12
SADIE STROLLED TOWARD Lily’s Pad Café after church, fallen leaves crunching under her boots as she walked. Where the previous week had been a bustle of activity for Homecoming, the streets of Nearlake felt like a ghost town, complete with a piece of paper floating across the road on the breeze. Festivities had finished the day before, people traveling back to the places they now called home while locals stayed home to recover before another work week began.
Other than a couple of text messages the day before, Sadie hadn’t talked to James, but it was safe to say that he was all she could think about. Her spirits as light as her steps with the memory of his kisses and the intense sea of blue in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She still found it hard to believe that James Larsen could have any level of interest in her, but after Friday night, any doubts she had were fading fast.
It hadn’t been lost on her either that the moment they shared was behind the bleachers of their alma mater. The very place she’d spent dreaming that one day someone as amazing as James Larsen would even glance her way. And now, as she headed to meet her closest friends for lunch, she – Sadie Woods – could say she’d been kissed by him during a football game behind the grandstands.
She laughed out loud. From joy? From the irony of it all? It didn’t matter. For the first time in too long, she was happy.
As she opened the door to Lily’s and stepped inside, her heart warmed in her chest even more at the sight of Charlie and Anne sitting at “their” table. Sadie still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that her friend was there in person. Having a flair for the dramatic, it wasn’t unlike Anne to just show up the way she did, but Sadie still couldn’t dismiss the tiny red flag raised in her mind as she wondered why her friend had really come home.
However, for now she was grateful Anne was home and Sadie planned to soak up every moment she could while she had the chance.
“Hey, you two,” she said as she approached the table and hung her coat and purse on the back of her chair.
“Hey!” They both said in unison.
Sadie leaned down to hug them both before taking a seat.
“Charlie was just catching me up on the kids. I can’t believe one is out of college and the other halfway through,” Anne said.
Anne had the most beautiful naturally curly hair. Sadie noticed she now straightened it, giving her a more polished look. In some ways, more severe. Her makeup was flawless, her outfit looked brand new. Her perfectly manicured nails wrapped around a coffee mug in front of her. It all matched her current demeanor, but not the young woman Sadie had known who had been happiest with little to no makeup, spending most of her days riding horses, her gorgeous auburn hair flowing behind her in the wind.
Granted, Sadie and Charlie weren’t exactly who they’d been twenty-plus years ago, but the perfectly put-together woman she saw now didn’t feel like a natural progression. It felt…forced.
Sadie knew Anne’s husband, Leo, was extremely wealthy. They moved in high-end circles and Sadie could guess the influence that had on Anne. It was more of an observation than judgment. While many of Anne’s emails or social media updates portrayed the “perfect” life, the person who sat with them now looked a bit tired, her eyes not as bright as Sadie remembered.
“Tell me about it. I’m their mother. I fight the feeling that I’m ancient every day,” Charlie said then took a sip of her coffee.
“You don’t look a day over thirty,” Anne encouraged.
Charlie laughed. “I have missed you for a lot of reasons, but how you lie to me is in the top five.”
Anne laughed then turned her attention to Sadie. “And now that you’re here, I would love for you to update me on what’s going on between you and our hunky hometown hero.”
Charlie leaned forward in her chair. “Oooh, I want that update, too.”
“You mean you don’t already know?” Anne asked Charlie.
Charlie shook her head. “We haven’t had much of a chance to talk lately.”
“Wait. I thought you two talked every day,” Anne said to Charlie.
Charlie shrugged. “We’ve been busy. And quite frankly, I can’t seem to get this one to open up about our fine Deputy Sheriff.” She jerked her thumb at Sadie, the two women talking as if Sadie wasn’t even there. “But I do know that she had dinner at his house the other night and that his daughter is working at the store.”
Sadie’s cheeks flushed as the two of them turned their attention toward her. “How do you know all of that?”
“You’re avoiding the question, but I will humor you,” Charlie said. “As I told you, I volunteer at the high school library and Maddie is quite the reader. She chatted with me the other day about the book you loaned her and how much she’s enjoying working in the store. She also mentioned you delivered a dresser the other night and stayed for dinner.”
“Oh, my. Date night at the Sheriff’s house,” Anne said as she shifted in her chair to face Sadie more. “I am definitely wanting to hear more details.”
Sadie fought the urge to roll her eyes as she took a sip of her water. She set down her glass and faced her friends. “Okay, you two,” she said with a laugh. It was hard not to with them both eyeing her like teenagers at the lunch table, eager for the gossip of the day. “First of all, it was hardly a date. I gave Maddie a ride home after work and as a thank you for doing so, as well as delivering the dresser for her, she invited me to dinner.”
“Was the gorgeous guy you’ve been in love with since high school at this dinner?” Anne asked, her eyes now twinkling with a bit of mischief.
Although she wasn’t thrilled with the line of questioning, Sadie liked seeing her friend perk up a bit, shades of her former self emerging as she talked.
“Okay, love is a strong word. I’ll admit I had a crush on the guy when I was a kid, but half the girls in town did.”
Anne shrugged. “That’s true. But none of them are having dinner at his house now, are they?” She wiggled her eyebrows then took another sip of coffee.
Sadie shook her head and laughed. “Not that I’m aware of, no.”
“I would also like to know where you disappeared to during halftime of the game Friday night,” Charlie said.
While her friends had sounded like teenagers in their inquisition, Sadie now felt like one as her face flushed with heat, her mind recalling the kiss she and James had shared.
“Okay. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you blush like that,” Anne said.
“Me neither,” Charlie agreed.
“Okay! Okay! I was with James behind the bleachers and he kissed me.” Not one to share much of anything in her life, Sadie couldn’t keep the words from rushing out of her mouth before she covered her face with her hands.
“No way!” Charlie exclaimed.
“Way to go, Sades,” Anne said.
Sadie moved her hands away from her face, her mouth now in a wide smile as she laughed. “I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this.” She shook her head and took another sip of water. “I feel like I’m sixteen.”
Charlie sat back in her chair and smiled. “But that’s gotta feel pretty awesome though, right?”
“His kiss or feeling sixteen?” Anne said with a grin.
“Both,” Sadie said.
“I cannot believe I didn’t know any of this,” Charlie said.
“It only happened Friday night and I didn’t see you yesterday. It didn’t feel like the kind of thing I should text you about.”
Charlie nodded. “You’re forgiven.”
“And the first time was really more just…” Sadie said then pursed her lips together.
“The first time?” her friends said in unison.
Well, that cat was out of the bag.
Sadie’s shoulders sagged. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to laugh or cry. Maybe both. It honestly felt good to have her friends to talk to. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how much she’d been keeping to herself. With all that had been happening with James and Maddie, she hadn’t thought much about her financial woes. And she never meant to keep so much from Charlie, especially. But she sure could use her friends right now.
“Okay. It wasn’t the first time he kissed me.”
Anne and Charlie leaned forward again, their elbows on the table as Sadie talked. “It’s all been happening so fast. There was the supposed break-in at the store, then Maddie helping me with the shop and finding an underground passageway and then I went down there and that’s where James kissed me for the first time, although I think that was mainly because he was relieved I was okay but…” she waved her hand as if to bat that thought away. “And then Friday night I was just trying to listen as he worked through something he was struggling with and the next thing I know we were kissing and…” she stopped and sighed.
Anne’s mouth dropped open. “Wow. That was… a lot. How long have I been gone?”
“Too long,” Sadie and Charlie said in unison.
“But this all happened like last week,” Charlie said.
Sadie nodded.
“I’m sorry. All of that you just spewed only happened this past week?” Anne raised her eyebrows and pointed at Sadie.
Sadie and Charlie both nodded.
It was clear she would have to elaborate, but for the moment, Sadie felt a weight lifted.
“Okay, okay,” Anne said. “Let’s take one thing at a time. A supposed break-in at the store?” She held up a finger to tick off the first subject.
“Yes,” Sadie said. “But it was just a kid who hit a baseball through the back door window. It’s all fine. That’s all good.”
“Okay, then two.” Anne held up another finger. “Did I hear you right? You said secret passageway?”
Sadie nodded. “Yes. Maddie found a trapdoor in the floor. It leads down to a passageway under the shop.”
“Wow.” Charlie blinked as she took it all in.
“We will come back to that one,” Anne said. “And three, James kissed you then as well as Friday night.”
“Yes.”
“Sheesh, woman. You’ve lived most of a novel in only a week’s time,” Anne said.
Sadie laughed at that.
Lily came over to their table. “It’s good to see the three of you in here again together. And laughing.”
The three of them smiled at her.
“Your usual order?”
“Yes, please,” Sadie and Charlie answered.
“I’d love just a cup of your soup please, Lily,” Anne said.
“You got it.”
Once she was gone, the three women sat back in their chairs. For a few moments, no one said anything.
Had Sadie shared too much? It felt good to be able to process some of it with her friends, but maybe she should have kept the part about the passageway to herself?
“Initially I was glad to have lunch with you both today, but I fear that a couple hours at this table isn’t going to be nearly enough to unpack all that was just laid out on the table,” Charlie said, breaking the silence.
They all laughed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to verbally vomit it like that,” Sadie admitted. “There’s just been a…lot happening.” She had a fleeting thought of the stacks of bills in her desk drawer she was trying to solve for but pushed it aside. She’d shared enough for one day.
“I’m happy for you,” Anne said with a smile. “James is a good guy. I can’t say I know him all that well now, but he always seemed genuine. You deserve someone who is good to you, Sades.”
“Thanks, Anne.” Sadie said with a smile. “I’m not sure what it all means just yet, but I’m not as scared as I was to find out.”
As Anne took a sip of her coffee, Sadie couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in Anne’s eyes fading once more.
Charlie sat back in her chair with her legs crossed and her arms crossed as well.
“I know that look,” Sadie said. “What are you churning in that brain of yours?”
Charlie quirked her mouth to one side then spoke. “As much as I want to know more about you and James Larsen, my mind is stuck on this passageway you mentioned beneath the store.”
“I asked JoJo about it, but she didn’t know anything. She said my grandparents never mentioned it.”
“You said you went down into it. That was when James kissed you the first time,” Charlie said.
“Yes.” Sadie fought to hold back a grin. Would she ever be able to talk about James or think about him without everything inside her lighting up or heating up? She hoped not. But it would be nice if her traitorous facial expressions wouldn’t give away every emotion she was feeling.
“And what did you find?”
“Nothing really. I just took a few steps to see how far it went and then I dropped my phone and James came down and wanted us to get out of there. He said it was too dangerous.”
“I have to say, I agree with James,” Anne said. “I’m as curious as you are but just going down there, especially alone, wasn’t your finest hour, Sades.”
“I was fine. And I wasn’t going to go any further. I just wanted to see if it was an actual passageway or… I don’t know,” she said with a shrug.
Charlie tapped a finger against her chin. “I bet the library has some archives or historical things we could find to see if there is anything documented about it.”
“I was going to do that, I just haven’t had the time,” Sadie said.
“I do. I’d be happy to check things out for you,” Charlie offered.
“Would you? That would be great.”
“Of course.” Charlie leaned forward and placed a hand on Sadie’s arm.
“I’d do anything for you, you know that.”
Sadie smiled, humbled by her friend’s statement.
“I’ll help, too!” Anne said, sitting up in her chair and patting Sadie’s other arm.
“You will?” Sadie and Charlie said together.
“Don’t sound so surprised! I love Sadie, too, and I’m happy to help.”
“I just thought you wouldn’t be here that long,” Charlie said.
“Well,” Anne’s shoulders sagged a little. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be here, but while I am here, I want to help Sadie.”
Sadie couldn’t fight the feeling her friend wasn’t telling them everything, but what she did know about Anne was that if they pressed her for info, she’d only shut down and say less.
“I appreciate it, Anne.” Sadie took her friend’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m glad you’re home.”