Page 69 of Here With Me

Maybe Sadie needed to spend more time focusing on that and less time worrying about the number of vegetables in their diet.

As if eating a cold sandwich on stale bread wasn’t punishment enough, a huge glob of grape jelly rolled down the front of David’s shirt.

Of course it did. It was like everything was out to punish him for refusing dinner with Sadie. He hadn’t seen her since the Emergency Room visit. Yesterday he’d stayed home resting, considering the upcoming trip to Costa Rica. And now, he’d told her he couldn’t make dinner and that he’d see her Monday when he returned. It seemed silly that he missed her. He’d gone ten years trying not to think about her, but now, just a few days had passed, and he missed her smile, her kindness, her kisses.

He could be sitting in her warm and cozy apartment enjoying a home-cooked meal. Instead, he sat in the quiet of his grandparents’ kitchen. Not even the kittens were with him, opting for some time outside instead.

He needed to leave for his red-eye flight to Costa Rica in a few hours, and it had been easier to skip dinner and ignore the guilt of not telling Sadie about the job offer. She had so much stuff going on in her life, and with the adoption hearing on Tuesday, he didn’t want her to worry about him, too. Not to mention the more time passed, the more certain he was that this job wasn’t for him. But he owed it to Lance and his supporters to give it a look.

Pulling off his shirt, David stepped into the laundry room and added some stain remover to the grape-colored spot then laid it over the opening of the washing machine.

A knock rattled the screen door.

“Come in!”

The door creaked open then banged closed. “David?”

Sadie? David stepped out of the laundry room into the living room. She stood inside the door, a plate in hand. A maroon long-sleeve shirt tucked into her jeans hugged her curves. Her gaze dropped to his bare chest as she pulled her lips in and rubbed them before looking back up.

She held out the plate wrapped in tinfoil. “I thought I’d bring over dinner tonight, since you couldn’t join us. Plus, I hadn’t seen you since I brought you home. And I didn’t want you to have to cook on your sore ankle again.”

Her cheeks flamed red as her eyes dropped down to his chest again. Never before had he been more thankful for his simple workout routine. He still had a ways to go for a six-pack, but at least he wasn’t a slouch. “Thank you for that. It smells amazing.” And it did. So much more appealing than his stale PB&J. “Let me go grab a clean shirt, and I’ll be right back. Want to set that in the kitchen?”

David stepped into his room and pulled out a freshly laundered shirt he hadn’t put away yet. He slipped it over his head as he hurried back to where he’d left Sadie standing by the front door.

The sun shone through the window, highlighting her with soft evening light, her back to him. Outside, Lottie danced around the yard in her black ballet leotard. David crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Sadie’s waist and pulled her close. She relaxed into him, and let her head fall to one side. He didn’t need any more invitation and dropped a lingering kiss on her neck. A guy could get used to this.

“It’s a bit chilly out there, but Lottie wanted to run through her ballet moves. They are performing at the town festival next weekend. But you should eat while the food’s still hot.” Sadie stepped to the side, knocking over his suitcase.

His suitcase…

Sadie stared at it. David reached for it, but she picked it up before he could, setting it upright. Her eyebrows lowered, and that small V appeared. “Is someone here?”

Danger, danger. The warning flashed in his mind. He had to fix this. He stepped closer to Sadie, hoping to hold her, reassure himself that he hadn’t made a fatal mistake, but the expression on her face had him stopping before he could pull her close.

“You’re leaving?” Her voice scratched.

“Only for a few days. That’s why I couldn’t come into the store this weekend. I’ll be back on?—”

“Where are you going?” Sadie stepped back, the space between them growing.

David fisted his hands, jamming them into his pockets. “Costa Rica.”

Sadie’s eyebrows lifted. “You’re going to Costa Rica.”

It wasn’t a question, but Sadie studied his face, looking for something. He nodded.

“And you didn’t think to mention this?” Sadie crossed her arms over her chest.

“I was going to…The thing is—it’s not what you think.”

“Not what I think? Is it another job?” When he didn’t answer, she turned away and gripped the sides of her head “Oh, goodness. Anna was right. This is just like before.”

“No, it’s not. I don’t even think I’m going to take the job.”

“But you might.” Sadie sank into the couch, still holding her head.

“I would say I’m ninety percent sure I’ll say no.” David stepped closer to her, but she sat up straight and held out her hand to stop him. His heart raced. He didn’t want to fight.

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