Page 48 of Here With Me

“Didn’t mean to interrupt.” Her mom’s voice broke the last of the fog surrounding Sadie.

“It’s always good to see you, Dawn.” David offered his hand to her mom, but she batted it away and hugged David.

When her mom stepped back, she eyed Sadie with a knowing look. The weight of her accusation didn’t need to be voiced. “I, um, Nate stopped by.” Sadie held up her empty hand. Where had the envelope gone? David bent down and retrieved it off the floor and handed it to her. Sadie nodded. “Nate paid off his tab.”

Her mom’s perfectly shaped white-blonde eyebrow lifted, looking between Sadie and David. Sadie studied the floor.

“Sadie, honey, I brought some cookies for you and Lottie. Want to take these back to your office?” Her mom’s normally honey-sweet voice held an unarguable edge of stone to it.

Sadie took the cookies and walked to her office. She pulled out her phone and sent a message to her sisters.

Sadie: Things feel different. David said they gave his job in Costa Rica to someone else.

Anna: He’s not going back?

Romee: Girl, it’s time to move in on that. Strike while the iron’s hot. *flame emoji.

Sadie: There will be no striking.

Anna: Don’t you want to strike?

Sadie: Maybe? I mean, if he’s staying here. Does that change things?

Romee: *gif of Jimmy Fallon fist pumping.

Anna: Only if you want it to.

Sadie: He asked me to dinner.

Romee: Way to bury the lead.

Anna: What did you say?

Sadie: I haven’t yet. Mom sort of interrupted.

Romee: Again, bury the lead, why don’t ya? I’ll message Mom.

Anna: You know she will want to know too.

Anna: But seriously, do you want to go?

Did she want to go? The overwhelming yes settled in her soul. If it meant that there might even be a chance for a future with David, she wanted to find out. Her heart did a tap dance routine in her chest.

Sadie: I’m going to say yes.

Romee: *gif of Michael Bublé saying “You got this.”

Anna: *gif of Jennifer Coolidge eating cake saying, “You go, girl.”

Sadie tucked her phone into her pocket and grabbed a peppermint from her desk drawer. If David invaded her space again, hopefully she wouldn’t have coffee breath.

Her mom’s low voice floated low through the hardware store. “Be careful with her, David.”

“I will.”

“We love you like you’re our own son. But when you left last time, you broke her.”

“I know.”

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