“Hi, Aunt Sadie.”
Sadie turned away from Lynn, who moved toward Brooke near the grill, and looked down into the sweet face of her nephew Trevor. He was tall for a seven-year-old and cute as a button. He had his dad’s eyes—Sadie’s brother Jack—but the shape of his face and color of his hair reminded Sadie of his mother, Anne. Sadie had counted her as a friend despite uncovering the deception that had been Anne’s motivation for her part of their relationship.
After Anne’s death, Jack had stepped up to be the dad he hadn’t expected to be when he’d had an affair with a woman twenty-five years his junior. It had been a difficult, embarrassing, and yet ultimately rewarding experience for Jack in the years since. It was still difficult for his wife and daughters, however. It would probably always be that way—Sadie couldn’t blame them for the difficulty of such a thing.
For her part, Sadie had just tried to love everybody, and in Trevor’s case, that was easy to do. He was young enough to still have that sweetness about him, but old enough that she could see the young man he would be growing into over the next few years. She pulled him into a hug against her side. “How is my favorite boy?” she asked, ruffling his hair as she released him.
“I thought I was your favorite boy.”
She turned to look at Shawn standing behind her and Maggie standing behind him, holding his hand somewhat shyly. “You’re my favorite son,” Sadie amended. He frowned dramatically and she chuckled. “Okay, you’re my favorite man.”
“What about Pete?” Trevor asked, his eyebrows pulled together. “Isn’t he your favorite man?”
“Yeah, Mom, which of us is your favorite man?” Shawn said, lifting his eyebrows and cocking his head to the side.
“Uh . . . ”
Jack stepped forward and put an arm around Sadie’s shoulder, jostling her in his version of a hug. “Not only am I her favorite man, I’ve been her favorite for the longest.” He smirked at Trevor and Shawn, then leaned in and kissed Sadie on the temple. “How are things, Sissy?” he asked in a sincere voice that everyone—except maybe Trevor—picked up on.
Jack’s wife, Carrie, gave Sadie a quick smile and left to mingle with the other guests. Sadie and Carrie didn’t have much of a relationship, but it seemed to suit them both fine.
“Hey, Trev, let’s go check out the tree house,” Shawn said, waving his cousin toward the far corner of the yard. Sadie wouldn’t get within ten feet of that thing, it had to be infested with spiders and bugs, but Trevor was a seven-year-old kid and Shawn still liked bugs. Plus she knew that Shawn distracting his young cousin was mostly to give her and Jack a chance to talk.
Once they were alone, Sadie met Jack’s eyes. “Things are pretty awful,” she answered with all honesty. She waved toward the guests. “I feel like I’ve invited them all into a firing range or something. I’m on pins and needles waiting for something to happen.”
“Yikes,” Jack said. “Is it that serious?”
“I don’t know,” Sadie said, realizing she’d only sent him a couple of text messages by way of explanation. “Which means it might as well be that bad.” She looked down and leaned onto her baby brother’s shoulder. “Oh, Jack, I don’t know what to do.” She went on to tell him the things he didn’t already know about the day. He listened silently.
“I’m so sorry,” he commiserated when she finished. “Maybe it doesn’t make you feel any better, but I know you’ll figure it out.”
Sadie let out a heavy breath. “Thanks for the support,” she said sarcastically.
“I’m not just saying that,” Jack said, giving her a strong look. “I look at what you’ve done these last few years, Sadie, and even when I think of how awful this woman is I can’t help but think that she doesn’t know who she’s messing with.”
Feeling repentant for the assumption that Jack had been being flip, she lowered her head. “I wish I felt that kind of confidence. This is different from those other things, Jack. With all the cases I’ve worked, I’ve had clues I’ve followed, and I’ve been the one a step ahead. This time, I feel like a puppet. We’ve tried all day to get ahead and every time we think we’ve made some progress, she manages to catch us off guard again.”
“I don’t think this situation is all that different than the other ones,” Jack said. “The circumstances are, since she’s come for you, but it’s not as though you had an outline for those other situations. You didn’t know exactly what to do or how to do it. You improvised, followed your gut, and made judgment calls with mere seconds to make those choices. And they worked.” Jack touched her chin and made her look at him. He was a handsome man with a narrow face and their father’s searching eyes. “Maybe you can borrow some of our confidence in you for a little while if you can’t find your own. Every person here believes, without a doubt, that you’re going to find what you need in that head and heart of yours and you’re going to come out on top of this.”
Sadie gave him a hug—a full hug; of everyone here, Jack had known and loved Sadie the longest. And he believed in her. That was powerful stuff. She’d been trying to get over her fear all day, sometimes she’d pulled ahead of it, but it overtook her again every time. Was that because she gave into it? Could she make a decision to not give into her fear anymore?
“Thank you, Jack,” she said, smiling at him and realizing how much she’d missed him these last few years. Ever since Anne and Trevor came into his life, he’d faded out of Sadie’s. She wanted to fix that and vowed that after the wedding, she would look at her life and prioritize her time and make the important things work.
Trevor came running back to them and grabbed Jack’s hand, pulling him toward the tree house. Sadie smiled by way of giving him permission to go. Carrie melted out of the crowd and followed after them. Sadie was glad that Carrie had found room in her heart for Jack’s son. Sadie couldn’t imagine what it would be like to do so but admired her sister-in-law for growing into such a hard thing. Maybe Sadie would find room for a better relationship with her sister-in-law too.
Sadie had kept her phone in her pocket even though it made her hips look wider, because she didn’t want to miss Pete’s call. When she felt the vibration of a text message, she moved a few steps further from the mingling crowd. When she saw that the text was from an unknown number she paused, then moved slowly to open the text.
Unknown: How’s your day been, Sadie? Everything going just as you’d expected the day before the BIG day?
Sadie inhaled, held it, and exhaled while thinking of how to respond. She wanted to communicate how angry and overwhelmed she was, or tell Jane all about the details she’d learned about Jane’s other victims. She wanted to call her names and tell her how miserable she was making everything, but what if that was exactly what Jane wanted? After a few seconds of considering that, she decided not to say anything at all. When Pete got back she would discuss the options with him, but right now she was trying to keep herself together through this family dinner and Jane was not on the guest list. Jack had confidence in Sadie’s ability to handle this situation and that made it easier to trust her own instincts. Sadie put her phone away without answering Jane’s latest vie for attention. It felt good not to react.
When Jack came back from the tree house, Sadie asked him to help her put Gayle’s drink cooler on the edge of the table. She hoped five gallons would be enough lemon water. Once people realized how good it was, it would be guzzled, she knew it. She had already arranged the cookies Bre had picked up from Rachel’s Bakery on a plate and set it down beside a Jell-O salad with only a pinch of regret that the cookies weren’t her own recipe.
“I think we’re about ready for a welcome speech,” Brooke said from Sadie’s left. “Are you ready?”
Pete was the one who was supposed to take this task, but Sadie nodded. Brooke put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Everyone stopped talking to one another and turned to look at Sadie who stepped forward. She thanked them all for coming and for being patient with the last minute change
of venue. “I’m hoping that Pete will be here at any time and wish I had an update for everyone, but I haven’t heard from him.” She had to look away from the sympathetic expressions. “I know that he would share my thanks for your patience today. It has been . . . extreme.” The crowd chuckled good-naturedly with her and she bit her tongue to keep from apologizing for the porn e-mails many of these guests had received. It might lead to questions from people who hadn’t been on the receiving end, or the mention could increase discomfort and . . . she took a breath and maintained her focus. “It’s a testament to how much you love us that you’re still celebrating with us amid all the hard things happening.” People smiled back at her and lifted their Red Solo cups as though to toast her comments. “I’ll also warn you that depending on what’s taken place with Pete today, and what may happen between now and then, there may be some changes to the wedding.” She heard a few expressions of surprise and tried to smile in an attempt to relieve the concerns. “Please stay by your phones so we can update you on what might take place, but regardless of what might happen tomorrow, we are so glad you’re here and so grateful for your support, your love, and your well wishes. We hope that you enjoy dinner tonight and get a chance to meet everyone on whichever side of the family you don’t belong to right now.”
Her phone vibrated in her pocket again, and she quickly pulled it out, hoping it was Pete. It wasn’t. The text was from an unknown caller, and Sadie stared at it a moment before she realized that everyone was still looking at her. She put a smile on her face and slid the phone back into her pocket without reading the message. “Sorry,” she said, embarrassed. “Not Pete.”
A few faces must have seen more in her reaction than she wanted them to: Jack, Shawn, Breanna, and Caro frowned back at her. Sadie didn’t meet their eyes and faced the crowd of people watching her. “Anyway, Pete’s children and their spouses have put together this fabulous meal. I’ll have one of them tell you about it.”
She stepped to the side and Brooke stepped forward to explain the history of Frikadeles with Ruskumsnuz. Everyone laughed at the name, and the mood lightened as Brooke shared accounts of camping trips and Sunday dinners where the meal served as a central point of their family time together.
Sadie was reminded of the sweetness behind Pete’s children offering to share it with her family, each of whom were about to become their family too. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the text message she hadn’t read yet. Brooke took the lead in having everyone introduce themselves and how they were related, and Sadie decided to take advantage of the lack of attention being paid to her. She stepped to the side of the patio area and retrieved her phone from her pocket.
Unknown: Tell me about your day, Sadie? Anything stressful happen?
It was easier to ignore this second text as Sadie could more clearly hear the gloating woven into the words. She returned the phone to her pocket and heard Maggie introduce herself as the only person not related to a member the wedding party. Another text came in.
Unknown: You don’t want to ignore me, Sadie. It’s a very bad idea.
Sadie wanted to ignore Jane more than ever but she wondered if her silence would make Jane think that Sadie didn’t have her phone with her. She wanted Jane to know she was ignoring her.
Sadie: I talked to Professor Pruitt, Valerie. The gig is up. I will not be communicating with you again.
She hit send and got a response almost immediately—a derogatory term that made Sadie smile slightly. Not because she thought profanity was funny, but because Jane reacting with anger meant she wasn’t getting what she wanted. Jane had been the focal point of Sadie’s entire day. And as soon as she wasn’t, Jane was mad.
Boy, did it feel good to make Jane mad.
Chapter 23
Sadie looked up from her phone to see Shawn approaching her while the introductions continued. “Everything okay?” he asked.
Sadie nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’ve been watching you with those text messages you’ve been getting. They seem to be . . . thought provoking. Is it Pete?”
Sadie shook her head. “It’s Jane, but I’ve decided not to play. I told her I won’t be communicating with her anymore, and she didn’t like that.” Sadie smiled at him. “It felt good to make her mad.”
“She’s using a new number? Should we have the police track it?”
Sadie considered that but then shook her head. “None of the other four phones we’ve tracked have led us anywhere. She’ll just ditch it and steal another one. Who knew phones were so easy to steal?” She held her phone out to him. “Anyway, I want to block the number but I don’t know how.”
“You sure?”
Sadie nodded. “Absolutely.”
Shawn took her phone and started toggling. Twenty seconds later he handed the phone back to her. “Blocked.”
“Thanks.” She slid her phone back into her pocket. Brooke waved Sadie over, and she asked Jared to say a prayer over the food that smelled so good. He did so, asking for God’s grace to be upon both Pete and Sadie, which she appreciated. When he ended the prayer, Jared asked everyone to get in line for the grub, which everyone was more than happy to do.
Shawn stayed by Sadie while people fell into line, but Sadie followed his eyes to see he was watching Maggie talk to Caro.
“Maggie seems to be fitting in well,” Sadie said. The girl was dressed in a silky red top that set off her dark hair and mocha-colored skin, white capris, and red platform sandals. Sadie watched Shawn watching Maggie for confirmation of what she suspected: he was head over heels for this girl.
“Isn’t she great?” Shawn said with such wistful admiration that Sadie had to pinch her lips together to keep from chuckling out loud.
“She is great,” Sadie said when she could keep her voice even. “And she’s hot.”
“Right?” Shawn agreed. “I can’t tell you how glad I am she’s not my sister.”
Sadie did laugh out loud at that one, so did Shawn. The chime of his phone sounded in his pocket. He pulled out the phone and read the text message, his expression going from twitterpated to irritated in the space of a blink. Without explaining anything, he quickly started replying.
“What is it?” Sadie asked in concern.
“It’s Jane,” Shawn said without looking up. He’d mentioned before that she likely had his number since it was the same one he’d had two years ago, but until now she hadn’t contacted him.
Sadie tried to see what he was typing, but he shifted so she couldn’t read it. “What are you telling her?”
“I’m telling her exactly what I think of her,” he said in tight words.
“Don’t play into it, Shawn,” she said strongly. “That’s what she wants.”
He stopped typing and looked up at her. “I so want to rage all over her.”
“I know, but it won’t help. She was far more affected by my cutting her off than she’d ever been by my responses.” Finally, she felt as though she had pulled ahead. Even the Facebook post hadn’t given her this same feeling of reclaiming her power. And it hadn’t been so much about physically one-upping Jane as it was her emotional place. Interesting.
Shawn let out a breath and started typing again.
“Now what are you saying?”
“That my mom doesn’t want me to talk to her anymore—but maybe not in those exact words. Have I told you how much I hate her?” He finished typing and sent the message.
“Yes, I think you have.”
“Good, ’cause I really, really, really hate her.”
“I bet I hate her more than you hate her.”
“I don’t think you have the capacity of hatred I have, so there’s no way you can hate her as much as I do.”
His phone vibrated, and he smiled at whatever response Jane gave him.
“Block the number,” Sadie said, knowing he wanted to keep the angry text conversation going.
“Ah, do I have to?” Shawn said.
“No, but I wish you would.”
“We should get our food,” Shawn said. They moved toward the line. “Will you guys still go to Costa Rica if everything goes okay with the wedding?”
“I don’t know if we can go. I don’t think Pete can leave the country until everything’s cleared up. He’s facing federal charges.”
“Ridiculous,” Shawn said, shaking his head. They stood at the back of the line, and Sadie conversed with Pete’s brother until they reached the serving table where he began getting his food. It was as good as Pete’s family had said it would be, and Sadie’s mood was further enhanced by the enjoyment of a new recipe. She took a plate to each of the security guards, who thanked her and said they’d seen nothing out of the ordinary, which she was glad to hear.
It wasn’t until dessert was served—a variety of ice cream novelty items alongside Rachel’s sugar cookies—that Sadie got another text message. She had to stand in order to fish the phone out of her pocket. Would Jane have stolen yet another phone? But this time it was Pete. She told the people seated by her at the table—Jack, Carrie, Breanna, and Liam—then went into the house to read the text in private.
Pete: On my way. Is there food left or should I grab a cheeseburger?
Sadie smiled and called him back for an update. The drug task force was looking into the situation, and Malloy had gone to bat for Pete, agreeing he’d been framed, but they’d found fourteen plants worked into the flowerbeds and Pete wasn’t getting special privileges. If anything, the task force would be more meticulous because of his connection to the Garrison police department. By following the advice of his attorney, Pete wasn’t booked into jail.
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