“Now, see, you can’t useromanticanddadin the same sentence. It’s just wrong. Besides, did you hear how he proposed to her all those years ago? Lame.”
“Yeah, it was pretty bad.”
“I hope I’ve got better game than that with boys. Speaking of game, maybe you and Sam can come watch me pitch Thursday. The game’s not far from the island.”
So Sam hadn’t mentioned the breakup. Sadie winced. “That’s actually what I was calling about. I’m not on the island anymore.I’m back in New York. I left this morning and it kind of happened suddenly so I didn’t have a chance to call you.”
“When are you coming back? Maybe you guys can make next week’s game.”
“Well, that’s the thing. I guess Sam didn’t tell you... We broke up.”
“What?No, when did that happen?”
That moment came back just then—when she’d walked into his apartment and found him holding her manuscript. She’d never forget that awful detached look he’d given her. “Thursday night.”
She huffed. “He was at my game Saturday and never said a word.”
“He probably didn’t want to distract you from the game or bring you down after your win.”
“What happened between you? Did he do something stupid? Because guys do that sometimes. It doesn’t mean they’re no good. Sam’s all right... for a big dork.”
“He didn’t do anything stupid. It just...” Sadie couldn’t bear to go over the details. Once had been enough. “It didn’t work out, that’s all. It’s fine, really, it is. Sam moved back to his apartment, and I decided to come back home and finish my book here. Then, of course, I’ll have to go back to work the third week of August. It just seemed like the best thing to do under the circumstances.”
“But you and Sam were so great together,” she all but whined. “He really likes you.”
Sadie’s eyes filled with tears. She worked to keep her voice level. “I like him too, honey. But these things can be complicated. My life is in New York and his is there. I’m afraid it just wasn’t meant to be.”
“I was hoping you’d move here. Who am I going to go shopping with now? My mom has terrible taste and my friends don’t care about clothes.”
“Maybe you can come visit me sometime. New York is a shopper’s paradise. And you can call anytime. I love chatting with you.”
Hayley’s mood was noticeably lower as they talked for a few more minutes, then they ended the call. Would that be the last time she heard from the girl? She hoped not. On the other hand, having a window into Sam’s life might not be the ideal way to get over him.
***
Sam clapped with the rest of the crowd gathered at Sully’s Sports Bar. The Braves were down by only one run now in the sixth inning after the Red Sox had carried a convincing lead the entire game.
“Nice hit,” Tag said from across the table.
“Hopefully Harris will bring him in.”
It was his first time out with Tag since they’d officially made peace. Once Sam had gotten past the requisite honeymoon inquiry, their conversation headed back into comfortable territory. Between plays they talked about the business, the forthcoming expansion, and the upcoming college football season. Sam had briefly touched on his breakup with Sadie and only after Tag asked. His cousin seemed to understand his need to change the subject.
They’d ordered forty wings with three different sauces. All that was left now was a basket of bones and sticky napkins.
Sam leaned back in his chair. He’d had a busy weekend. He worked all day Saturday, then attended his sister’s softball game since his parents were celebrating their anniversary. Afterward he took her to the Dairy Bar with the team to celebrate their win. Since there was a Braves game on later that night, he’d watched it at the bar around the corner from his place.
Sunday he’d gone to church, then out to eat with a friend he hadn’t touched base with in a while. Then he headed over to the office to do some paperwork. On the way home he stopped for groceries but ended up having pizza at one of his cousins’ houses.
In short, Sam seemed to be avoiding his apartment. Strange that he’d run to the island to find solitude and now he was trying to avoid it.
He loved Sadie. He’d known he was falling for her Thursday when he’d walked in on her one-woman conga line. But losing her had crystallized his feelings. Even now, knowing she’d misled him, he still ached for her.
Even though she’d as much as admitted she’d pursued the relationship for the sake of her novel. Sure, she’d been desperate to come up with an idea for her story, but that did nothing to ease his pain.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, idiot. It’s done and over. Move on.
The whole place exploded in cheers. Sam blinked at the screen, orienting himself. The Braves’ base runner crossed home, tying the score. A beat late Sam joined the fans in cheering. High-fived Tag.
