Page 73 of Mountain Dreams

He wrinkled his nose. “Sweet and Jax don’t belong in the same sentence.”

She chuckled.

“Anyway, I should get going. There’s coffee and cereal but not a whole lot else.”

“That’s fine. I’ll go grocery shopping this weekend.”

“We could go together,” he suggested.

“Maybe.”

He looked like he wanted to say something else but then changed his mind. Instead, he went around her, giving her a wide berth like he was afraid to touch her. She hated the awkwardness between them, but she wasn’t sure how to fix it.

“Thanks for making coffee,” she said.

“No problem. I’ll see you later.”

She nodded, and he turned and left. Sighing, she poured herself a cup of coffee, took out a bowl and spoon, and grabbed a box of cereal out of the pantry. She’d just sat down at the table when she thought of something. She rose and peered out the kitchen window to make sure his truck was gone. Then she went over to the trash can and retrieved the balled-up note. She placed it on the counter, smoothed out the wrinkles, and read it.

Will you go out to dinner with me tonight? Oh, and Jax and Avery too. Please say yes. XOXO

She read it twice more, and since he was gone, there was no reason to hide her enthusiasm. It sounded like he was asking her on a date, a double date, but still, the X’s and O’s were promising. The note sounded pleading, and his expression a few minutes ago cemented it. They were going on a date!

“Calm down,” she said aloud. “It’s just dinner.” Somehow it felt like a lot more than that, though. It felt like the start of something.

She practically floated through the rest of the morning. After breakfast, she took a long shower and spent extra time on her hair and makeup. On Saturdays, she usually threw on a sweatshirt and jeans and called it good, but today she dialed it up a notch, choosing black dress pants and a blouse instead. Then, after surveying herself in the mirror, she decided she looked too business-like and changed into her best-fitting pair of jeans and a bright blue sweater instead.

A couple of hours later, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She tried reading but couldn’t concentrate. She considered cleaning something but didn’t want to get all sweaty. She wasn’t a huge fan of television, so she discounted that option too.

Finally, she decided to go grocery shopping. Earlier, when he’d suggested they go together, she’d demurred because she considered it a couples’ thing to do. Since she and Cody weren’t really a couple, she thought it would be best to go alone. Besides, she didn’t want him to feel like they had to spend the entire weekend together just because she was living there.

Twenty minutes later, she was pushing the shopping cart down the beverages aisle when she stopped abruptly. Just up ahead, with his back to her, was Wyatt, and he wasn’t alone. He was with a woman she’d never seen before who was laughing at something he’d said.

Maddie’s first instinct was to back up and disappear before he saw her, but just as she’d thought it, he turned and looked right at her. The woman followed suit, her eyes going wide as she looked at Maddie and then Wyatt. Maddie could tell the second that dawning struck, and the woman quickly looked away.

She made a snap decision not to slink off, especially since they were standing right in front of her favorite soda, which was on her grocery list. As Wyatt warily watched her move forward, two bright pink splotches formed on his cheeks like he’d been caught doing something wrong.

“Hi,” Maddie said flatly once she was standing before them. She had to dig deep to be polite, especially after the last conversation she’d had with him.

“Hi,” said Wyatt. “What are you doing here?”

She almost laughed. “Grocery shopping.”

“Right. Me too.”

The woman shifted beside him, looking everywhere but directly at Maddie. Finding some courage she didn’t know she possessed, Maddie said, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“Oh. Yeah. Um…Maddie, this is Sadie Greenwood.”

Sadie. The napkin woman. Of course.

Sadie stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you?” She’d phrased it as a question and didn’t seem happy to meet Maddie at all.

Maddie shook her hand, albeit briefly, and returned her gaze to Wyatt. He must know that she had recognized Sadie’s name, and now she had proof that napkin woman hadn’t been a mere flirtation. They were grocery shopping together, for Pete’s sake!

Somehow seeing them together didn’t bother her as much as it should have, though. Whether it was because she’d suspected this for some time or because she’d already moved on, she wasn’t sure. Although she’d suffered, she’d discovered an inner strength that wouldn’t allow her to become bitter over her broken engagement. Besides, she wouldn’t take him back now even if he begged, which, from the looks of it, he wouldn’t.

“Is Cody here too?” he ventured.