Page 85 of Sugar Coated Lies
“Thank you.” I kiss his lips. “We should go.”
We head downstairs, hand-in-hand, and stop at the breakfast room.
Sadie sits at the table, drinking coffee and messing around on her phone.
“You’re awake?” I get a travel mug from a cabinet and fill it with coffee from the fancy machine.
“I think it’s time for me to head back.”
Uh-oh.
“What did Easton do?” Daire moves to stand across the round table from Sadie, his shoulders tense.
“He hasn’t done anything.”
Could be part of the problem.
“I need to get back to Atlanta and my life there.” She eyes me as I join Daire’s side. “This has been so much more than I thought. An unplanned vacation, in a way. But the real world is calling me back.”
“I know that feeling.” I sit beside her. “Do you want me to stay until you leave? I’m sure I can find someone to cover for me at the farm.”
“No.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Are you sure this doesn’t have to do with Easton?” Daire asks. “I love my brother, but I know how he can be.”
“It’s not him. I promise.” She sets down her phone and coffee and puts on a brave face. “He doesn’t even know I’m leaving. I decided it this morning.”
I lay my hand over hers where it rests on the table. “What is it? Let me help.”
Daire says, “I forgot something upstairs.” He leaves, and I know it's to give us privacy.
“He is perfect for you.” She stares off in the direction where he left and sighs before bringing her gaze to mine. “I need to get my shit together. You’ve always had it together, even when your life crumbled around you. I’ve always admired you for that. You deserve this. All of this.” She glances around the kitchen. “Easton said the estate is Daire’s now, to do what he wants. It’s a tradition to pass it down to the firstborn. He’s not a firstborn.”
I nod. “I assume that’s why Easton has such a carefree approach to life.”
“Right. But he knows where he belongs. He knows he’s a part of this farm and has a future here should he choose it.”
Again, I nod, unsure of where this is going. “And you aren’t sure about yours? I thought you were happy in Atlanta.”
“I thought so, too. I mean, I’ve missed it while I’ve been here, but I also miss small-town-living. Being here has brought that all back. I thought I left it behind me, the way my mother did, but now I’m not so sure.”
“You and Daire have a lot in common.”
She sits taller in the chair. “We do?”
“He struggles with that. He loves his condo and life in Atlanta, but when he’s here, especially with me, he doesn’t miss it. Small towns stay with you.”
“Not my mom. It’s as if this life didn’t exist. Nothing existed before Tom.”
“Well, I can’t speak for your mom, but she lived her whole life up until she was in her forties in a small town. Maybe she’d had enough. You left in your twenties for Savannah. Not that it’s a big city, but it’s not a small town, either. Then you moved to Atlanta. You’ve got to experience different types of lifestyles. Maybe now that you have, you’re in a place to choose what works for you.”
“You make a good point.”
“Andyou’re young.We’reyoung. If you try out small town living again and decide it’s not for you, you can always leave. You have options. That’s the best part.”
She lifts her chin, her frown erased from her face, replaced with a look of determination. “You’re right. Nothing is set in stone. I can go where I want and leave if I don’t like it.” A smile splits her lips, illuminating her beautiful face. “I didn’t even realize I needed a pep talk, but I guess I did because I feel tremendously better.”
“Are you still leaving?”
