The Quite Ridge

Chapter 3 – Sadie

The office was quieter than the yard, cooler too. The door shut behind us, and the noise from outside dropped off like it didn’t belong in here. For a second, I just stood there, letting the silence settle, letting my breathing even out now that I wasn’t standing out there anymore. It helped. Not completely, but enough.

“Alright,” Maddie said, already moving past me like she’d done this a hundred times. “It’s not complicated. Just a lot of little things.”

I nodded and followed her, forcing myself to focus on what she was saying instead of where my mind kept trying to go. Phones, schedules, names I didn’t know yet. She moved through everything quickly, pointing things out, explaining just enough without making it feel overwhelming. I liked that.

“This is where new estimates go,” she said, tapping a folder on the desk. “Reschedules go on the board. Just keep it updated and you’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

“And if something doesn’t make sense, just ask. I’d rather you ask than guess and mess it up,” she added, smiling a little.

“I will.”

She studied me for a second, like she was deciding something, then leaned back against the desk. “Honestly, I’m just glad you’re here.”

That caught me off guard. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she said easily. “I’ve been the only girl here forever. It gets… old.”

I almost smiled at that.

“They’re not bad,” she added. “Just loud. And dirty. And think everything’s funny.”

I thought about that for a second. “Jace seems like that.”

Maddie laughed. “Yeah, that’s him. He doesn’t stop talking. You’ll hear him before you see him most days.”

“I figured.”

“And Rhett…” she paused slightly, like she was choosing her words, then shrugged. “He’s just… Rhett.”

I didn’t say anything.

“He’s been here the longest,” she went on. “Couple years before me and Jace. David owns the place, but he’s never around. Rhett basically runs everything.”

That made sense. Everything about the yard had felt like someone was paying attention.

“That’s why everything’s so organized,” I said.

“Yeah,” Maddie said, smiling. “That’s him. He doesn’t like things out of place.”

I thought about that for a second longer than I should have, then forced myself to move on.

The morning went by faster than I expected. Calls came in just like she said they would, one after another. I wrote everything down, followed her lead, asked questions when I needed to. It felt normal. Almost.

My phone buzzed.

The sound cut through the room sharp enough to make me freeze. Maddie kept talking, flipping through a folder like nothing had happened, but my attention was already gone. No one should have this number. I knew that. I made sure of it. Still, my chest tightened as I picked it up, my thumb hovering over the screen like I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it.

Unknown number.

My stomach dropped.

I told myself it didn’t mean anything. People get wrong numbers. Spam calls happen. It wasn’t him. It couldn’t be. I stared at it as it rang once, twice, three times, then it stopped.

“You gonna get that?” Maddie asked, glancing over.

“Probably spam,” I said, setting it back down. My voice sounded normal. Too normal.

She shrugged. “You’ll get a ton of those. We do.”

That should’ve made me feel better.

It didn’t.

It buzzed again. This time, a message. My chest tightened as I looked down at the screen.

Unknown number.

I shouldn’t open it.

I knew that.

My fingers moved anyway.

You really thought you could just disappear?

Everything in me went cold. I stared at the words, my grip tightening around the phone, my pulse kicking up fast and hard in a way I couldn’t control. No. That didn’t mean it was him. It couldn’t be. There was no name, no number I recognized. Just words.

“Everything okay?” Maddie asked.

I looked up too fast. “Yeah. Just… nothing.”

She watched me for a second, then nodded. “Okay.”

She didn’t push.

I was grateful for that.

I flipped the phone over and set it face down on the desk, pressing my hand against it like that would stop it from lighting up again, like that would stop whatever this was. He didn’t know where I was. He couldn’t. I made sure of it.

Didn’t I?

“Hey,” Maddie said after a minute, softer this time. “You don’t have to be weird about it, you know.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Being new,” she said. “I get it. First day’s always a little off.”

I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Yeah.”

“It gets easier,” she added. “And honestly… I’m just glad I’m not the only one in here anymore.”

I looked at her, really looked this time.

She meant it.

That made something in my chest ease, just a little.

“Me too,” I said.

And for the first time since I got here, it almost felt true.