Page 43

“I was with Lily and Dani when I got the call and must’ve left my purse at Lily’s. I left in such a hurry…” Sighing, she texted a quick message to her friend. Within seconds, three dots appeared to show Lily responding. Then she replied with theanswer Sadie expected. She turned the screen toward Asher. “It’s at Lily’s.”

Standing next to their booth, Asher picked up their check and grinned. “I get to buy you dinner after all.”

“I’ll pick up the check next time.”

“Next time?” Asher raised an eyebrow. “I’ll look forward to that.” Then he patted his back pockets and his eyes widened. “I don’t have my wallet either.”

“Are you serious?” Sadie darted at look at Martha Kelley, who was talking to a table of women near the bar. “Gran and Martha are longtime friends. Maybe she’ll let me run to get my purse and come back and pay the check.”

Another grin split Asher’s face as he lifted out a brown leather wallet. “Just kidding.”

Sadie fished an ice cube out of her water and threw it at him. “You’re a jerk.”

He hooked an arm around her neck and pulled her playfully toward him. “Just wanted to lighten the mood. You’re too serious, Sadie.”

Asher removed a credit card and slid it into the pocket of the folder that held their bill. He handed it to Vera as she passed.

She took it and shot him a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

A moment later, she returned with a copy for Asher to sign, a pen, and his credit card.

A matte black card had a gold guitar in the corner.

How on earth did Asher qualify for a premium luxury card?

They weren’t uncommon on the island, but they were usually reserved for the wealthy and not the average consumer.

Justwhatwas Asher hiding?

The question dogged Sadie as they left the restaurant and headed down the sidewalk.

“I need to run to Lily’s and grab my purse.”

“I’ll walk with you.”

As they passed the bakery, Sadie stopped and returned to the dark window. She traced over the fadedHudson Bakeryletters. “I don’t think I’ll get used to having this closed. I spent so much time here as a kid.”

“Why don’t you reopen it?”

Taken aback, Sadie looked at him and pressed a hand to her chest. “Me?” Then she shook her head. “Well, for one thing, I can barely cook. Even though I worked at the bakery during the summer, I didn’t have to do the actual baking. When we lived together, Lily kept me fed. I can barely pay my bills these days, let alone run a business. If I could afford it, though, I’d buy it from Gran and hire people to run it. That way, Gran’s legacy lives on, and she gets to remain in her home.”

Feeling drained, Sadie pushed away from the window then wrapped her arms around her waist. She turned around and faced the direction back to Gran’s cottage. “I think I’ll grab my purse tomorrow. I have my phone, and I know where Gran keeps her emergency key, so I’m going to head back to her house.”

“Well, that’s the direction I’m heading anyway, so I’ll walk with you. By the way, I didn’t think to lock Hetty’s door after the EMTs loaded her into the ambulance.”

“No worries. No one’s going to bother her place.”

They turned and headed up Main Street. As they reached Blueberry Boulevard, Sadie paused at the edge of the park. She shielded her eyes as she gazed at the construction happening in the corner where Pinnacle Drive met with Lake Shore Drive. “Looks like the stage is coming together.”

Asher inhaled, then exhaled slowly as he shook his head. “I think it’s a waste to build the stage out of wood only to tear it back down after the concert is over. I tried to convince Dani to go with a modular set up, but since Russell Smith donated the materials, she couldn’t really argue. At least for this year.”

“How does a guy who cares for horses know so much about stages?”

Asher was quiet a moment, then he pulled out his phone and waved it to her. “There’s this thing called the internet. You click a button, and you have wealth of information at your fingertips.”

Hands on her hips, Sadie eyed him. “You’re a smart-mouth tonight. I’m seeing a new side of you.”

“How would you like to see another side of me?”