21. Sadie
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sadie
I woke up feeling… off.
Not sick, exactly. Just wrong.
My body felt heavy, like I’d run a marathon in my sleep, and my stomach twisted in a way that wasn’t quite nausea but wasn’t normal either.
I rolled onto my side, staring at the ceiling, willing the feeling to pass.
It didn’t.
The warm scent of coffee drifted in from the kitchen, a usual comfort, but instead of making my mouth water, it turned my stomach.
Ugh. That wasn’t a good sign.
A light knock sounded at my bedroom door before Hayley peeked in. “You alive in there?”
I groaned in response, throwing an arm over my eyes. Hayley took that as permission to barge in.
“You never sleep in this late.” Her voice softened as she sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s up?”
I exhaled through my nose. “I don’t know. I just feel weird.”
She frowned. “Weird how?”
I hesitated, trying to put it into words. “Tired. Kind of queasy, but not like I’m actually sick. And just… off.”
Hayley gave me a long, assessing look before her lips twitched. “Hate to break it to you, but that sounds like stress.”
I snorted. “I’m not stressed.”
She arched a brow. “Really? Because you seem like you have a lot going on.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but… okay, fair.
Hayley stretched out beside me, resting her head on her hand. “You sure you’re not coming down with something?”
“I don’t think so.” I rubbed my temples. “Maybe I just didn’t sleep well.”
She hummed like she didn’t quite believe me, but let it go. “Come eat. I made eggs and toast.”
The thought made my stomach turn.
I wrinkled my nose. “I think I’ll skip.”
Now that made Hayley’s eyes widen. “You? Skipping breakfast? That’s basically a medical emergency.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll grab something later.”
She studied me for another long moment, then reached over and squeezed my arm. “Alright, but don’t push yourself too hard, okay? You’ve been running nonstop since you got back.”
My chest tightened at the concern in her voice.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed having someone care like this… just simple, steady support.
I’d always felt like I didn’t really have a family.
Maybe it truly was those who stuck around.
I gave her a small smile. “I promise. Now go eat your eggs before they get cold.”
She shot me a look that said the conversation wasn’t over, but she got up, heading for the door. “See ya soon, okay?”
I huffed and threw the covers off.
It was time to face the day.
By the time I got to The Foundry, the weird heaviness in my body hadn’t gone away.
If anything, it had settled into something deeper, like my limbs were weighted down by thoughts I hadn’t even let myself process yet.
I wasn’t just tired… I was overwhelmed. And I didn’t know what to do with that.
The usual scent of coffee and bread was my favorite thing about being here.
But today? It made my stomach twist again.
I took a deep breath, pushing through it.
Just focus on work. One thing at a time.
I slipped behind the counter, tying my apron as I glanced around.
Samuel was in the back room, but Adam was nowhere to be seen… probably making a delivery or sweet-talking a supplier into giving us a discount.
And Kai… Kai was watching me.
He stood near the espresso machine, arms crossed, gaze sharp. He didn’t say anything right away, just took me in.
I swallowed. “What?”
His brow furrowed. “You okay?”
Damn.
I should’ve known he’d notice.
Kai didn’t waste words, but he saw things—small things, things most people overlooked.
Especially when it came to me.
I forced a smile. “Yeah. Just didn’t sleep great.”
His lips pressed together like he didn’t quite believe me, but he let it go.
“Alright.” He turned back to the machine, hands moving quickly as he started pulling a shot. “You wanna talk about everything?”
I blinked. “Everything?”
He shot me a look. “The festival. Working together. And… everything else.”
Oh.
Everything else.
My stomach flipped for an entirely different reason now.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice.
“You mean the fact that I agreed to help at your cake stand, or the fact that we’re…” I hesitated, searching for the right words, “in the middle of something new?”
His jaw tensed, but his voice stayed level. “Both.”
I bit my lip, fingers curling around the edge of the counter. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Kai.”
It was the first time I’d admitted it out loud.
Kai finished making the espresso, setting the cup aside before facing me fully. “Neither do I.”
That surprised me.
He always seemed so sure of himself. Calm, controlled.
But now, there was something behind his eyes that looked a lot like conflict.
I exhaled. “I wasn’t expecting… any of this. Coming back to Medford, getting involved with you, Samuel, Adam…” I swallowed. “It’s a lot.”
Kai nodded slowly, studying me. “You like all of us.”
It wasn’t a question. And it wasn’t a judgment either.
I bit my lip. “Yeah.”
Emotions flickered across his face… understanding, maybe, but also something else.
A tightness I wished I could change.
“I don’t know if I can do this with you , Sadie.” His voice was quiet, but there was weight behind it. “I don’t know if I can share you .”
A pang of uncertainty pressed against my ribs. “So what does that mean?”
Kai looked at me for a long moment, his dark eyes searching mine like he was trying to figure it out, too.
Then he let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I know I don’t want to stop either, so I really am stuck with my feelings.”
My breath caught.
There was something so honest about the way he said it, like he wasn’t trying to fix anything or offer some perfect solution. Just telling the truth.
And wasn’t that exactly how I felt?
Torn, confused, wanting so many things at once, but not wanting to let any of them go?
I wet my lips. “Me neither.”
Kai’s expression softened just slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing.
Then, before I could second-guess myself, I reached for his hand, and his
fingers curled around mine instantly. His gray eyes flicked to my lips, just for a second, before he leaned in.
I had a split second to take a breath, to feel the anticipation coil tight in my stomach—and then his lips met mine.
The world around us blurred.
Kai kissed the way he did everything else. With quiet intensity.
No hesitation, no second-guessing.
Just firm pressure, his lips moving against mine like he already knew exactly what I needed.
And god , I needed this.
The confusion, the uncertainty, the questions still lingering between us… they didn’t disappear.
But for this moment, they didn’t matter.
His hand came up, fingers brushing along my jaw, tilting my face just enough to deepen the kiss.
I melted into him, heat sparking under my skin, my pulse kicking up faster than I could control.
A clatter of dishes in the back snapped me back to reality.
I jerked back slightly, breathless, eyes wide.
Kai exhaled through his nose, his forehead resting against mine for a beat before he pulled away completely, his expression unreadable.
The café was still busy.
Customers sat at their tables, sipping coffee, completely oblivious to what had just happened behind the counter.
Work. Right. We were at work .
I cleared my throat, stepping back. “I… um…”
Kai smirked, just a little. “Don’t panic, S.” His voice was amused, but laced with desire. “We’ll pick this up later.”
I swallowed hard, nodding quickly before turning toward the espresso machine like my life depended on it.
My hands were shaking. I needed to focus .
But even as I forced myself back into the rhythm of work—pouring coffee, ringing up customers, wiping down counters—I felt Kai’s gaze on me.
And I knew this wasn’t over.