Chapter 29
twenty-nine
. . .
Sadie
The bus rattled and hissed as it pulled away from the stop.
I was going to be cutting it close for the flight but then Ian hadn't given me much time.
His usual assistant, a woman I'd always found condescending and annoying, had decided she could no longer take the heat or insects in Bali so she quit.
Ian had been hired to take photos for a travel brochure, and since I, as usual, found myself with nothing to keep me home, I told him I could help out.
I wasn't looking forward to a long plane ride, but I planned to buy three or four tiny bottles of rum and sleep my way out of my misery and heartbreak.
I was having a hard time believing the horrid way my otherwise dreamy relationship had ended and then I remembered it was me, Sadie Rivers, expert saboteur of her own happiness.
A million things could have happened to cause Colin to crash, lose the title and basically bring his career to a screeching halt.
A million things could have caused it, but it wasn't a million things.
It was me, me and my stupid yellow ribbon.
I'd cut the damn thing off the second I got to the apartment.
Then I sat in my torn-up place and looked at the sad disaster surrounding me, and I laughed thinking what a perfect metaphor it was for my life.
I squeezed my bag between my feet to keep it from sliding under the seat as the bus pulled up to the next stop.
Two more passengers, a mom and her young child, got on.
They took the seat across from me. The boy, five or six, immediately crawled up on his knees to stare out the window.
Something had his attention outside, but his mom was busy looking at her phone.
The bus would fill up as we headed toward the airport.
I would have to fly through security and customs to make my flight. At least I'd have a paycheck again.
"Mommy, look at that guy on the motorcycle. He's going super fast."
"Sit down, Bryan, before you fall off the seat."
The kid sat with a huff and crossed his arms angrily. Outside the half open window, the buzzing sound of a motor grew louder.
"That's him!" the kid shouted and jumped back up to his knees. "It's the guy on the red motorcycle." The kid looked over his shoulder at his mom. "It's a dirt bike like the one Dad rides."
I glanced up from my own phone and stretched up to look out the window.
It was unusual for a dirt bike to be zooming down a city road.
I assumed the little guy just thought a red bike was always a dirt bike.
Then I heard the buzzing motor again. I couldn't see it, but he was right. It was a dirt bike.
The little boy had a blast watching the crazy person tearing down the street on a dirt bike. The bus driver wasn't loving it as much. I could see his big wobbly cheeks every time he glanced into his sideview mirror. He looked irritated.
I focused back on my phone to check if the flight was leaving on time.
It seemed they were always right on time whenever I was late, and they were delayed whenever I got to the airport early.
The bus rumbled to a stop, and a few more people got on.
The driver shut the doors, but the bus didn't move.
He honked a few times in a friendly manner, but whoever was in the way didn't pay attention.
He blasted the horn and waved through his windshield for someone or some car to get out of the way.
"It's the dirt bike," the little boy said confidently. "I knew he was chasing the bus."
The driver stood up. He was a big man with lots of meat around his gut. He had his two-way radio in hand as he opened the doors and stomped down to the bottom step. "I'm going to call the police," he barked.
Everyone on the bus was muttering about the incident and stretching up tall in their seats to see what was happening.
I was going to miss my damn flight because some unstable person decided to block the bus.
I sat back, exasperated by the whole situation.
Through my loud sigh of disgust, I heard a familiar voice.
"I just need to see someone on that bus. Please. It won't take long."
I sat forward, my heart doing a quick jig in my chest.
"Sadie!" Colin called from in front of the bus. "Sadie, you belong with me!"
People were looking around for the possible Sadie, and somehow, everyone managed to puzzle it out. All eyes fell on me, some smiling about the scene, some angry that their day was being held up.
The driver grumbled as he stepped back on the bus. He filled the whole front cab area. "Who the hell is Sadie? Your boyfriend is going to be arrested if you don't get off the bus and get him out of the way now."
I felt my face turn a dark shade of pink as everyone turned back to me.
I picked up my bags and shuffled out with an apologetic smile.
I went from embarrassment straight to a case of trembling nerves when I stepped off the bus and turned toward the red dirt bike.
Colin was straddling it. His face was red from riding like a madman through town. As always, he stole my breath.
"I might not have thought this out. I think that big guy is calling the police."
We both looked up, and the driver was pointing down at Colin and holding his two-way in his beefy fist.
"Then maybe you should move," I suggested.
He waved at the bus driver and pushed his bike over to the curb. A few of the sidewalk pedestrians had also stopped to see what the commotion was about. They moved on now, along with the bus.
"Let's go over there to that park," Colin said. He pushed the bike without waiting for me to agree. I followed without a second thought.
"I'm going to miss my flight," I said.
He stopped the bike, leaning it under a sprawling oak tree. The shade was a nice reprieve from the hot sidewalk and the stuffy bus.
"Colin, I'm one of those people who causes trouble wherever I go. I'm the last thing you need in your life."
"Do you want to be with me?" he asked, plainly.
"Did you not just hear my declaration about being the cause of trouble?"
"Did you forget that my last name is Wilde? I'd say Trouble is our middle name if it wasn't so corny. But really … it is. Now answer the question. Do you want to be with me? I can't offer you much at the moment, but I will get my shit together soon. I always do."
"See, I can't promise that. The part about getting my shit together. Not very good at that."
"You're not answering my question. Do you want to be with me?"
I smiled at him. "You are very persistent, Mr. Wilde."
"Well?"
I dropped my backpack on the ground and threw my arms around his neck. "What the hell do you think? Of course I want to be with you." I pressed my mouth against his.