Page 74 of Mountain Dreams

She was somewhat surprised he’d asked, but maybe it assuaged his own guilt. “No. He’s working.”

“Oh.”

“We plan on coming by to pick up the rest of my things later, if that’s okay.”

“Of course. You still have a key, right?”

“Yes. I’ll put it on the table when we leave.”

He nodded while Sadie impatiently shifted beside him.

“I guess I’ll see you, then,” he said.

“See you,” she replied. Then she moved aside so they could pass by.

She waited a few seconds and then glanced down the aisle at their retreating backs. Sadie was leaning against him and saying something that Maddie couldn’t hear, but she got the impression she was reading him the riot act. Jealousy goes both ways, she thought. However, she’d been more jealous of the idea of Sadie than the actual person. She was more irritated by his comments about Cody and that he hadn’t apologized for them.

It doesn’t matter anymore, she told herself as she added the soda to the cart. He could think whatever he wanted about her and Cody, but it wouldn’t change anything.

Luckily, she didn’t run into them again, but when she got into the checkout line, she glanced out the window and spotted them in the parking lot. He opened the passenger door for Sadie and helped her in, something he hadn’t done for Maddie in months. It was a little thing, but it solidified something for her, something she’d known for some time. Wyatt wasn’t her person.

The cashier read off the total, and Maddie snapped out of her musing. Soon she was driving back to Sawyer’s Ridge, back to the place she’d begun to think of as home and to the man who was quickly becoming her person.

Twenty-Three

Cody and Maddie followed Jax and Avery into the barbeque restaurant in downtown Pigeon Forge.

“It’ll be just a few minutes while they clear off a booth,” the hostess said, smiling at the foursome.

“No problem,” said Jax.

It was Saturday evening, and the place was packed. They were crammed into the waiting area with several other patrons, but Cody didn’t mind, as it gave him a legitimate reason to stand close to Maddie. They were standing so close that he smelled her shampoo and felt the heat emanating off her. Or maybe it was his heat because of the crowd and her nearness.

After work, he’d come home to find her curled up in a chair, reading with her glasses perched partway down her nose. She’d quickly removed them and given him a sweet smile.

It struck him how much he loved coming home to her. Now here they were, going out to dinner on a Saturday night just like couples do.

“It smells so good in here,” Avery said.

“I agree,” said Cody, though he wasn’t referring to the scent of roasted meat and barbeque sauce.

“Okay, folks. Follow me,” said the hostess.

She led them to a booth by a window and set down four menus. “Your server will be right with you.”

Avery slid into the booth first, and Jax sat beside her. Cody motioned for Maddie to slide in on their side, figuring she’d want to sit across from Avery so the women could talk.

He was right, and Avery started in right away. “Are you all settled in at Cody’s place?”

“Almost. We still have to pick up some things from where I was living before.”

He noticed she hadn’t said Wyatt’s name, and he wondered why. Everybody at the table knew about her broken engagement, but it must still be a sore subject for her. Once again, he questioned if she was truly over Wyatt.

“Do you plan on sticking around a while?” Jax asked.

Cody almost kicked him under the table, but he was curious to hear her answer.

She gave him a sideways glance and said, “Yes. I like it at Sawyer’s Ridge.”