Matilda stopped at the counter. “Hey. Sadie, right?”
“Hey, yeah. Matilda?”
“Tilly.” She turned to her friend. “And this is Harper Rain. Harper works at Meridian. She’s dating Cody Walker.”
Harper smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. What can I do for you ladies today?”
Tilly leaned over the counter. “Well, we know we’re here right at closing time, but we were hoping you’d take pity on us and have something left to sell, because we’re bothdyingfor anything with sugar.”
“Actually”—Sadie lifted the box she’d just packed—“I have a mixture of cookies and cupcakes, and I can give them to you at cost.”
“Oh my Lord, you’ve just made our day,” Harper said with a sigh. “But we’ll pay full price.”
Sadie shook her head. “Absolutely not. They would have been given away if you hadn’t stopped by, so you’re saving us from a loss.”
The women paid, and they were about to leave when Harper stopped and turned. “It was really nice to meet you, Sadie. Hopefully we’ll see more of each other.”
“I’m here a lot, so I’m sure we will.”
Harper grinned. “Great.”
The women stepped out, and Sadie reached behind her to grab a cloth to do a final wipe down of the shelves and counters. When the door opened again, she thought it was Tilly and Harper returning.
It wasn’t.
“Mrs. Chase.” The name was an angry whisper on her breath.
Scott’s mother was short, with long, graying blond hair and pale green eyes.
“Sadie, I’m so glad I caught you! I came in here a few days ago, but you weren’t working and your grandmother wouldn’t give me your address.”
Of course she wouldn’t. What had the woman expected, that her grandmother would just give out her personal information?
Mrs. Chase stopped at the counter, the perfect mix of concern and confusion on her face. “Scott and I have been so worried. You just left the church that day without a word! And Scott said you haven’t been answering his calls or texts?”
“I’d like you to leave.” Interesting. The words were so calm, she almost sounded like she wasn’t affected by this woman.
Mrs. Chase frowned, her brow creasing. “What are you talking about? Sadie, we’ve always had a good relationship.”
Sadie rounded the counter and moved to the door to pull it open. “Now.”
There was a beat of silence, during which Mrs. Chase seemed to consider what to do next. Then she shook her head. “No.” The older woman stepped closer, her frown deepening. “Not until you tell me why you left my son at the altar on your wedding day.”
Fine. If she wanted to play it that way, Sadie would let her. “I know what he did.” What he’d probablybeendoing for a while. “And I know thatyouknow what he did,” she added.
The older woman pulled back like she’d been slapped. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before words came out. “What are you—”
“I saw him with his admin assistant on the morning of my wedding day. I went to find him, to tell him I couldn’t go through with marrying him, and I saw them together. I turned aroundand walked away, but then I decided to give him a piece of my mind. Only when I turned back, I sawyoustep into the room.”
This time, the woman stepped back. “Sadie, I don’t—”
“Don’t lie to me. I wondered if you were going to come and tell me. But then I heard that you were just sitting up there in the front row, waiting for me to walk down that aisle. So I guess not.”
Mrs. Chase squirmed where she stood.
“Was that the first time you saw him with another woman or were there others?” Now that she’d started, she wanted to know everything.
