Page 22 of Rumors in Bayberry
And that’s exactly what they did.They’d sampled so much food that by the time they finished, she couldn’t eat another bite.
She had so much fun.Reed had made this a memorable evening.He had her trying food that she would have otherwise skipped.She liked that he had her stepping outside her routine, which would have been a sausage sandwich with a side of cheesy fries.She loved being with him.
Maybe after they went their separate ways, they could stay in contact.Maybe if their paths were ever in the same vicinity, they could make the effort to meet up.She knew the chances were slim that their busy calendars would allow for such a reunion, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t hope for it to happen.
This wasn’t good.
He was falling fast.
Reed couldn’t believe he’d almost kissed Sadie.What was he thinking?That was the problem; he wasn’t thinking.He was just acting on impulse, which was unusual for him.
He wasn’t the type to act without thinking.Even when he started his own publishing company, he had been methodical about how he went about it.He definitely didn’t cut any corners.
Even when he decided the business was going to be too big for him to manage on his own, he had given a great deal of thought to who might make a good business partner.He was certain they had to bring more to the table than just deep pockets.
He’d needed someone who would be willing to invest themselves in the business to the same extent he had.And that was when he’d thought of his college roommate.Brad was a computer genius.He’d already made a fortune designing procurement accounting software.
When Reed had explained his concept to Brad, his old roommate hadn’t jumped at the idea.Instead, he gave it some thought and then agreed.
Now Brad had designed special software to launch their newspaper.The software was able to produce small town papers as well as pick specific articles from the various papers and merge them into theRumor Quill.
Together, they made sure every article they published was uplifting in some way.Any rumors that are printed are of the fun or positive nature.And they were always open to honoring everyday heroes.Those were some of Reed’s personal favorite pieces.
TheRumor Quillstaff took great pains to avoid printing anything that might hurt someone or a group of people.Thus they employed sensitivity readers.The point of the feel-good paper was to help counteract the strife and worry published by the other news outlets.Life needed balance, and that was what they were intending to do.
He pushed aside his thoughts of his work.It already took up most of his life, so much so that it had ruined not one but two serious relationships.He just couldn’t give up on his growing vision for theRumor Quill, but it could wait until later.
Right now, he wanted to focus on the beautiful woman at his side.With Sadie, there weren’t any promises or expectations.There was fun and living in the moment.She made him happier than he’d been in a long time.
He glanced over at her.“So, what’s next?If you want, we could play some more games.”
She shrugged.“I don’t know.You’ve won me a teddy bear, a penguin, and a frog.I’m good on stuffed animals.”
“We could go through the maze again.”
She shook her head.“I enjoyed it, but after working there all afternoon, I’m good.”
He was starting to worry that she wanted to end the evening.And he wasn’t ready to say goodnight.Not yet.
He swallowed hard and tried again.“Do you want something else to eat?”
“Hey, Carrie.”Sadie smiled at her friends as she stopped to talk to them.“Hi, Jackson.”She glanced over at Reed.“These are my friends.”
After the introductions were made, Reed said, “It’s nice to meet you both.”
He was happy to find Sadie had a lot of friends.Although, it didn’t really surprise him.Sadie was sweet and easy to get along with.It was only natural that she would have a lot of friends.They talked for a bit about the festival and the maze before they moved on.
Sadie turned to Reed.“Let’s get some dessert.”
“I like the way you think.”
She got a serious look on her face.“Do you like pumpkin?”
“Yes.”
A big smile lifted her berry-red lips.His gaze lingered on them.He wondered if they were sweet to kiss.
Sadie cleared her throat, causing him to jerk his gaze upward.She sent him what appeared to be a knowing look, as though she could read his thoughts.His face grew warm, and he glanced away.How could he be so obvious?
