A Place to Rest Part 7

"I'm off. See you in a few." He gave Matt a quick kiss on the mouth before he left. They seemed very comfortable together despite the short amount of time they'd known each other. Matt fell in love easily, then seemed so content that she wondered if she was missing out on some secret. Her own relationships always seemed complicated in comparison.

"How's your used-car inventory right now?" she asked.

"We've got a bunch of stuff-a Camry with low miles and a couple of SUVs. Why? Do you want to trade the Solara?"

"No. It's not for me. I might bring someone by later this week."

"Okay." Matt's tone was saturated with curiosity.

"Jori's been taking the bus to work. I just thought you might be able to help her out."

* 65 *

"Jori's the pastry chef, right?" he asked as he stood to gather the empty beer bottles from the coffee table.

"Yeah." Sawyer grabbed the nearly empty bowl of popcorn and followed him into the kitchen.

"Is she hot?" He disposed of the bottles and took the bowl from her.

"Matt!"

He nodded. "She is."

Sawyer pretended to glare at him. "Yeah, she's hot. But that's not why I'm doing this."

"Uh-huh." She could tell he didn't believe her. "I'll be there Thursday morning. Why don't you bring her by before work and I'll show her what we have."

"I'll check with her and see if she's free." Sawyer told herself she was just trying to be friendly and help Jori out. After all, why should she have to deal with an untrustworthy salesman when Sawyer knew someone who would make her a good deal?

Her generosity had nothing to do with her desire to see more of Jori.

Sawyer turned onto Jori's street, admiring as always the sprawling lawns in front of each large home. The neighborhood contained mostly older houses, and the residents here had enough money to stave off the growth and overcrowding that had spread through much of the city. She pulled into Jori's driveway and circled the main house a few minutes early. She had told Matt to expect them around eleven, and then she planned to take Jori to a late lunch before they went to work.

She was debating where to go for lunch when Jori, her hair still wet, stuck her head out the door at the top of the stairs.

"I'm almost ready. Do you want to wait up here?"

Sawyer told herself it was her desire to get out of the beaming sun and not her curiosity about Jori's place that propelled her out * 66 *

of the car. She paused at the top of the stairs and called through the door Jori had left open.

"I'll be out in a minute," Jori answered from what Sawyer a.s.sumed was the bathroom.

She wandered around the apartment. It wasn't large, but with the natural light and the minimalist furnishings, it didn't feel cramped either. She thought about her own place. No one would walk in and say it looked like her. But even after the short time she'd known Jori, this s.p.a.ce, with its rich colors and una.s.suming decor, felt like it fi t. She could imagine Jori taking comfort in the warm stillness here after a long day.

Though the screen at the far end of the room only partially obscured the bed with its Asian-inspired duvet, Sawyer avoided circling it, fearing she would be intruding on Jori's privacy.

Instead she moved around the room and touched the back of the futon and the maple end table. Candles sat on nearly every surface, as did several decorative vases, but something was missing. She carefully lifted one of the vases, a beautiful gla.s.s piece with a swirl of dark red around the neck that looked like a ribbon embedded inside. It was heavier than she expected, given its delicate appearance.

The bathroom door opened and Jori headed for the kitchen, carrying her uniform on a hanger. When she turned to open the refrigerator door, Sawyer noticed the navy bandana that would cover her hair when she got to work, but for now it looked s.e.xy hanging out of the back pocket of her faded blue jeans.

"You don't have any pictures of your family around," she said, jerking her eyes away from Jori's a.s.s before she could be caught.

"What?" Jori asked from behind the refrigerator door.

"Well, most people put family photos out."

Jori fought a streak of panic and forced a casual tone. "My place is small and I don't like clutter." Before Sawyer could press her, she rushed on. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you."

* 67 *

She grabbed a bottle of water. "Ready?" She crossed to the door and held it open for Sawyer.

After she followed Sawyer to the car, she was surprised when Sawyer held the door for her, and her arm tingled when it brushed Sawyer's as she got in. She leaned across to unlock Sawyer's door and saw her eyes dip. Confused, she looked down and realized that as she'd reached for the door, the V-neck of her shirt had gaped, giving Sawyer a view of her small b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

She felt uncomfortable and knew she was blushing. She wished she'd put on a bra that morning, but once she got into the chef's jacket no one could tell if she was wearing one or not, so she often didn't bother. She realized Sawyer was still staring and cleared her throat. Sawyer jerked her eyes away and hurriedly climbed in, started the engine, and backed out without looking at her again.

Sawyer's observant inquiry about her lack of family photos had thrown her. She had dodged the question, reluctant to explain her lack of sentimentality about her family because she was afraid of Sawyer's reaction. As a young girl she'd seen pitying looks on the face of more than one social worker, and that wasn't what she wanted to see when Sawyer looked at her.

She much preferred the expression on Sawyer's face as she'd leaned across the interior of the car. The fl ash of heat as Sawyer's gaze caressed her made her wonder how she would feel if Sawyer were actually to touch her, made her long for the certain intensity. Her face fl ushed anew as she realized the direction of her thoughts, and she looked out the window so Sawyer wouldn't notice.

Sawyer steered into the dealership and parked in front.

Waving at the man who strode through the front door, she got out and met him at the front of the car.

"Jori, this is my roommate, Matt."

"Hey, how are you?" Matt held out his hand.

Jori took it and was surprised to fi nd his grip warm and enveloping. His smile was friendly, and when he released her * 68 *

hand he stepped back, leaving her a comfortable cushion of personal s.p.a.ce. "It's nice to meet you."

She'd expected something a bit more aggressive from a car dealer. Of course, she didn't trust them as a breed, so she readily admitted she was already biased against him in spite of her initial reaction. He certainly looked the part, with his slicked-back hair, dark navy suit, and bright yellow tie. But the welcome in his eyes contradicted the glossy appearance.

"What can I help you fi nd today?"

"I'm looking for a used sedan, nothing too expensive or fl ashy."

Sawyer smiled in encouragement when Jori glanced nervously at her. She'd already talked to Matt a bit about what Jori was hunting for, but she'd let them work it out from here.

She trusted Matt not to screw Jori. So while he led her from car to car and pointed out the features as well as the fl aws of each one, Sawyer wandered among the new vehicles nearby.

When she noticed Matt leave Jori standing next to a green Toyota Camry and head for the building, she strolled back to Jori.

"Did you fi nd something you like?"

"I'm going to test-drive this Camry." Jori touched Sawyer's arm. "By the way, thank you. Matt is a good guy."

"Yeah, he'll take care of you." Sawyer smiled, enjoying the warmth of Jori's hand against her skin and the feeling of helping her.

"Did you fi nd something?" Jori asked, nodding toward the row of shiny new SUVs Sawyer had been looking at.

Sawyer shrugged. "Nothing I'd consider trading the Solara for. Don't feel obligated to make a deal you're not comfortable with. Matt sells a lot, he doesn't need the commission. I only brought you here because I know you can trust him to shoot straight."

Jori nodded and before she could respond, Matt returned, jangling the keys to the Camry.

* 69 *

"Ready for that test-drive?"

"Thanks again for hooking me up with Matt, and for going with me. I know you must have been bored," Jori said, picking up a slice of pizza.

"Nah, I like car shopping, even when I'm not buying."

"But even with Matt fast-tracking the paperwork, it still took an hour and a half to fi nish it. I got bored, and I'm the one buying the car."

Sawyer waved off Jori's concern before she bit into her pizza. The pizzeria was a popular lunch spot and the booths around them were quickly fi lling up. "I'm glad I could help. So, you pick up the car tomorrow?"

"Yes, it'll be nice not to plan my day around the bus schedule.

I haven't been here in years. But the food is still as good as I remember."

"Did you grow up around here?"

"Mostly. In the area, at least. I moved around a lot when I was younger."

Sawyer waited but Jori didn't volunteer any more. I moved around, not we , not my family .

"So you must have changed schools a lot." From the little she knew about Jori's past, she guessed Jori hadn't gone to private school.

"Yeah."

"I bet it was tough to keep friends." Sawyer thought about her own circle of school friends. She'd been popular, with a number of loyal friends, and she'd never had a problem getting to know new people. In high school she hadn't dated much, because by that time she knew she was interested in girls but was far too intimidated by the ones she found attractive. It wasn't until college that she'd ventured into that arena, and by then she'd learned to rely on her outgoing nature rather than her looks.

* 70 *

Jori shrugged.

"Did your dad have to move for work or something?"

"No."

Jori set down the gla.s.s she'd been sipping from and shifted uncomfortably in her side of the booth. Sawyer could tell she should just change the subject, but she was curious about why the light went out of Jori's eyes when the conversation turned to her past.

"Every time I ask about your family, you avoid answering."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. So I'm going to stop asking."

"There isn't much to tell, really. My father wasn't a very nice guy." When Jori stroked her knuckles over her own cheekbone, Sawyer didn't think she realized she was doing it.

Her father hit her. She fought back a swell of anger and remained silent, sensing Jori would speak again when she was ready.

"My mother was too busy trying to remember where she left her bottle to pay attention to what he was doing. I was eight when I was put in foster care."

"If you don't want to talk about this, we don't have to."

Sawyer touched her forearm. She'd had no idea and realized she shouldn't have pushed Jori to talk.

"It's history." Jori's voice was distant-cold, now. "One day, she was pa.s.sed out on the couch when he came home from work.

I was in the kitchen trying to make dinner because I knew he would be mad if it wasn't ready and I couldn't wake her up." As Jori spoke, she stared at the white-and-black speckled Formica tabletop, but Sawyer could tell she was seeing the events of that day. Not wanting her to relive it alone, Sawyer covered her hand.

Jori turned it over and slipped her fi ngers between Sawyer's. "I burned his dinner and he beat me unconscious."

The ease with which Jori uttered the statement made rage surge within Sawyer. "Oh, Jori."

"I woke up in the hospital with ten st.i.tches in my head, a * 71 *

broken arm, and three cracked ribs. The social worker came and told me I couldn't go home. I never saw either one of them again." She looked at Sawyer with tears shining in her eyes. "But when I was about thirteen, I overhead my case worker say that my mother fi nally got sober and left him."

"Did you ever try to fi nd her?"

Jori shook her head. "When I turned eighteen the folks I was staying with told me I had to go. The state wasn't paying for me anymore. I had to work my a.s.s off to get by, and I was angry at her because I blamed her for not protecting me from him. So, no, I've never looked for them."

"Maybe they-"

Jori shook her head. "I've heard it all before, Sawyer. She was my mother and that whole time I was in foster care she could have found me with one phone call, but she didn't. She never came to get me back."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's in the past. That's why I don't talk about it much. I can't do anything about the way they lived their lives. The only thing I can control is mine."

"Everything you've accomplished is all yours, Jori. They can't claim any of that and they can't take it away from you."

Suddenly, Jori's withdrawal from those around her made sense.

Sawyer complained plenty about her family, but she'd never faced any of life's trials alone. Thinking about all that Jori had accomplished entirely by herself made Sawyer respect her even more.

* 72 *