The Quite Ridge

Chapter 27 - Rhett

She didn’t hesitate as much as I thought she would once she got out of the truck. Getting her there took effort, I could see that, but once she stepped into it, she didn’t hang back the way most people would. She followed Maddie in, let herself get pulled into the group without trying to stay on the edge, and that told me more than anything she could have said.

I stayed back at first, finishing a conversation I wasn’t really paying attention to, letting her settle in before I stepped closer. There was no reason to rush it, no reason to make it obvious. Still, I watched.

The way, she paused for half a second before moving forward. The way Maddie stepped in without asking, like she already knew what Sadie needed. The way Sadie didn’t fight it, didn’t pull away. That wasn’t nothing.

When she sat down, she stayed aware. Not stiff. Not shut down. Just paying attention, taking everything in, deciding what to give and what to hold back. That kind of control didn’t come from nowhere.

Every time her eyes lifted, they found mine.

Not by accident.

Not random.

And she didn’t look away right away either.

That part stuck.

Jace noticed, of course he did. The look he gave me was quick but clear enough, and I ignored it. Not because I didn’t see it, but because I wasn’t dealing with that here.

Not tonight.

She relaxed a little as the night went on. Not fully, but enough to see it. The small smile she didn’t seem to realize she was giving. The way her shoulders dropped just slightly when she stopped thinking about it. The way she leaned back in the chair for a second before catching herself.

It was small.

But it was real.

Still, there was something under it.

Something she wasn’t letting show.

I didn’t know what yet.

But I wasn’t missing it either.