Page 11 of Right Where You Left Me

Sage

M y fingers tap against my chin as I ponder between the two different sweets in front of me. Chocolate peanut butter cups or gummy sharks. I chuckle to myself before grabbing both. My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I shift my loot around so I can grab it.

“I promise I won’t be late.” I say before my sister can get a word out.

“Where are you? Why is your voice so muffled?” Piper asks through the phone currently propped between my shoulder and ear.

I shift the phone back to my hand, cradling the goodies I’ve grabbed from a variety of shelves into my other arm. “I’m at the candy store downtown.”

The silence on the other end of the line is louder than if she yelled at me. “Sage?—”

“You cannot possibly think I was going to show up to lunch, where my three favorite people on this planet will be, and not bring them treats?”

She lets out a heavy sigh. “Brody isn’t eating anything orange right now.” She says, resigned to her fate of sugar fueled children. “Don’t ask me why, but he’ll throw a fit if you give him anything even close to the color.”

“Noted. Thank you.” I say with a laugh, putting back a few items before walking toward the checkout counter.

“Hey, Logan.” I say to the teenager manning the register.

It’s crazy seeing him working here now. His family has owned this place for as long as I can remember.

It seems like just yesterday his dad was here at the counter with a six-year-old Logan running around “helping.” He smiles as he enters everything I grabbed into their ancient register.

“Anything else?” He asks and I shake my head handing him my card. “Nah, my nephews are going to be happy with all that I think.”

“Oh, totally.” He says with a grin. “Hank brought them in the other day and you’d think he brought them into a gold mine.”

I chuckle. I doubt Piper knows that, but I won’t rat my brother-in-law out.

“Thanks, Logan.” I say grabbing the plastic bag full of goodies and waving a hand in goodbye.

I reach up to push the door open, but it swings out before I get the chance.

Wide amber eyes meet mine as the person opening the door moves to enter.

“I—” Emma starts, but I push passed her before she can say anything else to me.

I knew I’d run into her around town, it’s not that big.

But every time I see her I get angry all over again and I wish I could make it so we’d never have to interact outside of the cafe.

I hate that it’s still affecting me, that I can’t move on.

I don’t want to be reminded of how much she hurt me every time I see her stupid, smiley face. It makes the pain feel fresh…

I hear her calling after me, but I don’t turn around. I don’t acknowledge the sound of footsteps following behind me, until a soft hand grabs at my hoodie sleeve.

“Let go.” I say softly. “Please, Emma.” Please. Please, leave me alone. I can’t do this.

“Right.” She says, and the wobble of her voice has me turning to look at her.

Her eyes are shimmering slightly and I suck in a breath at the feeling the sight of her upset gives me.

A wave of protectiveness I shouldn’t feel hits me and I shove it down just as quickly as it came.

“I’m sorry.” She says, fisting her hands at her sides.

“I don’t know why I grabbed you, I just—” She lets out a wet laugh.

“Today really sucks and I don’t know what I was thinking.

” She turns and walks back toward the candy shop.

I stare at her back in shock. What the fuck is her deal? And why do I care so much? Ugh, I don’t . It’s none of my business what has her acting so weird and so… sad.

I stare at the closed door of the candy shop longer than I mean to. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I answer without looking at it. “I’m on my way now.” I say.

“To where?” River asks.

“Oh. Thought you were Pipes. I’m meeting her and the fam for lunch, and I’m now late.”

“Ah.” He hums. “I was just calling to let you know I got you booked for a back piece tomorrow because you didn’t have anything on your books and the guy asked for you.”

“Yeah, alright. Thanks Riv.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Why do you think something is wrong?” I scuff the toe of my boot against the sidewalk.

I still haven’t moved from the front of the candy shop and I don’t know why.

Do I want to see Emma walk out? Do I want to ask her what has her so upset?

I feel this weird anxiety starting to spiral in my stomach over it, and I don’t like it.

That haunted look in her eyes is seared in my brain now.

I scrunch my eyes closed tightly and let out a breath before I start walking to the diner.

“Because I’m your best friend and I can tell by your tone.”

“I ran into Emma.” I sigh.

“Okay…?”

“And she was crying, on her way into the candy store.”

He lets out a wounded sound. “Poor thing.”

“No.” I say. “We’re not doing that, it was just. Odd. But, it’s over now and I’m heading to lunch. I’ll see you at home.”

River grumbles something at Peyton before he says, “Love you, bye.”

Piper and her family are already seated with drinks by the time I get there, and from the look she’s giving me, my sister is not pleased by that fact.

“Don’t start.” I say as I sit myself in between my two oldest nephews. I ruffle their dark hair, pecking a kiss on Tyler, the older of the two’s, cheek.

He promptly wipes it off and nudges me. “I’m too old for that.” He says haughtily and I try not to laugh at how serious he is.

“You’re eight.” I say, nudging him back.

“I’m not too old yet!” Brody says, getting up on his knees and shoving his face up close and personal with mine. “I’m only six.”

“And that’s why you’re my favorite.” I joke, kissing his chunky little cheeks.

“What’s that?” Dylan, the youngest of the three asks me. He’s pointing to the bag I set down on the table and from the smirk on his tiny face I can tell that he knows exactly what I brought for them. This three-year-old can’t fool me.

“I brought treats for us to share after lunch. Nothing orange.” I say turning to Brody.

He shudders making Piper and I laugh. “Good.” He says, his voice sounding haunted.

“Want to explain this new development, dude?”

“Bug guts.” Tyler says, sipping on his lemonade.

I look down at him in slight horror. “Um… what?”

“I smashed a real big bug.” Dylan says, deadpan. “Brody saw it and frew up.”

Brody shudders again. “It was so gross, Aunt Saggy.”

I wrap my arm around him and kiss the top of his sweet little head, not even griping about the name they’ve called me all their lives. It started when Tyler started talking, Sagey turned into Saggy. It was never corrected and so, Aunt Saggy is here to stay.

“You said you didn’t know why the anti-orange movement, Pipes.” I say, fighting a laugh so I don’t hurt Brody’s feelings.

“I didn’t.” She says horrified. “I had no idea that happened.”

Hank chooses that moment to step in, clearing his throat. “So, Sage. How’s work?”

“Good.” I say fiddling with the cup of water in front of me. “River actually called me on my way here to tell me I have a big piece booked for tomorrow, so. That’s exciting.”

“Is that why you were late?” Piper snipes at me.

I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out at her. “Not exactly…”

She raises a brow at me, silently telling me to explain.

My sister is a lot of things. She’s fun, kind, and a great mom.

She is the life of the party most of the time, and she’s always down to gossip with you whenever you have something juicy to spill.

But, one of the biggest things about her is that she is punctual.

And she hates it when other people are late.

I groan. “I ran into Emma outside the candy store on my way here…”

“Oh.” She says. “How— did you fight?” She asks hesitantly. We obviously haven’t been arguing in the cafe, but things are tense and Piper gets a first row seat to it when we’re all working. I didn’t need to tell her details of our day to day for her to pick up on that.

I shake my head. Not really wanting to get into it with the boys here, but knowing I need to talk to someone about how I’m feeling.

I can feel all of the animosity inside me festering.

I just don’t feel good anymore. My heart feels like a fresh bruise, and seeing Emma is like a finger poking it over and over again.

It isn’t healthy, I know it isn’t. But being around her, seeing her making herself back at home here, it hurts so fucking much.

I don’t know how much more of this I can handle before it tears me down and I fall apart all over again over this woman.

“We didn’t fight. She was sad… walking into the candy shop and she tried to stop me to talk, but changed her mind. I don’t know why. She just seemed out of it. It has me all up in my head.”

“Oh. Well, hopefully she’s okay.”

I shrug. “Seemed fine, just sad.” So fucking sad.

“Sage, I know you aren’t her biggest fan.” I snort at that, that’s an understatement. “But, I know you don’t actually hate her.”

“Uh, yes I do.” I say and then quickly add, “because she deserves it. We don’t just hate people for no reason, guys.”

The boys ignore me, too busy snooping through the bag of candy I brought. But at least that means we can have this conversation less filtered.

“You don’t.” Piper says softly, reaching across the table and squeezing my hand.

“I think,” She starts looking at her husband who is staring at her like she walks on water.

It makes me a little jealous when I see the two of them together.

They love each other so fucking much, it’s almost disgusting.

I want that… I want someone who loves all my rough pieces and sharp edges.

Someone who knows how to handle me at my worst, and loves me through it.

I swallow the knot forming in my throat, waiting for her to finish her thought.

“You are still really hurt about what happened between you two, which is okay. You’re justified in that.

I was there, remember? When you came home.

I saw how much it messed with you, but I don’t think that means that you hate her. I think you just wish you did.”

I look down at our joined hands and stifle the emotion begging to be let out of me.

I’m so tired. Holding onto the anger is draining and I know I need to stop, to let it go.

I just don’t know how. I don’t know if I can.

Thirteen years of resentment and anger have turned the way I think about Emma into a tornado of toxicity.

I can’t just let it go with the snap of my fingers.

But could Piper be right? Could I be holding onto all this hatred because it’s easier than facing how I really feel?

“I don’t—” I start, when a head of honey brown curls catches my eye.

I watch Emma chat with the young hostess, pointing at a booth over by the window before being sat there.

I watch her pull out a bag of red candy, Swedish fish…

and watch as she smiles when her waitress drops a slice of chocolate dream pie in front of her.

Fuck. I’m such a bitch. How did I forget? The tears… The candy…

“Piper.” I choke out. “What’s today?”

She looks at me, her forehead wrinkled with confusion. “Sunday? You know, the day the cafe is closed and we get lunch together?”

“The date , Piper.”

But I don’t need her to tell me, because I watch Emma stand those gummy fish on top of her pie and know that it’s September 20th. My feet are moving before I can even register what I’m doing.

I’ll deal with the consequences later.