Page 3 of When Ellie Falls in Love

The garage apartment had served as a temporary house for both of her older sisters, and Ellie was determined to convince her parents she needed to move there while attending college. While it was still fairly close to the main house, the added privacy of having its own entrance and kitchen meant Ellie could at least feel as if she was living on her own, even if it wasn’t in a dorm room. And secretly, Ellie loved the fact her parents would still be so close.

“Saving yourself for the college dating scene,” Dylan teased, playfully jabbing Ellie in the ribs. “I see what you’re doing.”

“Stop it. My dating scene will literally be the same. I’m not the Mackenzie going away to college.”

Dylan’s playfulness faded as she asked, “I thought you were okay with that?”

“Who says I’m not?”

“Your tone,” she laughed.

Ellie gripped tighter onto the steering wheel. Her parents were already spending an enormous amount to send Brayden off to the University of Maine in Orono. He had a partial hockey scholarship, but Ellie had heard her parents discussing their financial situation. They would never tell Ellie or Brayden they couldn’t go to the college they wanted to, but Ellie decided not to go away because of that. Not that she’d ever tell them that. Her parents always did everything for their kids, all five of them. Ellie could go to the local college for them.

“Well, at least you still have me in town.”

“True.” Ellie parked the car in Dylan’s driveway. “See you tomorrow.”

“See ya.”

Hopping out of the car, Dylan grabbed her bag from the back and headed up the walkway. Her mom, Cameron, was cleaning out her flower bed, and Ellie waved at her. Cameron and her mom, Vera, had been best friends since college, and she was like an aunt to Ellie and her siblings.

As Ellie drove home, her mind wandered back to the image of Sadie sitting in the gymnasium.

Those blue eyes…

“Get a grip, Ellie,” she said aloud in the empty car.

But her brain didn’t listen.

Chapter 2

Sadie

When she was first forced to move to Moonflower Cove a little over two years ago, Sadie Baxter did not know how quickly it would feel like home. She loved spending her days on the Baxter Tree Farm, reading among the pine trees or practicing on the makeshift softball field. It was her safe place and a vast difference from Moonflower Cove High School.

Even after being a student there for over two years, Sadie still didn’t fit in. Not with her classmates, and definitely not with her softball teammates. It was hard enough for Sadie to transfer schools in the middle of her sophomore year. But when she started her new school, everyone seemed to hate her. And no one more so than her teammates.

They hated Sadie was a good softball player with a natural talent for the sport. They called her names and made fun of her and constantly whispered behind her back that the only reason she was the pitcher was because her stepmom was the coach. Sadie knew that wasn’t true. Well, yes, her stepmom, Charlie,wasthe head coach. But she didn’t get the spot based on that. In fact, Charlie had her softball friends and fellow coaching staff help her with the decision. Charlie had even told Sadie she didn’t want to give her the starting position because she was worried about how it would look. However, at the end of the day, giving the spot to Sadie would be best for the team.

Sadie knew that without her on the mound, the team would not have made it to the semi-finals the last two years. The talk around theschool was that they had the chance to go to state this year, but Sadie was determined not to let that go to her head. She couldn’t risk losing focus during her last season of high school softball, even if she already had a scholarship in the bag.

The decision to accept the scholarship hadn’t been easy. Sadie still wasn’t sure she was making the right call accepting the position at the University of Tennessee. It was so far away from her mom, and Sadie could almost cry at the mere thought of not being able to see her mom for weeks on end. And Charlie. Their little family meant the world to Sadie, and she had thought about giving up playing college softball in lieu of attending the local University of Maine branch so she could live at home on more than one occasion

Home.

Pulling her blue 2022 Mustang into the driveway, Sadie took in the sight of the farmhouse. It didn’t feel like it belonged in Maine, with its wrap-around porch, rocking chairs, and porch swing. The house could fit in a southern small town with ease. But it was home; more of a home than Sadie ever had before.

When she and her mom, Delaney, lived in Florida, they had a gorgeous beach house in the Keys. It had a large pool and ocean views, and Sadie occasionally missed it—or at least missed the idea of it. That was a different time in her life, a time when her mom was single, and Sadie’s friend Penny lived nearby.

Penny.

It had been over a year since Sadie had texted Penny. Their schedules were beyond busy with their final year of high school, but Sadie knew it was for the best. They had moved on and grown apart, and sometimes that was what happened with friends.

The mid-February sun had melted the rest of the leftover snow, giving the front yard a muddy brown look with patches of green grass sprinkled about. Charlie had been wanting to plant new grass seed for weeks, but Delaney kept telling her she needed to practice patience and wait. It was as hard for Charlie as it was for Sadie. She was eager to get back outside without having to clean the mud off her shoes every time.

Opening the front door, Sadie kicked off her boots before hanging her jacket and backpack on one of the three hooks. Both Delaney and Charlie’s jackets were already hung up, which meant her moms were already home. Sadie walked through the house to the kitchen, where she found them lip-locked by the oven. Instead of interrupting them, Sadie watched them. Not in a creepy way, but in a loving way.

She loved seeing her mom so happy with Charlie. After her mom’s divorce from her dad, Sadie wasn’t sure she’d ever see her mom happy again. But moving back home to the Cove and reconnecting with Charlie Monroe was exactly what Delaney needed. Sadie still remembered their sweet vows at their small wedding a few weeks ago. They were so in love, and it warmed Sadie’s heart.

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