Brad:Gotta go.I’m late for a meeting.Enjoy the chocolate!
And then he was gone once more.
In that moment, she missed him.Missed his smile.Missed his warm laugh.Missed the way his blue eyes would light up when he was telling her a story.
She assured herself it didn’t mean she was falling for him.But it was all right to miss a friend.She never thought she would say that, but they were definitely friends.After all, no one but a good friend would get her a dinosaur for Valentine’s Day.
Chapter Eighteen
ItwasaquietFebruary day.
Abby decided it was the Arctic blast they were getting from Canada that was keeping a lot of people from venturing out for their morning coffee.She took advantage of the downtime to restock the condiment station with sweetener packets, coffee stirrers, and napkins.For a coffeeshop that doesn’t serve food, she was surprised how many napkins they could go through.It appeared that there was a lot of spilled coffee.
She had just finished tidying up when the door opened.She turned to greet her latest customer, when she noticed it was Sadie.She wasn’t used to seeing her at this time of the morning.
“Hey,” Abby said, “what can I get you?”
Sadie shook her head.“Nothing.Can we talk?”
“Um...yeah.Sure.”She led her friend over to the table where Kate usually had her morning coffee before heading to the candle factory.
Once they were both seated, Abby looked at her friend and could see that there was definitely something wrong—something serious.Oh no.Did Sadie have cold feet about the upcoming wedding?Or did Reed call it off for some reason?
She hoped she was jumping to all of the wrong conclusions.She loved Sadie like a sister that she’d never had.Even though she liked Reed, if it came to taking sides, she was firmly in Sadie’s corner.
The longer Sadie was quiet, the more Abby’s imagination concocted some worrisome scenarios.And yet, Abby sat quietly waiting for her friend to confide in her.She just hoped it was nothing serious.
“I’m worried about Reed,” Abby finally said.“I’m not sure he’s happy in Bayberry.”
Oh no.“If this is about something Brad said...”
“What?”Sadie’s brows scrunched together as she gave her a look.“Why would you say that?”
“I...”Abby’s mind scrambled to come up with an answer.“I just meant with us having visited Chicago and all that, Brad might have said something to make Reed regret his move here.”
Sadie shook her head.“It’s not Brad.It’s Reed.He’s always saying things like in Chicago this or in Chicago that...And it made me realize how much he is sacrificing for us to be together.”
Abby nodded.“And you’re feeling a bit guilty about it?”
“Exactly.But I’ve lived in various places around the world.When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to get away from Bayberry.And now that I’m older, I know this is exactly where I belong.It’s where I want to raise my family.”
“Has Reed said he’s changed his mind about settling down in Bayberry?”
Sadie shook her head.“Not directly.”
“But you’re worried about what he isn’t saying?”
“Yes.What if this wedding is a mistake?”Her breathing came in short gasps.“What if…if he marries me and then realizes that small town life isn’t for him?”Sadie started to hyperventilate.
“Whoa!Calm down.Take a deep breath in and then slowly release it.”When Sadie hesitated, Abby said, “Go ahead.Breathe in.Deeper.Deeper.Hold it.Okay.Now slowly blow it out.”When Sadie was about to speak, Abby held up a finger.“Do it again.”When Sadie rolled her eyes, Abby said, “Again.”
After Sadie took another deep breath and blew it out, she said, “Abby, what am I going to do?I don’t want us to make a mistake.”
“You aren’t.He loves you.Anyone can see that.”
She shook her head.“I know that, but what if love isn’t enough.”
Abby, who considered herself a bit jaded where love was concerned, found herself saying, “Love is everything.And you have that with Reed.Did you ever consider that you’re just having a case of wedding jitters?After all, the ceremony isn’t that far off.”
