Happily Letter After(48)

“Yeah. I’m fine, sweetheart. Sorry.”

“Come on.” She held out her hand. “It’s time to go to the doctor.”

“Okay . . . just let me grab a shirt.”

“What’s wrong with that one?”

“It’s dirty.”

She laughed. “You just said it was clean.”

“Oh. Yeah . . . it is clean. It just . . . has a stain on it.” I wadded up the shirt in my hand and tossed it on the bed, picking up the one I’d taken out from the closet. “I’ll just wear this one.”

Later that evening, I was glad when Birdie said she was tired and going to turn in early. We were both wiped out from our slumber parties last night. I really needed to unwind, and I looked forward to going into my room, kicking my feet up, and watching some TV maybe. But after flicking through the channels and finding nothing, I decided what I really needed to relax was more than some stupid show. I needed a release.

So I got up and locked my bedroom door and slid open my end table drawer, where I hid lotion. Only when I went to grab it, there was a folded piece of paper sitting on top of the bottle. Thinking nothing of it, I took it out and unfolded it.

Dear Sebastian, I had a great time last night. If you’re reaching into the drawer for what’s underneath this note, I hope you think of me while using it.

God knows I thought of you while I did my thing last night in your bed.

Love,

Sadie P.S. You might want to wash the sheets ;)





CHAPTER 18

SADIE

Talk soon.

That’s what his last text had said. But apparently the two of us had different definitions of soon.

Five days and still no contact.

As if I’d suffered a loss, I’d gone through the stages of grief. At first I was in denial that Sebastian wasn’t going to contact me again. I’d checked my phone every twenty minutes, even though I had the volume set all the way up and my ringer also set to vibrate . . . you know, just in case he’d messaged or called when I fell asleep or something. I knew that Sebastian and I were looking for different things, but even a hookup deserved some gratuitous conversation after the fact.

After the first few days of silence, I’d gone on to anger. How dare he not call or message after that evening? I knew I’d been the one to initiate things, but he was more than a willing participant. The erection prodding at my hip was proof positive of that.

Then, on day six, contact had finally come. Sebastian’s number had popped up on my cell phone, and I got so excited that I fumbled it in my hands and dropped it on the floor—which resulted in the screen cracking. But hey . . . at least he’d finally called.

Only the voice on the other end when I’d answered wasn’t Sebastian’s at all. It was Magdalene’s. She’d called to make arrangements for my next training session because Birdie had been asking when I was coming. Apparently the man of the house was too damn busy to call himself.

After that, I’d moved on to the next stages . . . the ones that are supposed to come after denial and anger. I think those are bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But I’m not positive, because who am I kidding? I didn’t go to any next stage. Well, unless even more pissed off was the stage that came after anger.

Now here it was, Saturday morning, and I stood in front of the Maxwells’ brownstone ready to toss around a big attitude as I knocked for my weekly training.

Except when the door opened, it wasn’t Sebastian.

Or Birdie.

Or Magdalene, even.

It was a woman wearing a bathrobe who had her hair wrapped up in a towel.

She smiled at me and extended her hand. “You must be Sadie. I’m Macie. Seb told me you’d be here at eleven, but I seem to have lost track of time in the shower. His water pressure is incredible.”

Seb? Shower? I felt like I got kicked in the gut. All my anger suddenly vanished and I skipped stage three and went right to stage four: depression.

“Uh. Hi.”

The woman opened the door wide. “Come on in. Make yourself at home while I run and throw on some clothes.”

I nodded and followed her inside, even though all I wanted to do was turn around and leave. The woman walked down the hall . . . toward Sebastian’s bedroom. In a state of shock, I stood there staring after the door closed and couldn’t seem to move until she came back out.

“There, that’s better.” She walked out wearing a pair of tight jeans with a T-shirt and pulled the towel from her hair. Long red locks cascaded around her pretty face.

“Birdie and Magdalene should be back any second.”

I blinked a few times, realizing I hadn’t even noticed that they weren’t here. “Oh. Okay. Are you . . . staying here?”

“Just until tomorrow. I hadn’t planned on coming. But it was such a nice surprise when Seb called and invited me that I just couldn’t say no.” She smiled. “I’m usually the one pushing myself on him.”

Jealousy pulsed through my veins, and I clenched my teeth. This woman obviously had no clue that just one week ago, I was the one sleeping in that same exact bedroom she’d just gotten dressed in. I couldn’t help but let her know that little fact.

“I hope he washed the sheets before you two . . .” I motioned with my hand toward Sebastian’s bedroom. “Before you two did whatever you did in there. Because my naked ass was all over them less than a week ago.”