Page 4 of Searching for Sadie (Mystic Falls #5)

SADIE

T he next morning, and morning was a relative term, Sadie rolled out of bed. She looked at her phone from the nightstand. It was already past noon. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept this late. Getting out of bed she stretched her achy body before making her way downstairs.

"Georgie," she called, surprised the spoiled cat had let her sleep this late.

The cat didn't come running which surprised her even more, but she did remember Lucas saying that he seemed to come and go as he pleased. Then she just remembered Lucas and the mysterious bag. And once again a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips.

She went to open the fridge, only to be reminded she moved in yesterday and there wasn't any food to be found. And it looked like the only coffee in this place was instant.

No. That wouldn’t do.

If she remembered correctly there was a little diner a couple blocks away and next to that was a little market. This was small town life, and she was about to live it up to its fullest.

Before long she was setting off down the street to get some lunch and some groceries. It was an early June morning as she made her way down Apple Tree Lane making her way to Main Street.

As she got closer to Main St., she walked past a large manor of a house.

She had fond memories of this house. One year when she had been visiting around Halloween there had been a haunted house in their basement.

She wondered if that same couple lived there, but surely not, they were older than her aunt had been.

As she walked by, the front door opened and out walked a woman with long brown hair and a smile for days and what looked to be a baby bump.

The woman cocked her head like she was trying to figure who she was, but then she just waved, and Sadie waved back and continued on her way. She made her way to the picturesque town square before crossing to the diner.

After getting seated she looked over the menu, scanning the prices.

It's not like she's rolling in it after being fired from her job.

But luckily small-town diner prices were nowhere near as steep as they were in Nashville.

So, she orders a club sandwich and fries and picked up her phone while she waited for the food to come.

In the past she would have endlessly scrolled social media, following the artists she'd been lucky enough to work with and others she might like to work with some day.

She loved the business side of music, but if she was being honest with herself, she was always hoping to make it as a songwriter.

But after everything that happened, she just pulled up her favorite playlist and popped in an earbud, listening to music as she watched the people of town outside.

When she was done, she checked the diminished number in her bank account and set off down to the little market.

She could get what she needed for twenty dollars right?

She could live on some eggs and turkey sandwiches.

.. tuna if she had too. She just needed to make the last of her money stretch.

Maybe she needed to find a job. Somewhere around here had to be hiring, right?

She opened the door to a bustling little shop.

She lived in the big city because of her love of music, but something about Mystic Falls felt right.

This is the type of community she thrived in.

She loved the feeling that everyone knew who you were, and everyone would take care of each other.

In a big city she was surrounded by people but had never felt so lonely in her entire life.

As she walked around the little market filling up her basket with eggs, bread, and other staples, she saw a familiar face when she turned the corner.

It was her neighbor. She recognized him from their interaction yesterday and from the brief little glimpse she stole from her window last night as he came home from not killing someone with a giant bag.

"Lucas," called an older woman with long gray hair in a French braid down her back and dangly feather earrings.

"Hey ma," he said back fondly as the woman pulled him into a hug.

"How's the work on the house coming?"

He nodded as he stole a bag of chips from the check out. "Good. It's pretty intense. A lot more goes into the electrical in this one than a normal build, but I'm enjoying it."

"That is going on your tab, young man," she said with a voice filled with stern playfulness and warmth.

"Of course it is."

"Is dad around?"

"No, your father went to Glendale to play golf with Gus. I think Conner was going to meet them there, so he jumped at the chance."

"Okay, well I'm going to get back to the house. I just stopped in to pick a few things at the hardware store. Tell dad I can help with the stand at the festival next weekend."

He bent down and kissed the woman on her cheek before turning to head out. But before that, he stopped and looked at something. A small smile crinkled his eyes, and he waved.

Who was he waving at? She turned to look behind her but didn't see anyone. In the time it took to do that he had taken a few steps closer to her.

Oh my god, he was waving at her, and now he was coming over to talk to her.

Why was she feeling so nervous? She didn't really think he had a dead body in the bag. No, this was a different kind of nervousness.

"Hi neighbor," he said with a friendly hand outstretched.

"Hi," she said back quietly as she reached out and took his hand.

"Are you getting settled in?"

She just nodded up at him blankly, no words coming out.

"Good, well, I'm going to get going, but I look forward to seeing you around."

She just nodded again.

"Right. Bye Sadie. See you later," he said before turning to leave.

Why did the sound of his name on her lips sound like music?

In a daze she made her way up to the cash register. The older woman who had been checking him out started to scan her items.

"Did you find everything you need?"

"I did."

As she paid and put her food in the bags she'd brought, the woman gave her a warm smile that was almost as warm as her Aunt Rosie. "Come back and see us again."

"I will thank you."

"You look familiar, have I seen you around before?" she asked, cocked her head and looked at her.

"No, I don't think so. I just moved here. I am living in my great aunt's old house."

"Oh Sadie!"

Sadie was a little taken back by this woman knowing her name. "You do look familiar. Rosemary must have shown me about a million pictures of you. How are you holding up dear?"

A genuine smile found her. "I'm doing okay. You knew my aunt?"

"Honey, Mystic Falls is a small place, everyone here knows your aunt. But your aunt and I go back a long time. When she moved here, she taught all my boys piano lessons, and we just hit it off. We were close."

"That's nice."

"She was a remarkable woman. How's that cat of hers?"

A laugh bubbled up in Sadie. "Oh, George is George."

"I'll let you get back to him and that house. If you need any help with it, please let me know. And welcome to Mystic Falls. I hope you like it here."

"Thank you, it was nice to meet you..."

"Where are my manners, I'm Marley Fipp."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Fipp."

"Please call me Marley."

"It's nice to meet you Marley."

"You too, Sadie. Don't be a stranger."

As Sadie left the little market and set back on her way to her aunt's house, she was feeling a little bit better than she had since everything went down when she left Nashville.

That was until she got home and got her groceries put away and checked her email.

There was a message from the producers of Before First Sight.

Hello Cast,

Our show airs next month! Can you believe it? Remember not to share any information about the show with anyone before the time. Also make sure those social media accounts are up and running. We count on you to help get the buzz going for our wonderful show.

See attached for the information you need for the reunion show. If you have moved, the show will cover the cost of your hotel room.

Love is the Air,

Your BFS family

And there went her good mood.