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SADIE
Idropped my skull against the headrest and closed my eyes. Exhausted, I huddled up in Ward’s car, bouncing ideas off him over the speakerphone. “But do you think it’ll fly with Eirin?”
Ward’s voice came booming through the speakers over the Bluetooth. “No. But she rewrites eighty percent of our first drafts anyway, so it’ll be a starting point.”
I’d told him about my plan to write my Axel Everett article with the angle that the town’s refusal to utter even a peep about him meant he most likely did have a place here. He was about as impressed with the idea as I expected Eirin to be.
“I don’t get why you’re giving her the Axel piece if you don’t have any leads. If she’s only demanding two of the three right now, why not give her the background you’ve got on the festival and write about your vacation rental hookup?”
The idea of writing about Drew didn’t sit right with me. He had some giant walls up, but I also got the sense he’d been more vulnerable with me than he’d ever been since his accident. I wasn’t about to take advantage of him like that.
The urgency between us over the last two days was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, especially with a casual hookup. Lust played a part, but that wasn’t all there was to it.
Maybe it was the way this town shrouded him in mystery.
Or the way his wintery blue eyes seemed to pierce down to my soul when he gave me his undivided attention.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something about him that called to me as more than just a fling. Even though that was what I’d labeled it, for both of our benefit.
“You should call it BnBnD.”
My stomach roiled as I considered the implications of the fact that I didn’t want to write about him.
“The D is for dick. Did you fall asleep?” Ward asked when I didn’t laugh at his suggestion.
Considering I hadn’t gotten eight hours of sleep over the last two days combined, it wasn’t an unreasonable question. “No. I’m not ready to think about how I’m going to handle the hookup article. He’s a private guy, and he’s doing me a huge favor by letting me stay with him. Feels sort of slimy to use him for a story, even if I do change his name.”
“Oh my god.” Ward gasped. “You’re catching feelings for this guy.”
“No. But I don’t want to take advantage of him. Not any more than I already am.” I rubbed my temple.
“It’s not a bad thing, Sadie. Catching feelings.” His voice was more serious than it had been in ages. “I’m surprised, is all. You’re allowed to have a real relationship, you know.”
“I have real relationships,” I protested.
“Mm-hmm.”
“What about Barry?” My last halfway consistent relationship ten months ago had been with an accountant named Bartholomew who dumped me when I couldn’t make it to his second cousin’s daughter’s birthday party because of an assignment.
“Case in point. You only date stuffy guys who have a five-year plan and are ready to settle down by date number three. Then they get upset that you can’t commit more of your time to them because of your job.”
“That’s…” Painfully accurate. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not dating him. There’s a firm expiration date on this thing.”
“There doesn’t have to be. You could always do long-distance when you’re done there. If you really like him.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I laughed. “I can’t exactly see this guy FaceTiming me to ask how my day went.”
No, this was temporary, and I’d do well to remember that and stay on track with why I was really here. To find Axel Everett.
From my vantage point in the public parking lot, I saw Kobie rush in through the front door of Strange Brew. I glanced at the clock on the dash. It was already a few minutes past the time we said we’d meet. “I gotta go. Thanks for being my sounding board.”
He sighed. “Give it some thought. You deserve good things in your life.”
A silence stretched between us. We both knew it wasn’t a matter of me not thinking I deserved good things. It was that I never wanted to watch them slip through my fingers again.
“And try not to get sacked. I don’t have the energy to break in a new work wife.”
I disconnected the call and hopped out of the car, heading across the street to the coffee shop. Inside, I spotted Kobie about to head upstairs, no doubt looking for me. Darting over to her, I apologized for being late.
