By the time Sadie had trudged halfway up her walkway, I’d decided she wasn’t staying at her house alone or at all. With each wooden step she took bringing her closer to her porch, she got stiffer and stiffer.
But it got worse when Wilson opened her front door. My boss made an imposing figure standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face, and his angry stare aimed my way.
“You forget to tell me something?” he barked.
Sadie jerked to a halt, her body locked, and her gaze swung to me.
“Can we get inside before we have this conversation?”
Wilson didn’t answer. He turned and disappeared into Sadie’s house. Which was an answer, albeit a nonverbal one, which spoke to his level of displeasure.
“What’s he talking about?” Sadie asked.
“Inside.”
Sadie slowly looked at the empty doorway then back to me. Concern and fear etched on her pretty face. Or, more fear as it were. And that was when I was done. I could take no more. My decision to go easy, let Sadie come to the understanding she needed help, and then wait for her to accept my offer flew out the window when she looked at me with those big blue eyes.
There would be no waiting.
There would be no easy.
Not about the money.
The rest—the friends-only pact, the attraction, the giant step back I needed to take to keep distance between us wasn’t going to work.
It was what it was.
And what it was, was dangerous as fuck, but I was going there, too.
“Why does Wilson look so mad?”
“Inside, baby.”
It was fucked in a way I knew it wasn’t cool, but when Sadie nodded and without further questions followed my directions, I felt the knot in my chest loosen. The woman was headstrong and too fucking obstinate for her own good. So, Sadie doing what I asked gave me hope I could wedge my way in and make her see reason without causing World War Three. Though if she wanted to battle, I was all-in to toe-to-toe and I’d damn well win.
This shit was about to be done in a way that would mean Sadie would be stress-free and breathing easy by tomorrow afternoon.
As soon as Sadie stepped over the threshold, her gaze went straight to Wilson.
“I’m assuming whoever was in your house didn’t have enough time to haul your furniture out,” Wilson started. “Please, for the love of God tell me you’re remodeling.”
Sadie’s head whipped to the side, her eyes came to mine, and her confusion was clear.
“I didn’t share,” I told her.
“No, you didn’t,” Wilson confirmed. “Is there a reason why, when that shit-for-brains Zeus was talking about Sadie’s problems, you shut him down but didn’t fill me in?”
“Not my place.” My answer was directed at my boss, but my eyes never left Sadie. Therefore, I didn’t miss the way her lips parted or her swift inhale.
“It might not be.” Wilson agreed amicably but I didn’t miss the edge in his voice. “But you’re wrapped up in this, and because of that, it makes it my business.”
Unfortunately, Wilson wasn’t wrong. We’d had issues with the Horsemen since we came to town and recently those issues had been escalating in a way that meant we were treading a fine line. None of us liked what Zeus was doing. We all wanted it stopped, we had the means to stop it, but in doing so we’d fuck a long-term undercover operation the Drug Enforcement Agency was conducting. But even the inside man for the DEA was getting antsy now that Zeus had taken on a stable of prostitutes. And seeing as Wilson was my boss and I was very much involved with Sadie and her issues, I should’ve told him. However, sharing Sadie’s problems felt like a betrayal so I’d kept my trap shut.
“I don’t disagree, but it’s still Sadie’s to share or not.”
Wilson’s gaze cut around the room. It didn’t take a man with highly tuned instincts to put two and two together and come up with the correct answer. However, Wilson’s intuition was so finely honed he not only took one look around Sadie’s house and had come to an accurate conclusion about just how fucked her money situation was even if it had only been hinted at by Zeus, but he was also coming to a clear understanding Sadie meant something to me. Something more than the pretty woman I liked to look at and shoot the shit with when I grabbed my coffee.
What that ‘something more’ meant was a slippery path that could have me careening off a cliff if I wasn’t careful.
Davis appeared at the mouth of the hallway, jaw tight, eyes narrowed, and Sadie scooted closer. The movement was small, just a shuffle of her feet, closing the gap between us. But it felt monumental. It felt like Sadie was seeking my comfort and protection from two very pissed-off men, even if they weren’t pissed at her.
My teammate was far from stupid, and just like Wilson, it hadn’t taken Davis long to understand what was going on.
“Place is damn near empty,” he ground out.
“Um…I…” Sadie stumbled then trailed off.
Davis continued spitting out words and he did it angrily. “No forced entry. No sign of anyone tampering with the windows. No one sitting outside in their car staking out the house. Can’t know if something’s missing because there’s a lot missing but I saw the furniture in the garage that matches the dresser and headboard in the guest room. But I don’t know if you’re moving that in or out. Or if you’re rearranging since you have nothing but a mattress in your bedroom and clothes piled up in your closet.”
Logically, I knew why Davis had been in her bedroom. Even if Wilson had cleared the house Davis would’ve gone back through to be safe. But it pissed me right the fuck off he’d been in Sadie’s bedroom.
“Davis,” I warned.
“Trying to be cool about this, brother,” he returned. “But you forget, we all care about what’s going on with her. And it would seem you held back after our meet with the Horsemen just how fucking bad the situation with her brother is. Need that intel now.”
The situation wasn’t about her brother. But the choice had to be Sadie’s. She’d made it clear she felt she had no control over her life, and I wasn’t taking this from her. I could run my investigation into Nate and the PI on my own. I didn’t need my team at my back to find a pissant conman. Which meant I could help Sadie while still giving her the privacy she needed. Though the Horsemen situation was sticky, and Wilson needed to be briefed and I’d enlist my team to help me keep Zeus and his idiot gang away from Sadie.
“Shit,” Sadie muttered and tore out of her living room.
All eyes followed her as she made it into her kitchen and stopped at the counter. Her chin dipped and she shook her head while chanting, “Shit. Shit. Shit. It’s gone.”
Fuck.
The three grand from Josh.
“I left the money on the counter,” she continued and turned to face me. “We had dinner, then after you left, I started moving the furniture into the garage. I didn’t think to put it away.”
“The money from Grinder?” Davis inquired.
I couldn’t stop my lip from curling at the sick fuck’s nickname. Something else the undercover DEA agent was getting antsy about, Josh Pierce. The way he’d earned his club name, Sadie would never know. As a prospect, Grinder didn’t have insider knowledge of the Horsemen’s dealings. He wasn’t in on club meetings, and he had no vote. But he did have responsibilities and those included taking and picking up the girls Zeus pimped out. Which meant he took as many freebies as he could. He did this roughly and bragged about it to whoever would listen.
Sick fucking asshole.
Sadie nodded but she did this while her shoulders slumped and with her eyes downcast.
If I already hadn’t made my decision to end this for her, the defeat I saw would’ve done it. In no fucking universe should Sadie Pierce be hanging her head, looking beaten down.
“Sadie.”
Her eyes flicked up and when they did it took every bit of my control not to flinch at the sadness I saw.
“It’s too much.” Her hands came up, spread wide to her sides, and she glanced around the sparsely furnished space. “Everything. All of this is too much.”
“Sadie, look at me.”
She didn’t look at me, she kept looking around.
“Earlier I was thinking I was ready to throw in the towel and give up. I’m so tired of being tired. I’m totally over being stressed out day in and day out. But I can’t give up so I keep pushing.”
“Sadie, please look at me.”
“I lied to you,” she blurted out and dropped her arms. “This isn’t about wanting to win or lose on my own. It’s not about owning my achievements or failures. I’m being stubborn because I don’t know how not to be. I don’t know how to give up. I don’t know how to ask for help because I’ve never done it before. I’m the one who isn’t the disappointment. I’m the one who doesn’t ask my parents to bail me out. But I can sell everything I own, and it still won’t be enough.”
Sadie still wasn’t giving me her attention. Instead, she was glaring at her couch like she was seriously pissed at it for not being worth the eighty-five large Nate had stolen from her. Since the couch was not going to turn into bars of gold no matter how long and hard she stared at it, I made another decision, one that was going to blow any chance I might’ve had of keeping the wolves at bay. I moved across the room, only stopping when I was standing in front of Sadie.
“Baby, I need you to look at me.” Her gaze slowly rose to meet mine and when it did I leaned in until I knew all her attention was on me because I was the only thing filling her vision. “Now I need you to hear me. I’m covering your rent. And I’m also giving you extra to get you caught up on the rest.” Sadie’s lips parted to speak, and I shook my head. “Now is not the time to be hardheaded. Now is the time for you to listen and hear this clear, Sadie, I’m not taking no for an answer. This is ending for you. Right now. I’m not letting you lose your dream. You can fight me on this, but you can take it as a motherfucking vow I’m gonna win.”
“You don’t understand,” she whispered.
“I damn well do. I understand that watching you struggle is a form of torture. I understand that coming in here earlier and seeing more stuff gone pissed me off in a way I know I’m not gonna let it go of. And I understand I’m putting the money in your account whether you want it or not.”
The tears I saw brimming in her eyes strengthened my resolve, but they also reminded me I needed to go gently.
“Please, Sadie, let me do this for you.”
“I don’t know how to ask for help.”
Her admission was whispered so softly if I hadn’t been in her space I wouldn’t have heard. But since I was close, I heard. I also felt the words hit my chest and start to burn.
I’m the one who doesn’t ask my parents to bail me out.
This wasn’t about Sadie being stubborn, it was about her brother. It was about him being a fuck-up, causing her parents grief, and now that she legitimately needed help, she was too afraid to ask them out of fear of disappointing them. And she wouldn’t ask anyone else for help because she’d likely watched her brother use up his friends and burn bridges in the process. Sadie had learned through Josh not to be what she’d consider a burden.
Yet another reason he was a stupid motherfucker.
“Then it’s a good thing you’re not asking.”
“Reese…”
She trailed off and when it became evident she wasn’t going to say more, I went on.
“You are not your brother. Not even close. You don’t borrow money from your friends and gamble it away. You don’t ask your parents for money to blow it on booze. It is not you leeching off people who care about you so you can party all night then sleep your hangover off, unable to hold a job. That’s him. You work your ass off seven days a week, twelve-plus hours a day running a business. It’s you who goes into work every day, bakes great muffins and cakes, is good to her employees, knows her customers by name, and serves them with a smile. It’s you who does this while so much shit is piling on top of you it would make a weaker person crumble. And when the threat of losing your business bears down, what do you do? You sell your shit. You do not curl into a ball and cry about it. You’re not standing by, you’re fighting. And, Sadie, any good fighter knows they use every tool given to them to win the battle. Accepting help doesn’t mean failure. It means you’re strong enough to win by any means necessary.”
Sadie exhaled a slow ragged breath, and she gave a stilted nod.
Thank fuck.
The wetness that had been contained in her lower lids finally spilled over. My hands went to her face, my thumbs brushed the tears away before they could roll down her cheeks, and her glimmering blue eyes held me captive. But as spellbound as I was, I didn’t miss Sadie’s lips move to mouth “thank you.” I didn’t miss the emotion that had come over her. I didn’t miss the depth of the meaning behind her gratitude and further from that, I didn’t miss the relief.
Seeing all of that made every minute of frustration I’d felt over the last week worth it.
“My honor, baby.”
Her eyes flashed in a way I liked a fuck of a lot. But before I could enjoy the warmth it had created, someone cleared their throat, reminding me we weren’t alone and I’d probably said more than I should’ve in front of my friends.
“Hate to break up your huddle,” Wilson started. “But we need to talk before I leave.”
And he indeed sounded like he was unhappy to interrupt though he didn’t mask the thread of impatience so it could be heard loud and clear. Something that didn’t slip past Sadie’s notice.
She blinked away the remaining tears and pulled herself together like the warrior she was. Her hands came up, rested on my forearms, and with a squeeze and a tight nod, she wordlessly told me she was ready to face Wilson.
Yeah, fuck yeah, the woman was a warrior.
I let go of her face but instead of allowing her hands to drop, I twisted at the last minute and tagged her hand and held on.
It wasn’t until I turned around to face Wilson and saw his look of surprise that it hit me, I was holding Sadie’s hand. I was in the midst of trying to remember the last time I held a woman’s hand, thinking it was Ellie before I’d left on deployment. Just as the memories of my ex-wife started to sour in my gut Sadie’s thumb rubbed the back of my hand. That slight brush effectively erased the images my mind was conjuring up, pulling me back into the room. No, that small movement pulled me back to her and I wrapped my fingers tighter.
“My problems aren’t with Trevor or the Horsemen,” Sadie announced. “My ex cleaned me out.”
Wilson did a slow blink.
“Your ex cleaned you out?”
“Yep,” Sadie popped the P, the nonchalant sound a direct contradiction to the tremble in her hand. “He took all the money in my accounts, but for months before that, he wasn’t paying the bills and charged all my credit cards up. Stupid me didn’t know this because I wasn’t paying attention to the bills since he’d been paying them for months with no issue before he stopped paying them. And since I live as debt-free as I can, personal credit cards are only used in emergencies. So I didn’t know they were maxed out until Nate took all my money and I tried to use one to pay a vendor’s invoice.”
It would seem Sadie had left out a few things from our earlier conversation since I had no idea about the credit cards.
“Did he have access to your personal accounts as well as your business?” Davis asked.
There was a beat of silence, which prompted me to give her hand a squeeze.
“Yes. And I know it was stupid. So freaking stupid, but I was slammed at the bakery and he was over one night and saw my electric bill was late. Not because I couldn’t afford to pay it but because I was so busy at work putting in fifteen-hour days to get all the orders filled. So he offered to take over paying my personal bills as well. At the time when he offered, he sounded sincere, like he was trying to make my life easier. That’s how it started, him convincing me he was looking out for me, telling me he wanted me to concentrate on baking cakes instead of sitting behind a desk for hours paying bills.”
Fucking prick.
“So he was not only your boyfriend but he worked for you?” Wilson inquired. “No judgment, just trying to get the full scope.”
“Yeah,” she whispered her answer. “Every summer I hire seasonal help. With the tourists in town, the bakery can get crazy. Nate told me he was finishing his degree and was looking for work that would only take him through the summer.” Sadie stopped to draw in a breath and on an exhale she said, “I should’ve known.”
Not this shit again.
“Sadie—”
“No, Reese, I should’ve. This might be sexist but in all my years running my bakery a man had never applied. Not one application from a guy. But even putting that aside, he was smooth. Too smooth, like it was practiced. Even him asking me out was… I don’t know, corny, or polished. I can’t explain it.”
“Try,” I urged.
Sadie took a moment. and while she did her gaze went to Davis, then to Wilson. What it didn’t do was slide back to me. On some level, I understood her embarrassment even though I knew she had nothing to be ashamed about. Something I’d thought I made clear.
“I knew he was into me, and I admit the way he was with me, always sweet and going out of his way to make me laugh or smile, made it easy for me to fall for him. One night after closing, it was just the two of us, and he came back to my office to tell me he was done and going home. But he didn’t leave, he handed me an envelope. When I asked him what it was, he told me to open it. I did and it was his resignation. It wasn’t a regular resignation though. It listed all the reasons why he had to quit, which included all the reasons he’d fallen in love with me. He concluded by saying he knew I’d never date an employee and he’d rather have his shot with me than keep his job. Obviously, I fell for that and he continued to work for me after we started dating. After a few months, he offered to help me in the office. I was overwhelmed and he said his degree was in accounting so I let him take over the bookkeeping. Some months later he said it would be easier if he could sign the checks instead of having to stop me from baking to sign them. I agreed and added him on my accounts as a signer.”
Goddamn creep.
“Do you still have the letter?” Davis questioned.
“Yeah, in the safe at work. But I already showed it to the PI I hired, and he told me it was useless because it was typed and Nate didn’t even sign his name.”
“PI?”
“I’ll fill you in on him later,” I told Wilson, then asked Sadie, “Did he dust the letter or the envelope for prints?”
“You can do that?”
So that was a no. It was also an answer. The PI she’d hired sucked, which meant I’d be having a talk with him about the work he had done, if any, and see about getting Sadie’s money back.
“Yeah, baby, you can do that. And we might not be able to do it now if the envelope and paper have been handled too many times, but we’re still gonna give it a try. What about photographs or security footage?”
“I don’t have any pictures. Another red flag. Nate said he hated his picture being taken and he hated social media and thought it was the downfall of humankind, but he was always taking pictures of me saying he loved to look at them before he went to sleep. And the security feeds at the bakery only stay in the cloud for seven days. But not surprisingly,” Sadie lifted her hands and in air quotes and said, “someone,” then dropped her hands and continued, “switched the settings so the cameras weren’t recording at all.”
Dead end.
“Did this PI you hired hook you up with a sketch artist?”
“He offered, but he said they were expensive. And by that time I was out of money.”
Oh, yeah, fuck yeah, having a conversation with TJ Gayle just got scratched to the top of my mental to-do list.
“You got the name of this PI?”
Wilson’s question was directed at me. He, too, wanted a word.
“Yep.”
“Good, we’ll set that up.”
“Set what up?”
Wilson ignored Sadie and went on. “We need to talk about what happened here tonight. There were five patched Horsemen, including Zeus, that saw Grinder hand you that money. They also knew that money was for Sadie.” Wilson stopped, pinned Sadie with a stare, and told her. “Not smart being a single woman living alone and not doing what you can to protect your home address. Took me two minutes to find you and I did it using Google. Starting tomorrow you’re off public directories.”
Sadie looked like she wanted to argue but at the last moment, she wisely kept her mouth closed and simply nodded.
“I’m thinking we start with those five and move on from there. I’ll make a call and see if I can get the whereabouts of each of them, but that might take a few days.”
Wilson was talking about reaching out to the undercover DEA agent. Which was risky as fuck for the agent; it also communicated that Wilson understood exactly where I was at with Sadie and I’d want that risk taken if it meant keeping her safe. Fuck the money, I’d replace it tomorrow, but we needed a clear understanding of who in the Horsemen we were dealing with.
“In the meantime, I didn’t like how our meeting ended with Zeus and I like it less now. He’s changed in the last few months. Getting cockier. I already called Brasco and Kent and told them about my concerns. They’re looking into things on their end, but they have to tread easy.”
Jet Brasco was a detective at the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and our local contact. River Kent was Letty’s man and new addition to the CDAPD. He’d moved to Idaho from Georgia and came with a list of references and recommendations that were such the CDAPD were beside themselves to have him on board. And Jet being a good cop and a smart man, had worked his tenure to his favor with the brass and when Brasco’s partner had retired, Kent had slid into that role.
They knew about the DEA agent, they also were smart, good cops and knew how close they could walk the line without crossing it and fucking the DEA’s case. So I trusted that if they were looking into Zeus’s sudden change of attitude they’d do that and not have the DEA breathing down our backs.
Belatedly I realized Sadie’s grip on my hand had tightened to the point her nails were digging in, causing pain.
It was likely a Horsemen had been in her house—maybe even Zeus himself—and she’d expressed her absolute fear of him. I was betting it was her brother who’d broken in to retrieve the money he didn’t want to pay back in the first place. It was a bonehead, fucked-up play that he had to know would bring my ire down on him.
But maybe that was what he wanted, and the more I thought on it, the more it became clear.
“It was Grinder,” I announced.
“My brother?”
“He went out of his way to make the handover in front of the others. He also knows Sadie’s scared of Zeus, he knows why, and he still told them about her money troubles and why she has them. He’s pissed as all fuck at me for calling him out in front of Sadie’s bakery. But he’s more pissed I laid it out in a way he couldn’t miss. Cutting off his access to his sister who he’s been using as his own personal bank. He knew about her situation, but he was coming around to ask for more. He also knew coming over here to get that money back, whether it came here to sweet talk his sister into giving back or strongarming her, he’d know it would piss me off and I’d make a play. Whatever I decided to do would cause an issue. He’s banking on Zeus getting pissed I fucked up one of his recruits. Meaning Zeus would have no choice but to save face and come after me, which would push Takeback to make a stand. That means war, which is exactly what Grinder wants. His punk ass cannot take me on, he needs the Horsemen, so he did what he did and made it so my hands are tied.”
“I think you’re giving my brother too much credit,” Sadie said softly from beside me. “He’s not that smart.”
“No, you’re right, what he is, however, is pissed Reese bested him.” Wilson took over. “Not only did Reese get in his face but he made good on his threat and showed up to collect your money. Money your brother didn’t want to give so he’s looking for a way to fuck Reese. And he’d need the Horsemen to do it. Zeus’s been playing it smart, keeping his shit tight, but recently he’s made moves and like I said he’s getting cocky thinking he’s untouchable. And unfortunately, until I know what’s changed, no one’s making any moves.”
That last part was for me. A direct order to stand down without Wilson saying the words. Still, his order was clear. It also irritated the fuck out of me.
“You staying here tonight?” Davis rejoined.
“Not unless you’re willing to pull duty. Sadie doesn’t have an alarm.”
“I could do that.”
“What’s this?”
I glanced down, caught Sadie’s eyes, and laid it out, “You’re not staying here alone so I’m staying. But to be safe Davis is gonna be parked out front of your house visible. Someone thinks to fuck with you and they see Davis, they’ll think twice. After seeing Davis out front, they still feel like fucking with you, I’m here. Either that or you’re at my place. The choice is yours.”
I watched emotions sail across Sadie’s face, not a single one of them good. Some of them worse than others. When she finally settled on one, she asked, “Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“What I think is I don’t give a fuck if it is or not but it’s what’s gonna happen.”
“Josh is my brother…” Sadie trailed off.
Her mind likely put two and two together coming up with Letty thinking the same about her sibling. Only it was Letty’s sister who’d been involved in bad shit that led to a child being kidnapped, and ultimately to her murder.
“I see you’re coming to the right conclusion, baby. But just to be sure, I’ll confirm that shit that went down with Letty’s sister will not be happening with you and your brother. What is gonna happen is, we’re gonna play this smart and part of that is me sleeping over and Davis staying out front. And tomorrow I’m going to work with you to check out your alarm there and make some changes. I want those feeds going to my office. After that, I’m coming back here and installing a system.”
“There’s no need to put in an alarm here,” she argued.
“Sadie—”
“I’m moving out, so it will be a waste.”
What the hell?
“Where are you moving?”
A look I didn’t like took root in her eyes. A look that told me I needed to brace because I wasn’t going to like her answer or her reasoning behind the move. I decided now was not the time to learn the where or why. It was time to end the discussion and get Wilson on his way, and Davis’s ass planted in his car outside.
But first I needed to find Sadie her phone.
“Davis, will you hang in the house with Sadie a few minutes? I need to go find her phone.”
“I’ll go with. Or better yet, I’ll look for it in the morning.”
“Or, Davis will stay with you and I’ll go find it like I told you I would.”
Thankfully she read me right and gave in without further argument.
After she told me the general vicinity where she dropped her phone, I followed Wilson out to his SUV.
“I know you got plans tomorrow,” he started. “But you need to make time to sit down with the team and fill us in.”
What he meant was, I needed to have my ass at the office so he could make sure his order not to move on Grinder had been communicated, and to give me shit for keeping what I knew about Sadie’s issues to myself.
“I’ll be there. But just so you know, I heard you about not contacting that fuckwad.”
“I know you did, Reese, and I know you wouldn’t push this into something that would fuck the DEA or us. I also get why you held back telling me about how bad Sadie’s in the hole. Tomorrow’s about briefing the team but also about me making sure your head’s where it needs to be.”
“I’m not tracking.”
“Known you awhile. You’ve never made what your ex-wife did to you a secret.” I felt my body tense at the mention of Ellie, and I didn’t bother hiding my displeasure she was the topic of conversation. “I see that touched a nerve. I also saw how you were with Sadie. It’s not lost on me there’s something there. You know we got your back; however, we need to have it. But I gotta know if this is you moving to protect a woman you’re fucking or a woman who means something to you. Either way, you’ll have us. But Sadie’s friends with the guys, they’ll want that friendship intact when you’re done with her so have a mind to that.”
Red hot anger coursed through me until I felt my insides start to boil.
“You know you have my respect, so I hope you know I mean no disrespect when I tell you we’re gonna have problems if anyone ever refers to Sadie as the woman I’m fucking. And as far as my bitch of an ex-wife is concerned, she fucked me over and did that in a way that made me never want to go there with another woman. But Sadie’s not another woman, she’s Sadie. It took me a while to understand what that meant but hearing her running, out of breath through the woods shook something loose inside me. And if that hadn’t done it, hearing her scream, then the line going dead certainly woke my shit up. A thousand thoughts raced through my head, none of them I care to think about now, but only one emotion planted itself in my chest—fear. At that moment, driving like an idiot trying to get to her, the realization hit pretty fucking hard she was something more. Gratitude for your concern, but right now I’d appreciate it more if we all concentrated on keeping Sadie clear of danger.”
Wilson took his time studying me before he nodded.
“Glad to hear you’re where you need to be with Sadie. And this is the last time I’ll bring up your ex, but, Reese, the bitch never deserved the headspace you gave her. Glad you’ve decided to move on.”
There was nothing to say to that, so I remained quiet when my boss gave me a lift of his chin and climbed into his SUV.
Then I went in search of Sadie’s phone. Twenty minutes later I found it and was mostly over my irritation. By the time I was walking up Sadie’s driveway, all ruminations of my ex-wife were gone and all that was on my mind was, I was happy Sadie was moving; it would save me the effort of installing outside lights.
Moose be damned.