1. Sarah

1

SARAH

"If you don't get your butts in the car right now, I'm going to take your games." I winced as soon as the words left my mouth. It was such a stupid threat, one I had sworn I'd never make when I first had Derek.

But as he rolled his eyes, barely bothering to turn his head toward me, I couldn't find any more fucks to give.

Standing in the foyer, I put my hands on my hips. Leila brushed past me, her backpack slung over her shoulder as she marched diligently to the car. I gently flattened the flyaways on her head. "Thank you, sweetheart."

The loud gunfire emanating from the TV rattled my brain.

I marched over to the living room, standing in front of the screen. "Derek, do not make me punish you."

"Mom!" He cried out as he chucked his controller into the couch cushions. Crossing his arms, he sunk back into the plush sofa.

From the corner of my eye, Ava toddled toward the front door, following the sound of her big sister out near the car.

Once she was out of earshot, I turned my attention back to Derek, who still hadn't relented. After a minute of silent staring, he gave in.

"I don't like having to go to his apartment," Derek confessed.

I kneeled down, intercepting his gaze. "I know, bud. But your dad told me he has a lot of cool stuff planned for this week."

Shrugging, Derek reluctantly met my eyes. The glowing hazel reminded me of his dad. I'd spent nearly fifteen years looking into Jason's warm gaze. And now, we spent most of our time in polite hugs when we swapped the kids's custody each week.

"He doesn't even have a Playstation." Derek flopped forward.

I opened my arms to him, letting his little ten year old body rest on mine. "I know, baby. He's still getting his place situated, but he'll get one soon. And if you want, I'll help you bring this one."

Derek giggled. "No, mom. Only Auntie Robin knows how to do it." Realizing he didn't have much choice, Derek stood from the couch. He grabbed the black duffel bag sitting at his feet and headed for the front door.

Once he was outside, I locked the door behind us and let out a sigh. Leila had helped Ava get into her carseat and was waiting in the back seat with her hands folded.

"Thank you, guys." I winked at them as I tossed my bag into the backseat between the two little kids.

I slid into the driver's seat while Derek piled into the front passenger seat, tossing his bags down at his feet.

Turning the ignition with one hand, I texted Jason with the other:

Heading to you now. Sorry we're late.

Before I could even put the car into drive, my phone dinged with a reply.

No worries, excited to see everyone.

I pulled out of the smooth driveway, freshly paved at the start of spring. Jason's new place was just across town, a quick five-minute drive through New Winford's Main Street. We made good time despite the swarm of high schoolers grabbing coffee from Dirty Dee's before homeroom.

Before I knew it, I was making the left on Jason's street: a quiet residential block with a few small homes. As the car crunched down his gravel driveway, the front door of the house swung open.

Jason waved at the car from his porch, jogging down each step.

I threw the car into park. "Alright, kids. We're here."

Derek groaned from the passenger's seat, shoving his handheld console into his bag.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I'm just down the road. If you need anything from me or the house, I'll be right there."

I let the engine idle as I hopped out of the car and swung open Ava's side of the minivan. At the same time, Jason opened Leila's. Through the car, he smiled at me. "Hey, Sarah. Thanks for bringing them."

I grinned. "It was my honor."

My mind wandered as I unbuckled Ava's car seat. I'd been with Jason since I was fifteen, uninterested in anyone else. But the giddiness that once rose in my chest at the sight of those warm eyes had cooled down, replaced by the calm comfort of a budding friendship.

I shook the feeling off and helped Ava jump out of the car, slinging her green, cartoon turtle backpack over my shoulder.

Derek collected his stuff from the front seat and trudged out of the car.

"Hey, bud." Jason ruffled the shaggy hair on the top of Derek's head.

Derek leaned into his dad for a hug, not bothering to say a word as he walked into the house.

Before he could get out of my sight, I shouted. "Der, I love you!"

"Love you too." He called back over his shoulder.

Lifting his head, Jason looked at me. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Did I do something?"

I waved my hand to ease his worry. "He's upset that there's no PS5 here. I told him you and I would try to get him one for both places."

"Got it. I'll take a look at the budget once they're at school and see if there's room." Jason held Leila's hand as they walked down the driveway.

I filed in next to them, letting Ava run ahead of me. I hollered after her, "I love you!"

She turned and waved to me before disappearing inside the house.

Jason pat Leila's back. "Sweetie, go set your stuff in your room and get ready for school. I'll be right in."

She nodded, striding toward the door with a hand on each strap of her bag.

"Love you, baby." I waved at her.

Once she was out of earshot, Jason turned toward me and lowered his voice. "You're sure it's okay if Liv hangs out here?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. The kids love her."

Jason tried to hide his blush as he kicked some gravel with his steel-toed boot. "Thanks, Sar."

"No need to thank me. I'll see you later this week." I opened my arms to hug Jason and passed him Ava's bag before heading back to the minivan.

A part of me thought I should miss him, that his smell should send me spiraling. But it had been over a year since we split, and everything had been easier since.

I hopped back into the car and waved to Jason before pulling out of the driveway. Making my way back toward Main Street, I took a deep breath. I need a coffee .

When I peeked at the empty back seat through the rearview mirror, my heart twinged. The strangest thing about our divorce was still leaving my babies somewhere. Even though Jason was a more-than-competent co-parent, it felt odd to have the kids out of my sight for so long.

Before I could get too lost in the thought, I pulled into a parking spot on Main Street,turned off the car, and grabbed my purse from the passenger footwell.

As I stepped out of the van, fresh spring air filled my lungs. You could tell the straggling teenagers were growing antsy for summer break. Main Street had calmed in the last twenty minutes, already settling into the day as students headed for their classrooms.

I pushed open the door to Dirty Dee's, comforted by the familiar tinkle of a bell overhead. The cashier was wiping the counters, finally catching up after a couple brutal hours.

"Hi, Sarah," she smiled at me.

Walking closer, I gave a little wave. "Hey, Ashley. How's your morning?"

She shrugged, scanning the chaotic counters behind her and chuckling. "Not too bad. Your usual?"

I rubbed my chin, scanning the menu. "Actually, could I grab the lavender latte? I feel like I should try something new."

"Of course." Ashley smiled, writing the order on a paper cup. She got to work on the drink.

My eyes wandered around the shop. I had designed the renovation for the owner, Diana, a year ago. We'd made a point to avoid anything too trendy, not wanting her to have to remodel in a year. So far, it held up.

It was a great mix of industrial, trendy, and cozy. A few plants lined tall shelves throughout the store, creating the illusion of a dense canopy.

"Did you hear about the lake house?" Ashley hollered over the grinding espresso machine.

I shook my head. "No, what about it? Some asshole tearing it down?"

Laughing, Ashley steamed milk. "Not quite. My mentor told me someone finally bought the place. Some tech billionaire who wants to restore it."

"Huh. Really?" My brows furrowed. At this point, the entire town had resigned to seeing the gorgeous, lakefront farmhouse torn down.

Ashley brought the cup over and set it on the counter. "What's my newly minted realtor's license good for if not to snoop?"

I laughed and took a sip from the cup as Ashley rang me up. "Your career and wellbeing." A slight moan escaped my lips as I tasted the delicious concoction. "Wow, this is awesome."

"Oh good, I'm glad." Ashley smiled.

I tapped my card against the machine. "What do we know about the buyer?"

Ashley shrugged. "Not much. She seems like a big shot from Silicon Valley who got tired of the lifestyle."

I tried to hide my surprise at the word "she." But it was still rare to find rich and powerful women, especially around these parts.

I drummed my fingers along the counter. "Hopefully, she doesn't turn it into a tacky mess."

Crossing her fingers, Ashley shrugged. "We can dream."

"Alright, I'll see you around. Thanks, Ash." I waved and headed out of the shop.

But the conversation had set wheels turning in my head. I needed to head to my studio and do some research on this mysterious billionaire. A new sale meant a potential client. And a tech genius would be quite the paycheck.