Sadie stared at her for several beats, wondering if her sister was pulling her leg or genuinely clueless. “Do you wantmeto be the dead body in a dark alley?” Even if Marc had never warned her to stay away from Conner—which he hadmanytimes—Sadie would never intentionally be so foolish.
“Oh.Oh.” Realization dawned in Laurel’s expression, followed by pity. “Oh, sweetie.”
“Don’t,” Sadie hissed. There was nothing she hated more than pity. She didn’t need it. Didn’t deserve it. Didn’t want anything to do with it. She was a big enough person to admit her screwups and own them. She wouldn’t turn down some compassion. But pity? Nope. Not a chance. “It’s a stupid crush. It’ll go away.”
“When?” Haylee chimed in.
“If I knew you two were going to gang up on me, I would’ve stayed home.” Which was a lie. Sadie would be at the family store, working on her secret marketing campaign. One she hoped to reveal to her siblings later this week. If it worked, it could convince her parents not to sell. Or so she hoped. But she needed everyone on board. Especially since none of them were supposed to know her dad had feelers out there for an interested buyer. She’d never cared much for Evans’ Outfitters until the past year when she made an effort to be a part of the place. She admired what her parents had built nearly from scratch. “What are you both doing on Thur—”
“We want you to be happy,” Laurel said honestly, ignoring her attempt to change the subject. “After that whole mess with—”
“Don’t say his name,” Haylee warned.Wise sister.
“After that mess,” Laurel corrected, “you deserve someone good. Someone who will make you feel like you’re the sun, the moon, and the stars.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “I see the newlywed phase hasn’t worn off yet.” Secretly, she envied Laurel. It didn’t matter that she and Chase had been apart five years before they found their way back together. They were sickeningly sweet. The epitome of a romance novel couple. Beautiful, intelligent blonde knockout and the smoldering, kindhearted deputy fire chief. Add in their cute-as-a-button son, Eli, and adorable pup, Zeus, and they were practically a fairytale come to life.
Sadie wasn’t foolish enough to think the same fate awaited her. And definitely not with Conner. That fantasy would have to stay safely in her daydreams, thank you very much.
“I mean it,” Laurel pressed on. “Your last relationship wasn’t normal.”
“It was a nightmare,” Sadie mumbled, getting an involuntary chill. She considered telling her sisters about the text, but decided against it. If she didn’t talk about it, it didn’t have any power. Aaron would never come to Sunset Ridge. She’d tried to get him here enough times to know.
“Not all guys are like that.”
“And not all guys are like Chase,” Haylee pointed out. “You’re lucky, Laurel. Face it.”
“You’re still young,” Laurel said to Haylee. “And there’s this whole matter of Melly’s father—”
“Nope.” Haylee held up her hand in a stop motion. The identity of Melly’s father was a mystery to everyone. A secret Haylee was determined to take with her to the grave. What no one could figure out waswhy.“We agreed. That topic of conversation is banned from Taco Tuesdays. Indefinitely.”
Though Sadie was relieved for the attention shift, she didn’t like that it was at the expense of Haylee.Be the better person, Sadie. “What are you guys doing Thursday?”
“Thursday?” Laurel repeated.
“Can you make it for a family meeting?”
Laurel’s expression turned serious. “What’s going on? Is someone sick? Are Mom and Dad selling the house?”
“No, you worrywart.” Sadie shook her head. Lowering her voice, she added, “But if we sit back and do nothing, theywillsell the store. I have . . . an idea.” It was the first she’d spoken of her plan, and that had been hard. For weeks, she’d been secretly putting together a marketing strategy that could make business boom once again, like it had in its glory days.
“Dad’s never going to go for it,” Haylee said as plates of tacos arrived, thanks to Sadie’s forethought in ordering ahead. “He’s tired. Why else do you think he wants to offload the place?”
“Dad isn’t invited. Neither is Mom. This is between us siblings. Just the five of us.”
“Cody won’t be back by then,” Laurel pointed out.
“He’s calling in.”
“What time Thursday?” Haylee asked.
“Nine. Right after the store closes.” She felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. If she could convince her sisters to come, they could drag Marc along. One way or another. “And I need you to bring Marc. But don’t tell him this is my idea.”
“He’ll come,” Laurel said.
Sadie let out an eyeroll before she could police it, but it got the message across.
“I’ll make sure he’s there,” Haylee offered, picking up a taco. “He owes me. Which means,you’llowe me.”
