Page 106 of Good Directions

From: Robert Dunn

To: Sawyer Brown

Subject: Sawyer Brown Letter of Recommendation

Hey!

Know it’s Saturday and all, but wanted to make sure that you had a copy of this for Thursday in case you get asked for references. Looks like you really wowed them at Hayes!

R

Ummm…what? Really wowed them?

I blink a couple of times, rereading my boss’s message. Because after last week, there is no way I “wowed” anyone. Unless it was Cary. Yeah, that must be it. Cary Adler took it upon himself to write something. That’s sweet.

Clicking on the attachment, I try to tell myself to calm down, my heart rate kicking up a notch as I wait for it to load. The Hayes Industries logo appears at the top, making it race even faster, and I skim down to the letter, not sure I’m ready to know what it says.

To whom it may concern,

I’m writing this letter to recommend Sawyer Brown for the position of Lead Research and Development Manager.

I cannot recommend Sawyer enough for this position. She is hardworking, earnest, loyal, dedicated, and any other adjective I can manage to dig out of the thesaurus. She is exactly everything you could ever want and more, and frankly, it’s heartbreaking to see her go.

We have enjoyed having her here at Hayes this summer. More than I could ever put into words. She has challenged our way of thinking, kept us on our toes, and shown us that sometimes you have to be open to new things. We will never be the same, in every good way possible, and we have Sawyer to thank for that.

When I say it was our sincere pleasure to host Sawyer, I mean it. If I could steal her from you, I would. Truly, if I knew of a way to keep her, nothing would stop me. Forever has absolutely crossed my mind.

Because while I’m sure you have a plethora of choices of who you could pick, in my mind, there is only one choice. And that choice is Sawyer Brown.

Best,

Anton Hayes

I can’t breathe. Like, actually, honest-to-God, can’t breathe. My chest tightens and my pulse skyrockets, the already thick air somehow solidifying to the point where it’s like mud. What did I just read?

“What?” Eliza asks, taking my phone.

I step back, propping myself up against a pillar, needing the support before my knees give out. Anton sent the letter. After all that, he still sent the letter. A nice letter. A very nice letter.

Fuck, a glowing letter.

“Sawyer, this isn’t a letter of recommendation. You know that, right? This is a fucking love letter.”

What?!

I snatch my phone back, reading over the letter again. And again. And again.

Holy shit, she’s not wrong. Take out the fact that he mentions the position I am applying for, insert the knowledge of our fling…and this letter reads differently.

Very, very differently.

Truly, if I knew of a way to keep her, nothing would stop me. Forever has absolutely crossed my mind.

Holy shit.

My tears return, though this time they aren’t from anger, but a mix of a million other things. Most of which I can’t name.

Looking back down at my phone, I register the time and do some quick math. It’s going to be cutting it close—and depending on what the rules are and if we’re going to be cut any slack, then I might not make it. But I have to try.

“Liza, I need a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Can I borrow your green dress?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Because a deal’s a deal.”