the counter.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For your help and the discount and...not hating me.”
“Eli doesn’t hate you,” Kate said, shoving the cart in through the door, her petite frame obviously a lot more muscled than it appeared at first glance. “He doesn’t hate anyone. He’s really very decent down to his core.”
Sadie went to the front of the counter and set her coffee on the rough-hewn wooden top, digging in her back pocket for her credit card. “He seems like he is.”
“He took care of me for most of my life. Our mom left when I was little. You probably knew that. Everyone knows that.” She reached around and tugged on her braid, the gesture so childlike and sad it made Sadie ache a little bit. “Anyway...” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and went about grabbing the scanner and checking the plants. “Our dad... Things were hard for him after that and someone had to take care of the ranch—that was Connor. And someone had to take care of me and the house. And...Eli did that.”
Sadie cleared her throat, strange, aching emotion pressing in and making it feel tight. “Well, then it’s a good thing I plan on extending an olive branch. Apology azalea. Whatever. I mean, since he’s such a good guy.”
The total flashed up on the screen, and Kate tapped away on the ten key, bringing the amount down by almost half, and Sadie sighed in relief. “Really. Really, thank you.”
“Really, no problem. Maybe...maybe we could hang out sometime?”
“Yeah, maybe. I think...I probably won’t get to plant these until tomorrow. But if you’re around, maybe we could work on it together?”
Kate brightened. “Sure! And actually, if you don’t need them now, if you want I could put them in the bed of my truck and bring them home tonight. Then you wouldn’t get dirt in your car.”
Kate’s offer gave Sadie serious feelings in the region of her heart. She wasn’t sure she deserved the other woman’s friendliness. But she wanted it. She wanted a friend, darn it. “Thanks. I’ll take the apology azalea, though, since I need to talk to Eli and I’m not doing it without reinforcement.”
Kate grabbed the largish potted plant from the cart and handed it to Sadie. “Here you go.”
Sadie wrapped her arms around it, holding both her coffee and the bag of knickknacks she’d purchased earlier. “Great. Well. See you later.” She turned and headed toward the door, pausing when she realized she had no available hands.
“Sorry!” She heard Kate scurry around the counter, rushing to hold the door for her.
“No problem,” Sadie said. “I’ll see you.”
She walked out into the warm afternoon, wind kicking up from the ocean, blowing her hair across her face and into her mouth as she walked back up the sidewalk toward where she’d parked her car. She did a little cursory scan for Eli’s patrol car but didn’t see it.
And she tried not to think too much about the sinking, vague sense of disappointment she felt over that.
CHAPTER SIX
B Y THE TIME Eli clocked out, he was ready to sink onto the couch and zone out. Maybe watch whatever sport was on. He wasn’t picky. Hell, he’d take tennis at this point. Just something that didn’t require thought.
But when he pulled his car into the dirt drive that led up to his house, it didn’t take long for him to see that was not going to be in his future. There was a shiny black sedan in his space. Which meant there was a person here. Which meant he had to be on still. Which had him cursing internally in a variety of interesting combinations.
He groaned and pulled his car to the side, so that whoever owned the sedan could easily get out again once their business with him was done.
He put the car in Park and killed the engine, unbuckling and getting out, letting out a long-suffering breath as he did.
He took a few steps toward the house and saw the back of a dark-haired woman, long hair, shiny and curly, swinging down to a slim waist.
“Thank you,” she said. “For your help and the discount and...not hating me.”
“Eli doesn’t hate you,” Kate said, shoving the cart in through the door, her petite frame obviously a lot more muscled than it appeared at first glance. “He doesn’t hate anyone. He’s really very decent down to his core.”
Sadie went to the front of the counter and set her coffee on the rough-hewn wooden top, digging in her back pocket for her credit card. “He seems like he is.”
“He took care of me for most of my life. Our mom left when I was little. You probably knew that. Everyone knows that.” She reached around and tugged on her braid, the gesture so childlike and sad it made Sadie ache a little bit. “Anyway...” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and went about grabbing the scanner and checking the plants. “Our dad... Things were hard for him after that and someone had to take care of the ranch—that was Connor. And someone had to take care of me and the house. And...Eli did that.”
Sadie cleared her throat, strange, aching emotion pressing in and making it feel tight. “Well, then it’s a good thing I plan on extending an olive branch. Apology azalea. Whatever. I mean, since he’s such a good guy.”
The total flashed up on the screen, and Kate tapped away on the ten key, bringing the amount down by almost half, and Sadie sighed in relief. “Really. Really, thank you.”
“Really, no problem. Maybe...maybe we could hang out sometime?”
“Yeah, maybe. I think...I probably won’t get to plant these until tomorrow. But if you’re around, maybe we could work on it together?”
Kate brightened. “Sure! And actually, if you don’t need them now, if you want I could put them in the bed of my truck and bring them home tonight. Then you wouldn’t get dirt in your car.”
Kate’s offer gave Sadie serious feelings in the region of her heart. She wasn’t sure she deserved the other woman’s friendliness. But she wanted it. She wanted a friend, darn it. “Thanks. I’ll take the apology azalea, though, since I need to talk to Eli and I’m not doing it without reinforcement.”
Kate grabbed the largish potted plant from the cart and handed it to Sadie. “Here you go.”
Sadie wrapped her arms around it, holding both her coffee and the bag of knickknacks she’d purchased earlier. “Great. Well. See you later.” She turned and headed toward the door, pausing when she realized she had no available hands.
“Sorry!” She heard Kate scurry around the counter, rushing to hold the door for her.
“No problem,” Sadie said. “I’ll see you.”
She walked out into the warm afternoon, wind kicking up from the ocean, blowing her hair across her face and into her mouth as she walked back up the sidewalk toward where she’d parked her car. She did a little cursory scan for Eli’s patrol car but didn’t see it.
And she tried not to think too much about the sinking, vague sense of disappointment she felt over that.
CHAPTER SIX
B Y THE TIME Eli clocked out, he was ready to sink onto the couch and zone out. Maybe watch whatever sport was on. He wasn’t picky. Hell, he’d take tennis at this point. Just something that didn’t require thought.
But when he pulled his car into the dirt drive that led up to his house, it didn’t take long for him to see that was not going to be in his future. There was a shiny black sedan in his space. Which meant there was a person here. Which meant he had to be on still. Which had him cursing internally in a variety of interesting combinations.
He groaned and pulled his car to the side, so that whoever owned the sedan could easily get out again once their business with him was done.
He put the car in Park and killed the engine, unbuckling and getting out, letting out a long-suffering breath as he did.
He took a few steps toward the house and saw the back of a dark-haired woman, long hair, shiny and curly, swinging down to a slim waist.
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