Sadie:I don’t recommend it, because I’ll definitely win.
Conner:You’re on!
Sadie sipped her margarita to hide the enormous smile she had no right wearing. This conversation, however friendly, shouldn’t be happening between them. Any progress she’d made with Marc these past two days at the clinic—which was very little if his permanent scowl was any indication of it—would be completely unraveled if he caught wind of this innocent text exchange. One that had those pesky butterflies in Sadie’s stomach practicing for a circus performance.
But she couldn’t help herself. For the first time in months, she felt . . . happy.
“Starting without us?” Laurel fell into her seat and instantly pilfered a chip.
Sadie stuffed her phone in her purse, nearly dropping it on the floor. She stashed her shaky hands in her lap and hoped her sisters weren’t paying attention to the blush doing its best to creep up her fair-skinned neck.
“She’s been working with Marc for two straight days,” Haylee said, filling the opposite high-top seat. “I’d be drinking, too.”
Laurel narrowed her eyes at Haylee while the youngest Evans sibling pretended not to notice. The playful scene happened every time they gathered for Taco Tuesday.Thank my lucky stars. “You’re not twenty-one yet.”
“One month, two weeks, and three days,” Haylee announced. “Not that I’m counting.”
“You’renevercounting,” Sadie teased as a server appeared to take a drink order and promised a refill on the bottomless chips and salsa. She was thankful for the lighthearted atmosphere. Thankful that despite how crummy a sister she’d been for so many years that she’d been able to repair enough of the damage to have these blissfully normal Taco Tuesdays twice a month.
“I haven’t gotten a call that Marc’s body was discovered in a dark alley,” Laurel said to Sadie.
“It’s taken alotof restraint.” She dipped a chip heavily in salsa. More than once she’d told Warren he should sell the stuff. It wasthatgood. She’d even offered her marketing services to help move inventory. But he repeatedly insisted he wasn’t interested in growing the restaurant beyond what it was.Too bad.
“Do you think you two are . . . working things out?” Laurel continued.
Sadie shared a look with Haylee, who already knew how terribly things were going. If Sadie weren’t so determined to prove to her brother that she was a changed woman, she’d have walked out after day one. Or definitely after this morning when Marc made her clean up a blowout in exam room one. Or this afternoon when Marylou laid into her about double booking an appointment. But Sadie wasn’t about to admit defeat, or that she hid in the bathroom and cried after Marylou implied she was more a burden than a help. She had too much pride for that.
“I think Marc’s a lost cause,” Haylee offered.
“He’s toughest on those he cares about,” Laurel said, as if that was supposed to make it all bearable.
Sadie let out a hearty laugh. “If that’s true, thenI’mhis favorite.”
The three erupted in laughter as the server delivered a heaping bowl of chips along with Laurel’s margarita and Haylee’s Dr. Pepper. These moments gave Sadie hope. Hope that she could have the normal life she’d always wanted. That she could be a part of this family instead of the black sheep. It wasn’t until Cody forced her back to Sunset Ridge nearly a year ago that she realized how far she’d strayed from the things that mattered most.
“At least you have Conner there,” Laurel added.
Sadie felt a flush heat up her neck and creep onto her cheeks. With her fair skin, it was nearly impossible to hide, even with her long hair. She pulled her locks around her like a scarf. Her crush on Conner may be growing, but it was still a state secret. One she worked diligently to keep under wraps. It could never lead anywhere, so there was no point admitting to it. Especially to her nosy sisters.
“You might want to slow down on the drink,” Laurel said, using a chip to point at the half-consumed margarita glass.
“It’s not the tequila.” Haylee’s eyes sparkled with mischief. She might be the youngest, but she was definitely the most perceptive. Even more so than Cody. She leaned over the table, dropping her voice, and said, “Youlikehim, don’t you?”
“No.”
“You do!”
“I donot.” How had this conversation gone sideways so quickly? One minute they were talking about her craptastic day at the clinic, the next she was brought in for questioning about matters that shouldn’t even exist. She stared at her margarita wondering if it were to blame for this mess. It weakened her usually tough armor and made her much too transparent for her liking.
“You like Conner?” Laurel repeated.
Sadie narrowed her eyes at both sisters as a few heads turned toward their table. Had she known this was going to happen, she would’ve picked a table in a dark corner instead of the middle of the restaurant. “You two want to say that a littlelouder?” The last thing she needed was a rumor floating around town. If Marc heard about this crush from some curious citizen during an exam, he’d fire her on the spot.
“You do!” Haylee at least had the decency to whisper her declaration. She covered her mouth with both hands, but it did little to hide the glow in her excited eyes.
“I don’twantto.”
“Why not?” Laurel asked.
