Chapter 4

four

H e'd said yes to a family dinner hours before he knew he'd volunteer to work with Sadie. If he could rent a TARDIS, he'd travel back a few hours and find an excuse to say no to this meal. As it was, his niece Vangie bounced next to him with all the energy of a three-year-old as she scooped another bite of green beans into her mouth.

Weren't kids supposed to be picky eaters?

David shoved the mashed potatoes around on his plate. Could he convince Vangie to eat some of them? His appetite was non-existent. Working with Sadie? Had he really agreed to work for his ex-girlfriend? The only woman he'd ever really loved.

After all these years and all the twists and turns their lives had taken, he'd be working at Hoover's Hardware with Sadie. Not as her partner like they'd always envisioned, but as a free lackey.

"Unca David?" Vangie tugged on his sleeve. "How are the kittens?"

David set his fork down. All eyes at the table were on him, and he shifted in his seat. The meal with his family had been oddly quiet. Maybe it was simply because he'd been pre- occupied with his meeting with Sadie today. "The kittens are good. Growing quickly."

"Almost time I can take one home?" Vangie brushed against David.

"I'd say in another week or two."

"I want two." Becca clapped her hands. Caroline used a napkin to wipe her daughter's hands.

"You want two kittens, or you want Dos?" Caroline glared at David. "Honestly, who names kittens by numbering them?"

Becca clapped her now clean hands. "Dos!"

Vangie tugged on David's sleeve. "I want Uno."

Perhaps Caroline would have two kittens in her future, even if she didn't want that many.

Grant pushed his plate forward. "It's clever. He doesn't have to think of fancy names."

Mamá Gata and her five kittens—Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, and Cinco. Better and easier than coming up with names. And maybe he wouldn't get attached when he had to find them homes when he left.

Vangie rested her head on David's shoulder. "I'm all done. Unca David, want to come play tea party with me?"

And leave behind the now cold glob of mashed potatoes still on his plate? "Absolutely, kiddo."

David pushed his chair back, but Leah appeared behind him, her infant daughter wrapped in a blanket in her arm. Leah placed her free hand on his shoulder. "Vangie, why don't you and Becca run upstairs to play together in Isabella's playroom. This afternoon I set up an art table for you with new crayons and fresh paper. You can draw Uncle David another fairy house."

Vangie had given him a picture several weeks ago. "I attempted to build the last fairy house you gave me. One of these days you'll have to come see it."

Vangie's jaw dropped, and her hands splayed on the table. "You builded me a fairy house?"

David nodded, and Vangie threw her arms around his neck. "I can't wait to see it." She gave him a sloppy kiss on the check and ran off.

Caroline shook her head at David. "Way to make sure you're the favorite uncle. She'll never stop talking about coming to see you now. You'll have to follow through on your dinner invite."

"How about next Saturday? I'll provide meat and the makings for s'mores, and you guys can bring the sides."

"We can't next weekend. Could we do it in two weeks?" Caroline looked at the calendar on her phone.

His weeks just ran together, but two weeks gave David a little extra time to clean things up and maybe add some pink paint to the trim of the fairy house. "That's fine with me. Leah?"

"Works for us. You done, David? I can take your plate." Leah brushed his shoulder as she picked up his plate before he could even respond.

He stopped her by holding the edge of the plate. "Your hands are full. Let me do this."

Leah shook her head. "You hold Isabella. I'll clear the dishes."

She carefully handed him the tiny baby wrapped in a soft pink blanket. David cuddled his tiny niece close to his chest.

He'd missed seeing both Vangie and Becca this size. He'd be heading back to Costa Rica soon, so he'd enjoy this while he could. Isabella sucked on a pink pacifier, her little cheeks working furiously, her eyes closed as she let out a sigh.

A deep longing to have a family, children of his own, awoke within him. It had to be the nieces fueling these thoughts. He shut those buried dreams down. His work, his life, required sacrifice. It was just the way it was.

"She's growing so fast." Jon spoke from the head of the table. "But I'm ready for her to sleep through the night."

Grant, who sat to the right of Jon, grunted his agreement as he grabbed Jon's shoulder, like some secret father club. "It takes a while before a baby sleeps all night."

Across from David, Caroline sat practically glaring at him. Her green eyes flashed in anger.

David racked his brain, but nothing came up. He had no idea what he'd done to make her angry. He'd finished all the renovations at his grandparents' house she and Leah had requested. She even said she liked it. Had something changed? Leah came in—she must have left the dishes in the sink because she hadn't been gone long enough for anything else—and kissed Jon on the cheek as she slipped into her seat.

"What is this? An intervention?" David couldn't handle more today. Seeing Sadie, agreeing to work with her…Wasn't that enough for one day?

Jon grunted, and Leah shot him a warning glance.

"No." Leah stood up. "I forgot dessert. Who wants coffee?"

"There's no need to make coffee." Caroline crossed her arms. "But if you have it made, I'd take a cup."

Jon stood up. "I'll get the cookies."

David pushed back from the table. "I can help."

Caroline stood up. "You have the baby. I'll help."

The baby—it had been a trap. No way could he make a quick exit with Isabella in his arms. He'd walked right into this, and he had no choice but to hear what they had to say now. If only they'd hurry up and say it.

David looked at Grant. "Do you have any idea what this is about?"

"I'm staying out of it." Grant pulled his phone out and started scrolling.

David didn't have long to wait because Jon came back in with the plate of cookies, and Leah and Caroline returned with five cups of coffee and the cream and sugar.

David took his coffee black and waited while the others fixed their own cups. He shifted the baby in his arm, pulling her closer, as he took a sip. Bitter. And not quite right—like everything else since seeing Sadie.

The night couldn't end soon enough, David just needed to hear what they had to say so could he leave. "So, ready to say your piece now?"

Leah glanced at Caroline and then Jon. "Well, you see…"

Caroline set her coffee cup on the table and leaned forward. "Sadie's back in town. Taking over the hardware store."

"I know." Boy, did he. David would be seeing a lot more of her, too. Shock filtered across his sisters' faces. Good. Nosy as all get out. "If that's all this is about, I think I'll head out now. Can I lay Isabella down?"

"Hold on." Grant looked at David over the rim of his coffee cup. "You may be done with this conversation, but I guarantee your sisters aren't, and I'd rather they have their say than listen to them rehash it if you rush out."

So much for the bro code. "And I thought you said you had no idea what this was about."

Grant shrugged and nodded toward Caroline. "I said it wasn't my problem and that I was staying out of it. But if you leave now, she'd make it my problem."

"How did you find out Sadie was in town?" Leah took a cookie and passed the plate around.

Jon and Grant took two. David passed. There was no need to try—they wouldn't taste good either.

"I'm working at the hardware store. Ironed out the details this morning."

Leah shot Caroline a look. It didn't matter if they were five, fifteen, or grown adults, their silent twin telepathy raised his hackles. "Spit it out. You don't have to use your twin powers."

Leah let out a deep breath. "Did you know she has a daughter?"

Sadie had a daughter? It would have hurt less to hammer his thumb. Not that it should matter to him. "She's married. It's not that unexpected."

"She's widowed." Caroline tossed her hair over her shoulder, but David stopped her from saying more.

"Widowed? Like her husband died?" David snuggled Isabella closer, needing to flex his hands. He patted the baby gently, thankful for a reason to move.

"Yes, genius." Grant punched his arm. A glint in his eye. "Need any other words defined?"

"I'll pull up the dictionary app." Jon picked up his phone.

Sadie was single? No. That's not how he'd think about her. Sadie was widowed. His heart ached for her pain. The heartbreak she'd endured. For her child who would grow up fatherless. "She's a single mom?"

"Yes. Her daughter is nine." Caroline's words were slow, laced with something like accusation. She leaned closer, her eyes communicating a message David didn't understand.

" Nine , David. Pretty girl. Red hair." Leah twirled a curl of her own hair around a finger.

Caroline made a V with her fingers and pointed at her own green eyes then with more force at David. "She has brown eyes."

"Red hair. Brown eyes. Make the connection, David." Grant harrumphed and sipped his coffee.

The faces around the table all stared at David like he needed to figure something out. Like he was guilty. He shook his head and shrugged.

"Come on, Bro." Leah gestured to her hair and made a V with two fingers on her right hand and pointed at her green eyes, then his. Had his sisters practiced that move?

Isabella let out a little sneeze and stretched in his arms. He looked down to see her sleepy eyes open and then slowly close.

Wait. Were they serious? A nine-year-old girl. Red hair. Brown eyes. Like his.

Of all the ridiculous things to think.

His sisters had such little faith in him? He wasn't that type of guy, and that they'd jumped to such a conclusion stung.

David stood up and paced away from the table, turning his back to his family. Isabella wiggled in his arms, and he ran a finger down her soft, pink cheek. A daughter? "No. I can tell what you're thinking, and no."

Leah bit at her bottom lip. "Are you sure she's not yours?"

He'd given up his dreams of a family when Sadie walked away from him. No one had compared to her. He hugged his niece a little closer. He'd never have the experience of holding his own daughter, and he'd be leaving his nieces behind soon enough. David spun around to face the table and walked back toward it. "I'm positive she's not mine. I can't believe you'd ask me that."

How could they think that? It wasn't possible for him to have a daughter with Sadie, but if it had been, he would never have left a baby without a father. Did they really think so little of him?

The tiny bundle in the crook of his arm started to move again, and he looked down to find Isabella's big eyes open, her mouth pinched. She grunted before a strong odor assaulted him. Saved by the…uh…stink?

He passed her to Jon. "I think that's my sign to give her back. I'm not sure uncle duties cover that."

He had to go. He shoved his hand into his pocket—yep, car keys, phone, wallet. He stepped toward the door. "Thanks for dinner, but I'm gonna head home."

He hurried out of the room before anyone could respond or stop him and opened the front door, welcoming the cool night air.

His skin burned.

Sadie had a nine-year-old daughter. She sure hadn't waited long to move on.

He'd been so devastated when they broke up. Maybe her feelings hadn't been as deep as his. Maybe that's why it had been easy for her to move on. Because news of her wedding hadn't been that long ago.

She'd moved on. And then on again. He'd been stuck in the past, wondering what could have been. No one had ever compared to her, and she replaced him. Quick.

Working with Sadie would be hard no matter the circumstances, but to know she had a daughter, and that she was widowed?

David opened the door of the small truck and sank into its seat.

In reality, this news didn't change anything. He still needed the job, and the hardware store was the only option.

Ten tips on working with your ex.

The words blurred as Sadie stared at her phone. Okay, Google, here goes. She clicked on the link because David would be here in ten minutes, and she had no idea how today was supposed to go. How was she going to work with the man who had completely shattered her heart and changed the course of her life?

A message from Romee dropped down and she clicked over.

Romee: Are you ready for today?

Sadie: Not even close. What was I thinking?

Romee: You were thinking about saving your store. *gif of Superwoman.

Sadie: Assuming I can save it.

Romee: *gif of a cat jumping up and down with the words You Can Do It.

Sadie: But seriously, how do I face David?

Romee: What did Google say? Because I know you looked.

Sadie: Agree to keep the past in the past. Be professional. Don't stir up drama. Focus on your work. Always take the high road…There's more, but you texted.

Romee: That's a start. Ignore the past.

The bell jingled and Sadie sent one more message as cool air blew into the shop.

Sadie: It's go time.

David walked in wearing boot cut jeans, a navy Henley shirt, aviator sunglasses, a dark brown bomber jacket, and he was holding two to-go cups from Donny's.

Closing the space between them, he handed her a cup, his fingers brushing against her hand as she took it.

Heat crept up her neck. She pulled the cup to her face. Coffee. She closed her eyes and took a moment to savor the welcome aroma.

"It's just the way you like it. Four creams and a sugar." David's deep voice washed over her, sending a trickle of shock through her system.

He remembered how she drank her coffee? A warm pit opened up in her stomach, but her phone vibrated on the counter with a message from Romee.

David stepped back and took off his sunglasses and tucked them inside his coat pocket.

Sadie picked up her phone and unlocked it to read Romee's message.

Romee: Stay strong! Be kind.

Sadie tucked her phone in her back pocket.

Be kind. She could do that.

She took a sip of coffee and savored the sweet and creamy flavor. Perfection. Except…"I drink it black now." Be kind. "But thank you."

David lifted one eyebrow, and his dimple appeared. "I guess things have changed."

Only like…everything.

Be professional. "I guess."

When Jeremy had been so sick at the end, she'd stopped taking the time to add cream and sugar. It had been more of a survival mode, and now, she hadn't added it back in. Just…because.

But she couldn't say all of that, much less to David. Leave the past in the past.

David set his cup down and shrugged out of his jacket.

"You can leave your things in the office." Sadie slid off the stool she'd been sitting on and led the way to the back of the store. Which was dumb. David knew the way to the office.

Ah, well. Be professional.

Sadie took another sip of the coffee. Absolute perfection. She'd not realized how much she missed the cream and sugar, but it made this cup of coffee the best she'd had in…well, ages.

Coffee preferences of the past, and he'd remembered. That had to mean…No.

Past in the past. It didn't mean he'd thought about her, and she couldn't assume he'd pined for her.

David took a large drink of his coffee. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. That was not supposed to be attractive. Not supposed to make her hands damp and her breath shallow.

Be professional.

She could do that.

"For starters, I'd like to move the counter, so it sits parallel with the front window. Then the register is next to the door. It's not like the line backs up, but it makes it nice to be able to pay right by the door." And now she babbled. She pointed to the coat rack inside the office. "After I clean out the back room, I'll set up a space for you, so you'll have your own personal spot to store stuff, but…"

Ugh. Put a sock in it, girl.

Sadie quickly turned on her heel and hurried back to the front of the store. A large box for an air compressor stood out in the middle of the regular tool section. It belonged with the power tools. Setting her coffee cup down, Sadie stretched her arms around the box. It was bigger than she expected, but she hoisted it up.

She took one step back, trying to regain her balance. The box weighed more than she thought.

"Let me help with that." David's hands grazed hers as he wrapped his arms around the box. Warmth shot through her, and her skin burned as his hand stayed close to hers and he lifted the box. Why did his touch still have to cause a reaction from her? "Where do you want it to go?"

Sadie directed David to the section she'd created for power tools as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She picked up her coffee and headed to the front of the store, her phone buzzing again and again. Setting her coffee down, she pulled it out. Four messages nope—five.

Romee: How's it going?

Romee: Are you still alive?

Romee: *gif of Bugs Bunny chewing a carrot saying, "What's up, Doc?"

Romee: Sees-ter! I need updates. He's been there like ten minutes.

Romee: Have you guys made up? Are you hiding in the office making out?

Sadie let out a breath and shook her head. Unbelievable.

Sadie: You're ridiculous.

Romee: Details, please. *gif of Puss in Boots with pleading eyes.

Sadie: No details.

Sadie: But…

Romee: *gif of Ham talking to Scotty saying, "You're killing me, Smalls."

Sadie: He brought me coffee.

Romee: *gif of Thor throwing a coffee cup on the floor yelling "Another!"

Sadie tucked her phone away as David stepped up to the glass counter. Sadie showed him where she wanted it to go. She'd already emptied it this morning, taking out the things they kept stored in there—knives, spray paint, ammo—so it would be easier to move. She'd stacked it all against the wall in her office to keep them safe.

She also had new shelves to install. She'd ordered them before she knew about the bank loan, and since they were non-refundable, she might as well use them.

David quickly set to work, moving the few remaining items that needed to be moved. "How do you want to do this?" he asked about the counter. "I can take one end and you the other?"

Sadie quickly agreed. Their polite and professional demeanors easily stayed in place.

They moved the counter over, and Sadie picked up Windex and paper towels when David offered to clean the glass.

"Do you want the items back in here?" He pointed at the empty case.

"If you remember where it all belongs, but I'm happy to put it back in." Sadie stepped out of the way as David came forward and picked up some spray paint. His arm brushed hers, and even though she wore long sleeves, goosebumps rose along her arm.

Ugh. Could she not stay out of his way?

"I remember." David's warm chocolate eyes sought hers out. "I remember a lot."

Oh no. No, he did not. Heat radiated through Sadie. Very unprofessional words sprang to her lips, but she forced them closed, pulled them between her teeth.

Leave the past in the past.

Sadie let out a deep breath and shook her head. It would be easier to walk away from that. Not take the bait. She headed toward the office. Maybe she could figure out something that would save the store.

Don't stir up drama, Sadie reminded herself as she continued to her office.

"Walking away again?" David's quiet voice might as well have been a knife thrown at her back.

That's it. Forget it. Those rules were stupid, anyway. Spinning around on her heel, she marched back to him.

" I didn't walk away. You left." She crossed her arms, hugging herself, to keep from jabbing her finger into his chest.

"I didn't leave you. You refused to talk about our future and broke up with me." David stepped closer. His manly, clean scent was the same one she remembered from all those years ago, invading her space just as much as his physical presence.

"Oh no. Don't you blame this on me." Sadie stepped closer, looking up at David, finally jamming her finger into his chest.

His very solid chest.

He didn't even have the decency to wince at her jab. But poking him had hurt her finger. She dropped her hand rather than shaking it out. "You're the one who changed our plans for the future without even talking. Then just sprang a new idea on me and told me to get on board. Or else."

David scoffed. "I didn't say it like that."

Sadie flung her arms out to her sides. "Might as well have."

"I told you I was interested in Costa Rica. That I'd been accepted as a teacher. I wanted you to go with me. You walked away."

"I needed time to think. Besides, you never invited me to go with you. You just told me you were going, and that was the end of it. I wanted to build a life together. Decide together. You just made a decision and expected me to follow. How was I supposed to know you even wanted me there? You never said as much."

"I loved you. Of course I wanted you with me."

She didn't miss the past tense. He had loved her. He had wanted her. Not now. She might still be attracted to him, but their love was a part of the past and needed to stay there.

She drew a deep, calming breath. "And I loved you and would have followed you anywhere."

His expression hardened as he took a step toward her, but she took a step back, shaking her head.

Her eyes burned and her throat tightened. She would not cry in front of him."But I wanted a love that made decisions together. One where we could build a life together. A partnership between two people. And when you left, I realized that maybe I'd been fooling myself all along."

David stepped back. He jammed a hand into his hair, like the words pained him.

"Is that the kind of love you found with your husband? You can say you loved me, but it certainly didn't take you long to move on. You have a nine-year-old daughter. We broke up less than ten years ago."

Seriously? Was he delusional? "Oh, that's rich. You're so clueless."

"Then enlighten me."

Sadie bit the inside of her jaw to keep the words she'd regret later inside.

Part of her wanted him to think Lottie was hers, thankful that he still felt something toward her, even if it was just betrayal. But he'd learn the truth sooner or later.

And a larger part of her wanted him to know how much he'd hurt her when he'd left. He'd been gone when Lottie was born, but she figured he'd at least heard the news. "I'm adopting Lottie, Bonnie and Jeremy's daughter, you idiot. Remember their honeymoon baby, who was born three months prematurely?"

Surprise crossed his face, and he walked away from her as he rubbed his chest.

Well, good. No. Wait. That was just petty, but she couldn't deny that it did give her a little satisfaction that it bothered him.

They'd been maid of honor and best man at Bonnie and Jeremy's Easter wedding. Just weeks before their own breakup.

David had walked away from more than just Sadie when they broke up. He hadn't contacted any of their mutual friends, either.

"You're adopting Jeremy's little girl?"

"Yes." Sadie stepped back, crossing her arms and squeezing tight.

"I'm sorry. I was out of line. I heard you were a widow, but I should have known better than to trust the Heritage gossip." David stepped a little closer, his gaze boring into her. Something akin to relief flashed in his eyes, but it passed before she could be certain.

"I did marry." Her voice came out thin, and David's eyes dropped. She waited for him to look up again. "Eighteen months ago. Right after Jeremy was diagnosed with Machado-Joseph disease."

"You married Jeremy? What happened to Bonnie?" David let out a long, slow breath, like he'd been punched.

"She died in a car accident eight years ago. Which you'd know if you hadn't cut everyone off. I'd been helping with Lottie since then, and it was the next logical step."

"Did you love him?" He met her gaze, his heart in his eyes, but she wasn't doing this again.

"You don't get to ask me that."

"Sadie." A guttural sound. A plea.

Sadie shook her head. "It's in the past, David. Let's leave it there."

The front bell jingled, and Sadie jumped back. She hadn't realized how close they were standing. She whipped her head around to see her dad walking into the store flipping a key ring around his pointer finger. He'd finally brought her the key to the back room.

The perfect distraction, because this conversation was over. They'd rehashed their past. Broke every rule she'd read on Google and aired out their dirty laundry. They had a mixed up and convoluted breakup, but it didn't change anything. The past was the past.

And it had to stay there.