The Quite Ridge

Chapter 16- Sadie

The day settled into something that almost felt normal. Calls came in steady, not overwhelming, just enough to keep me moving without thinking too much. Maddie filled the space like she always did, talking between calls, explaining things I was starting to understand without needing her to. By mid-morning, I wasn’t checking the door every few seconds. By lunch, I almost forgot to think about last night.

Almost.

I stayed behind the desk, answering calls, writing things down, keeping everything neat and in place. Something I could control. Something that made sense.

My phone buzzed once. I glanced at it without thinking.

Unknown number.

My stomach tightened.

I didn’t open it. I flipped it over instead, pressing it flat against the desk like that would keep it quiet.

Maddie didn’t say anything. Didn’t ask. She just kept moving through the day like everything was fine. That helped more than it should have.

The rest of the afternoon moved the same way. Steady. Predictable. Easy enough to follow.

Until the trucks started coming back.

The sound filled the yard again, engines cutting off, voices carrying in through the walls. It should’ve felt normal by now. It didn’t. Not completely.

I stepped outside after Maddie, letting the air hit me before moving any further. The crew was already breaking off, heading toward their trucks, finishing out the day like they’d done it a hundred times.

Rhett stood near his.

Like he always did.

Like he belonged there.

I started to move past him. Same as that morning. Same as yesterday.

“Sadie.”

I stopped.

Turned back.

He stepped closer, not crowding, just enough to be heard without raising his voice. His eyes stayed on mine, steady in a way that made it hard to look anywhere else.

“For work,” he said, pulling his phone out. “Scheduling, changes… whatever.”

Then, after a second—

“Or if you just need someone.”

The words were simple. But they didn’t land that way.

My chest tightened before I could stop it. I hesitated just long enough to feel it, then pulled my phone out and unlocked it, handing it to him. My fingers brushed his when he took it.

Just for a second.

That was all it took.

My breath shifted slightly.

He typed something in, then handed it back.

“Save it,” he said.

I nodded. “I will.”

I stepped back this time, needing the space before I stayed there too long. I turned toward my car, forcing myself to keep moving like it didn’t matter. Like it was normal. Just a number. Just work.

But my phone felt heavier in my hand.

I opened it once I got to my car, staring at the contact for a second before I could talk myself out of it.

Then I typed.

This is Sadie.

I hit send before I could think about it too much.

A second later, my phone buzzed in my hand.

His number.

Now saved both ways.

I locked my phone, setting it on the seat beside me as I got in.

For the first time since I got here—

I wasn’t completely on my own.

And I wasn’t sure if that made things better.

Or worse.