Resting his hands on the steering wheel, he turned his head toward her. “This isn’t your fault. And if you try to make it your fault, it won’t help. This is a screwed-up situation, at least from the outside looking in. But I’m gonna tell you . . . if you want to work this out with Braydon, you’re gonna have to help them work through this. Whatever happened to split things up between the three of you is probably for the best. Unfortunately, things get complicated that way. Trust me, I know.”
Sawyer glanced back out the window, refusing to think about his own issues where that was concerned. “Brendon’s a big boy. He’s gonna have to accept responsibility for his own actions. They’ve always had a strong bond between them, and I hate to see him like this, but I do think it’ll work out.”
Jessie nodded her head, but she didn’t say anything. Sawyer figured that was for the best anyway. He’d stuck his nose where it didn’t belong, but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t speak up. That was his own personal demon.
“Thanks for the ride home,” she whispered as she reached for the door handle.
“Catch ya later,” he replied.
He watched to ensure she made it into her house safely. When the front door closed behind her, Sawyer backed out of the driveway.
Deciding that the night had been blown to shit already, he opted to call it a night. In the mood he was in, it was safe to say that Brendon wouldn’t be the only one getting himself into trouble tonight.
And that was the last thing they needed.
chapter NINETEEN
“What are you doing here?” Kylie asked the moment Jessie stepped through the door of their little office.
Glancing around, confused about who Kylie was talking to, Jessie realized she was the only one there, which meant her sister was talking to her.
“I, uh, work here.”
“Is Brendon out of the hospital?” Kylie asked, coming directly toward her.
“Yes, he’s out.” Braydon had called her sometime during the wee hours of the morning to let her know that he was taking Brendon home and staying with him. He had then let her go, insisting that she go back to sleep.
“Did you get any sleep last night?” Kylie questioned, studying her.
“Of course,” she lied. In fact, she hadn’t gotten much sleep at all. After Sawyer dropped her off, Jessie had made a cup of hot tea, hoping that would do the trick. Then, for the next few hours, she had tossed and turned, trying her best to make sense of what Sawyer had said.
He hadn’t helped, that much she knew for sure. It would’ve been so easy for Jessie to have accepted responsibility for Brendon’s lack of common sense with his binge drinking, but she hadn’t been able to do so.
She hadn’t been able to blame anyone. Not Braydon. Not Brendon. And not even Cheyenne, who Brendon was clearly hung up on.
This happened, and although Brendon was truly at fault for his own actions, she could very well see why he had done it. Drowning sorrows in alcohol was something she’d done plenty of times in her adult life. Never quite to the extent he went to, but she’d indulged a few times, sure. Not that it excused his drinking and driving.
“You can take the day off if you’d like,” Kylie told her now, reaching out and touching her shoulder.
“That’s the last thing I need, thank you very much. I’d much rather find something constructive to do with my time.”
“Well, if that’s the case, don’t sit down.”
Jessie cocked an eyebrow at her sister.
“I need to go check out a prospective job.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Have you seen that old Victorian house that you pass on the way to town? Sits on like twenty acres, I think. Right before you take a left toward Main.”
Jessie thought about that for a moment. “The ugly blue one?”
“Yep. I fully intend to change that, by the way.” Kylie’s smile widened just as it did anytime she took on a new client.
“Finally got another house in town, huh?” Jessie asked as she turned and followed her sister toward the door.
“Yeah. Exciting, huh?”
After Kylie locked up, they both climbed into Kylie’s truck—technically Gage’s truck.
“Do I know who the client is?” Jessie asked as she buckled her seat belt.
The engine roared to life and Kylie was pulling through the parking lot before she answered.
“Cheyenne Montgomery.”
Jessie jerked her head toward her sister. “Did I just hear you right? Cheyenne Montgomery is moving to Coyote Ridge?”
“Looks like it,” Kylie said.