Page 29 of Rumors in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #3)

Chapter Twenty-One

H e had his answer.

The newspaper was gone.

Any chance he might have had with Sadie was gone.

The following day, Reed awoke at Kate and Wes’s house. It took him a moment to gain his bearings. Once he did, his thoughts turned to the most amazing woman he’d ever known. And he smiled as he thought of her.

In the next instance, the smile was gone. He was never going to see Sadie again. A lump lodged in his throat. This couldn’t be real, and yet the scratchiness in his throat let him know that it had all been quite real.

When Sadie dropped him off last evening, she’d told him goodbye. He’d desperately wanted to kiss her—to feel her lips pressed to his one last time. But he hadn’t allowed himself that moment. He hadn’t wanted to make the moment any harder for either of them.

He would never forget standing in Kate and Wes’s driveway and watching the woman he could envision a future with drive away.

He was either a very smart man for saving them from future heartache or a foolish man for letting the best thing that had ever happened to him get away.

He’d let himself into the house, and after a few words with Kate and Wes that included a genuine thank you for taking him in, he’d called it a night.

It wouldn’t be long until he was leaving Bayberry. He just needed to get the doctor’s release. He had been following all of the doctor’s orders and using the inhaler. His throat was still a little sore, but his cough was getting better.

After he’d grabbed a shower and dressed, he wanted to be a good houseguest, so he made the bed. When he stepped around the bed and stepped forward to adjust the pillow, his barefoot struck something under the bed.

He knelt down and reached under the bed. His fingers grasped a small book and a pen. When he straightened, he examined the outside of the small book. There was no writing. No hint as to what it was or why it was there. He’d give it to Kate. She’d know what to do with it.

He tossed it onto the end of the bed as he finished making the bed. With his socks in hand, he sat down on the bed. When he glanced over, the small book was open on the bed.

He glanced away but not before he spotted his name. What was his name doing in the notebook? His gaze swung back to the notebook. He picked it up and started to read.

Reed,

I’m writing this because I don’t want to lose my nerve. I’ve always found writing my feelings easier than speaking them. And there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, but it never seemed like the right time. And now we’re out of time.

I didn’t know what to make of you when we first met. Although, I did know that you had good taste. You still owe me the other half of that bean burger. I intend to collect.

What I’m trying to say is…somewhere between the hay bale maze and visiting Hampton and Quackers, I fell for you. I didn’t mean to. It just happened. I’d like to think that you fell for me too.

But now life is pulling us in different directions. I hope you’re able to find another small town paper to join the Rumor Quill. I wish I could have been a part of it. I’m missing the Gazette more than I imagined possible. I would have made a good editor-in-chief. But it just wasn’t meant to be.

So, I’m heading back overseas to do what I can to get people’s stories out into the world. I really hope that our paths will cross again. I’m going to miss you…

The letter just stopped. He wanted it to keep going. Had Sadie left the note there for him to find?

Wait. No. She wouldn’t have put it under the bed. And he didn’t think she’d leave behind her entire notebook and pen.

Maybe what he needed to do was return it to her. Yes. That was exactly what he should do. But would he catch her before she left for the airport? He didn’t know, but it didn’t stop him from petting Binx’s head and telling him he’d be back. With his keys in hand, he raced out the door.

He had so many things to tell her…

She was awake early.

It was always that way on travel days.

The sun wasn’t even up when Sadie rolled out of bed. The truth of the matter was that she hadn’t slept much. She’d tossed and turned.

She’d gotten on dozens of flights over the years. Flying never bothered her before. But this felt different. She felt different.

Still, there was no reason for her to stay in Bayberry. Her apartment was nothing more than ash. The newspaper that she’d dreamed of running one day was nothing more than a memory.

But then she thought of Binx. She told herself he wasn’t even her cat. He was a stray. But was that still true? He waited for her to get home in the evening. He was there for her without question—without judgment.

She’d never had a pet growing up. She didn’t know what she was missing until Binx had crossed her path. And now she missed him.

She told herself she would be fine after she was on the airplane. And so, she rushed through the shower. She didn’t have much to pack, because she didn’t own much these days.

When she went downstairs, she was surprised to find both of her parents in the kitchen. Her mother was at the stove, making breakfast, and her father was at the table, drinking his coffee.

“Good morning.” Sadie dropped her bag by the doorway.

Her mother turned to her with a too-bright smile. She was putting on a brave front for Sadie’s sake, and she loved her mother for it. “Good morning, sweetie. I almost have breakfast ready. There’s some fresh coffee in the pot.”

“Thanks.” She went and poured herself a cup. Not that it would do her any good, since it was decaf. She added sugar and extra milk. And then she joined her father at the kitchen table. “Hey, Dad.” She gave him a hug. “I’m really sorry about the fire. How are the employees getting by?”

“I’m been doing what I can for them. They’re going to collect unemployment while we sort this out.”

“If you need help, I can stay.”

He shook his head. “You’ve been here long enough. I’m just disappointed I won’t get to read your update to the pig and duck story.”

“You are?” She’d uttered the words before she realized she’d vocalized her thoughts.

He sent her a warm smile. “It makes me feel bad that you have to question that I enjoy your writing. I’m proud of you. I’ve always been proud of you.”

Sadie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These are the words her father would have said before his heart attack—before his crippling infection—before their worlds were turned upside down.

“Sadie, I just want you to be happy. You go track down those award-winning stories because your mother and I will be in Florida, waiting to read them. We are your biggest fans.”

She blinked and swiped at the tears. “Oh, Dad. Thank you.” She stood and moved to give him a hug.

“What about me?”

She turned to her mother, who was also drying her eyes. “Oh, Mom. You guys are the best.”

“I love you.” Her mother held her arms out to her. When Sadie stepped into her mother’s embrace, she heard, “We are always here for you.”

After breakfast, where Sadie did nothing more than push the food around her plate, her parents dropped her off at the airport.

She arrived a few hours early. She made it a point to leave plenty of time before her flight so she didn’t have to fly stressed out.

When she was early, it meant she had time to wait in a long, slow security line without her blood pressure rising.

It meant that if she was hungry, which she wasn’t that morning, she could grab a bagel and enjoy it before boarding.

She still had no appetite. She went straight to her gate and sat down. At last, she was getting back to work. This was what she wanted. Right?

She didn’t have a clear answer to the question. Instead, she pulled out a paperback that she’d picked up in the airport. It was a romantic suspense. She thought it would take her mind off all of the changes taking place in her life.

But it took her forever to get through the first chapter. It wasn’t the writing. It was her. She couldn’t focus.

She placed the book in her bag. She’d try again on the plane. At that moment, she leaned back and watched the people around her as her mind wandered.

Except she kept thinking about all she was leaving behind: Binx. Her friends. Her parents, especially with her father’s health concerns. And then there was Reed. But it wasn’t like he was going to stick around Bayberry much longer. Finally, there was the newspaper.

Now that the shock of the fire had worn away, she was wondering if the paper was really lost. She wanted to make notes about the paper.

She reached into her purse where she kept her notebook.

Except her fingers couldn’t find it. That was strange.

She always kept it in there. She opened her purse wide and peered inside. It wasn’t there.

She thought back to the last time she’d used it. It took her a moment to think about it. And then she gasped.

She remembered using it to write Reed a letter. She hadn’t even been sure that she was going to leave it for him. She’d been so honest about her feelings, and she hadn’t been sure she was ready to reveal so much to him, especially with her leaving.

But now it appeared that she’d left it behind. The decision had been taken out of her hands. She wondered if he found it. And if he had, what did he think when he read it?

She reached for her phone to see if he’d tried to reach her, but her phone was dead. The charger cord had been lost in the fire. She sighed.

Reed had her notebook. Was it some sort of sign? Was the universe trying to tell her that she’d made the wrong decision? Was she needed in Bayberry?