Page 7 of Right Where You Left Me

Sage

R iver’s hand clutches my thigh tightly as I stiffen at the sound of my name coming from Emma’s deep red lips.

I mean come on , how is it fair that she’s out here looking like that .

She’s essentially shrink wrapped in that dress, her curves on display like the fucking Venus de Milo, and the leather jacket?

Fucking Christ. She’s walking around like my goddamn kryptonite.

I need to get it together, and I need to remind myself that she’s public enemy number one.

I cannot be salivating over how hot she looks tonight.

“Oh! You two know each other?” Peyton asks, but I can tell that little bitch knows exactly what she’s doing.

She’s lucky I love her or I’d strangle her right here and now.

She lives for this shit, but I also know that she really is just trying to be nice…

In her own twisted way, Peyton thinks she’s being helpful.

“Unfortunately.” I sneer, as Emma stands in front of our table awkwardly.

She’s putting on a fake smile, trying to save face I’m sure.

But her body is tense and she has her arms wrapped around her middle.

I try not to feel bad about the fact that she is clearly uncomfortable.

She should be uncomfortable, crashing our night.

Where did she get the audacity to think she could just join in on my night with my friends?

Why won’t she just take the hint that she doesn’t belong here and leave?

“Well, I just met Emma over at the bar and I invited her to hang with us tonight.” Peyton says, gesturing for Emma to sit down. “She said she’s new to town so I figured it would be nice to introduce her to some people. You know, make some friends and mingle.”

“I’m sure you did.” I snark at her, and the brat just winks at me before taking a seat next to Emma.

We sit in awkward silence for a beat before River breaks it.

“So, Emma. What made you decide to move back here?” He asks as he throws his arm over my shoulders. “Not a whole lot going on in Cedar Falls, so I can’t imagine it was the thrilling night life that brought you home.”

She tracks the movement and she shimmies in her seat before settling. She’s tense and her amber eyes look… sad. “Oh, Sage must have told you about me then.” She says with an awkward laugh.

“I may have told them that my ex - best friend moved back here.” I say flippantly.

“Hopefully nothing too awful though?” She says.

When no one really responds she keeps going.

“I just got divorced.” She says softly. “We were in Pittsburgh, but we sold our house and nowI’m living with my mom while I get my feet on the ground and can start fresh.

I, um, well I’m sure you all already know I’m the new baker at Piper’s cafe.

” She laughs uncomfortably and I wish that knowing she felt weird made me feel better, but it just makes me more upset that we’re even in this situation at all.

“Why would you leave the city?” I ask before I realize I’m speaking to her. “Wouldn’t you have a better time with your fresh start there?”

“I suppose.” She says, twirling her martini glass between her thumb and forefinger.

“But, you know my mom is getting older now. And without my dad to help her with things I figured it would be a good idea to move back so I can start making sure she’s okay too.

” She clears her throat. “So, you know, divorced and living back with my mother. A perfect fresh start.” She lets out a self deprecating laugh.

“Well, that’s shitty.” Peyton says with a frown. “I’m sorry to hear that Emma.”

Emma shrugs. “Things happen. We may not always be able to plan for them, but I’m lucky with the way things turned out in the end. I’m just glad to have my mom and a job honestly. I’m grateful.”

Things happen? I frown to myself, just now realizing that Emma never really talks about what really brought her back here.

She didn’t even stay that long when her dad died.

I remember because I made sure to avoid her at all costs, and then felt super shitty about the fact that I actively stayed away from a grief-ridden Emma.

She said her mom is alone, and sure that’s a good reason I suppose to move here, but there has to be more to it.

She told Piper she’s divorced, but has been really tight lipped about what happened.

Granted, it’s not like she’s going to spill her guts to either of us.

Piper is as good as a stranger to her now, and there’s no way she’d ever open up to me about it.

But now that she’s here sitting with us, I’m infuriatingly curious.

Was it her fault? Did she do something to make him leave?

Or was he an asshole? Did he cheat on her?

Fuck, if he did something to her, what an idiot. Who would willingly let her go?

And that is where I am going to stop myself because I am not going to think about all the reasons someone would be lucky as all fuck to be with Emma Newton. She does not deserve to be taking up that kind of space in my brain anymore.

“Are you liking the cafe?” River asks her with a smile.

His arm tightens around me, trying to soothe both of us in this incredibly tense and awkward situation Peyton has put us in.

“Can’t imagine working a job that had me waking up before the sun.

” He says with a shiver. “No one should be up that early.”

She laughs and nods her head, her gaze bouncing between River and me, her eyes flicking down to the tattooed skin of my arms. If I flex them slightly to show them off, that’s just because I like showing off the work on them, not because I like that she’s looking.

“Very much, I don’t mind the early wake up. I’ve been doing this kind of work for so long that it’s my normal. It’s always nice when you get to turn your passion into a career.” She says.

“Isn’t your degree in business?” I scoff at her.

Her mouth pulls down in a frown. “Yes. But you should know that I wasn’t all that passionate about it.

I didn’t enjoy those classes. If I had been allowed to choose a different major I would have.

” She says softly and her words hit like a knife to the gut.

Because, I do know that about her. She only got a business degree because it made sense ‘long term,’ words her dad would lecture at her, but she’s always loved to bake.

She was always making us shit in our kitchens when we’d have sleepovers as kids.

Later in college she was always trying to learn how to make new and crazy recipes.

My stomach churns with memories, now tainted with pain and the grief of lost… friendship.

“I went to pastry school pretty soon after I graduated from college and moved to Pittsburgh.” She clears her throat and shifts in her seat uncomfortably.

She’s pointedly avoiding looking in my direction now.

I hide the smug tilt of my lips behind my palm.

I may feel bad that her marriage didn’t work out for whatever reason, but I’m glad that she feels like shit over what happened when she moved .

“I’ve always felt happiest in a kitchen so I figured why not make it into a real career.

And now, here I am. Doing just that. And to answer your question River, I am very much enjoying the cafe.

Piper really has set up a lovely space and I couldn’t imagine a better job for me right now.

” She finishes, taking a large swig from her cocktail.

“You’re really good at it too.” Peyton says leaning into Emma.

I clamp my teeth down so I don’t tell Peyton to stop touching her.

It has to be the fact that I don’t like Emma and that she’s invading my space that’s making my stomach hurt.

Not the fact that Peyton is now wrapping an arm around her delicate shoulders.

Shoulders wrapped in leather and dusted in a spicy scent that’s invading my nose.

“Those cinnamon rolls Sage brings by the shop? Divine. ” Peyton drawls.

“Divine.” I scoff under my breath. I wish Peyton was exaggerating, but she’s not.

Emma’s stupid pastries taste incredible.

She’s like a goddamn Keebler elf. Literally everything she’s made has been a knockout.

We have customers literally begging for shit when we sell out.

I wish she sucked at her job, it would mean Piper would fire her like I asked.

“The shop?” Emma asks, her eyes lighting up with curiosity. “Like a store or boutique?”

I never did tell her what it is I do, and I guess she’s about to find out. Just not from my lips. She walked out on our friendship, and it won’t be me that closes this gap now.

“We own Rust Belt Revival.” River says beaming, squeezing me tighter into his side. “The tattoo shop on Main Street. Sage and I are the artists and Peyton here is our counter girl and my apprentice.”

“Some would say, I’m the most important person in the building.” Peyton says primly.

“No one says that.” River and I say at the same time.

“Rude.” She scoffs. “You two would be lost without me to schedule your lives.”

“I think somehow we’d manage.” River deadpans.

“Again, rude.” Peyton snaps, but laughs when River winks at her.

“You’re a tattoo artist?” Emma asks me with a grin. “That’s amazing! You always wanted to do something with your art.”

“Yup.” I say with a small nod. I look down at the beer in front of me and start pulling the wet parts of the cocktail napkin it’s sitting on away from the glass.

“Do you like it?” She asks, prodding. Always fucking prodding. Why can’t she take a goddamn hint already.

“Yup.” I say again and take a large swig from my drink.

“Well. That’s good. Great.” She says with an awkward laugh. “I bet you guys get a lot of business, being the only tattoo shop in Cedar Falls.”

I can feel her eyes on me as she asks, but I’m so over trying to be pleasant. I knock my knee into River’s. Silently begging him to deal with the question.