The last time Haylee called in a favor, it was for a night of babysitting when their mom was out of town. No one had warned Sadie that giving Melly too much sugar after dinner would result in her being awakeallnight. Or that it would be her responsibility to stay up with the diva until three a.m. when Haylee finally came home. “Fine.”
They enjoyed their halibut tacos in comfortable silence, everyone focused on a different TV screen. Sadie watched the Royals take the field and wondered how Marc reacted to Boomer’s Cubs bandana. She was tempted to check her phone, but if her sisters found out she was on a texting level with Conner, it would most definitely result in disaster.
“Have any luck finding a place to rent?” Laurel asked Sadie after she cleaned her plate.
“Not yet.” Last Taco Tuesday, Sadie announced her intentions to finally get her own place. She’d been home a year, long enough to get on her own feet. It bordered on embarrassing that she lived with her parents, and made it harder to convince anyone it was temporary. With Mom’s generous offer to all her kids that their rooms would always be available to them should they ever need them, Sadie had been a little lazy in the moving out department.
“Admit it. You like living with me,” Hayley said in exaggerated sarcasm.
“A year together and you two haven’t pulled out all of each other’s hair,” Laurel said. “I’d call that a win.” She dabbed her mouth with a napkin as their server cleared their table and promised to bring one more round of drinks. Two was their unspoken limit. But Sadie was craving a second margarita a whole lot less than some strawberry cheesecake ice cream and declined.
“I only ask because I hear there’s an apartment opening up at the end of the month.” Sunset Ridge only had one complex of apartments. They were newer and overlooked the bay if you were lucky enough to get one on the second floor. But last Sadie knew, they had a strict policy on dogs over thirty-five pounds. Until she met Boomer, that didn’t seem like a deal breaker.
“I need a place that allows dogs. Big, fluffy, oversized lap dogs.”
Haylee and Laurel both stared at Sadie.
“What?”
“I’m just shocked,” Haylee admitted. “You’ve come home covered in dog slobber and enough fur to make a blanket the past couple of days. And now you want to adopt one?”
“That was always my plan.”
“This is about Conner, isn’t it?” Haylee guessed.
Inwardly, Sadie groaned.Not this again. She’d need to do extra yoga after this night was over. “It’s about me wanting a dog. You know, for companionship. Protection. Need I remind you of my dating hiatus for the rest of the year?” She’d feel better with a dog of her own. One that might intimidate unwanted visitors. Maybe Boomer’s twin brother. It had nothing to do with some silly fantasy of Conner and Sadie walking their duo of big, floofy goofballs along the bay walk together, night after night.
“Unless Conner starts making googly eyes at you,” Haylee said playfully. “I bet you forget all about that resolution then.”
Sadie fished a twenty from her purse—inadvertently noticing a couple of texts she’d missed from Conner—and slapped it on the table. She was eager to get away, if only to read those texts in peace. The butterflies floating in her stomach started to flutter, desperate to know what he wrote. Which, much to her dismay, was all the more reason to put off reading them. “Anyone want ice cream?”
“You have room for ice cream?” Laurel asked.
“You don’t?” Haylee chimed in.
“There’salwaysroom for ice cream.” She would probably regret this, but in the effort of becoming a better sister, she added, “I’m buying.”
6
CONNER
Conner pulledinto the long albeit overcrowded gravel drive to Marc’s log cabin style home. One tucked away by its abundant number of trees. He lived on the edge of town on two acres, but with its secluded vibe, might as well be miles away. Conner yearned for something of the same and wouldn’t settle on a house until it felt right. The ones for sale in the middle of town were nice, but they didn’t offer the privacy this property did.
Once parked, he stacked the covered baking dishes—courtesy of Edith, who insisted he couldn’t show up empty-handed—and headed for the front door. Boomer trotted at his side, proudly wearing the Cubs bandana and swishing his tail in anticipation. Marc didn’t have a dog of his own, but he assured Conner others would bring theirs. And that the food would all be stored up high on the kitchen island.
The front door opened before he could knock.
“Told you not to bring anything,” Marc said, nearly cracking a smile. But not quite. Boomer seized the opportunity to wriggle his way inside. Chipper barks rang out inside, but nothing concerning.
“Edith Banks sent some appetizers along. Thought about keeping them all for myself—”
Marc took the dishes from Conner. “All right, you can come in.”
From the looks of it, Conner was the last to arrive.Thatwas courtesy of Detective Harlow and her irritatingly timed phone call. Almost as if she knew it’d make him late. She asked a few more questions about Veronica and whether she’d ever talked about leaving the country. Other than her hope to go to Paris for a honeymoon, he couldn’t recall.
He considered ignoring the call, but he didn’t need her hunting him down and creating a stir. He’d been in Sunset Ridge long enough to understand how quickly a rumor could travel and twist on its course.
Conner reached for the front door to close it, but before he was successful, Marc spoke up. “Whatis that dog wearing?”
