6
THE NEXT DAY James sat in his squad car, parked outside of Get and Gather. He’d gone into the store the day before with Maddie to return the baseball but hadn’t anticipated the depth of his attraction to Sadie. There may have been some truth to his brother’s remarks about James having a little bit of a crush on her in high school, but they were now both adults. A crush was far from what he was feeling.
He noticed every little thing about her from how she blinked at him when he said something that threw her off guard to how her hair smelled like lavender and made him think of springtime, full of hope and warmth. Just like Sadie. And he would put money on the fact that as she’d looked up at him right before he left the store, she wanted him to kiss her as much as he wanted to oblige.
And there was no end to her kindness and how she treated people. If it were his window that had been broken, he wasn’t sure he’d be as accommodating as she was about the whole thing. It was a stroke of thoughtful genius to give the boy a job after school to work off the broken window.
He ran a hand through his hair and gripped the steering wheel. She also had the uncanny ability to disarm him and his feelings. Not one to share much about…anything, he’d said to her more in a five-minute conversation than he had to anyone besides his brother in years. Sure, admitting he wanted more time with Maddie wasn’t some deep, emotional secret, but one look into those eyes of hers and Sadie had him wanting to tell her anything she wanted to know.
James had told Mark the truth. The thought of dating terrified him. And yet every time he was around Sadie, he relaxed. When he wasn’t around her, he found himself eager to see her again, even coming up with reasons to do so.
Which was why he was sitting in his car, staring at the front door of her shop.
Maddie was beyond excited Sadie had asked her to help go through books at the shop. It was killing her she had to wait to do so, but with after school activities and projects, the following week was best. The school always gave the kids half days during the week that led up to Homecoming so they could work on class floats. Nearlake treated Homecoming like a major holiday, a holiday James would be happy to skip.
However, during dinner the night before, Maddie told him that Sadie said she couldn’t afford to pay her. James had no problem with his daughter doing work for the sake of helping another person. What tugged at him was the reason behind it. Was Sadie in financial trouble? The morning he’d come by to check out the broken window she did seem to have more on her mind than just the repairs.
He rubbed his chin then opened his car door. If he sat there any longer, he risked having Sadie see him staring at her shop like an idiot. How would he explain that? He’d come up with a reason to stop by again, but not to sit out front and loiter.
The first thing James noticed as he walked through the front door was that the back window was fixed. It gave him peace of mind to know the back door was secure again and he’d put money on the fact that it was done so quickly because Gary had a personal interest in the shop. The shop’s owner to be exact, and not Sadie, but her aunt. Much like Sadie, JoJo Woods was a well-known member of the community, volunteering and popping up as often as her niece. James didn’t know too much about her cancer diagnosis but based on how Sadie seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, it couldn’t be easy for them right now.
A young couple wandered an area of the store that held baby items, the woman’s hand resting on her baby bump as she smiled at a pink blanket her husband held up for her to see. Another couple was on the other side of the store talking to Moira about children’s toys and from what James could hear were wanting to find a gift for their grandson. Something that reminded them of when they were young.
James scanned the room and found Sadie. She stood in front of two tall wooden pieces that looked like wide ladders and held folded quilts. A woman was admiring one. Based on their conversation they knew one another. James wasn’t surprised. Wherever he went in town, Sadie’s name was mentioned as if she were old friends with everyone who lived in Nearlake.
Seeing that she was busy, James wandered the store. He had taken in a lot of it the day he’d been called in for the broken window, but now he saw it through different eyes. Before, he’d had his mind on theft and Sadie potentially being in danger. Now, he found himself drawn to a large oak wardrobe—the craftsmanship noticeable from halfway across the room. He made his way over to it, wanting to get a closer look.
He ran a hand over the front. The design on the door was etched by hand, something hardly seen in new furniture. Most things were factory made, much of it delivered in pieces to your door with the expectation of hours of frustration putting it together yourself.
“It’s a beautiful piece, isn’t it?”
Sadie’s voice was like a ray of sunshine, warm against his back. He turned to look at her. Her hair color reminded him of fresh honey when the sunlight hit it. She had it pulled up into a ponytail, her brown eyes bright and her hands tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. Another trait he’d noticed about her. She’d done the same thing when talking to Maddie.
Their eyes locked and he couldn’t look away. If he thought his attraction to her yesterday was something to think about, how he felt at that moment might require serious therapy.
“Yes. Beautiful.”
Her cheeks flushed with color, and she blinked. Taking a step, she moved beside him to the wardrobe. They may have lost eye contact, but she was now a bit closer than before and the scent of lavender jumbled his thoughts.
“I found it at an estate sale just a few weeks ago. The woman who sold it to me said it had been in her family for generations.”
James forced himself to move his attention to the wardrobe. “It’s easy to see a lot of time and skill went into making it.”
“Do you know about wood working?” Sadie asked. She looked up at him now, her face less flushed than moments ago.
“I do.” James stuck his hands in the pockets of his uniform jacket. “It’s a bit of a hobby,” he said with a shrug.
What was it about this woman that turned him into a shy teenager? He was struggling to find words and when he did find them, they felt weird in his mouth and awkward to say.
“That’s wonderful.” Sadie opened the doors of the wardrobe so they could see inside. “I’m in awe of anyone who can create something like this. Being the reader I am, wardrobes always make me think of Narnia and wonder if there’s another world inside of it somewhere.” She leaned in and ran a hand over the back of the wardrobe.
“I can’t say I’ve ever made anything quite like this.”
“What kinds of things do you like to make?” She asked as she backed out of the wardrobe and faced him.
Her eyes searched his for an answer, the sincerity behind them causing him to relax. Feel more like a grown man again.
“Well, Maddie is into the HGTV shows so we watch those a lot. So I tend to do more renovations on our house than build things.”
“That’s building things. It’s a skill I’m jealous of, quite frankly. JoJo and I have some projects around our house I would love to know how to fix myself.”
“I’d be happy to teach you. Or even help with anything you need done at your place.”
She crossed her arms in front of her and said, “Oh, no. I couldn’t ask you to do that.” As she looked down at her feet she said, “It would be best for me to know how to do it myself.”
James felt a twist in his gut at her response. Something in her tone told him she didn’t want to admit she couldn’t pay him, and it wasn’t his intention anyway. He’d offered as a friend. It reminded him of why he’d come into the store, however.
“I understand,” he said. “I would be happy to show you a few things if you’d like, and the offer is open ended if you need some help, one friend to another.”
She smiled at him and nodded.
“So, what brings you by today?” she asked.
“I was looking for something for Maddie. I wanted to maybe buy a couple more books for her, but she’s also been wanting a more grown-up dresser. The one she has we bought when she was little and she’s at that age where she wants her room to be more grown up. Although I don’t know how a bright blue fuzzy bean bag in one corner and posters of favorite musicians says grown up.”
Sadie laughed. “Ah, the contrary nature of teenage girls.”
James nodded.
“I think I may have just the thing for you.” She waved a hand motioning for him to follow as she turned and wandered through the store.
He watched as she navigated her way around side tables and large tufted chairs, her hand at one point reaching out to glide along the wood of a console table. It was as if she wanted to be connected to all of it.
They worked their way through the main part of the store then through an archway that led to another large room. In the corner was a doorway that from what James could tell was an office. Sadie wandered through yet another archway into a room that was smaller, yet still filled with furniture, trinkets, Christmas ornaments – pretty much anything he could think of could be found.
“This is like a labyrinth of treasure,” he said.
The smile on Sadie’s face when she turned to him lit up the room. “I’m so glad you see it that way. Many people see it as junk, like some sort of glamourized garage sale.” Her smile faded a bit as she picked up a folded piece of lace that at nearby on an end table and ran a hand over it. “But I see all of it as history. History that has been made and history yet to be made with whomever takes an item home.”
“That’s a romantic way to see it.”
She looked at the lace again and said, “I guess it is. Someone might see this as just a piece of old lace when it was actually hand woven at a shop in Burano, Italy. The woman running the estate sale where I bought it said it was found with a photo of the owner on a trip to Italy in 1957. On the back of the picture, she had written about her day trip to Burano and what drew her to the beauty of the lace, not to mention her awe of it being hand made.”
Sadie tenderly set the lace back down.
“There really is history in each of these items.”
“There is.”
“You seem to know a lot about all of this,” James looked around.
“I’ve worked in this store for as long as I can remember. My grandparents were the original owners, then my aunt, and now me. Well, it’s not mine yet, officially. But it will be.” A shadow dimmed her eyes as her smile faded.
James tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “How is your aunt doing?”
“Better,” Sadie said with a small, somewhat forced smile. “Radiation has been tough, but the doctors are optimistic.”
“That sounds good.”
James had lost Tiffany in an accident. Quick. No warning. That was bad enough. He couldn’t fathom losing a loved one slowly, watching them struggle and suffer along the way. The more he got to know about Sadie, the more he understood the heaviness he’d seen when the back window was broken. And he wanted to do anything he could to help.
Sadie pointed to the corner of the room. “Over here is the piece I think Maddie might like.”
More tall and narrow than wide and low, the dresser was a mix of a greenish blue and grey with five drawers, each one with a golden swirl design that gave the piece a 1920’s Gatbsy vibe. The handles were vertical gold rectangles, and the feet were gold as well.
“This is really cool,” James said as he ran a hand over the top. “All I said was Maddie’s bean bag chair was blue and yet this would practically match it.”
“It is cool, isn’t it? I know I only met her briefly, but I had a sense this would be something Maddie might like. I know I love it.”
James smiled at her. “It sounds like it’s tough for you to part with a lot of things in here.”
She laughed at that, a sound that warmed his heart. “That is very true. I try not to get too attached, but there are definitely more things in here I’d like to keep than I would have space for at home.” She shrugged. “And besides, each piece is meant for someone. Not just me.”
“Like this one is meant for Maddie,” he said looking back at the dresser. “It really is perfect. I’ll take it.”
“I’m so glad. I know it will be in the right place with Maddie.” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder and said, “You said you also wanted to look at some books?”
“I do.” He put out a hand. “After you. I fear I’d get lost if I don’t follow you anyway.”
She laughed again as she turned to lead them back to the front of the store. They reached the same shelves Maddie had looked through the day before and Sadie chose a few she thought Maddie would like.
James made his way to the counter to pay, the books for Maddie in hand.
“When can I swing by and get the dresser?” he asked. “It will need to be next week, if that’s okay. I took the week off to have some time with Maddie since she has half days. And I would need to grab my truck. I’m afraid the dresser won’t fit in the back of my squad car.”
“That’s very true,” Sadie said with a smile as she rung up his order. “Any time is fine. We also deliver.”
James couldn’t imagine how she had the time to run the store, take care of her aunt, volunteer all over town, and deliver furniture to people. The woman must never sleep.
He handed her his credit card. “Not a problem. I’m happy to come and get it.”
Sadie rang the charge and handed back his card. “It’s a date, then.”
Their eyes met and her cheeks flushed crimson.
“I mean…whatever date you want to come pick it up. We’re here…whenever,” she began gathering receipts and piling papers, anything to avoid looking at him.
“Thank you, Sadie.” James waited until she looked at him again before he said, “It’s a date.”
With a wink, he turned and left.