyer asked as he began typing.
“No, and it’s fair to say we probably won’t, given how their last conversation went. I thought maybe you two would have kept in touch. I know you’re closer to him than Cade is.”
Sawyer shrugged and then started opening the envelopes Cade had given him. He swore the farm had more bills than any business he’d ever dealt with. They were never-ending.
“I spoke to him maybe three weeks ago. You know Parker, always following the crowd. There was some talk about Coachella and Burning Man. Some music festival in Montreal he was looking to promote. Who knows anymore with him.”
“Well, as long as he’s safe and happy, that’s all we care about. Cade would be devastated if anything happened to him.”
Sawyer furrowed his brows at that and gave her a dark look.
“Wow, that sounded ominous. Don't worry, he’s not the type to die of an OD. He’s too narcissistic to damage his face,” Sawyer chuckled. “Gotta remain pretty for his followers.”
Kit rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Okie doke,” she said. “I’m going to make breakfast for Cade. Want anything?”
“No, I’m good. Ava made me breakfast this morning.”
“Mmhmm,” she smiled. “I’ll bet she did.”
“Don’t even go there,” Sawyer said, tossing the torn envelopes into the trash as he stacked the bills next to his keyboard. “She hates me with the passion of a thousand suns.”
“Well at least it’s passion,” Kit said with a sly grin and left the room.
“Ha ha,” he chortled and began working on the bills in front of him. Five minutes in, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Micheline: There’s a restaurant in Dorsoduro. Get us a reservation as soon as possible. I’m told it’s hard to get in.
Sawyer: I’ll see what I can do...
Micheline: Do it now! If we can’t get in, I’ll be devastated.
Sawyer rolled his eyes. Devastated? Seriously? Well, she certainly had her priorities in order. And how could he hold it against her? He’d told her, under no uncertain terms he’d take her anywhere she wished if she just gave him a few days to himself. And now she was cashing in.
He tapped at his phone, hit the speaker button, and set it down on the desk as he continued with his work.
“Good morning, Mr. Devon,” the young man’s voice said.
“Good morning, Kevin. Look, I need some tickets and typical lodgings as well as a reservation please.”
“Sure thing, just give me the dates and particulars and I’ll take care of it.”
“This Friday through Sunday. Venice, Italy. Also, there’s a restaurant in Dorsoduro, high-end, not sure of the name. Please do anything you can to get reservations for two.”
“I’ll see what I can do and if there are any issues I will get back to you,” Kevin offered cheerfully.
“Perfect, thanks.”
As he disconnected the call, Cade entered and set a coffee mug on the end of the desk, shaking his head with a cynical look on his face.
“I can't believe you're actually paying her off to leave you alone. What is the matter with you?”
“Let me handle my relationship my way and I'll let you handle yours your way,” Sawyer said with a sour face, but Cade wasn't buying it.
“Handle? Really? You’re bribing your client by coddling his daughter. A daughter, may I add, you don’t plan to stay with once your little deal is done from what I gather.”
Sawyer inhaled and ground his teeth, mainly because Cade was absolutely right. Micheline was a beautiful, sexy woman, but their respective lives didn’t and never would mesh. He was a workaholic on his best days, always striving to make the next quota. She was all about followers, likes, and gaining both in multitudes to feed her ego. Their drives were similar, but for totally different reasons and rewards. Even her sex drive, of late, was more overwhelming than his and that was saying something.
“Nothing I do or say to her will knock her down or cause her to stumble. I guarantee if I ended things today she’d be with a different guy tomorrow. She’s all about publicity. Trust me, she’d use the breakup as a pity tactic to gain more followers.”
Cade huffed and gave him another disappointed look.
“I don’t care, she’s a human being. You wouldn’t want anyone to treat you that way, or me... or anyone else, right?”
Sawyer grumbled under his breath.
“No, but you have to understand the position I’m in. And she knows the position she’s in. I’m sure her father makes sure of that. And I haven’t promised her anything.”
“Except dinner in Venice.”
Sawyer shrugged unfazed.
“It’s no skin off my teeth and I get a great meal out of it.”
“I just don’t get how you can sleep knowing you’re doing that to her,” Cade ground out.
“Doing what?” Sawyer asked, exasperated with his brother’s prodding. “I don’t deprive her of sex, I take her to all the best restaurants, I’ve given her expensive gifts and I don’t cheat on her. I’ve never mentioned marriage or any kind of future plans with her, and she’s never brought it up with me, so I’m not sure what kind of code I’m breaking.”
“I don’t know. I’d just feel awful knowing I was stringing someone along like that.”
“How am I stringing her along? We’re not engaged, and we’ve never mentioned any kind of formal attachment. I’m sorry, but I’m just not old-fashioned like you are when it comes to relationships. We’ll just have to agree to disagree where that’s concerned.”
Cade gave him another one of his looks and turned for the door.
