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As the song slows, I stare at him. His eyes are already on me, and he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Jude,” I say, and I can tell that he knows I’m finally going to tell him what’s been going on with me. We can get through this. I know we can.
His finger comes to my lips. “It’s okay. I understand.”
My forehead wrinkles. Does he know?
Not allowing me to speak, he continues. “Go to Los Angeles. I’ll take over the chicken farm.”
Blinking a few times, it takes me a beat to answer. I step out of his arms. “What?”
“I know you want to go. Melody being here, hearing what her life is like… the job she said she could get you. It’s okay. You deserve it. I’ll hold things down here.”
He reaches for me, but I wiggle away. “Do you want me to go?” My voice is a little loud, and Jude steps forward and lowers his head. “Jesus, Jude!”
The music stops, and Lottie comes over to my side. “Lovers’ quarrel. They’ll be fine. They’re Jude and Sadie. Muusssiiiccc!” She puts up her hand and twirls her finger around.
Jude pins me with a stare. “I’m not sure why you’re mad. I’m stepping aside. Giving you what you want.”
I cannot believe him. “What makes you think I want Los Angeles?”
He shrugs. “I overheard Melody telling you how talented you are. You deserve to have that career you wanted in high school, the success. You deserve to have it all, Sadie.”
I shake my head, tears gathering in my eyes. “Why am I so dispensable to you?”
“You’re not,” he says, stepping forward. “I love you.”
“Yet you’re so quick to push me out of your life with the excuse of it being about my happiness. Maybe it’s you, Jude. You’re afraid. You’re scared.” I stab him in the chest with my finger.
“Scared of what? I don’t understand. I’m telling you it’s okay to go. Giving you permission.”
I throw my arms in the air and stare at the dark sky.
“Hey, you two, maybe you want to go home and talk about this?” Gillian puts her hand on my back and eyes all the townspeople listening to us.
Anger boils my blood, and all the pent-up emotions from the past week flood out of me. “Tell them, Jude.”
“Don’t, Sadie.” He shakes his head, lips thin.
“Hey, everyone, guess what?” I look around the crowd.
“Sadie,” Jude bites out.
“Our marriage.” I look at Jude. “It’s not real. He married me so he could cosign the loan to save my family’s farm.”
“I knew it!” someone shouts.
“Yep, you win.” A tear slips down my cheek as I look at Jude. “It was all fake.”
His jaw tics. “Maybe it was just fake to you.” He stomps away from me. “Ben, get her home.”
Jude weaves through the crowd but stops at The Canary Post, the gossip board where people can write about anything going on in the gossip mill. He looks at a card, scowls at it, then tears it off.
“Hey, man!” Melvin calls.
“Fuck off,” he says, tearing it in half and letting it fall to the ground.
Jude goes inside as Gillian says, “Hey, let’s go.”
