Chapter 7

seven

T his was not a date.

A solid favor—that's what David had called this little outing, and Sadie refused to think of it as anything else. Especially considering the silent, hour-long car ride. At least it had given her time to make sure Lottie was okay with Doris.

Outside the restaurant, the lights of the bridge were just coming on. The view through the windows was breathtaking, and the walk to the car promised to be filled with twinkle lights and romance as long as the rain held off. Inside, there were candles, soft string music piped over the speakers, and David's warm arm brushed hers every time he moved. There were four other people at the table.

Four other people pulling them in separate conversations.

"Sadie, dear," Charlotte, Lance's wife, drawled in her sweet southern accent. She set the menu down and rested her chin on her hand. "Tell us how you met our David."

Sadie glanced at David, his strong jaw tense. Stress lines wrinkled his forehead as he talked with Marco, who sat at the head of the table. "We met in high school."

The waitress set water in front of Sadie, and she took a sip.

"High school? Isadora, did you hear that? Why, these lovebirds met in high school. And they're getting a second chance at romance. Like in one of those Hallmark movies." Charlotte grabbed the hand of the petite woman sitting between them at the end of the table.

Sadie coughed on her water. Her throat tickled, and she couldn't quite swallow. She coughed again, set her water down and dabbed her napkin at her mouth.

David turned to her and rubbed her back, looking at her with his eyebrows lifted. Her skin burned under his touch. "You okay?"

She nodded, and he withdrew his shaking hand. Was he nervous? At least he hadn't heard Charlotte's comment. He turned back to the others.

"I'm helping Mrs. Allen paint her kitchen. I think she's more lonely than anything. I've had tea with her both times I've been by to work. And Nate has found a few other odd jobs I've been helping with."

Sadie didn't realize David was the man Mrs. Allen had mentioned when she first came in looking at paint samples.

Finally, the tickle cleared up, and Sadie took another sip of water.

Isadora gave Sadie a small nod and slowly extracted her hand from Charlotte's grip. "How did you manage to meet up again after all these years?"

"David is working in my family's—at my hardware store." Sadie slipped her hands under the table. Easier to hide her fidgeting.

"Like in those movies. What did I tell you? Oh, this is such good news. We were hoping for community involvement, but a romance is so much better." Charlotte tucked her hand under her chin again. "Tell us about working with David."

Sadie peeked at David, but he was deep in conversation with Marco and Lance. Had he told these people they were dating? Did she and David look like a couple?

The waitress squeezed between Sadie and David to set a basket of bread on the table in front of the women and another basket in front of the men. Sadie quickly took a slice of warm bread and then passed the basket to Isadora. Anything to keep from answering the question.

Lance cleared his throat, and everyone at the table looked at him. "David, tell us more about your involvement in the community."

David's neck turned red and his Adam's apple bobbed as he glanced down at the table.

Just dinner her foot. More like an inquisition. For both of them.

David shifted in his seat, his arm brushing against hers once again. His voice was deep, a slight tremble to the undertone. "I've been working at the hardware store with Sadie."

Charlotte bumped her shoulder into her husband's arm. "And she's about to tell us how they met up again all these years later and he swooped her off her feet."

If only the ground could swallow her up. Sadie gestured to David, as his shaking hand moved toward the breadbasket, then back to herself and shook her head. "We're not together."

David's eyes widened, looking at Sadie. Guess that meant he hadn't told them they were together, and Charlotte had jumped to that conclusion all on her own. He pulled his trembling hand back quickly and knocked over his full glass. The water and ice crashed to the table and rushed into Sadie's lap.

Sadie pushed back, but she didn't get out of the way of the water, and it continued to soak her. She sucked in air and pursed her lips. David used his napkin to try and stop the flow of water.

The waitress appeared, handing Sadie a handful of thick, dry napkins, and pointed her to the restroom at the back of the room. Sadie excused herself from the table and hurried to the washroom. Thank goodness it was empty. She relaxed against the closed door and relished a moment to herself.

Together? With David?

Obviously, the shock that they might be a couple had totally gotten to him. That stung worse than the ice-cold lapful of water.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against the door. It shouldn't bother her that the idea of being with her had upset him so much he knocked his water into her lap. It had been a surprise to her, too. Obviously, they hadn't worked out the first time around.

It wasn't like she hadn't dreamed of his touch, the satisfaction of being with him, his clean, soapy scent as his arms wrapped around her, or the desire of a lifelong partner. She couldn't let the attraction between them bloom into anything more.

She didn't want a second chance with David. Even if her pulse still sped up at his touch. Even if his kindness with Lottie had Sadie dreaming of a family. Even if he still made her heart pound and her breath catch.

She didn't want that.

Couldn't want that.

Not with David.

She had a life in Heritage, with Lottie.

He had a life someplace exotic.

Breathing in a deep breath, Sadie counted to four and slowly let it out. She pressed the button for the hand dryer and worked on her skirt. Thankfully she'd had the foresight to wear black. Small mercies. Too bad she'd left her purse at the table, because it would be a good time to check on Lottie.

"You poor thing!" Charlotte, her Southern accent thick, barged into the restroom. She pulled out several more paper towels and handed them to Sadie.

"That poor young man. He's been through so much already this year, and then to come to dinner for Marco and Lance to quiz him like that. And for me to try and pair you two up. Don't you worry, darlin'. I scolded them something fierce after you left."

Sadie stepped over to the sink and washed her hands, letting the warm water thaw her fingers. "No reason to scold. It was an honest misunderstanding."

"You're entirely too gracious, Sadie darling. This dinner was supposed to be a friendly chat, not an inquisition. Poor David's hands were shaking so bad, it's no wonder he knocked over that glass. And all over you. David has never brought a date to anything. Ever. Lance figured he'd come alone. Or talk Nate into coming since he's been so instrumental in counseling David these past few months."

Sadie gestured for the door, but Charlotte took Sadie's hands into her own. The woman sure liked to touch people when she talked to them.

Charlotte squeezed Sadie's hands. "Well, as much as Nate can. David's shut himself off from everything. But it must not be all that bad if David has you. And you two look so relaxed together. The way he turned to you and patted your back. The way he looks at you—it's the same way my Lance used to look at me. And the way you two steal glances at each other. Mmmm. So cute. I know Lance's hopes soared when he realized that David brought you."

Sadie gently tugged her hands free. Could his conversation be over yet? She'd been caught with her secret glances at David? Of course Charlotte would pick up on all her mixed emotions.

Sadie opened the door and motioned for Charlotte to exit.

Charlotte slowly made her way through the door. "But don't you worry. Those men will be on their best behavior when we go back. Now, are you all dried off?"

Dried off? Hardly. The info dump Charlotte had given was as chilling as her soaked dress. Obviously, tonight was more than just dinner —no matter what David had said.

Charlotte walked next to Sadie as they sidestepped tables and other patrons. "Your David is a good man. After he almost drowned saving Remy, one of his students, we've all been extra worried about him."

David almost drowned? Sadie missed a step and just about tripped. Charlotte's hand squeezed her arm, steadying her.

"But he's pulled through physically, and we want to make sure he's ready emotionally to return to Costa Rica. We can provide more options if he's led to go a different direction."

Obviously, he'd left out some huge details about his life in Costa Rica. Like almost drowning. Saving a boy's life. That he might not go back. Perhaps she just hadn't asked him the right questions to hear the story brewing under the surface.

No matter what happened in Costa Rica, or before, when they broke up, Sadie wanted to help David. He had stepped in at the store. And with Lottie. He'd made big sales, encouraged her, and helped out wherever he could. The least she could do was help him get through this dinner.

He loved the students, enough to almost die saving them. Like he cared for Lottie. She could see his enjoyment as they studied, as he talked with her. David had a gift.

Sadie's throat tightened, and she blinked back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

David stood and pulled her chair out for her, his breath warm on her cheek as he whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry, Sadie."

Emotions warred in the depths of his gaze. She couldn't hold this against him. His fingers brushed her back as she sat down, and heat raced down her spine. She wouldn't mind feeling that warmth the rest of the night. "Don't think another moment about it." Because she wasn't furious—it had been an accident—but she was curious.

David needed to go back to Costa Rica, and she'd do whatever she could to support, to encourage, and to help him achieve his dreams.

But when tonight was over, she had some questions. He'd be her captive in the car, and he'd better be ready to answer.

Like…how he almost drowned, and why he needed to report his activities to his mission board.

One thing was crystal clear, though. David had been totally accurate when he asked her for a solid favor. There were no romantic notions in his head.

If only David could be back at his grandparents' farm, pretending tonight had never happened. That he hadn't soaked Sadie because of his shaking hands. That he'd had satisfactory answers to Marco's and Lance's questions. That Charlotte hadn't assumed he and Sadie were a couple .

Instead, he sat in Olivia's van. Because even she had thought tonight should be more— a date —and his grandpa's Subaru wasn't as comfortable for a passenger. What did it say about him, that as a grown man in his thirties he didn't even own a car? It had never bothered him before.

"Want to talk about it?" Sadie looked up from her hands. The weight of her stare burned into him.

Not really, no.

The line of red lights ahead blurred and merged together—how could traffic leaving Grand Rapids possibly be this bad on a Saturday night? He blinked and refocused, but the brake lights still glowed in the darkness. They wouldn't be moving for a while. He pushed the button to turn on the CD player. Kid songs would be better than conversation. Anything to fill the void that threatened to swallow the rest of his pride.

An upbeat rhythm filled the car and young voices started singing, " If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands."

He pushed the button again. Nope, he wasn't happy. And the car hadn't moved. Not even a foot.

Silence it was.

"David?" Sadie's hand settled on his arm. It wasn't like he needed the reminder that she was still there.

He really didn't want to talk. Music was a better option. Even children's songs. He turned the CD player back on.

Clap. Clap.

Sadie's hand flew to the power button, cutting off the song.

Well, then.

David racked his brain for a topic, any topic, other than the disaster of the dinner. "Ready for the kitten?"

Sadie sighed, and she withdrew her hand. "Lottie is. Me? I don't know. But we picked up supplies."

The brake lights ahead let up, and cars started moving again. He inched forward, all of fifty feet, and traffic stopped again.

Sadie pulled out her phone and swiped a few times. "Looks like there's an accident up ahead. But GPS says we should only be here for fifteen or so minutes. This is still the fastest route home. So we have at least that long for you to tell me what that dinner was about, because it wasn't just a friendly night with your higher ups."

David hung his head and rubbed his temples. Lance's question about his involvement in the community weighed on him more than the traffic jam, more than the disastrous dinner. He didn't know how to answer Lance. If David hadn't made a single impact in Heritage in the time he'd been there, Marco and Lance were right to be worried about him. He hadn't encouraged anyone. Hadn't helped anyone. Had hardly interacted with his family until they'd forced his hand. And now? Now he sat in a borrowed van with his ex-girlfriend.

Impact? Unlikely."I was sent stateside a little over six months ago, after an accident, and I haven't been cleared to go back. Partly because they don't know if I'm fit to return. My hands shake, and I've hidden myself away."

"I noticed your hands at dinner tonight. But I've never seen them shake at the store."

David held up his hand between them, letting it shake freely. "I've tried everything to get the shaking under control. They don't tend to shake when I'm at the store. I haven't quite figured out why."

Sadie gently placed her palm against his. Instantly, the tremors stopped, and his hand stilled. Hmm, he hadn't tried that.

The red lights blinked, and David inched forward a few feet. Lightning flashed in the distance. He glanced over at Sadie. Her expression didn't hold pity or anger, only open curiosity.

Something in that look gave him the courage to keep talking even though he pulled his hand away and gripped the steering wheel. "I work at a school for missionaries. Mainly, we work with those new to the culture, who are learning the Spanish language. While the parents are in language class, their children continue doing regular schoolwork as they, too, learn the language. Students come and go on a regular basis as parents move about the region. I oversee the physical education department."

"Lottie has mentioned that."

Of course. Lottie had asked no less than a hundred questions about Costa Rica, his apartment, the classes he taught, what kind of food he ate, about the beaches, and if he had a pet. "I've developed the program from the ground up. Each semester, I take a group of teens white water rafting. The kids look forward to it, and it really does build relationships that last long after they leave the school."

"I bet you love it." Sadie adjusted the air vents away from her.

David shrugged. What was not to love? But no amount of loving his job would save it. "I'm committed to see my work succeed."

"Why wouldn't it?"

The brake lights let up again, and David drove a block before the red lights flashed and he stopped. "On the last rafting trip, one of the teens was…less than thrilled his parents had uprooted his life. Remy had an attitude that wouldn't quit. I knew he might be trouble on the raft, so I made sure he was in mine."

David's throat constricted. Lightning flashed again, and rain plinked on the windshield. The wipers swished, but at least traffic picked up as they passed the accident. "The kid was so stubborn and bitter he wouldn't listen to instruction. He must have loosened the chin strap on his helmet when no one was looking because when he fell out of the raft, it fell off and he bumped his head. Knocked him out and seriously injured himself in the process."

Lightning continued to flash, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Sadie shifted in her seat, turning her whole body to watch him. "So, you jumped in?"

David shrugged. "The raft had gone over Remy, and he hadn't come back up. He needed help."

"Charlotte said you almost drowned."

Almost drowned. He fought back the sting he could still feel in his nostrils, the tightness in his lungs. "The current was stronger than I anticipated. I could reach Remy easily enough, but his shirt snagged a log. When I tried to free him, my foot lodged between a rock and a log on the bottom of the river. I finally released Remy's shirt and sent him down the river since I couldn't get my foot to move. In the process of floating, he bumped his head again. The doctors don't know if his head injury was a result of bumping it when he fell out of the raft or while he floated downstream. If I hadn't gotten stuck, I might have been able to protect him."

"How…" Her question hung in the air.

"The rafting instructor in the second raft saw what happened. He jumped in and freed my foot. But I'd been under for a while. I'm told I responded well to CPR and was talking before they took me to a local hospital. Although I don't remember that part."

Sadie sucked in a breath as she rested her soft hand gently on his arm. He hadn't dated much since Sadie. Hadn't met anyone that made him long for the closeness of physical touch. He'd remained so distant from everyone that he'd forgotten the power of a simple touch. He settled his own hand on top of hers, relishing the feel of her soft skin against his palm. "And Remy?"

David pulled his hand back and gripped the steering wheel. "They airlifted him to the nearest hospital. His head injury caused severe spinal damage. They are hoping he'll be able to walk again." The truth of it threatened to pull him right back under. "I let him down."

Sadie shook her head. "Bad things happen, David. We don't always know why. But it's not your fault. You saved him from drowning."

No. David shouldn't have allowed Remy to go rafting. And because he hadn't stepped up and protected Remy when he needed it, it was possible David had single-handedly derailed God's plan, because he hadn't heard God since. God seemed to still be punishing him by keeping him in Heritage.

Sadie's hand squeezed his arm again, the weight a gentle pressure.

A longing curled into David's system—where the feel of Sadie's comforting hand wasn't so foreign or fleeting, where it was a constant lifeline. Where he had someone who could go through life with him every day. Someone to be there for the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

"David, you know that God moves in ways we can't understand. You know His ways will always be better than what we can imagine."

Her words settled over him. Oh, how he wanted that to be true. But maybe he'd messed everything up. David tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Maybe it was in his blood to mess things up.

He glanced over at her. He wanted to believe her. But how could she offer up these words of kindness, of forgiveness? He'd left her. Shattered both their hearts and walked away from her. But the way she settled her hand on his arm, he wanted her to hang on. But if she did, he might hurt her all over again.

Sadie pulled her hand back and tucked her foot under herself in the seat. "I never thought my life would be what it is today. But I wouldn't change any of it, because I have Lottie. Sometimes life takes many turns to bring us to where we're supposed to be."

"What kind of turns?"

Sadie let out a deep breath and sank back against her seat. David couldn't make out her expression in the shadow of the car.

"I was pretty aimless after we broke up. When Bonnie died, Jeremy asked me to become Lottie's nanny. I never imagined that one day it would lead to marriage."

David's palms stung as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. His breath caught in his throat, and for a brief second, he remembered that feeling of terror as he'd realized he couldn't hold his breath any longer, and he sucked in a lungful of water. My marriage.

His lungs squeezed out the air, painfully. He'd known about her wedding for a while, but the pain gripping his insides,that was new. It shouldn't matter though.

But it did.

Because even after ten years, Sadie still had the power to steal his breath away, calm him with a mere touch, and encourage him with her uplifting words.

"When Jeremy found out about his diagnosis, we talked and agreed marriage might be the best thing for Lottie. You know Machado-Joseph disease doesn't have a long survival rate. We started the adoption process right away. Unfortunately, Jeremy passed away before the paperwork could be finalized. Because of his death, and the continued aftermath of Covid, the adoption process slowed way down. Jeremy left custody of Lottie to me, but now Doris, Jeremy's older sister, is threatening to contest it."

"You're great with Lottie." David turned off the highway and onto Heritage Street to drive into the center of town. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the road in front of him.

"I try. Lottie has lost a lot. Her mom, her dad, and she never knew her biological grandparents. But at least here, she has my family."

"Your family is pretty amazing. Lottie is lucky. Your parents love big. Even me." David cleared his throat. "Jeremy's parents had passed before I met him."

"His mom passed when he was in high school. His dad while he was a freshman in college. Part of the tension with Doris is because she tried to mother Jeremy. Doris and Patrick were already married with a son when their mom passed away."

David could imagine that hadn't gone over well between the siblings. Sadie loved Lottie though. Jeremy couldn't have picked a better person to leave her with. Sadie worked hard, she loved without reservation, and she cared. It's what made falling in love with her the first time so easy.

And what made getting over her so hard.

"Why didn't you change your last name to Linden? You still go by Hoover." David moved his right hand up and down the steering wheel.

"Honestly? There wasn't time. I had intended to, but between Jeremy's doctors' visits, caring for Lottie, life—it didn't get done." Sadie looked out the window. Her shoulders rounded slightly, visible in the streetlight they passed under. "I did love Jeremy."

His heart stilled. Of course she had. She'd married him. And he'd been a jerk to ask. "He was your husband."

"Yes. But more than that, he'd become my best friend. Jeremy was a good man, a good husband, and an incredible father." Sadie looked down, and her voice dropped. "I didn't love him the way I loved you."

Her quiet words were barely audible above the hum of the car, but she might as well have shouted them at him. He squeezed the steering wheel tighter. Sadie should have had love. The fairy tale. She'd always wanted the happily ever after, the big family, the heart-stopping love. David had thought that described their love, until the breakup.

He turned onto Henderson Road and drove toward the town square. Otis sat as the town sentinel in the center by the gazebo as water splashed around him. David turned on Richard Street, pulled the van behind Hoover's Hardware, and parked. "I saw an umbrella in the trunk when Nate pulled out the car seats. Let me grab it, and I'll walk you to the door."

Relentless drops pelted David as he opened the trunk and found the large, black umbrella. He opened the passenger door for Sadie and held her hand as she stepped out of the van. Then he moved close, so her back brushed against his chest to keep them both under the umbrella.

Sadie's rich, warm scent tickled his nose, reminding him that she wasn't the young girl he'd once dated. She'd grown, matured, faced her own challenges, and he liked it. Liked her scent. Liked the feel of her back under his hand. Liked the woman she'd become.

He just liked her.

They walked up the stairs to the door of her apartment. Electricity shot up his arm. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. David held the umbrella over their heads.

Sadie tipped her face up. The moment familiar, seeming right in a way nothing else had lately. David settled his hand on the soft curve of her waist. Wind swept past him, swaying his body closer to hers. Her hands rested on his chest.

To steady him? To encourage him? To pull him closer?

Maybe it wasn't too late to salvage this night.

Sadie's eyes roamed his face, pausing on his mouth before they bounced back up. Heat climbed up David's neck. If he leaned closer, if he cut the distance between them, would she welcome him?

The golden specks in her hazel eyes mesmerized him. Pulled him closer. He lowered his face, watching for any sign of rejection.

Waiting for her to stop him.

He should pull back, step away. Not slip back into old habits. Except the warmth of her hands on his chest and the feel of her body close to his didn't feel like a habit. It felt right, perfect, and he couldn't—didn't want to—stop. And when she fisted his shirt, keeping him from pulling back, heat pooled in his gut.

The newness, the rightness of this moment, consumed him. He inched forward as Sadie let out a soft sigh. He waited—for her to step back or any kind of sign that she wanted him to stop.

When her eyes closed, it was all the invitation he needed. David lowered his lips, feeling the exhale of her breath on his face.

"Mom!"

Sadie jumped back, the cold breeze almost icy when she dropped her hands from his chest as Lottie walked up the stairs, cradling her stomach, her wet hair dripping down her face as the rain soaked into her clothes. A woman with dark greying hair pulled back in a severe bun carried a backpack and an umbrella.

"Lottie? Are you okay?" Sadie pulled her close, wrapping her in a hug.

Lottie groaned and shook her head. David raised the umbrella higher to accommodate the extra person. He stepped away slightly, so the cool rain pelted his back, keeping Sadie and Lottie dry.

The woman, probably in her mid 40's now that David could see her face better, stopped two stairs below them. "Lottie got sick to her stomach. Begged to come home. I didn't realize you had plans tonight, or I wouldn't have brought her back."

The woman pursed her lips together and looked David up and down.

David stepped back farther from Sadie. He'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Or rather, with his lips centimeters from hers.

He shouldn't still be standing here. He handed the umbrella to Sadie, but she shook her head and looked back to the woman on the stairs.

"Thank you for bringing Lottie home. Doris, this is an old college friend, David."

Old friend. As if the rain hadn't cooled him enough.

Doris snorted. "Right. Keep in mind what's best for Lottie. I know I do." The woman thrust out her hand holding Lottie's bag and marched down the stairs to a dark BMW still running, parked next to Olivia's minivan.

"Mom, I think I'm going to be sick." Lottie rushed into the apartment.

Sadie shot David an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

David hurried down the stairs, his foot slipping on the bottom one. He windmilled his arms to regain his balance and jogged to the van and collapsed into the driver's seat, the rain soaking him as he shook the umbrella out.

His stomach turned, probably feeling much like Lottie's.He'd almost kissed Sadie. He'd never taken kissing lightly, and she was the last woman he'd kissed. He couldn't, wouldn't play with her emotions.

Or with his own feelings. Because after tonight, he couldn't deny that his feelings were not locked securely in the past. They were back and…

Oh no.

He couldn't do this.

Costa Rica. He needed to stick to the plan.

Except…for the first time since he'd returned to Heritage, the drive to return to Costa Rica didn't leave him excited. Instead, he rather hoped he'd be able to stick around Heritage a little bit longer.

What had he done?