Chapter 6 Danny
DANNY
“Liam! Order anything you want. Your dad’s paying tonight.”
I snicker as Matt gives me the middle finger hidden behind his menu.
The three of us are having dinner at Big Chowder tonight, while Sadie and Kylie are having sister time.
The place is packed as usual and decorated in Christmas everything.
We’re inside tonight because the deck is closed for the winter, but the familiar hometown feel of this place is as strong as ever.
“You live such a sad life. You have to hang out with me while your fiancé is with her sister?”
“You’re right. You’d think I’d learn by now. I saw how you corrupted me when we were kids. Now, you’re teaching my kid, and we’re spending nights together. This can’t be good.”
“I loved having Mr. Love for a teacher! Now, I have that cranky ol’ Mrs. Burner. She doesn’t make fifth grade fun at all.”
I reach out and bump fists with Liam. “I’m sorry, pal. I’m stuck in the fourth grade for life, but you have a chance out.” I lean in and whisper, “Take it!”
Matt barks a laugh. “You’re unreal.”
“Just giving it to him straight.”
I chuckle and skim the menu, but I’m not really reading. Today was weird. Sadie and I had our usual sarcastic banter. The exact behavior she’s fighting then falls for. It’s not that I was trying to get her to throw herself at me, but I was hoping for a little nostalgia, maybe?
I’d seen Sadie busy before, but this week has been something else.
Since working together on this gala, she hasn’t so much as looked at me for longer than three seconds.
She’s always rushing around the room, always glued to that damn list like it was a lifeline.
If she isn’t buried in her lists, she is directing people with military precision, eyes never once landing on me for more than it took to nod hello.
Or tell me I’m late.
Or in the way.
And if by chance we did get a few barbs in, she actively shut them down.
I’m being patient, but I’m over it now. Because when she cut me down today? It felt like where we were when we crossed the line and couldn’t go back.
I don’t want to feel that way anymore.
“Okay, tell me why I’m here.” He puts his hand up. “Though I’m guessing it’s because she's giving you a hard time and not the hard time you really want, right?”
I glance at Liam, who’s busy playing some game on his phone.
“Something like that.”
“Listen, she’s being Sadie. You shouldn’t be surprised. This is a big deal for her, and according to Kylie, she’s making sure everything she does is done to perfection so she’ll get more gigs later.”
“I know why she’s doing it.” She wants to be the best. She always wanted to be the best and deliver the best event she could to those around her. “She’s just locked in. Like a freight train, she’s doing everything to swerve around me and my possible derailing it.”
Matt grinned. “Then stop being so easy to dodge.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I stare at him.
“It means,” he said, leaning in like he was letting me in on a secret, “you catch her before she’s surrounded. You’ve got rehearsal tomorrow morning, right? She gets there early?”
I frown. “Yeah, like an hour early. To get the place ready to ‘get ready.’” I make air quotes.
“Then that’s your window.”
“Window for what? She’ll still be in clipboard mode.”
“Sure,” he said, shrugging, “but she won’t have her army around her yet. It will be just you and her. Ask about the event, let her talk, then—”
“I do care about the event,” I cut in, sharper than I meant to.
He smirks. “Uh-huh. But we both know what you’re really there for.”
I look down at my beer. Yes, I accepted the position when the school asked me, but once I knew she was in charge, I was definitely excited for it.
Matt isn’t wrong. I missed her. Not the bossy, checklist-obsessed Sadie—well, maybe her, too—but the one who laughed with me, gave it back to me as good as I teased her.
I missed all our late-night conversations together.
“I’ll show up early. Worst case, she still avoids me, and I look like an idiot in an empty room.”
Matt smirked. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”