The life I thought I wanted suddenly feels strangely empty compared to this town.
Compared to them.
My phone rings again. Marcus.
I turn around and drive back toward the bakery and pull in out front before answering immediately.
The storefront lights glow warmly through falling snow.
I finally answer with a sigh. “What now?”
“The Vipers want an answer soon.”
I lean back against the seat. “I told you I’m thinking.”
“You’re overthinking.”
“No. I’m actually thinking for the first time in years.”
Marcus exhales sharply. “You are a professional hockey player, not a Hallmark movie.”
I glance toward the bakery windows again. Inside, Sadie moves toward the front counter carrying fresh pastry trays.
My chest tightens immediately.
“That’s the thing,” I admit quietly. “I’m not sure hockey is enough anymore.”
Silence.
Then: “Oh, no,” Marcus mutters. “You’re in love with the baker.”
I laugh once under my breath. Not because he’s wrong. Because hearing it out loud feels terrifying.
Movement near the bakery door catches my attention. Sadie steps outside carrying trash bags toward the alley dumpster. She freezes when she hears my voice through the cracked car window.
“…I don’t even want New York,” I say quietly into the phone. “Not anymore.”
Sadie goes completely still. My stomach drops instantly. Because the expression on her face changes before I can explain.
Shock.
Then hurt.
Realization slams into me too late.
She thinks I’m leaving.
Chapter fourteen
Sadie
Heartbreak Before It Begins
The worst part about heartbreak is how quickly your body recognizes it. Before your mind catches up. Before logic settles in. Before someone officially leaves.
Your body knows first. Mine knows the second I overhear Colby say: “I don’t even want New York anymore.”
Because that means New York was real enough to consider. Real enough to choose. Real enough to leave for. I barely remember carrying the trash bags to the dumpster behind the bakery.
