16. Chapter 16
sixteen
Sadie
When I got back to the bakery, someone was waiting by the door.
I frowned. “Sorry, we’re not open today.”
The woman turned, and the look she gave me could curdle milk. Blonde, tall, beautiful in a harsh sort of way. Like she’d been sculpted to be admired, not approached. Her smile was all malice and gloss.
“Oh, Sadie,” she said smoothly, walking toward me in stilettos that absolutely did not belong on our cracked little sidewalk. “I’m not here for a cupcake. I’m here to talk to you.”
I paused, keys halfway to the lock. “Okay…”
“You need to leave my man alone. Got it?”
My brows shot up so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash. “I’m sorry—you're what?”
She folded her arms. “My man. Daniel Callahan. Or Diesel, or whatever ridiculous name he’s pretending is cool this week.”
My blood chilled.
Not because I was scared.
Because I knew who she was now.
The woman who’d wrecked Diesel. The one Amy hinted about. The reason was that he carried all that anger on his shoulders and hurt in his eyes.
And now she was standing at my bakery like she had every right to tell me what to do.
I squared my shoulders. “I’m not seeing anyone. And if you think Daniel is your man, you might want to double-check with him.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He let me stay at his place last night.”
Well, that landed like a punch.
I refused to flinch.
“Good for you,” I said, smiling tightly. “But I’m not involved with him. I make cookies. Not drama.”
I pushed the key into the door, but she stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“He’ll always come back to me. You’re just a fling. A shiny new toy. But I’m the one he loves.”
I turned, looked her dead in the eyes, and smiled as sweet as pie.
“Well, if you have to come all the way down here and warn off the help, maybe you’re not quite as confident as you pretend to be.”
Her nostrils flared.
I opened the door and walked in without another word.
Locked it behind me, flipped the sign to CLOSED, and leaned against it as my hands trembled.
Not from fear.
From fury. And a little bit of heartbreak.
Because no matter how sweet a fantasy might taste, reality always has a bitter aftertaste.
I didn’t cry.
I refused to cry.
I walked to the kitchen with slow, deliberate steps, like the floor might give out if I moved too fast. The familiar scent of vanilla and cinnamon still clung to the air, but today it didn’t comfort me.
Today, it felt like a lie.
She’d been in his apartment.
He let her in.
That fact stuck in my chest like a splinter. I could twist around it, pretend it didn’t matter. Hell, pretend I didn’t want him in the first place. But it was too late for that. Way too late.
I busied my hands, pulling flour from the cabinet, setting out butter, and cracking eggs. It was second nature. Stirring helped quiet the noise in my head.
But the thoughts still came.
Maybe she was right. Maybe I was just a temporary thing—a shiny distraction with pink hair and cupcake puns. I’d told myself it was just a crush, just some harmless attraction, but I’d lied. I knew I’d lied the moment he looked at me like I was a song he half-remembered.
And now?
He had let her in.
I dropped a spoon into the sink with a clatter and gripped the edge of the counter. My stomach twisted. My hands were shaking.
I hated this feeling. The doubt. The not-good-enough. The second choice.
I’d been here before, different guy, different town. The face changed, but the ache always hit the same.
Still, she’d come all the way here just to throw it in my face.
That had to mean something.
And if anyone would shoot me straight, give me the truth, even if it hurt, it was Amy.
I wiped my hands on a towel, walked to the front of the shop, and grabbed my phone.
Sadie: Hey. You up?
I stared at the message for a second before hitting send.
Then I locked the door again. Not just the bakery.
But my heart, too.
At least for now.
Diesel
“You were supposed to leave.”
It was all I could manage when I got home and found her lounging on my goddamn doorstep, as she belonged there. Again.
Jessie looked up, that familiar smug smirk tugging at her mouth. “Oh, I had some business to take care of first.”
My jaw locked. “Business? What business do you have in Copper Ridge?”
She shrugged, too casual. Too pleased with herself.
“Just had to see a girl about a cupcake.”
My blood went cold.
And then it boiled.
I took a step forward, fists clenched at my sides. “What did you do?”
Jessie tilted her head, playing innocent like it was a goddamn game. “Relax, Diesel. I just gave her a little friendly advice. Girl like her? She should know who she’s messing with.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.” I could feel the fury rising in my chest, choking me. “You showed up at her place? You threatened her?”
“I warned her,” Jessie snapped, that smile slipping into something sharper. “I told her the truth. That you’re mine.”
“I am not yours.” I was nearly shouting now. “Not then. Not now. Not ever again.”
She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “But she doesn’t know that, does she? She doesn’t know how you used to beg me to stay. How you always came back, no matter how many times I hurt you. You’re not the hero in her story, Diesel. You’re just the grumpy rebound with too much baggage.”
I flinched.
Because some part of me—some dark, broken part—believed she might be right.
She smiled again, victory glinting in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I told her all about it. She got the message.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
Because now, all I could see was Sadie’s face.
Sadie, who had looked at me like I was worth knowing.
Sadie, who hummed when she was happy.
Sadie, who was probably hurting because of me.
And I had let Jessie in.
Again.
I turned away before I did something I couldn’t take back.
“Get the fuck away from my life, Jessie,” I said, voice low and shaking. “Don’t come back.”
“Or what?” she taunted, but I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.
Because this time?
I wasn’t letting her back in. I went into my apartment, slammed the door in her face, and locked it.
And I wasn't giving up on Sadie.
Not without a fight.