Finding Her Voice by Donna Gartshore

Author:Donna Gartshore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-06-09T21:11:31+00:00

Chapter Ten

They sat holding hands in a surprisingly compatible silence.

Sawyer’s head was spinning, but he gathered his wits enough to reassure himself that Delilah was still having fun with Sophie. He was grateful for that because he didn’t want to leave Bridget, who had the tremulous energy of someone coming out the other side of a nasty flu bug.

“Can I say something?” he asked, after another minute of silence.

She darted a glance his way but said, “Okay.”

“I want you to know how much I admire you. How smart and motivated I think you are. To be working and taking classes, to have set goals for yourself.”

“Goals that might be slipping away from me,” Bridget said.

“Don’t,” Sawyer said. “Don’t do that. You’ve come such a long way. We can figure this out.”

He hadn’t thought of himself as a “we,” at least not with a woman, since Tina’s death.

But was it just a way to postpone making his own decisions?

Bridget let go of his hand and he wasn’t prepared for the cold shock of disconnection.

“You confuse me, Sawyer,” she said bluntly. “You offer to help me and you encourage me not to give up on my goals. Yet, it’s still possible that you could sweep everything I want out from under me.”

Sawyer felt strangely disappointed. After what she had shared with him, he didn’t think her barriers would go up again so quickly. But did he have the right to expect anything different from her?

Delilah looked over at them and jumped up and down waving her arms high above her head in a back-and-forth motion. Sophie jumped in tandem beside her.

It made him smile but it also made him realize more than ever that Bridget had a point. What exactly was he doing? He couldn’t just keep strolling through the days, postponing a decision, because whatever decision he made it was going to impact others.

Before the day was over, he would phone his mom or Marc and find out exactly what was going on with his dad. It might be a relief to have his hand forced. He would just have to accept that whatever happened, it was for the best.

Delilah turned a crooked cartwheel while her best doggy friend yipped encouragingly. He sighed as regret washed through him. Best for who?

He turned back to Bridget and couldn’t resist asking, “Bridget, are you sure you don’t need...more?”

“More of what?” she asked.

His shoulders creeping up to his ears indicated the helplessness he felt. “I don’t know—more time to talk?”

“I said everything I want to say,” Bridget said, a hint of warning in her smile. “But thanks again for listening. I’m fine now.”

Sawyer knew that couldn’t be true, but it was clear that Bridget didn’t want to say anything more now, or perhaps ever. There was nothing he could do about that, except pray for her and do his best to trust that God was listening.

A small consolation occurred to him: if Bridget knew he was going home and wasn’t going to be a threat to her future, maybe she would let him help her.

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