Sawyer did text and call several times, and when she found herself getting excited about the prospect of having him in her life, she had to remind herself that there was no way it would last. He was an international movie star, and she was a nobody. They lived in different worlds on separate sides of the country.
Gary had wanted her to quit her job and support him in his; wouldn't Sawyer expect the same? She doubted he would consider quitting acting and moving to Florida to be with her. He probably hadn't even had such a thought. No, she knew if a permanent relationship developed between them, and that was big if, she would have to change.
Elyse wouldn't consider it for Gary, but for Sawyer, she might, and that scared her.
Sawyer was about to pick her up and take her to see his mother, but Elyse was unsure how to play it. When he had first asked her, she had been excited and nervous, but then he had requested that she wear her uniform, bringing her back to reality with a bump. Was he going to introduce her as a friend, lover, or the woman who saved Reyna's life? If she was honest with herself, she didn't know how she wanted him to play it.
Sawyer had been in her home and bed every weekend for the last few weeks. Elyse knew they had a house near the hospital, but when he was in town, he was with her if her schedule allowed.
That was a good sign, wasn't it? He was willing to arrange his off time to work with hers. But would he be that willing when his mother returned home, and there was no reason other than her for him to visit?
Elyse grew pale at the idea that she might only be convenient to him. That the only reason he came around was because she was the girl in this particular port.
When his knock came, she still hadn't recovered from the upsetting thought, so her greeting was a bit strained, and he looked at her oddly.
"Hard day?" he asked with a frown.
"Something like that. Are you ready?" Elyse grabbed her coat off the chair and let him know she was ready when he was. Perhaps if they were moving, she could act somewhat normal until she felt normal again.
She really didn't want to be convenient, but he hadn't reiterated his feelings of falling for her since that day on the beach.
He waited while she locked her door and then escorted her to a non-descript sedan.
"I thought you would have a fancier car," she mused as he joined her.
"No," he started the engine. "Fancy draws attention. I want to stay under the radar."
Elyse nodded. Did he want to keep their relationship under the radar as well? She understood that her life would change if the press learned about them, but what about his family?
"Your mother, how am I supposed to present myself to her?" Elyse asked, knowing his answer would tell her all she needed to know.
"As yourself, of course." He looked at her with a charming grin, and Elyse watched his graceful fingers as they controlled the steering wheel. His hands could do amazing things, and she shivered at the thought.
"No, that's not what I mean. Am I a friend, a close friend, a lover, a girlfriend, or the woman who saved her?" Elyse watched him frown, and she quickly turned to look out the window. His lack of an answer was enough.
"Aren't those all kind of the same thing?" he asked, his smile returning. "Except for the last one."
"No, they're not," Elyse shook her head. "A girlfriend can be a close friend, but not necessarily a lover, and a lover doesn't always mean girlfriend or even close friend, and a friend is neither a lover nor a girlfriend."
Sawyer shook his head and grinned. "But girlfriend even has the word friend in it so I find your argument suspect."
"Sawyer, I need you to tell me whom you want me to be with your mother," Elyse insisted again, and this time he grew tense at the request. "Am I seeing her because you want to introduce me as someone important in your life or because I saved her life?"
Please let it be that she was important.
He cleared his throat. "Momma has asked that I bring you to her. She has asked to see all the crew who saved her and has, but I was saving your visit for last."
"Why?" Elyse still couldn't look at him. Her feelings were running wild because he gave her hope and then snatched it away again.
"To be honest, I wasn't sure at first how I wanted to introduce you."
"But now you are?" Elyse nodded, knowing his answer before he said it. "Don't worry. I get it."
"I don't think you do, Elyse." He shook his head.
"It's fine, I do get it, and I agree." It was time to save face. She had fallen in love with him, and he hadn't with her, but he didn't need to know how she felt. It would make it much messier in the end if he did.
"You agree with what exactly." She could hear a slight edge to his voice.
"I will be the woman who saved your mother because, while what we are experiencing now is fun and exciting, it can't be permanent." Elyse did her best to make her voice as level as possible. "We'll be lovers and friends until this thing," she waved her hand between them, "runs its course." But oh, how she wanted to be important.
"Is that what you want?" he asked, looking at her surprised. He seemed almost relieved, and she curled up and died a little inside. There was no true love here. She was convenient.
"Sure," she said, her voice dull.
"Elyse, look at me," Sawyer said as he pulled into a parking spot at the hospital.
Elyse schooled her features to be as serene as possible and turned to look at him with a small smile.
"Is that what you want?" His voice was serious.
"I think it's best for both of us, don't you?" She kept her smile pasted in place.
Sawyer turned to look out the window, and she could see the muscle in his jaw jumping. "I don't know what's best for us." His voice was low.
The fact that he didn't know spoke volumes, but a little voice in Elyse's head yelled that she was a hypocrite because she didn't know either. She knew she didn't want to give up her job, she knew that she was in love with him, and she knew that she was hurt that he didn't want to introduce her as someone important in his life to his family, but other than that, she was still lost as to where they were going. One thing she was sure of, though, was that she needed to guard her heart because Sawyer could decimate her.
If she gave him her heart and he chose to walk away... she couldn't even finish that thought.
At her continued silence, Sawyer opened the door, and Elyse did the same, following him silently into the hospital, watching all the nurses who openly admired and flirted with him as he passed.
That was another thing. How could she hope to compete with all the beautiful women in the world who threw themselves at him? Did he see her as one of the many masses of women? She watched him charm each of them with a smile and a compliment, and she couldn't help but think that everything he had ever said to her was just as meaningless.
It came naturally to him, and he could turn it on and off with the flip of a switch. How much of what he had said and told her had been real, and how much had been for effect?
Elyse held her hat by her side as he led the way into a large room overflowing with flowers.
"Momma, Pops, this is Elyse Moore. She's the woman who saved you," Sawyer introduced.
"Ma'am, Sir," Elyse greeted, taking their outstretched hands with a smile.
Reyna Richards looked pale and thin but still lovely.
"Oh, my dear! Thank you so much!" Reyna teared up as she spoke.
"It was a team effort, ma'am," Elyse said, her smile stuck in place. She knew she was coming across as cold but couldn't help it. Her heart was splintering. This was not how she wanted to be introduced to his parents.
"Nonsense, you were the key!" Carter Richards enthused in a booming voice.
"When I'm well, dear, I want us to have dinner. I want to know all about you and what drew you to flying. It's fascinating." Reyna motioned for Elyse to sit in a chair. She was full of dread; how would she make small talk with these famous people with whom she had nothing in common?
As she prepared to sit, her phone let out a familiar tone that told her she was needed on base. She pulled it out and looked at the message, noting Sawyer's frown out of the corner of her eye.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Elyse said, putting her phone back into her pocket. "It was nice to meet you both."
Elyse turned and looked at Sawyer. She would need a ride, and he picked up on what she was saying with her look and nodded as Elyse moved out into the hallway so that he could say his goodbyes.
When he joined her, he seemed more upset than when she had left the room a few moments earlier.
"I'm sorry you're upset that I have to leave after such a short visit. Maybe I can come back at a later date?" Elyse offered.
"You could, but you won't, will you?" he asked, following her out into the cold day.
"What would be the point? They said thank you, and that's all they really wanted." Elyse shrugged as they got into the car.
It had been like this with Gary when work had pulled her away from one church function or another. He had always been put out that someone or something else came first.
"Can you take me directly to the base? It will be quicker. I'll catch a ride home when I'm done there."
"Yes, I will take you to the base, but I want you to call me when you're done. I'll come pick you up and take you home." His hands clenched on the wheel.
"I'm sorry I upset your plans," Elyse said, looking out the window.
"Look at me, Elyse," Sawyer insisted in a firm tone, and Elyse did as he requested.
"You have not upset my plans. If I seem upset, it's because I'm worried about the danger you're about to fly into to save some dumbass who probably shouldn't have been doing whatever they were doing on a boat!"
Elyse felt a genuine smile break through. "I'll be careful, I promise. It's not just me and the dumbass. It's my entire crew that I have to get home safely.
Sawyer nodded and started the engine. It only took them a few minutes to get to the station, and he reached over, pulling her toward him before she could climb out of the car, placing a hard kiss on her lips.
"Be careful. I have a feeling we're not understanding each other, and I want a chance to figure it out, so don't get killed." Sawyer said gruffly.
"How could I not live with romantic words such as those." Elyse shot back with a smile before she left him. However, she couldn't help but, once again, wonder what was real and what wasn't.
