“I mean it. This ismymess.” She kissed Boomer atop the head and shimmied out from beneath his bulky frame without displacing him, like some sort of ninja. “I have to finish up a few things in the store. Promise me you won’t say anything. Not to Marc. Not to anyone.”
“I won’t, but—”
“Promise me.” Arms folded across her chest, she stared at him hard. That determination was hardened in her eyes.
“I promise.”
“Forget we talked about this, okay?”
“Sadie?”
“Hmm?” He could feel her antsy discomfort rolling off her in waves.
“No matter what you think, you didn’t deserve any of it.”
Sadie stared at him a few beats more, as if she might say something, but ultimately didn’t. She left him on the bench as the shepherd combat-crawled into his lap and let out a whine.
His heart raced as the emotions he’d shoved down began to stir. The most prominent one shouldn’t exist at all. He wasn’t supposed to care about her like this. Not this deeply. He knew what it meant. Boomer whined again. “Are we both in trouble, buddy, or is that just me?”
5
SADIE
Sadie sippedher strawberry margarita as she watched funny dog videos and waited for her sisters to arrive. Done were the days when she was always late or constantly cancelling. Done were the days that a trip home could be derailed last minute because Aaron didn’t want her to leave and threatened to break up with her if she left rather than offer to come along like she’d asked him a thousand times. She got a chill thinking about him, wondering where the unsolicited thought had come from.
Oh, right. The stupid text message from yesterday.I’ll always find you, Love Bug. Always.
She should’ve deleted it. The thought of it living on her phone made her squirm uncomfortably. She’d blocked the number minutes after the text appeared, but keeping it was a reminder that she could nevereverlet her guard down.
Out of habit, she scanned the tables and bar area inside Warren’s Sea Shack. Only after she checked—twice—did she let out the breath she’d been holding.
Safe.
She returned her attention to her phone and the golden doodle walking on his two hind legs, helping himself to a pizza on the kitchen counter. Unaware he was already caught. If only one could get paid to watch dog videos. She’d be an easy millionaire by now.
When her phone pinged, she jerked in her high-top stool. After determining it wasn’t an unsolicited message from her past, she returned to breathing normally for the two point three seconds it took her brain to register the text sender.Conner.
Conner:Be honest. Is this photo Instagram worthy?
Sadie drew her eyebrows together, seriously concerned that Conner was a little more into himself than he let on. He could break the social media platform with his swoonworthy smile alone, but that didn’t mean he should try. But in the middle of firing a response that questioned if he wasthatkind of guy, a photo of Boomer wearing a Chicago Cubs bandana around his neck appeared in her feed.
The pup looked ridiculously happy with one ear standing tall and the other at half-mast. Last night when Conner had found her on the bench outside the family store, she wished she could take Boomer home for the night. Or kidnap him indefinitely. If it killed her, she was going to find a place to rent in town that allowed her to have a big, huggable dog.
Sadie:He looks dashing!
Sadie:But there’s no way Marc will let Boomer in the door wearing that.
Sadie:Does he know you’re a Cubs fan?
Familiar giddy feelings coursed throughout her body as she awaited his response. Until this morning, they’d never exchanged numbers. But Conner insisted he put his number in her phonejust in case. He hadn’t had a chance to elaborate on the meaning of that because Marc burst through the door seconds later like a bad storm.
It didn’tmeananything. Conner was just looking out for her. He was a friend of the family who’d proven time and time again that he took an interest in everyone. He offered help whenever the opportunity arose, whether it was washing dishes or building a woodshed. He would keep her secret, as she asked. But he wouldn’t leave her high and dry should an actual conflict arise because of it. The sentiment made her feel warm and squishy inside. She ignored that whispered warning that did its best to convince her it was all too good to be true.
Conner:He’ll get over it.
Sadie:Ten bucks says Marc has something to say about the bandana before you even get the front door closed behind you.
Conner:A bet?
