Page 42 of His Hot Mess

Remember what happened last time.

The image of Jessica’s face appeared in my mind. The happy face in the photographs. The tearfulI’m sorryface as she ran away from me at the church.

Thankfully Graydon must have sensed he’d pushed me as far as I’d go, because he moved on to more wedding talk, and then work talk, and a few minutes later, he was eyeballing his barn.

“I better get going,” I said, taking the hint.

As we headed out his front door a few minutes later, I said, “Thanks for the burger. And the couch.”

“You got it, Buddy.” Graydon was already heading in the direction of the barn. He grinned again. I don’t think I’d seen that guy smile half as much in the last week as I had this morning. “Good luck on Monday.”

My stomach flipped, the burger threatening to make a repeat appearance.

Monday. I’d have to see Sadie again, and we’d have to put whatever happened behind us.

It would be the only way to get her job done.

And the only way to keep me from falling completely apart.

“I’ll be fine,” I said.

I had no idea if it was true.

SADIE

“Idon’t want to talk about it,” I said the minute I got into Lucy’s car on Sunday afternoon. I really didn’t.

We were heading into Millerville, the biggest town in Jewel Lakes County, to shop for a bridesmaid’s dress for me. Lucy insisted on us going together after she found out I still hadn’t gotten one like I promised. I would have gotten around to it, but Lucy was being her usual over-planned self. And with the wedding only a month out, there was no arguing with her about going.

“I didn't say anything!” Lucy said, her face indignant.

“You were thinking it.” I rolled down the window as we pulled onto the country highway. The breeze felt good on my face. Soft. Warm.

The same way my insides felt when I thought about Chris.

I shifted in my seat as if this would help clear my mind. But it was no use. Despite working harder than I ever had before studying up on my business in an effort to keep myself distracted, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Friday. And not just the embarrassing part or even the super-hot making out part, either. I couldn’t keep myself from thinking about our trip to the lumberyard. How he’d laughed at my silly jokes in the store and listened to my stories about my and Lucy’s childhood in Coombes, actually asking questions and not looking bored, unlike my previous boyfriends. If we even talked about my childhood.

Except Chris wasn’t my boyfriend. He was a pain in the ass who insisted on carrying giant pieces of wood by himself and helping me when I got hurt when I didn’t need him to and telling me I needed a business plan and then hooking me up with a lovely woman to help me…

My chest had a weird pain in it.

"Sadie," Lucy said, her voice soft. “Are you feeling okay? I know you didn't want to get together with anyone when you moved up here. That you wanted to focus on you.”

“I know," I said. “Friday was a blip. It wasn’t planned.”

“Yeah, it didn’t exactly look it.”

I sighed. “Iamfocusing on me. But today we’re focusing on you. Or… both of us, seeing as we’re getting me a dress. But for your wedding.”

She smiled. “You know, Chris has some kind of thing about not dating, too.”

Something jumped in my stomach, but I looked out the window, hoping it didn’t show. “Doesn’t matter to me—we’re not dating”

“I’m just saying, I think something happened to him—he was in a big relationship or something before coming to Jewel Lakes. Graydon says… well, I don’t think he knows all that much. But Graydon’s never really seen him date anyone.”

Even as I was deeply curious about Chris’s previous life—he’d mentioned running a business and having a mentor, and now he had been with someone where it obviously hadn’t worked out—I narrowed my eyes. “Are you checking up on him for me?”

“No—well, yes, but you’re my baby sister! I know Chris. I love Chris. But I don’t know all that much about his past. I just want to make sure you don’t get hurt.”

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