Sadie waved bye and headed to her car.
It was over.
Chapter Eighteen
She wasn’t living life, she was merely surviving it. Completely content with her day-to-day routine, then in walked a man who changed everything. Turned her life upside and rattled her to her core. Showed Sadie a life she’d been missing, feelings she’d only read about, emotions she had never expressed. Gave her the safety and protection of someone who truly cared, something she’d never had before. Sadie finally started living, really living.
Then it was gone!
It was the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving. Sadie had cried all she could and mourned the loss of her relationship. Funny how heartbreak felt like death. Death being the end, and so final, just like her relationship with Stone.
Grabbing her phone, she breathed in as much air as her lungs would allow and released. Twisting her head side to side, she breathed in again and held it, counted to three and released. Relaxing her body, she inhaled once more. Oh, who was she kidding, she could do all the relaxing techniques ever invented, it wouldn’t make this any easier. Just do it! Sadie had dodged her calls long enough. It was time and she knew it. Grabbing her phone, Sadie dialed the number. She answered on the third ring. Damn, Sadie was hoping to get her voicemail.
“So you’re not dead?” she sarcastically asked
“Nope, still breathing,” Sadie replied and breathed in again.
“Well, I feel honored, you taking the time to call your mother back.” Oh, she knew this tone, nothing good ever came from this tone.
“Sorry,” she lied. Sadie had learned sometimes it was just easier to appease people like her mom than throw sass. Hopefully, this call would end soon and Sadie could get on with getting on.
“Well, anyway, I’m coming home.”
“Home where?” Sadie asked, dreading her mom’s answer. She knew the answer but in some faraway place of unrealistic answers, she hoped for anything but Cedar Bluff.
“Cedar Bluff, of course.” Shit! Her whole body bent over and she released a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Shit! Pull it together, Sadie.
“What happened, I thought you were getting married?” she inquired calmly.
She sighed. “Well, he can’t marry me if he’s still married to her, now can he?”
“Oh!”
“Yeah, oh, so anyway, I’m driving back tonight. That’ll give you plenty of time to get your stuff out of my room and back into yours. Make sure it’s done, Sadie, I’m going to be tired from my drive and the last thing I’ll want to do is move your stuff.”
Sadie was speechless. Her mom was coming home and she was kicking her out of her room. The room she paid for. Sadie had no words. Literally. Her mouth was hanging open and nothing was coming out.
“Got to run, see you soon!” She hung up.
This was not happening.
Gazing around the trailer from where she stood, all her stuff, everything, which wasn’t much, would soon be shared with a woman she had come to despise. She could take a stand and tell her no, she wouldn’t move out of her room. She could even tell her mom that she couldn’t move back in with her. She’d been paying the rent for four years. This place was hers.
Sadie sent her a quick text telling her exactly that. Her reply was immediate and took the wind out of her sails.
Mom: It’s MY name on the lease.
Sadie never had it changed. Emotion washed over her, part regret, part sadness, and another part she couldn’t define. She got her. Sadie paid the rent every month but it was still in her mom’s name. They had to keep her name on it when she moved because Sadie was a minor. She never thought to change it. She certainly didn’t think her mom would ever come back.
She had been wrong!
Accepting defeat, she cleaned out her childhood room that had been used as storage. She was able to move her stuff around and pile books to get all her stuff inside the tiny room. She didn’t have much but what was hers, she wanted to keep. It took her nearly three hours to complete the rearrangement. By the end, she plopped down on her couch and looked around the trailer. It wasn’t hers anymore.
She grabbed the paper and instead of turning to the want ads, she looked at the rentals.
The moving was done. The trailer was ready for her mom’s return. Sadie, on the other hand, was not. She quickly showered and got ready to go out to Henry’s Market. She might as well make a Thanksgiving dinner. The market was sure to have at least one little turkey left.
Grabbing her phone, she glanced down—no calls and no texts. It was really was over. Her eyes welled up and threatened tears again but she inhaled a deep breath. Reigning in her heartache, purse in hand, she walked to the door. Before she could open it, she heard a knock. Sadie usually checked the kitchen window to see who it was but it was two in the afternoon, probably just Miss Trudy.
She swiftly opened the door at the second round of knocking. She must have caught the man off guard because his hand almost knocked on her nose. His hand pulled back at the last second while she flinched.
“Gosh, darling, I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I didn’t get ya, did I?” He had a cowboy drawl, deep and gravelly. It was a strong tone but not threatening, almost soothing.
She shook her head smiling. “No, you’re fine.” She’d always been a sucker for an accent.
Sadie checked out the stranger. He was tall, about six-one. He was older, maybe in his sixties, but in good shape. His body looked lean, no potbelly from what she could see. His hair was thin and completely gray. His face was aged and weathered but his hazel eyes were what captured hers. He had kind eyes. Also,
