SADIE OPENED THE door to Lily’s Pad Café and stepped inside. Seeing her friend, Charlie already at their favorite table lifted her spirits. Although, her spirits were already much better that morning after hearing the pastor at church teach on hope. Afraid she had way too little of that these days, it was a good reminder that God cared for her, and she could place her hope in Him.
Sunday brunch at Lily’s was a tradition she and Charlie and Anne had started years ago. Best friends since high school, the three of them had stayed close, Sundays being a perfect way to get together. Get and Gather didn’t open until noon, Sadie wanting all her employees to be able to attend church, yet still have the shop open for tourists in town for the weekend.
Sadie’s heart sank a little at the thought that Anne had been absent from their lunches for so long, it really was more just a tradition now for her and Charlie. Anne had married a wealthy man named Leo whom she met about fifteen years ago through mutual friends. They traveled the world, Anne not returning to Nearlake often. If ever, really. The friends kept in touch via text and phone calls, but it wasn’t the same. They even tried to have Anne join them via video call, but that didn’t last.
“Hey, you,” Charlie said as she stood and hugged Sadie.
“Hey, yourself.” Sadie took her coat off and placed it on the back of her chair before sitting across from her friend.
“I know we chat all week, but sometimes a week feels like a year,” Charlie said.
“I agree. Sorry. I know lack of communication is my weakness.”
Charlie shook her head. “There was zero shaming in that comment. Just trying to say I miss you and I am beyond ready to talk and eat for hours.”
Sadie smiled, “Me too.”
“How are my two favorite, extremely loyal customers today?” Lily said as she walked up to their table.
“Doing great, Lily. How about you?” Charlie asked.
As the two women talked, Sadie felt a tinge of envy toward her friend. Charlie had married her high school sweetheart, Davis, and they had two beautiful children. Gabby graduated recently from college and Eli was in his second year at Boise State. Having meet in high school, the group of them now all in their mid-forties, Charlie and Davis had been married twenty-five years they were the epitome of what a healthy relationship looked like. Over the years Sadie had wondered if she would ever find what her friend had. Anne, too. Sadie didn’t know as much about Anne’s husband, having only met him a couple of times, but based on photos and updates, Anne’s married life was blissful as well.
For the most part, she didn’t have time to think about men or relationships, her life busy with the shop and volunteering and giving back to the community she loved so well. But now and then she had a twinge of curiosity of what her life might have been like, or would be like, if she found the right guy.
The thought of James Larsen not only knowing her name but teasing her, as well as being so helpful, came to mind. Her cheeks flushed a bit, so she took a sip from the water glass that sat in front of her.
“You two relax while I get your standard orders placed for you,” Lily said then headed towards the back of the café.
“Okay, spill it,” Charlie said. She leaned back in her seat, her black legging clad legs crossed and her hands in her lap. Her long dark hair was twisted up perfectly and held with a long clip on the back of her head. The bright blue blouse she wore made her dark brown eyes stand out and if Sadie wasn’t mistaken, they were twinkling a bit.
“Spill what?” Sadie asked, guzzling more water.
Charlie laughed out loud. “You are horrible—and I mean horrible—at hiding your thoughts. Or feelings.”
Sadie narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Ugh. Not you, too.”
“If you mean, I, too, know that our handsome Deputy Sheriff was at your shop yesterday helping you with a broken window—which I want details about later—then yes. Me, too.”
Sadie shook her head. “I do so love this town, but…”
“But the rumor mill is tough. Agreed. I’ll say that I only know about it because Davis talked to Gary Wall about some windows for a project, Gary told him what happened, so then Davis asked me if you were okay. When I told him I hadn’t heard from you, I figured you were fine.”
Sadie’s shoulders slumped, her hands resting on the table. “I really am so sorry. I didn’t have two seconds to spare yesterday, or I would have reached out to you.”
Charlie leaned forward and put a hand on Sadie’s. “Hey. We have known each other long enough for me to realize that was exactly what was happening. I knew you’d call if you needed me, and I knew we’d see each other today and I would get all the details face to face.”
“You’re the best friend, ever, you know that?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” Charlie patted Sadie’s hand and leaned back in her chair again as Sadie laughed. “And because Davis is a local contractor and Gary does windows and glass and because I volunteer at the high school library and have chatted with James’ daughter, Maddie, and we all went to high school together and Moira practically has a town texting hotline, we are all intertwined in a crazy, beautiful, and sometimes annoying way.”
“You make it sound like some lovely mosaic rather than the rumor mill that it is.”
“You and I both know that people in this town care about each other and that is why they’re…”
“Nosy.”
Both women laughed.
“Yes,” Charlie said. “And to be fair, a broken window at a local business rattled other business owners, as well as residents.”
Sadie nodded. “I was pretty thrown when I first saw the window. To know it was just kids hitting a wayward baseball brings peace of mind. Although I wish they would have just fessed up and told me.”
Charlie shrugged. “It happened after you were closed. Maybe they still will.”
Sadie nodded. That was possible. The last thing she wanted was for kids in town to be afraid of her. She’d be understanding about the whole thing. It would be nice for them or their parents to help pay for the window as well, but that could very well be a big part of the reason they didn’t want to come to her.
“You said you chat with James’ daughter Maddie at the library. What’s she like?” Sadie asked.
“Hmm. I thought there might be a decent amount of curiosity about our fine friend, James,” Charlie teased.
“You know our history better than anyone. If you can even call it that. He had no clue who I was in high school, and he barely knows my name now. I’ve just seen Maddie around town, and she seems like such a great kid. My heart goes out to her losing her mother so young.”
Charlie’s smile faded. “Yeah. I feel the same way. James is a good guy. He and Davis are still friends and grab a beer together sometimes. But to my knowledge, James doesn’t say much about what happened with Tiffany, and as far as Maddie goes, not more than she’s doing well and is a great kid.”
Sadie nodded then took a sip of water.
“Maddie is a rabid reader. I’ll say that,” Charlie continued. “She gives me hope for future generations that not all of them have their heads stuck in phones and computers.”
Sadie thought about how books had always helped her get through life. Reading was not only an escape. It was diving into worlds with characters that went through the same things you did. Worlds where a kid could feel understood, if even for just a short while. She herself had been drawn to characters like Ramona Quimby who was curious and sweet, yet always felt misunderstood or awkward. Or Nancy Drew who dove into mysteries and found what she was looking for.
“What does she like to read?” Sadie asked.
“I’ve seen her with mysteries as well as adventure stories. She seems to prefer those. I have to say, it sounds to me like James, as well as his daughter, have caught your eye.”
Sadie shook her head. “Stop. I merely feel for the girl and wondered if there was a way to connect with her if I ever see her around town.”
Charlie nodded. “Got it.”
“Okay, enough about James Larsen. We have much more interesting things to talk about.”
“Like?”
“Like, who will be at Homecoming.”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “Everyone will be at Homecoming. Most of us who grew up and went to high school here never left. Or left and came back. So, it’s really not so much of a Homecoming as it is a reunion every year.”
Sadie chuckled. Charlie wasn’t wrong. It still didn’t keep her from hoping Anne would come back.
Reading Sadie’s mind, Charlie said, “I haven’t talked to her in weeks. Have you?”
Sadie shook her head. It wasn’t uncommon to go for weeks without hearing from Anne with the travel schedule she and her husband kept. But it still left an ache in her chest to not hear from Anne as often as they used to.
“I saw her mom the other day. She hadn’t heard from Anne in a while either. I just wish we could figure out what keeps her away so long,” Charlie said.
Sadie agreed. Although the three women were thick as thieves as kids, Anne had drifted away in the years since leaving Nearlake. She made it sound as if her life was close to perfect, but never shared many details with Sadie and Charlie. It hadn’t been hard to see in their teen years that Anne’s home life hadn’t been pretty. Her dad was not a nice man and Anne had made it clear that the second she could leave town she would. And she had.
“Here you go, ladies,” Lily said as she set their meals down in front of them. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Sadie leaned forward and took in the scent of cheese and onion. Lily made the best French Dip sandwich in the world and it was Sadie’s weekly treat. Her mouth watered at the mere thought of it. She dipped a corner in the au jus and took a bite.
“How are things at the shop?” Charlie asked, changing the subject. There wasn’t much more to say when it came to Anne. That topic was all questions and no answers. “I mean, besides a broken window.”
Although typically Sadie shared pretty much everything with Charlie, she hadn’t indulged any information about her financial situation.
“They’re fine,” she answered once she was done chewing.
Charlie narrowed her eyes as if sensing Sadie was hiding something, but didn’t push. Instead, she took a bite of her salad and rolled her eyes before finishing said bite then saying, “I don’t know how Lily can make something as simple as a salad taste so good, but this is amazing.”
The two women ordered the same thing every single week, and every single week they had the same response to their meals. Sadie found the things she could count on, no matter how small, were anchors in the waves of her life.
“I mean, the broken window was upsetting. I showed up at the shop in the morning and found glass all over the place. But once James found the baseball, I was fine. Now, it’s more of the inconvenience of having a broken window, having to get it replaced, and all that comes with that.”
Charlie nodded. “How is JoJo?”
“She’s fine.”
“Lots of ‘fine’ going on your life right now,” Charlie said, her eyebrows raised.
Sadie laid down her fork and placed her hands in her lap. Charlie was a sister to her. Sadie trusted her with her life. What kept her from pouring out all her troubles, she had no clue. Burdening others with issues that were hers didn’t feel right. She was a grown woman who could solve what needed solving.
Yes, talking things through with Charlie about other topics helped her process and even come up with ideas she wouldn’t have thought of on her own. But this was different. Charlie couldn’t help her find more money somewhere or take away medical bills or keep her rent from going up.
Sadie had already begun a list of ways she could save money or handle the financial strain. Although it pained her to do so, selling the house was on the list. It broke Sadie’s heart just to think about presenting the idea to JoJo. And that would, of course, mean Sadie would have to tell her aunt of the financial stress and that wasn’t an option.
“It’s all truly fine, Charlie. I have a lot on my plate, especially with JoJo being sick, but we will get through it.”
Maybe if she said it enough, she would believe it herself.
“How are the kids?” she asked then popped a French fry into her mouth.
As always, Charlie’s eyes lit up at the mention of Gabby and Eli and the change of subject was successful.
“They are great. Eli is doing well in school. He recently aced an economics test. And Gabby is busy with work and Tanner is getting his MBA.
Tanner was Gabby’s boyfriend and from what Charlie had told Sadie, a great guy and good match for her daughter.
“I’m glad to hear things are going well for them. Will they be here for Homecoming?”
“I’m not sure. I think they want to be here for Christmas so will skip Homecoming and just come back in December.”
As the two friends fell into a familiar rhythm of conversation, Sadie began to relax. This was what she needed. Not to talk about all that as wrong, but to spend time with Charlie focused on all that was right at the moment.
“Did Miss Agnes reach out to you yet?” Charlie asked.
“Not yet. What about?” Sadie took another bite of sandwich then leaned back in her chair.
“I think she’s afraid to bother you, but she’s curious…”
“About the Christmas quilts.” Sadie snapped a finger as she remembered exactly why Miss Agnes would want to talk to her.
Agnes ran the quilting group at their church, a group JoJo had been a part of for years. One that made quilts for those in the community who had just had a baby or had lost a loved one. It was a way of wrapping love around those who needed extra care at certain times of life. JoJo had continued quilting as much as she could, but with her energy being low, she hadn’t been up to helping get Christmas quilts done. Every year the group made them for people in the hospital. Sadie knew JoJo was working on one for a woman she met while doing radiation, someone with a much grimmer diagnosis than JoJo. But that one quilt was all her aunt could manage this year so Sadie had offered to help do what she could in JoJo’s place.
She was no whiz at quilting like her aunt or the other women in the group, but she was good enough to contribute in her aunt’s absence.
“I keep telling her it’s no bother,” Sadie continued.
“She just knows you have a lot going on right now. She appreciates you volunteering to help but doesn’t want to overload you.”
“I’ll give her a call.”
“I honestly don’t know how you do it,” Charlie said.
One of the waitresses came and refilled their drinks. After thanking her Sadie said, “Do what?”
“Everything,” Charlie waved a hand. “You run the shop, you take care of your aunt, you volunteer multiple places.”
“I don’t do any more than anyone else in town,” Sadie said.
“That’s not true and you know it.”
Sadie shrugged. “I spend time on what matters to me.”
“And that is commendable. However, would it be so bad to maybe just toy with the idea of doing something for yourself now and then? Go on a date, maybe?” Charlie lifted an eyebrow, her mouth a small grin.
“You just said it yourself. I don’t have the time.”
Charlie shook her head and laughed. “You’re impossible sometimes.”
“And you love me.”
“And I love you.”
Sadie took a sip of her drink, glad that Charlie let that subject drop. She had never been against having a man in her life, she just couldn’t seem to find the right one for her. And whether James Larsen knew her name or not, or if there was any truth to him being interested in her, her life was full. Dating and a relationship were the last things on her mind.