Chapter 11
Sunlight streams in through my bedroom window as I glance at the clock next to my bed, displaying the time of nine in the morning.
It’s Saturday, and luckily, it’s my day off.
Last night’s sleep was the best I’ve had in a long time.
All that stress from falling in the river must’ve knocked me on my ass.
My lungs still burn from the incident, constricting and swelling from inhaling too much water as I rise out of bed, glancing at Kit’s soft flannel shirt that I still have.
I should give it back, but I’m too frustrated with him to care.
After feeding Fox, I stare out the frosted window at Kit’s property.
Of course, his big silver truck is gone, meaning he’s gone too.
I was hoping to talk to him this morning.
To confront him about his words last night.
To finally clear the air between us. But it looks like that’s going to have to wait.
You don’t want me, Tequila.
Despite what he thinks, I do want him, but it’s becoming very clear that he doesn’t want me. And I cannot handle that kind of rejection. I’ve spent enough years of my life around people who didn’t want me. People who treated me like dirt.
Perhaps he’s not the man I hoped he would be. The grumpy cowboy who just needed a shove to open his big and warm heart…
“This is exactly your problem, Sadie. You think you can fix people,” I mutter to myself.
“And look where that’s gotten you?” Morning light fractures around my new home, shining across the wooden floors.
Glinting off the stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops.
Well, it has gotten me into this beautiful home and the best job I’ve ever had, but that’s beside the point.
Yup. I’m going to go insane if I sit alone in this house a minute longer.
I grab my phone and text Averie, asking if she wants to grab coffee, needing something to get my mind off things.
Spending the entire weekend alone will drive me crazy.
I’m not about to sit here all day thinking about people who aren’t thinking about me.
Besides, staying home is something the old me would’ve done because she was forced to, and I will never live like that again.
Averie responds a minute later, telling me to meet her at Stag and Steam, the local coffee shop on Birchwood Street near the main square.
For the next hour, I struggle to pick out an outfit.
What’s appropriate to wear when hanging out with a rock star?
Nothing seems suitable, but I know I’m overthinking it.
Finally, I settle on a pair of ripped black jeans and an old T-shirt that says Chase Whiskey, Not Cowboys. Which feels appropriate to how I’m feeling. Fox looks up at me, tilting her big ears, and I take that as approval.
On my way out the door, I grab Kit’s flannel that’s staring back at me in the mirror, deciding to leave it draped over his front porch.
Out of sight, out of mind.
About two hours later, I’m sitting at a small round table with Fox lying at my feet. Her sad brown eyes staring deep into my soul convinced me to bring her, and Averie also mentioned that the café is dog-friendly, so of course, Foxie is wearing her cutest dog harness for the occasion.
Stag and Steam might be the cutest coffee shop I’ve ever been to.
With white-washed wooden tables and chairs, fairy lights strung over the espresso bar, deer antlers hanging on the walls, and silver candles on every table.
A charming and cozy atmosphere as I sip on my iced peppermint mocha with marshmallows on top.
No matter the season, I’ve always preferred iced drinks.
And marshmallows? An absolute must.
I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming, that I didn’t just imagine she’d want to hang out with me, but it’s real.
And local celebrity Averie Knox is grinning at me with delight, holding a white chocolate latte between her delicate fingers.
Soft, perfect waves of shiny blonde hair fall against a velvet cream sweater.
Long silver stars hang from her ears, sparkling in the cool window light.
For the last twenty minutes, she’s wanted to know all about me.
My favorite musicians, my favorite color, my favorite song, and other random bits and pieces.
Eventually, she asked about why I came to Aspen Hollow.
But telling Averie the truth about why I moved here…
the truth about my past… well, I just can’t.
At least not yet.
She’s a rockstar, and my story feels too small and too sad. I want to be the version of Sadie that people gravitate toward. Wild. Sexy. Fun. Carefree. A contradiction in blue cowboy boots.
A Sadie I invented to keep myself from drowning.
“There’s not much to tell,” I murmur, glancing out the window at the soft falling snow. “Aspen Hollow is my home now.”
Her eyes seem to soften. “Well, I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I smile, but I’m happy to keep the past in the past. Where sad little Emma North became a forgotten name, a forgotten existence.
No one would miss her anyway.
“So...” Averie starts, a slow smile forms on her lips. “What about you and Kit Harlow? Did anything happen after he took you home?”
“Not really,” I stifle a laugh, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
“He likes to pretend that he doesn’t like me, but I know it isn’t true.
” Except, the insecure part of me is starting to think that he doesn’t like me at all.
That I’m only drawn to him because he’s wrong for me.
The only kind of man I gravitate towards.
A lump forms in my throat. “I just don’t think he knows what he wants. ”
And neither did I.
She grabs her coffee mug, holding it close to her glossy pink lips. “Maybe it’s time you played hard to get. I’m a firm believer in making a man work for your affections.”
“That does sound tempting.” Seeing Kit work for my attention would be pretty damn hot. “But I don’t know. Kit’s… confusing.” And that’s putting it lightly.
“Men don’t often know what they want. Sometimes you have to dangle yourself in front of them and see if they bite,” she winks.
I clink her glass with mine. “Words to live by.” Even though I kind of already did that. Multiple times, and he still hasn’t had the nerve to do anything about it. My heart sinks. “So, what about you, are you seeing anyone?” I switch the conversation back to her.
Averie smiles, brushing a lock of blonde hair away from her face. “I’m dating Josh Jennings,” she states like I’m supposed to know that name. “He’s an actor.”
“An actor?” Damn, she really is a rock star. “Is he in anything I would’ve seen?”
“Nothing major. He did a low-budget movie last year, but he recently got an audition for a TV show.”
For the next hour, we talk about what it’s like to live in Nashville.
It seems so different and vibrant from anything I’ve ever experienced.
Her career is finally starting to take her places, a dream that she’s had since she was eight years old.
Over the last few years, she’s been on a few tours—just small ones.
And at the moment, she’s on a break until New Year’s Day before she needs to go back.
“I came home for some new inspiration,” she gestures around us. “And well, to see my parents,” she laughs. “I’m hoping to write a hit song during the holidays.”
“You write your own songs?”
“Yeah,” she smiles. “It’s probably my favorite part of the process, besides playing the guitar.” Her eyes fall to her manicured nails. “I just need some good material, and well, lately, I’ve been struggling in the big city.”
A smile crosses my face. “You should come to the ranch. There’s lots of open land, horses, and plenty of hot cowboys. The perfect recipe for a good country song.”
Averie stares at me for a moment in thought. “You love it, don’t you?”
“Ranching?”
She laughs. “Being a cowgirl.”
“It’s the best job in the world,” I answer proudly.
For the first time in my life, I’m doing something I love.
Something that makes me forget all the pain and horror from my past life.
I inhale the sweet, minty scent of my coffee after taking a sip.
An indulgent treat I was never allowed to have in my past relationship.
“Truth is, I’ve never really felt like I fit anywhere. But Lone Pine… it feels like home.”
“That’s how I feel about singing,” she smiles.
There’s a pause between us. I realize how vastly different we are. She’s a rising star, chasing her dreams in the capital of country music. And then there’s me, a cowgirl who would love nothing more than to stay in a small town forever, chasing cowboys. “You find me boring, don’t you?”
She snorts. “Don’t be ridiculous. I find you refreshing.”
“Refreshingly boring?”
Averie laughs, shaking her head. “Look, I may not love it here like you do, but I meet a lot of people, Sadie, and you stand out. You’re a vibrant wildflower in a sea of dull weeds.”
Blush fills my cheeks at her comparison to me and a wildflower.
“Oh!” She exclaims with a wide smile. “That’s good!” She reaches for a napkin, pulling an ink pen from her pink Prada bag, quickly writing down her words.
“Well, I do consider myself a rockstar,” I tease, watching her while she writes.
“And I often call myself a wildflower.” Like the night I referred to myself as one when I danced with Kit…
Butterflies form in my stomach at the memory of his hands on me, quickly turning sour.
He’s had me in his arms several times now, and not one of those times has he tried to make a move.
All Kit ever seems to want is to push me away.
“Do you like to sing?” she asks, shoving the pen and napkin back in her purse.
I shake away the anger cinching my heart, turning back to her. “I’m terrible at it, but my dancing skills are top-notch.” No matter how hard I’ve tried to sing over my life, it’s never been a career that’s going to happen for me. But finding the rhythm has always been easy.