Page 70 of Hidden Desire

Sage went to the deli on the corner. When they first began, they would get the food from the cafeteria, but then it became laughable. Why support any part of the hospital, when they still weren’t able to get what they were arguing for? The deli seemed to be a more obvious of a choice and the manager supported them, without fail. Always giving them a discount and words of encouragement.

“You guys stay strong,” Josef yelled out as she left. She was proud that she was making a difference, even if it hadn’t officially worked yet. When Sage got back to the hospital, the line was continuing strong. Natalia and Ariel were finishing off the line and the chanting hadn’t waned.

Sage held up the bags as she approached the line. “Come and grab ‘em.” A few people hurried to pick from what they wanted, but Stassi kept the sign held up proudly. Sage rummaged through the bags to find Stassi’s sandwich, then approached her, with caution.

“Everyone stops to eat. It becomes a bigger part of the fight than the actual picketing.” She laughed.

Stassi shrugged. “Someone has to continue. Go ahead and eat. I’m fine, really.” She turned away and marched forward despite being the only voice. As she did, a man walked up to the line. Sage recognized him as Bobby Swihart, one of the investors of the hospital.

“Really…” He shook his head. “I didn’t think a Hewitt would stoop so low.”

“You think I’m stooping low? What about you, Bobby?” Her words tilted as she stared at him. He scoffed, shook his head, and stormed off.

Sage gawked at the display, as Stassi glanced over to her. Sage’s feelings of darkness started to lift. Maybe Stassi was truly there to show her support and was grateful to do so. That feeling was priceless.

Sage waved. “Thank you all for coming out today. We’ll see you tomorrow if you can make it.” She turned and saw Stassi still there, grabbing armloads of supplies and nearly fumbling over them.

“You don’t have to,” Sage argued, reaching out to help her get the items.

“Did I say I felt obligated?” Stassi asked. “I want to do it. Let me help. You shouldn’t have to load this stuff up yourself.” She shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

Sage fell back and grabbed some items. Then they walked the first load to Sage’s vehicle. “Thank you,” Sage replied softly as they put them in the back of her car.

“Of course. If you need to use my vehicle to haul some of this, we can. After all, I’ll be back in the morning. In fact, we really could have gotten others to take some. It’s not like they aren’t all coming back.” She shrugged. “Maybe we could do that tomorrow.”

“Yeah, makes sense.” Sage quietly walked back to the pile of signs and reached for a stack, while Stassi reached for the same. When they bumped heads, Stassi laughed, but Sage rubbed her head. When she saw how Stassi laughed, she slowly started to join in. “After you.” She held out her hand so that Stassi could take a load before she grabbed the last pile, and they headed over to Stassi’s vehicle.

“I really want to thank you for being here today. Your support meant a lot to me.” Sage looked away from Stassi. “It’s meant a lot to all of us. The more people that support us, the more we feel that we’re capable of making a difference.” She wanted to say more, but it was already getting too mushy, and so she let it rest, giving Stassi time to reply.

“Well, if I’m being honest, I was finding it hard to stay away. And I’m sorry that I let my ego get in the way because I should have been here long before now.”

“Better late than never,” Sage gave a small smile.

“Discussing my feelings is never easy,” Stassi began. She heaved a sigh and even in the moonlight, Sage saw her red cheeks. “But sometimes you have to do what you fear, in order to grow as a human being. I learn that the hard way. But when it was just my father and me, growing up, I was like his shadow. I put him on this pedestal because I believed it was where he deserved to be. As I saw the hospital struggling, I didn’t know how to cope with learning the truth. I thought if I shared everything I knew, you would find reasons we needed to break up, so I decided I needed to be the first one to break us. I have been working hard to get my father to understand what’s going on here, and he’s being oblivious. And I didn’t know how to be the girlfriend you deserved to be.”

“Stassi, you were always the girlfriend I deserved. I was hurt that you didn’t talk to me about your father’s role in all this. I guess that I didn’t put it together. It’s not like you’re the only Hewitt in the world, but I would have understood if you had come to me. I just don’t like it when people hide things from me.” Sage hesitated, scuffing her shoe on the parking lot pavement. “I guess that’s because I’ve never been lucky in love. You know that my last relationship didn’t end so well and there was part of me that thought that it was easier just to throw up my hands and say that we’re better off being apart.” Sage shook her head. “Just one of the lies I told myself.”

Stassi moved in closer. “I should have talked to you.”

“And I should have been there to listen,” Sage quietly replied.

“I’ve missed you.” They both spoke in unison. Sage grinned and snaked her hand around Stassi’s neck. She pulled her in, and they kissed, the hunger igniting between the two of them. They were on a new trajectory, and Sage was ready for the ride.

Stassi

Stassi looked at Sage. She hadn’t stopped fidgeting once. Stassi reached across and grabbed her hand. “Why are you so nervous?” she asked, winking.

Sage’s eyes widened. “For starters? This is not exactly how I wanted to meet your father.”

Stassi laughed. “Just remember, we’re not going in there as lovers.”

“Besides,” Lena commented. “If you were, I wouldn’t be here.”

Stassi giggled and nodded. “She has a valid point.” Stassi leaned back against the chair. They had worked long and hard to get the meeting together with her father and the board members. Now that they were there, she wasn’t going to let any nerves waste her time. She was excited that they were closer than they ever had been. Most likely, they realized the publicity was starting to kill them. They had to do something if they wanted to save face. Stassi lifted Sage’s knuckles to her lips and gave them a kiss. She was only there because Matin was her father, and Sage thought it’d be nice to have Stassi’s support. Stassi wasn’t going to deny that. If Sage felt more comfortable, then Stassi would do what she needed.

Her fear, though, was that she’d be in the way. She wasn’t there to start the negotiations, but she would go ahead and support them and do as little of the talking as she possibly could.

The door opened, and Rene Prestley peeked her head out. “Stassi? The board is ready for you.” Stassi stood up and turned to look at Lena and Sage. “Actually, the board is ready for us.”

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