Page 58 of Save a Wish

“She hasn’t opened up about herself other than sharing her dream for Kalm Kingdom and the services she wanted to offer,” I said. “She did tell me she had a sister who passed away, but that’s about it.”

“Well, it sounds as if more dates are on the horizon,” Flora said, “so you can find out more about Sadie then.”

I nodded. “I have a feeling, however, she doesn’t want to talk about her past. I think she came here to Vermont for a fresh start or something.”

“She wouldn’t be the first woman to do that,” Flora said. “Greenridge is a great place to start again.” She elbowed Darius and he slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a side hug. Flora had come to Vermont after her business and relationship had failed in Rhode Island. Her fresh start included falling for Darius though he was older than her and had been her professor.

“Your job,” Darius said to me, “is to let Sadie know you’re willing to listen when she’s ready to tell her story.”

“I can do that.” I could do whatever it took to make Sadie feel comfortable and safe and wanted.

“Shall we get to our meeting now?” Flora asked. “The sooner we iron out the specifics of this campaign, the sooner Darius and I will be out of your hair.”

“And then you can go back to longing for Sadie,” Darius added.

I couldn’t shoot back with a retort because I was, in fact, longing for Sadie. But I could be professional now and daydream later.

“Let’s head into my office.”

I led my brother and his fiancée down the hall to my office where we hammered out a killer social media campaign to advertise the All Hallow’s Eve Walk on the Hartley’s Nest nature trail, recently completed with the help of Darius’s students at Northeast Kingdom College.

“I’ve set up an online portal that accepts registrations for walkers and the donations get directly deposited into our account,” I said. “Once the event is over and all the donations have come in, I’ll split them and donate half to the children’s nature program at Greenridge Middle School as promised.”

“Fabulous,” Flora said. “I love that we can raise money for both Hartley’s Nest and the students with the same event.”

“Vanessa is doing arts and crafts before the walk officially starts,” Darius said, “and Mom has cookies, candy, and cider planned as trick-or-treating snacks.”

“And the rest of us will man whatever needs manning before the walk then we’ll scatter through the woods along the trail in costume,” Flora said. “Darius and I are dressing up as a mated barred owl pair.”

“Of course you are,” I said, chuckling. Cap, a barred owl that was a permanent resident at Hartley’s Nest, had been pivotal in getting Darius and Flora together.

“Hey, we’re wildlife biologists,” Darius said. “Our costumes will reflect that.”

“What’s your costume going to be?” Flora asked me.

I rubbed my jaw. “I have no idea.” Truthfully, I hadn’t given it much thought. Flora and Darius had proposed this All Hallow’s Eve Walk a while ago and I’d gotten right to work on mapping out a social media plan. That had been as far as I’d gone though.

“Talk it over with Sadie,” Flora said as she and Darius stood. “Maybe she has some ideas for a couples costume.”

My mind instantly wandered to Sadie in various costumes, looking delectable in each and every one.

I walked Darius and Flora out then spent some time crafting and scheduling the specific social media posts we’d decided upon in today’s meeting. That took some time, as did a few other Hartley’s Nest business items that needed my attention, but I knocked everything off my to-do list before one o’clock in the afternoon.

What was Sadie doing right now? Was she available? Could I see her? Did she want to see me?

I debated about texting her, but we left it that she would call me. If she hadn’t yet, that probably meant she was busy. I had to respect the fact that she was in the midst of a new business venture. If she wanted it to succeed, it needed her dedication. Hopefully, however, I’d given her the technological tools to make managing her business easier, thereby freeing up more of her time. Time she would want to spend with me.

I picked up my phone and scrolled through the texts Zia, Leif, and Melvin had left earlier today when I’d said I wasn’t available to play.

Zia: Are you sick, Beckett???

Leif: He must be.

And because I hadn’t replied right away, the texts continued.

Leif: He’s so sick he can’t even text!

Melvin: What if zombies got him?