He turned in the living room and stuffed his hands into his pockets. His expression telegraphed his answer long before his words. “Sorry to say I came up empty. I visited all the downtown shops, and all I gleaned is that William went by Will and he had no family.”
Sadie frowned. “None at all? Are you sure?”
“I located the owner of the salon that used to rent the lower space in his building.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea—she would’ve been his tenant.”
“Right. She’s the one who told me Will had no family. His entire estate went to some charity.”
Her hopes shriveled up like an old prune. “Oh no.”
“She didn’t know which charity, so that’s not useful information. She had seen the tenant we’re searching for, but only in passing, and her description of him didn’t exactly set him apart from the crowd.” His eyes turned down at the corners, mirroring his lips. “I’m sorry, Sadie. I’d hoped to find something helpful, but it seems like we’ve reached a dead end instead.”
Sadie felt deflated herself but forced a smile and touched his arm. “Hey, you tried. That’s all you can do, and I really appreciate your efforts.”
“I left my card with everyone I talked to, so I guess we can still hope to hear something. Or maybe we’ll think of something else, some other trail to follow.”
Her hand still lingered on his arm. And though she didn’t want to, she pulled it away. “That’s right. There’s always hope.” But Sadie’s usual optimism was nowhere to be found. She had a terrible feeling that the mystery man they’d been searching for would never recover his beautiful engagement ring.
Twenty-Five
Along with setbacks your heroine should also enjoy wins that have your reader rooting alongside her.
—Romance Writing 101
What was taking so long? Almost the entire day had ticked away one slow second after another. It was almost close of business day, and Sadie still hadn’t heard from her agent or editor.
She’d started her day with a jog on the beach. Then, inspired by total boredom, she went to a hobby store to buy an embellishment for her Little Library, feeling guilty the whole time about the money she was spending. When she got home she added the shingles, and by the time she finished, her Little Library was adorable and more weatherproof.
Later she had Keisha over for coffee and cookies, and Sadie got her fill of baby snuggles. When Keisha left, Sadie checked in with Caroline via text and her mom via phone. All was well back home.
Once the sun sank lower in the sky, she took a walk on the beach with Rio, making sure her phone was set to ring, the sound turned all the way up—not that she’d be able to hear it over the crashing waves. But she had to stay busy or she would go crazy.
She ran into several people she’d previously met, thanks to the Little Library: Ellen, a suspense fan; Doreen, a romance reader; and Hildy and Dave, who read aloud to each other in the evenings. Each of them greeted Rio, and before they parted ways, Sadie encouraged them to stop by the library and check out the new books—as well as the structure’s new embellishments.
When it was almost five o’clock, she came upon Jared and Roscoe, and they walked with her for a while. They were almost back to the house when Sadie’s phone vibrated with a call. She whipped it out and gasped at the name on the screen.
Erin!
“Um, I have to take this,” she said to Jared. “I’ve gotta go. Come on, Rio. Sorry, I’ll catch you later. Bye, Roscoe!”
She barely heard Jared’s response as she turned toward the house and answered the call.
“Hi, Sadie. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get back with you. Oh my goodness, what a day. How are things in South Carolina? Still enjoying the sunshine?”
“Oh yes, it’s been great. The weather has been divine. How are things around the office, other than busy?” She normally enjoyed the niceties of conversation, but right now she wanted to skip straight to the point.
“Mostly good. We found a replacement for Tina in the marketing department and she’s fitting right in. And Josie, one of ourassociate editors, announced her engagement today. Is that the ocean I hear? I’m so jealous.”
“That’s what it is. I just took Rio for a walk on the beach. I’m getting spoiled but I have to admit, I couldn’t ask for a more ideal setting in which to write a romance novel.”
Erin chuckled. “Nicely done—I couldn’t imagine a more perfect segue. And I’m happy to say that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. The team loved your proposal, Sadie.”
Yes!Sadie spun around on the sand, pumping her arms. Rio’s leash wove around her legs, nearly tripping her. Sadie stepped over Rio, untangling herself. “That’s wonderful news.” Despite her best efforts she sounded as breathless as she felt.
“I’m pretty stoked about it myself.”
Sadie mamboed her way into her yard and all the way up the deck while Erin gave her a complete rundown of the team’s commentary—all positive.
