Page 28 of Suddenly Yours

That might be the biggest lie of all.

But I swallowed it down and gave her a reassuring smile, the kind that said it’s fine even though it wasn’t.

“I’m glad we talked,” she murmured.

“Yeah.” My voice felt tight. “Me too.”

But if it felt like we’d just built a fragile little wall between us. A wall I wasn’t entirely sure I could keep standing.

Chapter Eight

Missy

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, I was running on caffeine, adrenaline, and the stubborn determination not to look too excited about the trip I was about to take. It was just one night at a resort. A work trip for Cade. A getaway for me.

This was not a date.

Definitely not a date.

I kept repeating that as I locked up the bakery and stepped outside just in time to see Cade’s truck pull up to the curb.

He hopped out before I could wave and walked around to grab my overnight bag from my hand like it weighed nothing.

“Are you ready?” he asked. His voice was casual. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses and totally unreadable.

“As I’ll ever be,” I said, forcing a smile.

He smirked like he didn’t quite believe me, but he held the truck door for me anyway.

In the past two days, Levi had been persistently present every day in the bakery. I had been able to avoid him for the most part by staying in the back during work hours.

Still, he practically camped out front, looking annoyed as he talked on the phone.

After hours, he would come back and knock on the door. Now, though, I knew better than to open it.

To ward off his determination, Cade became even more available.

I hadn’t asked him to step in. I didn’t have to. Cade had this quiet radar when it came to me, he had since we were little. He’d stop by before closing with some flimsy excuse about needing bread or wanting to check if I needed anything fixed, which was code for Is Levi bothering you again?

And Levi must’ve known that, because the moment he caught sight of Cade behind the counter one evening, he’d stormed back out the door like a man who’d lost a competition he hadn’t realized he was in.

But he didn’t stay gone.

Levi started lingering outside on the sidewalk, pretending he was on the phone, pretending he just happened to be there. He sent flowers, twice, which I refused to bring inside. He left notes on the back door or on my car, long rambling pages full of apologies, promises, and subtle digs that made my stomach twist.

I was thankful he didn’t have my new cell number. At least my parents hadn’t crossed that line and given it to him. Yet.

His notes were filled with little reminders of our college days, of the way he’d rewritten arguments to make them my fault, of how easily I used to fold.

It was exhausting.

And embarrassing.

And if I was honest, frightening in that quiet, creeping way that made you second-guess every shadow in your peripheral vision.

Every time the back door rattled from a knock, my heart leapt, half hoping it was Cade, half terrified it wasn’t. Thankfully, Cade started texting me when he was going to stop by so I knew it was him.

Still, Cade never asked for details. Never pushed me to talk. He just stayed close, giving me space while still being methodically, stubbornly present.