Free Worth The Effort (The Worth Series Book 4: A Copper Country Romance) by Mara Jacobs Page B

why I didn’t tell you that. I think I thought therapy was supposed to be, I don’t know, more formal or something.”
    “Therapy works best when you’re comfortable.”
    “Then, after a while, it seemed weird to tell you I go by Deni, you know?”
    Alison was nodding. “Of course. No worries, we’ll go with Deni moving forward.” She made to rise from her chair, and Deni followed suit.  
    As Deni was putting on her coat and boots, Alison said, “I’m not sure how often I’ll be with Petey when he might be working with you all on this project. My guess is not very often, but are you okay with situations like the other night?”
    Deni thought about it, wanting to be totally honest with Alison. “I am. I was kind of nervous about what Sawyer would think knowing I was in therapy, but I didn’t want to pretend I knew you from somewhere else or start lying, you know?”
    “I don’t think Sawyer would have any issue with you being in therapy. He may have the hermit reputation, but he’s hardly a caveman. He had the skills and savvy to build up that company before he…took some time off.”
    “Time off?” Deni thought there was a big difference between taking time off and living a life that made people think you were the Brockway Mountain Hermit.
    “After his wife died.”
    The words seemed to hang in the air between them. “I…didn’t know. I guess I assumed hermits didn’t marry.”
    “I’m only telling you what anyone in town would tell you—he was always kind of a loner, but he didn’t really check out until after Molly died.”
    “Molly.” The name conjured up the vision of a vivacious blond with a ponytail and teasing laughter. Someone vibrant and full of life. “How’d she die?”
    “Car accident,” Alison said, but there was just a tiny hesitation in her voice that made Deni want to ask more. But then, she didn’t want it to seem like she was interested in the life of Sawyer Beck—even if he had kissed her.
    “That’s really sad,” she said as she did the final buttons on her coat.
    “It was. It is,” Alison said. Deni moved to the door, and as she turned to say goodbye, Alison reached out and put a hand on her arm.
    “You know, I think the light box may be having a good effect,” she said to Deni.
    “You do? Why?”  
    “You may not have realized it, but not once today did you mention your mother.”
    Deni left Alison’s offices feeling more confused than ever. But she thought that might be a good thing.
     

Chapter Eight
    Architecture is the art of how to waste space.
    ~ Philip Johnson
     
    “D oing okay?” Sawyer asked Deni as he drove them both back to Houghton from Green Bay. She’d been quite talkative during their meeting with the owners of a now-defunct indoor driving range. She’d asked good questions—even a couple that Sawyer hadn’t thought to ask.
    It’d been a good meeting, other than feeling even more so that this thing might be a pipe dream.
    He’d set up this Saturday meeting yesterday morning. He couldn’t even explain to himself why he’d then emailed Deni and asked her to join him. She’d responded that she was available and had been interested in this particular range because of the fire that had put it out of business a year ago. After seeing her laptop Wednesday at the meeting, he wasn’t surprised that she’d already found this place and done the homework on it. He’d responded that he’d drive and would pick her up at the office at 8 a.m. to get to Green Bay by noon. The owners were only giving them two hours to ask questions and take a look around the site.  
    Other than an initial assessment of their meeting when they’d first left Green Bay, she hadn’t said a peep since he’d begun the drive home.
    “Deni? You okay?” he asked again.
    Her head nodded, but she didn’t say anything.
    “Hey,” he said, taking a good look at her now. “Seriously. Are you okay?”
    “Could you please keep your eyes on the road?” she