Page 18 of Stuck with my Boss Daddies

I turned, slow, like if I moved too fast, she’d vanish.

She didn’t.

Sadie stood a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself like she was bracing for impact. Loose strands of her dark hair caught in the wind.

She looked the same. And completely different.

Her eyes met mine, and I felt my insides crack.

“What are you doing here?” she breathed out.

I swallowed. “Could ask you the same thing, S.”

Her lips parted slightly. I saw the flicker of recognition at the old nickname. The way her throat bobbed when she swallowed.

But she recovered quick, forcing a small smile. “I’m staying with Hayley. Thank God she still loves me enough to take me in.”

I huffed out a laugh. But it wasn’t funny.

She shifted, shoving her hands into her pockets.

“You…” She hesitated. Then, quieter, “Never mind.”

“No.” My voice was rough. “Say it.”

She inhaled sharply. “I didn’t know you owned The Foundry.” Her gaze dropped. “I wouldn’t have come in if I’d known. I wouldn’t have…”

Hurt you.

The words were unspoken, but I heard them anyway.

My jaw clenched.

I should’ve told her to leave. Should’ve said I didn’t need her here, screwing up the life I’d built without her.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I met her gaze and told the truth.

“I know.”

Sadie exhaled, nodding slightly, like she’d been expecting that answer.

I hated that she understood me that well.

I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Walk with me.”

She hesitated. But after a beat, she nodded.

Medford was quiet at this hour, the last traces of sunset bleeding behind the trees. It was my favorite time of day.

We passed Page Turners, the bookstore we used to sneak into after school, hiding between the shelves, making plans for a future we never got to have.

“Remember when Old Man George caught us making out in the poetry section?” she murmured.

I huffed a laugh. “Thought he was gonna ban us for life.”

“I thought he was gonna kill us.”

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