Jo smiles at me once more. "Early flight, she went to visit our other sister on the French Riviera. Are you ready to order?" Jo digs into her apron pocket and pulls out her notepad.
I ignore her subject change. "Okay. When is she coming back?"
Instead of answering me, she grumbles, then simply turns and walks away. Apparently, she is done with my questions.
Fine, two can play that game.
I stand from the booth, darting behind the counter to grab a to-go cup—I’m not a monster, the coffee is coming with me. Once I’ve poured my hazelnut drink into it and secured the lid, I grab my bag and march toward the exit, leaving the book sitting right where Jo set it. She can return the damn thing or burn it for all I care.
I pick up the pace when she glares at me and our eyes lock, but I don’t back down. I’ve faced off with NHL coaches, kids’ parents, the media—I will not lose whatever staring contest she’s trying to have. I hear the door jingle faintly, but before I can turn my head, my face collides with something solid and my bag flies to the ground. I stumble backward, catching myself on… Mr. Wallingham?
The portly man in his late seventies frowns as his coffee flings to the left. The edge of the ceramic mug hits the edge of his wife’s plate, catapulting scrambled eggs in the air, and a baby somewhere I can’t see cries out—probably in the same horror I feel.
"Sorry, I didn’t—"
"I wasn’t looking, I—"
"Smart Sadie?"
My shoulders tense at the nickname coming out of his mouth, and my head spins, meeting his gaze for the first time in years.
"Max?"
The boy whom I tutored for a whole three weeks during junior year of high school has transformed into a man—a man that’s staring at me. My skin heats in embarrassment.
He drops down, grabbing my bag and shoving the contents that spilled out all over the floor back into it. I scan the items, hoping and praying that a super tampon isn’t lying out for all to witness, but even worse, his fingers are wrapped around the brown leather book.This honestly isn’t funny anymore!Max stands and slips the bag onto my shoulder.
"Thanks."
"Yeah. How’ve you been?" He smirks at me, and while it’s kind of adorable, it also reminds me of every player in the locker room that’s at one point or another tried to get my attention. If I didn’t have time for Brett Burns, the Flames' resident flirt, I for sure don’t have time for this golden retriever to be smiling at me.
After what just happened, I don’t have time for anything other than getting the hell out of dodge.
"Max, it was good to see you, but I need to go." I turn slightly, whispering an apology to the couple whose breakfast was ruined, then shove past him, pulling the door open and making my way toward Mom’s. I’m halfway across the parking lot when he calls out to me.
"Sadie, I think you dropped this." Max jogs over to where I stopped, sliding a letter into my hand.
Without saying another word, he turns and goes back toward the diner. I look down at the crinkled envelope that’s only marked with my name on the front in Beth’s handwriting. Knowing I have no other choice than to let this thing wreakhavoc on my life or take control of it, I move to a bench across the street, sit down, and slide my fingers under the edge to open it.
Sadie-
I know that you’re probably wondering why I didn’t tell you I was leaving. And the truth is twofold. I didn’t want to put a damper on our only day together, or for you to think you could get away with not completing the puzzles I gave you.
Was it that obvious that I found the whole thing kind of bizarre? I mean, I love crosswords. I swear by them for many reasons, such as memory control, fun, stress relief, and even how they’ve helped me broaden my vocabulary. But I don’t really see how filling out a book of them is going to do anything in the way of getting my job back or helping me discover my future. That’s a little too presumptuous, even for me.
When I was younger, I was lost. I felt trapped in a life that wasn’t authentic, and I acted out often because of it. While that may not be the same thing as the stress you’re feeling from work, it has the same root cause. Happiness, true fulfillment in life, is only found when we embrace the things that are uniquely designed for us. And you, my girl, are not doing that. I’ve watched with bated breath as you’ve strung yourself out to build the career you sought. But I cannot sit idly by and watch it any longer.
I don’t understand why she never said anything. Beth and I have always had a very honest relationship, the kind where we can call each other on our bullshit as soon as it happens. This makes it seem like she hasn’t agreed with my choices for a long time, and while I wouldn’t change any of them, I can’t believe she said nothing.
There are things you don’t know about me, things that have been kept secret for far longer than you could ever imagine. I need you to trust me and take this seriously, Sadie. Seize the moment and complete these puzzles before my return—your fate quite literally depends on it.
Here are a couple of clues that will help along the way:
Two is always better than one.