The Quite Ridge

Chapter 32-Sadie

Maddie didn’t give me time to change my mind.

She pulled up earlier than I expected, her truck rolling to a stop just outside the cabin like she already knew I wouldn’t come out if she waited too long. The sound of the engine pulled me toward the door before I could second-guess it.

I grabbed my bag and my phone, pausing for just a second as I glanced around the room. Nothing looked different. Everything was exactly how I left it.

That didn’t mean anything.

It never did.

I stepped outside and locked the door behind me, forcing myself not to hesitate. The air felt cooler than it should have, the kind of chill that didn’t quite match the sun already climbing higher.

Maddie leaned across the seat and pushed the passenger door open. “Let’s go.”

I slid in and shut the door. “You weren’t kidding.”

She smirked as she pulled away. “Nope. You looked like you were about to spend the whole day in that house, and I’m not letting that happen.”

I didn’t argue.

Didn’t tell her she was right.

The drive into town felt different than yesterday. Brighter. Busier. Easier to disappear into.

My phone buzzed in my hand, pulling my attention down before I could stop it.

Rhett.

A small knot in my chest shifted.

Rhett: You make it out alive this morning?

I stared at the screen for a second longer than I should have before typing back.

Me: Barely.

The reply came quick.

Rhett: Dramatic.

I couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at my lips.

Me: You started it.

Another message popped up almost instantly.

Rhett: You look like that all the time or just when I’m around?

My breath caught slightly.

I looked out the window, then back down at my phone.

Me: Look like what?

There was a pause this time.

Short.

But enough to feel it.

Rhett: Like you’re thinking about something you shouldn’t be.

My stomach tightened.

Because that hit too close.

Me: Maybe I am.

The three dots appeared immediately.

Then disappeared.

Then came back again.

I watched them longer than I should have.

Rhett: Careful.

My pulse picked up just enough to notice.

Me: Why?

Another pause.

Longer this time.

Rhett: Because I might ask you what it is.

I exhaled slowly, my grip tightening slightly on my phone.

Me: And what if I don’t answer?

This time the response didn’t hesitate.

Rhett: Then I’ll ask again.

I felt that one.

More than I should have.

“You gonna tell me why you’re smiling at your phone like that?” Maddie asked.

I blinked, looking up too fast. “I’m not.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You are.”

I glanced back down at my screen, the corner of my mouth still giving me away. “It’s nothing.”

She snorted. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

We spent the next couple hours moving through town, going in and out of shops, stopping for coffee, talking about nothing that mattered and everything at the same time.

It felt normal.

Too normal.

Like I had stepped into something I wasn’t supposed to get comfortable in.

My phone buzzed again.

Rhett: You still in town?

Me: Yeah.

Rhett: Good.

I stared at that one.

Me: Good?

A second passed.

Then—

Rhett: Means I get to see you Monday.

My breath caught just slightly.

I didn’t answer right away.

Didn’t trust what I might say.

“Sadie.”

I looked up.

Maddie was watching me now.

Really watching me.

“You okay?” she asked.

I nodded.

But this time—

it wasn’t completely a lie.