Sadie
I stood outside of the airport and glanced at my watch yet again. Wyatt was already 15 minutes late. He wasn’t normally on time, but I figured as he was picking me up at the airport, he’d try to be reasonably punctual.
Increasingly impatient, I was about to call him when I heard a honk. I looked up to see the familiar red Chevrolet pickup, Wyatt in the front seat, his cowboy hat on his head. I dragged my suitcase across the sidewalk toward him.
Wyatt rolled the passenger side window down and leaned over. “Hey, Sadie.”
“Hi, Wyatt. You’re not going to get out of the car and put my suitcase in the back?”
“No. Why would I do that?”
“Didn’t your mama raise you to be a gentleman?”
“I am a gentleman.”
“And aren’t gentlemen meant to treat women like—”
“Oh, hurry up, Sadie. The police are going to come and move me on if you don’t get in the car quickly.”
“Fine.” I grabbed my suitcase and hauled it into the cabin behind the seats, then jumped into the front and buckled the seatbelt. I had barely closed my door before Wyatt floored the gas.
“Hey, dude, I am barely in!”
“But you are in, and you’re buckled, right?”
“Yeah, but I’d barely closed the door!”
“But the door was closed, right?”
“Wyatt!”
“Yes, Sadie?”
“Nothing.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. I’d known Wyatt almost all my life. I couldn’t remember a time without him, but sometimes he absolutely frustrated me.
He glanced over at me as he sped out of the airport. “So how was Idaho?”
“It was fine.”
“I thought you were staying longer.”
“It didn’t go as planned. At all,” I added under my breath.
“Why? What happened?”
“Let’s just say I went on a couple of dates, and they didn’t quite work out.”
“You went on dates?” He frowned at the windshield.
“Yeah, I went on dates.”
“With who?”
“With whom, you mean.”
“I don’t care if it’s who or whom. Who did you go on dates with?”
“No one you know, obviously, unless you know all the men in Idaho.”
“No, I don’t know losers.” He glanced over at me. “But I guess you do.”
“Thanks. That’s a really nice way to talk to your best friend, Wyatt Hamilton.”
“So, are you going to tell me about these dates or what?”
“Well, I went on one date with one guy, and …”
“And?”
“… we went to brunch.”
“Okay.”
“And it was really nice,” I said, thinking about my date with Paul.
“So if it went really nice, what was the problem?”
“Well, he asked me to go on another date,” I said, remembering, “and I said, ‘Sure, what would you like to do?’ He said, ‘Maybe we can go for mini-golf,’ and I said, ‘Okay, that sounds like it will be fun.’” I paused and looked over at Wyatt.
“Can you hurry this story up?” He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “I don’t want to fall asleep while I’m driving.”
“You’re so rude, Wyatt.”
“What? I’m just saying, is all.”
“Do you want me to tell you this story or not?”
“Continue, Sadie.”
“So, anyway, we’d finally decided that we’re going to go to mini-golf, and I think that’s fun. It’s a fun second date, don’t you think?”
“I guess.” He shrugged. “So what happened? You went to mini-golf, and he cried because you beat him?”
“No. So he called me, and he’s like, ‘So Sadie, we’re going to meet for mini golf at four, right?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m looking forward to it,’ and he’s like, ‘Great. Do you mind if you drive up by yourself because I’m not sure I’m going to have time to pick you up,’ which I thought was weird because it was a date. Isn’t a man supposed to pick you up for a date?”
“Not a second date, Sadie. And I’m guessing you met him online, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So do you really want a stranger coming to your house?”
“I mean, we’re in Idaho. What’s he going to do?”
“There are a lot of psychos in Idaho, Sadie. I really, I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Whatever, Wyatt.”
“So anyways, continue.”
“So we get off the phone, and I’m happy, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Okay, what am I going to wear?’ Then five minutes later, he calls me again.”
“Okay, and?”
“And he says to me, ‘Hey, Elizabeth, it’s me, Paul. I’m just confirming our date for mini-golf tonight at seven. Does that still work for you?’”
“He got your name wrong?” Wyatt started laughing. “No way.”
“No. Remember he was meeting me at four. Elizabeth was some other girl he was going to meet at seven.” I was still flabbergasted at what had happened. “So I said to him, ‘Paul, this is Sadie, and I thought we were meeting at four.’ He swore under his breath and then he hung up.” I frowned. “Can you believe that shit?” I looked over, and I could see that Wyatt was laughing silently. “It’s not funny, Wyatt. It’s really not.”
“Who goes out with a guy named Paul in Idaho to mini-golf? Lame. You dodged a bullet there.”
“I didn’t dodge a bullet. He was a really good-looking guy, and I thought he was really interested in me. I didn’t think he was going to be a player.”
“He was really good-looking and you met him online, but you didn’t think he was going to be a player?”
“Yeah. He said he was a really down-to-earth guy, and he was a teacher, man.”
“He was a teacher. You dated a teacher.”
“I wouldn’t say I dated. I went on one date and accepted a second date.”
“So you accepted a second date with a teacher?”
“Yeah. What’s wrong with teachers?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Aren’t teachers normally women?”
“You’re so sexist, Wyatt Hamilton. No, teachers can be men and women. And there’s something really sexy about a—”
“Sexy?” he interrupted me. “No way. Now you’re saying this guy was sexy. Really, Sadie?”
“Really, Wyatt.”
“What do you know about sexy? Last thing I knew, you were still a virgin.”
“So? Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I can’t say someone is sexy.”
“Yeah, well—”
“What, you were going to give up your V card to this loser?”
“He wasn’t a loser.” I paused. “Well, maybe he was a loser, but not because he was a teacher, and not because he was from Idaho, and certainly not because his name was Paul.”
“So there was Loser Paul. Who else did you go on a date with?”
“If you’re going to make fun of me, Wyatt, then I’m not going to tell you.”
“Of course, you’re going to tell me. I’m your best friend.”
“Yeah, you’re my best friend, which is why you’re supposed to be supportive—”
“And what, I shouldn’t be honest with you? If someone’s a loser, I’m going to tell you they’re a loser.”
“Do I say that about the hoes that you date?”
“The hoes that I date?” He started laughing even harder. He glanced over at me and shook his head. “Really, what hoes have I dated? I don’t remember paying any of them for sex.”
“You’re nasty, Wyatt.” I rolled my eyes and looked out of the window. “I’m not talking about this with you anymore.”
“And that’s fine by me. I can put on the radio.” He leaned forward and turned the dial on the radio, and Howard Stern’s voice came through the speakers.
“Oh, my gosh. I don’t want to listen to Howard Stern.”
“Well, that’s what we’re listening to,” he said. “Ready to get some barbecue?”
“Yes,” I grumbled. I was starving, but I wanted to give him the silent treatment. I thought about telling him to take me home, but knowing Wyatt, wouldn’t listen anyway.
“Oh, come on, Sadie. Don’t be upset.” He turned the radio down. “You just got back into town. Let’s have a fun evening. And who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone at the barbecue place.”
“Who am I going to meet at the barbecue place?” I said. “I know everyone around here.”
“You don’t know everyone around,” he said. “Maybe there’s some new guys in town.”
“Maybe.” I let out a deep breath. “You just don’t understand, Wyatt. It’s easy for you because you can get any girl that you want because you’re a Hamilton.”
“I can get any girl that I want because I’m hot, and I’m funny, and I’m smart—”
“Not modest, that’s for sure.”
“Well, I just wanted you to know I can get women just because I’m me. It has nothing to do with me being a Hamilton.”
“No, of course not. It doesn’t help you at all that you’re one of the Hamilton boys of Horseshoe Ranch.” I rolled my eyes.
“What, you think being a Hamilton boy means something in Montana?”
“Dude, of course, it does. Everyone wants to date a Hamilton man.”
It was true. I’d grown up around girls who wanted to be my friends because I was so close to the Hamilton family. They wanted to date one of the brothers. They didn’t even care which one. All the Hamiltons were handsome and rich, and there had been a rumor in school that they were all packing. Not that I’d ever told Wyatt that, or any of his brothers. I didn’t want to think about the Hamilton boys like that, though I was admittedly curious. Not so curious that I would ask Wyatt, though, or even check him out too much. That would just be weird. We’d been friends for so long.
“Sadie, Sadie, Sadie. What are you thinking?” he said in a singsong voice, and I blinked.
“Sorry, what?”
“I just asked you if you wanted to do something after the barbecue, and you ignored me.”
“Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”
“What were you thinking about?”
I could feel my face heat up. It wasn’t like I could turn to my best friend and say, “I was wondering just how big you were down there.” I would be absolutely mortified if he knew that had even crossed my mind.
“Why is your face red, Sadie? What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “How are Beau and Olivia doing? And how’s Austin and, um—oh, shit.”
“Lucy?” he said.
“Yeah.”
“You forgot Lucy’s name? Isn’t she like, your new BFF?”
“I didn’t forget her name. I was just—”
“What is going on, Sadie?”
“Nothing. I’m just a little upset about Paul,” I lied. I couldn’t care less about Paul any longer, but I would rather Wyatt think I was upset about Paul than to know that I was wondering about if he was packing or not.
“Oh, Sadie, get over him. Trust me, he wasn’t worth it. Plus, you can’t date someone in Idaho. You don’t want to be in a long-distance relationship.”
“Well, if it would’ve worked out, I would’ve stayed in Idaho, duh.”
“You would’ve stayed in Idaho?” He sounded shocked. “But Montana is your home.”
“Montana is my home for now. But if I meet a man who wants to marry me, and he wants me to live in his state, and his state happens to be Idaho, well, my new home state will be Idaho.”
“Sadie, you’re not thinking straight.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”
“You can’t go to Idaho. Get that out of your head. If you really want a boyfriend, he should be somewhere local because this is where you belong.”
“What you mean, this is where I belong?”
“You belong in Montana, and if I have anything to say about it, you—”
“Wyatt Hamilton, are you saying that you don’t want me to leave the state of Montana?”
“I’m just saying how are we supposed to be best friends if you leave the state of Montana?”
“Lots of people have best friends in other parts of the country, Wyatt. Anyways, when we get married, our husband and wife will be our best friends, and we will just—”
“Sadie, you’re already trying to replace me.” He nodded slowly. “I see how it is.”
“I’m not trying to replace you. I’m just stating a fact.”
“I don’t know what’s come over your head, Sadie, but I think you need to stop being so boy-crazy. I thought that was a phase in high school that died down in college. But now it seems to have reared its ugly head again.”
“What are you talking about, Wyatt? Just because I want a boyfriend, just because …”
I let my words trail off. There was no point in having this conversation with him. Wyatt didn’t understand what it was to want to be in a serious relationship because he didn’t want one. He didn’t understand that I wanted to get married and have a family, maybe because he wasn’t in that place in his life. He liked the status quo. He liked going out with women and doing whatever he did, and then having me there on the side as his best friend to talk to and do other fun things with. But that wasn’t enough for me. I didn’t want just a best friend. I wanted a lover, someone who would take care of me and look at me with adoration in his eyes.
I loved Wyatt. He was my best friend, and he would always have a special place in my heart. But I was getting older, and I wanted more than that.
And after speaking with my cousins in Idaho, I knew that I had to make a move for myself. I had to look for love, even if Wyatt Hamilton didn’t approve.