Bayside's Most Unexpected Bride

Chapter Three

Happy Tgiving! Hope all my gossip birdies are enjoying their family time. I know at least one person who will be eating her pumpkin pie alone. Poor little Riley Hudson has no one to watch the Macy’s parade with since her parents swapped turkey day for a tropical cruise this year!

Sawyer scrolled through the Bayside Blogger’s latest article. His finger hovered over the screen when he read the last part of the column.

He sighed. Riley didn’t usually post things like that, especially about herself. After all, it wasn’t as though she was alone. The Wallaces were hosting Thanksgiving this year and had invited her, along with half the town. Mr. and Mrs. Dumont would be there, as well as Cam, Elle, Jasper, Carissa, Elle’s dad, Carissa’s aunt and more. Riley was as much a part of his family as he was.

He reread the tweet one more time and considered shooting her a quick text of encouragement. But she’d been acting weird all week, avoiding eye contact with him and even working from home one day.

He could pretend to be oblivious, but he knew exactly why she was acting odd. That dance at Elle and Cam’s engagement party. Something had shifted in their relationship and he would be outright lying if he didn’t fess up to being shaken by it, as well.

He’d had no business dancing with her in that way. They’d been friends for far too long for one dance to feel like that.

Sawyer pulled his car up to his parents’ house, put it in Park, but made no move to get out just yet.

Despite the three-day workweek, he’d been busy. He’d met with Dan Melwood and he was no closer to giving him a decision on his proposal than he had been at the party last Saturday. He’d asked for time to consider all options.

Dan was offering full financial assistance as the main investor. If Sawyer agreed, he wouldn’t have to lay anyone off and he’d save his family’s business. It also provided him with some wiggle room so he could play around with a couple ideas of branching out. Even with financial help now, at some point, he would be right back in the same position.

If he looked at the situation from that side, he’d be a fool not to accept what Dan was offering. But there was another side.

Riley.

Or the Bayside Blogger, he amended quickly. Dan wanted to know the identity of the Bayside Blogger. He claimed that as an investor, he was owed that right.

After Sawyer researched Riley’s old columns, he’d figured out why the man was upset. Apparently, last summer, Dan had returned to Bayside for a month or so. Riley had insinuated that Dan had carried on an affair with a local woman. She hadn’t named the woman. She hadn’t even said the word “affair.” But it was clearly implied what Dan had been up to.

Sawyer also learned that Dan and his wife separated after the summer. Coincidence? Probably not.

But what Dan was proposing was wrong, both morally and ethically. Sawyer wanted to save the paper, but was he ready to stoop to this level to get it done?

Sawyer pushed a hand through his hair. The only restriction Sawyer ever put on Riley in her position as the Bugle’s gossip columnist was that she be absolutely positive about the accuracy of anything she committed to print, and she’d never failed him. Not once. If she said Dan was carrying on an affair, he was.

He couldn’t out her, though. She would be beyond humiliated. Sure, Dan was only one person. But he could easily share Riley’s alter ego with another person. And that person could tell someone else. And so on. That was exactly why neither he nor Riley ever talked about the blogger. He hadn’t even told his parents.

Speaking of his parents, maybe he should vet this whole situation with them. Since the newspaper didn’t have a board, it would be nice to have someone to talk to about this. Although, that would mean revealing the financial trouble the paper was in. His dad would launch into a lecture about how he shouldn’t be publishing every day of the week. A fact that Sawyer was proud of. He wanted to make his mark on the Bugle, too.

A rap on the car window scared the crap out of him. He turned to see his father standing next to the car with a questioning look on his face. Sawyer grabbed the bottle of wine and flowers he’d picked up for his mother and got out of the car.

“Everything okay, son?” his dad asked.

Henry Wallace had the same mischievous smile Sawyer was constantly told that he possessed. They were the same height and same build, with wide shoulders and long legs. They also shared a love of mystery books, seafood and fishing.

“I’m fine.” He embraced his dad. “Happy Thanksgiving, Dad.”

“Happy Thanksgiving. Come in.” They walked down the path that, in the warmer months, was lined with flowers. Twin pots of mums flanked the door of the colonial two-story house that sat right off the bay.

“How’s the Bugle?”

“Everything’s great.” It was a standard answer he gave his dad, but he felt guilty, nonetheless. At some point, he needed to tell his father the true picture of what was happening. But once he did that, everything would be more real.

Henry made to open the door, then suddenly covered the handle with his hand and gave his son a long once-over. “You know, you can always talk to me. About anything.”

Sawyer felt like he was back in high school being questioned about making out with his girlfriend or drinking after the big game. “I know.”

“Because I do have some experience in the newspaper biz.”

He certainly did. Sawyer had always looked up to his father. Idolized him, really. And not only because of his role at the Bugle. People in the community respected him, valued his opinion. He was a family man. Loyal to the very end.

Everything Sawyer wished he could be.

“I’ve heard that somewhere,” Sawyer said as they finally entered the house. Immediately, they were assaulted with the aromas of Thanksgiving. The smell of sage and roasting turkey wafted out to greet him, as did all of the spices of pumpkin pie, yams and his mother’s famous green bean casserole.

“But what I want to talk about is your retirement. Heard your golf game is actually regressing.”

Henry stopped walking and wagged a finger in his face. “You’ve been talking to your mother. Never listen to her.”

“I heard that,” Patty Wallace called from the kitchen.

Sawyer and his dad exchanged a look before entering the room. As soon as they did, a flurry of activity greeted them in the way of hugs, handshakes and holiday greetings. Someone thrust a mug of spiked cider into his hand and his mother was fussing over him and thanking him for the flowers.

But Sawyer was busy surveying the room. A lot of their guests had already arrived, but not everyone.

“Where’s Riley?” he asked his mom.

His mother patted his cheek. “She should be here soon. She was making that whipped Jell-O you like this morning.”

“But she’s coming, right?”

His mother cocked her head curiously. “Of course. Why would you ask that? She’s spent practically every Thanksgiving here since she was in diapers.”

“I know, it’s just...” He trailed off because he didn’t really want to get into her tweet with his mom.

“If I know Riley, she’ll be flouncing through the door at any minute in a fabulous outfit.”

“Did someone say my name?”

Sawyer twisted his head so fast he almost got whiplash. Just as his mother had suggested, there she stood in a forest-green sweater and polka-dot pants. She’d left her hair down in loose curls and it was bouncing around her as she entered the room carrying a covered dish and a bottle of wine.

Riley was greeted even more enthusiastically than he’d been. He moved to welcome her but was blocked by the entrance of Elle and Cam.

Elle, Carissa and Riley were in the midst of planning Elle’s bridal shower, so it didn’t surprise Sawyer to see the three of them joined at the hip all afternoon. They helped his mother in the kitchen, enjoyed wine in the family room while football blared from the television.

Every time Sawyer made a move to get closer to her, someone would intervene. Or a timer would go off in the kitchen and Riley would race away. Or one of her friends would want to show her something on their phone. Or she’d refill her drink.

The universe was clearly against him.

He thought dinner would help. He and Riley usually sat at the far end of the long dining room table. But this year, there had been a seating adjustment. Instead of sitting next to his oldest friend, he strained to hear her hearty laugh from way at the other end of the room. He couldn’t even enjoy his mother’s turkey, which was always amazing.

The real question was whether Riley was actually avoiding him or if all of the distractions were coincidental. He got that their dance the other night had been a little much. Hell, he was still thinking about it. All the time. But that was no reason to avoid someone you’ve known your whole life.

In any case, he resolved during dessert and more football that he would get to the bottom of her cold shoulder. Just then, opportunity presented itself when Riley went out on the deck. Alone. Sawyer jumped up, grabbed a fresh beer and joined her.

It was cold and the breeze coming off the bay didn’t help matters. His parents had started a fire in the family room and the smell of wood smoke was a comforting and autumnal aroma.

Riley had wrapped one of his mother’s throw blankets around herself. She was standing at the far end of the deck, away from the windows of the family room. Her glass of wine sat on the banister, untouched. She was lost in her thoughts, staring out at the water.

He quietly approached, suddenly unsure what to say. The moonlight played over her face and he longed to reach out and touch her.

“Hey, Ri,” he finally said.

Riley jumped a mile and then spun around. Her wine glass wobbled but luckily didn’t take the plunge over the railing.

She placed a hand over her chest. “Good grief, Sawyer. Where’d you come from?”

“That’s a very esoteric question. How deep do you want to get tonight?”

She smiled at him and he felt it all the way in his gut.

“I never get deep unless I’ve had at least three pieces of pumpkin pie. Right now, I’m only up to two.”

He joined her at the railing and put down his beer bottle. “Are you warm enough?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. I needed some air.”

The two of them had never had any problem keeping a conversation going, yet tonight it felt strained. Awkward.

“Listen, Ri,” he said.

“Hey, Sawyer,” Riley said at the same time.

They laughed. “Go ahead,” she said.

He wanted to ask about their dance. Wanted to know if it had made her feel the same way he’d felt that night. Wanted to know if her feelings about him were starting to change too. Instead, he said, “I saw your column this morning. I didn’t realize you were upset about your parents’ cruise. Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shrugged and continued to look out over the water. “You know how it is. Sometimes we don’t realize how we feel about something until we write it down.”

True. Which was exactly why he needed to stay clear of any kind of writing assignment at the moment. His emotions and feelings were too jumbled. Making sense of them might just scare him.

Riley took a sip of her wine. “I don’t know why I’m even bothered about my parents. They deserve this vacation and they’ll be back next week. I guess... I mean...it’s only that I miss them and...”

He reached for her arm and turned her to face him. “What, Riley?”

“I’m lonely.”

It was such an un-Riley-like statement and the combination of her words and the frightened expression on her face was like a punch to his gut.

“Oh, hon, why? They’re only on vacation for ten days. You just said so yourself.”

Her eyes were looking everywhere but at his. “It’s not just that. It’s stupid, really.”

“We’ve been friends for a million years. You can tell me anything.”

She finally met his gaze. “Friends. Right.” She tightened the blanket around her. “Elle is engaged and Carissa is going to be moving in with Jasper. Plus, she’s also...”

He cocked his head. “She’s what?”

Riley shook her head. “Never mind. It’s nothing. The point is that Elle and Carissa are both making huge changes.”

So that’s what this mood was about. Her two closest friends were taking big steps in their lives and relationships.

“And you wish you were in a relationship, too?” he asked. He held his breath, uncertain of what he wanted to hear her say.

“Yes. No.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s not that.”

He leaned toward her. “What is it?”

“It’s confusing and...and...”

“Ri,” he said, his voice sounding husky even to his ears.

“Sawyer, I don’t know...” She gestured helplessly between them.

He reached for her hand. It was so small wrapped up in his. When he met her gaze again, he saw something he’d never seen there before. At least, not whenever she’d looked at him. But there it was, pure lust. And he knew exactly how she felt.

Without analyzing it, he did what felt natural to him. He pulled her to him and covered her lips with his.

* * *

For the second time that night, Sawyer shocked her. But this time, he wasn’t sneaking up on her. He was kissing her.

And quite well.

His lips moved over hers, softly at first. Her surprise lasted for only a second and, before she knew it, her hands were winding up around his neck, the blanket she’d wrapped herself in falling to the floor of the deck.

He pulled her even closer as his lips became more and more greedy. His hands were in her hair and then moved down her body until they reached her hips.

He smelled so good. His cologne was tickling her nose as she ripped her lips away to place a soft kiss against the column of his neck, apparently a sensitive spot. He made a sound, something like a growl, and feasted on her lips once more.

Riley felt like stars were exploding around her. She hadn’t experienced pure, unadulterated passion like this since...

Suddenly she pushed away from him. They were both struggling for breath, their chests mirroring each other in a rapid up-and-down rhythm.

“I can’t,” she said in a very unsteady voice.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes wide and dark with desire.

She wasn’t sorry. Not in the least. That was part of the problem. She couldn’t kiss Sawyer. He was her friend, not to mention that he currently handed out her paycheck.

But it had felt so good, so natural.

No. She shook her head, trying desperately to clear it. At the same time, she shivered.

“Ri,” Sawyer said, bending to retrieve the blanket. “You’re going to get sick. Here.” He placed the blanket around her shoulders, adjusting it so that it covered all of her. He lingered, and his fingers brushed over her collarbone, inciting another shiver that had nothing to do with the weather.

Sawyer must have noticed and his eyes focused on her lips. Before she could protest, he was tugging the blanket toward him, which had the added effect of bringing her right to him. She raised her head. Big mistake—it put his sumptuous mouth in front of her.

How could she resist?

They stood like that for a moment. A long, heated moment. She didn’t know who moved first. Maybe it was both of them. She let out a gasp, and then once again their lips met.

Who knew Sawyer Wallace could kiss like this? If he wasn’t holding her up by the blanket, her knees would give out.

After what felt like hours, they parted. Gently he kissed the tip of her nose and then her forehead before pulling her in for a long hug.

“Riley, that was—”

“Something that absolutely cannot happen again,” she finished sadly.

He released her and pinned her with questioning eyes. “Ri,” he began. Instead of finishing, he scratched his head. “Are you seeing someone?”

“No, of course not. You’d know if I were.”

“Then what?”

“It’s not you, Sawyer. It’s me. I can’t do that with you.”

After their dance at Elle and Cam’s engagement party last week, this kiss wasn’t really a surprise. When they’d danced, it had felt like they were the only two people in Bayside. And that had scared the crap out of her.

She’d spent the week avoiding him, which frankly hadn’t been that hard. He’d met with Dan Melwood. Riley wondered what that was about. Dan had been in Bayside last summer, but as far as she knew he didn’t have any reason to be back so soon.

“Talk to me,” he said firmly.

She put space between them. Bided her time by taking a sip of her wine. She owed him some kind of explanation.

“Okay.” She nodded. “When I lived in New York, there was a guy there. A guy that I dated.”

“I always wondered,” he said more to himself.

“We worked together.”

“Ah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Let me guess. There was a policy against dating in your office?”

“Actually, no.” She drank a much bigger sip of wine. “I wish there would have been. But I was young and stupid so I probably would have ignored it anyway.” She tightened the blanket around her. “Connor and I hit it off right away. Before I knew it, we were dating.”

Sawyer’s face was serious. “What happened with him?”

“He got promoted.” She swallowed hard. “To my supervisor.”

“Damn.”

“Exactly,” Riley agreed. “I don’t need to go into all the details.”

More like, she didn’t want to go into the details, because if she did, Sawyer would know that she was a major idiot. She’d have to tell him how wonderful she’d thought Connor was. How she’d stupidly thought they would get engaged and married one day. How she made him the center of her universe only to have that universe come crashing down around her when she learned that Connor was already engaged to another woman.

There had been signs, but she’d ignored them. Connor had made a fool out of her and out of her belief in love.

“Riley,” Sawyer urged.

She opened her eyes. She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. “He became my boss and the situation became so complicated.”

“He didn’t fire you, did he?”

Was it her imagination or was a vein ticking in his neck? It was too dark to tell.

“No, he didn’t fire me. It was an incredibly uncomfortable couple of months. I tried to find work elsewhere, but nothing panned out.”

“So you came back home to Bayside,” Sawyer said.

“Not at first. I wanted to give it some time, see if things got better. But after four years in New York I was ready to return.”

“I see.”

“Do you?” she asked. “When I came home, I promised myself that I would never, ever put myself in a situation like that again.”

“A situation where you date your boss.”

“A situation where I could possibly humiliate myself. That’s why I can’t kiss you. Or date you. Not now, not ever. Even if I want to.”

He stepped closer. “Do you? Do you want to kiss me?”

She held up a hand. “It doesn’t matter what I want, Sawyer. The fact is, nothing can happen between us. You’re my boss.”

“I’m your friend, too, and I always will be.”

Yes, he was. Another stark reminder. Kissing him had the potential to damage both their working relationship and friendship. Not to mention the drama that would ensue if anyone found out about them. And Riley just couldn’t—wouldn’t—go through that again.

Chapter Four

Ho-ho-ho, Baysiders! Who else is excited for today’s Christmas Kickoff Festival? You know I’ll be mingling in the crowd. Hopefully, Santa won’t put me on the naughty list. But I’ll tell you someone who should be...;)

Sawyer’s plan for the town’s annual Christmas Kickoff Festival was to do a quick lap to check out the scene, stop at The Brewside for coffee and then get back to the action.

He’d attended this festival every year of his life except for two. He shook his head, willing the guilt over that lapse in judgment to fade.

Instead, he took in the center of the town square where a huge Christmas tree had been erected, decorated and awaited the ceremony tonight, when its hundreds of strands of lights would illuminate the square. A cute picket fence surrounded the tree, and an old-fashioned electric train made its way around the base. Sawyer had loved trains when he was a boy and just seeing the one today brought back all kinds of warm childhood memories.

Beyond the train were oversize presents wrapped in red, green, gold and silver paper. He was happy to see the large bins on the other side of the tree that had been set up to collect toys and coats for local charities, too. He needed to remember to bring the things he’d bought for that. Maybe they could even take up a collection at the Bugle.

More guilt washed over him. How could he ask his employees for donations to charity when he might have to lay some of them off soon?

Sawyer wished he could go one day without thinking about all of the troubles in his life. Especially at this time of year. He cared about each and every person on his staff, almost as if they were family. Until he knew they were taken care of, he’d never stop worrying.

Once again, he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and continued his lap of the square. Every business boasted wreaths, garlands and decorations in their windows. From experience, he knew they would all be outlined in twinkly lights, as well. Lampposts, benches and pretty much all free space in the town square had been devoted to the holiday cause.

He had to admit the festival was always fun, but this year the town council had gone all-out. A band was on a stage playing lively carols. Some of the businesses displayed tables and stands outside of their doors with special festival prices. Stands were set up throughout the square selling holiday cookies and other baked goods. Sawyer knew Carissa had provided some of them. She’d left Thanksgiving early last night to bake. They also had coffee, tea, cider and hot chocolate.

Sawyer hoped that with all the beverages outside there wouldn’t be a line in The Brewside, but as he pushed through the door, he saw he was out of luck. As the town’s favorite source of caffeine and a great gossip hotspot, the place was always busy.

Situated between a shoe store and a high-end clothing shop, the coffeehouse had the same look of the other shops around the square. They were all painted white with blue shutters. He noticed quite a few pots of poinsettias beside the entrances.

In Sawyer’s opinion, each store on the square was unique, but The Brewside was the only one that felt like home. It was cozy with its quaint decor, raised ceiling made up of exposed beams and dark wood floors. Tony had decorated it with antiques like old vinyl records, framed black-and-white photos and old-fashioned kitchen items. His favorite piece was the refurbished brass cash register that sat on the long bar.

The staff had already put up their Christmas tree in one corner. Sawyer knew that Tony encouraged the local elementary school kids to donate homemade ornaments. Stockings with the employees’ names hung behind the counter, and poinsettias dominated every free space.

He offered a wave and a nod to Tony, owner of the joint, and got in line. As he waited his turn, he tuned into a conversation between two women about the Bayside Blogger.

“I mean, she didn’t really write anything scandalous today,” one of them said.

“Well, yesterday was Thanksgiving. Maybe she’s in a food coma like the rest of us. Or maybe she went to the amazing Black Friday sales at the outlets at four in the morning like we did,” the other woman contributed.

“Or maybe she doesn’t have any gossip today.”

The two women looked at each other for a beat. Simultaneously they shook their heads and laughed. “Nah,” they said together.

Sawyer pushed a hand through his hair. The women were right. Riley not having gossip was like The Brewside not having any customers. Unlikely.

Besides, he knew firsthand that she happened to have one hell of a scoop. He could just see her column now.

Everyone’s favorite editor was spotted making out in the dark shadows of his parents’ deck last night. Guess someone’s lips tasted better than the pumpkin pie!

Riley had tasted better than pumpkin pie. Better than every other dessert combined.

When he let himself think about their kiss—really think about it—the air left his body. He’d kissed his fair share of women over the years, and none had felt like that.

He kept mulling over their conversation just before the kiss, when she’d admitted she was lonely. Confessed that it was a little difficult to watch her two best friends find such happy relationships. Did Riley want to date someone? Did she want to be in a relationship?

Did he want to date her?

The thought surprised him so much that he actually took a step backward. Whoa. Where had that come from?

He certainly wanted to kiss her more.

She was his friend, who could kiss like a dream and who, if he was being truly honest, had started becoming more to him over the last couple of years.

She was also his employee. He was her boss, as she’d pointed out last night. He’d been glad she’d opened up about her time in New York City, although he did suspect there was more to that story. Still, she’d told him she would never date her boss again. Never put herself in that position again.

So, he needed to stop thinking about her in that way. Even if he would give up The Brewside’s coffee for the rest of his life for one more chance at feeling her lips against his. One more time to...

“Yo! Sawyer, dude.”

His head snapped up at the sound of Tony’s amused voice. Heat rushed into his face. “Sorry.”

Tony gestured to him. “Sawyer Wallace, everyone. Our esteemed editor in chief.”

Sawyer received a nice little round of applause. He bowed and then stepped up to Tony to place his order.

“Sorry, man,” he repeated.

“No worries.” Tony accepted Sawyer’s frequent-customer card and cash. “I mean, I saw you standing there. I know you were physically in the room. But mentally?” He whistled. “You were on a planet in a galaxy far, far away.” He punched the card and gave it back. “Working on a big story?”

“Nah. Just this holiday festival. Lots to cover.”

“Yeah, Riley was in here earlier complaining...” He trailed off, catching himself. “Did I say complaining? I meant, she was excitedly chatting about how much she loves her job.”

Sawyer accepted his extra-large black coffee and chuckled. “I just bet.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Some guy named Dan Melwood was in here asking about you. Actually, about you and the Bayside Blogger.”

That got Sawyer’s full attention. “Really?”

Tony nodded. “Who is he? Gotta admit, I didn’t get a great feeling from him.”

Despite being everyone’s favorite resident now, Tony wasn’t a Bayside native. He’d met his wife, a local woman named Georgia Cooper, in college, and they’d started The Brewside when they’d moved back to town after getting married. Sawyer didn’t know all the details but, unfortunately, he did know that the marriage hadn’t lasted. Georgia had hightailed it out of Bayside and Tony had stayed. The town had come to love him as their own.

Sawyer explained who Dan Melwood was. “What did he ask about the blogger?”

“The usual questions. Do I know who it is, that kind of thing.” Tony paused, considering. “But he seemed really intent on finding out her identity. I mean, who isn’t?” Tony’s face fell.

“What is it?” Sawyer asked.

“He wouldn’t let it go. Made me feel a little protective of her. Or him, although most people do think it’s a her. But whoever the blogger is, I found myself defending her.” Tony held up a finger. “Even though she did write last week that I hadn’t been on a date in three years and wouldn’t know what to do if I were to go out with someone.”

Sawyer cringed. Dammit, Ri. “Sorry about that.”

Tony offered a good-natured smile. “Not the worst thing she’s ever written. Besides, she brings people into this place. She writes about The Brewside so often that people think she’s going to be here. So in they come.”

“Everyone in town is always here.”

Tony nodded emphatically. “Exactly.”

Sawyer raised his cup of coffee in salute. “Happy to help. And let me know if Dan asks you any more questions.”

“Will do,” Tony agreed as Sawyer exited The Brewside.

He didn’t like the idea of Dan badgering Tony or anyone else in town. He knew that what Riley had written about him had been intense—tougher than she usually went on people. Still, everything had been true.

To hear that Dan was asking questions at The Brewside made him seem obsessed at this point.

Journalism ran in Sawyer’s blood. Part of that was a distinct nudging, a reporter’s hunch. In any case, he was feeling it now. What exactly did Dan plan to do with the knowledge of the blogger’s identity if and when he got it?

If Dan only wanted to know for himself, that was one thing. Maybe Sawyer could live with that. But if he wanted to take it further and reveal Riley’s secret to the entire town... There was no way Sawyer could let that happen.

The only thing that was keeping him from telling Dan Melwood to take a hike was the chance that his investment in the paper could save jobs for the rest of the staff.

The other big question regarding Riley was what Sawyer was going to do about that kiss.

Sawyer continued walking toward the festival, stopping frequently to chat as he ran into family and friends. He checked in with his reporters as he saw them interviewing people, taking photos and jotting notes for their stories.

The ceremony portion of the festival started. The mayor gave a speech as the town council and Santa Claus joined him onstage. Sawyer made to move closer to the stage until he spotted Dan Melwood in the crowd. He really didn’t feel like dealing with the man at the moment, so Sawyer averted his eyes and quickly made his way into the shadows. He saw an isolated spot between two of the buildings that actually had a great view of the stage and Christmas tree. He took another step and ran right into—“Riley?”