Chapter Thirty-Two

Once Doc stitched up Ben’s head, he walked out with the sheriff and left Sage to bandage him up. “You had Katie and me worried.” She peeled off the backing and lined up the jumbo Band-Aid to cover the wound.

Ben smiled. “Thought I was gonna do myself in?” He reached up and touched his forehead. “I’d choose something more effective and less painful.”

“You want something for the pain?” Sage gathered up the bloody gauze and paper and tossed it into the nearby biohazard bag.

Ben shook his head. “I’ve been numb for years. I think it’s about time I feel something; even if it’s only a headache. The way I see it, it’s payback for all the headaches I gave others. Especially Cannon. How will I ever make it up to him?”

“Just be present. All he wants is to have the people he loves around.” She offered him one of Doc’s Life Savers, but Ben declined. “Speaking of Cannon, he seems a bit off today. I know it’s the day, but he isn’t himself, and I’m worried.”

Ben laid a hand on her shoulder. “He’s lost a lot on this day already. It was a blow to him to find out you were leaving.”

Sage staggered back. “Leaving? Where did he get the idea I was leaving?” She replayed recent conversations in her mind and couldn’t come up with one where she gave Cannon the impression she was going anywhere. “I’m not leaving.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “While we waited for Doc, he said he found a letter. Some development agent offered you a buyout for Bea’s property.”

“That’s what this is about?” She turned to walk to the door. She called over her shoulder, “Stick around, Ben, because there’s going to be another head bashing, and Cannon might need your assistance.”

Sage marched outside to where Cannon sat in his truck. She pulled on the door handle, not expecting it to actually open. Cannon had barricaded himself from her all day. Why not lock the door? When she pulled, it opened and she stumbled back and fell to her bottom onto the wet ground.

He hopped out to help her up. “Geez, Sage. What the hell is your problem?”

With his hands on her shoulders, he lifted her to a standing position. She poked him with a single finger to the chest. “You. You’re my problem.”

“Not for long.”

The rain fell around them. “Are you going somewhere? Because I’m not, and I don’t know where you got some foolish idea that I was.”

“I found the letter.”

“Okay. So you found a letter from a company that wanted to buy the property. They leave stuff all over town. I saw one of their cards tucked into the door of the bar one day. Are you selling?”

“No.” She pushed against his chest until he fell against the truck, pinned between the cold wet metal and her body.

“Exactly.” She reached to the side of him and pulled his jacket from the seat. At least he’d brought it in from where she’d left it on the hood. “It’s freezing.” She pulled the damp coat over her shoulders and shivered.

“Climb into the truck before you freeze to death.”

She debated. She wasn’t stupid. She was cold. She hopped into the truck and slid to the passenger’s side while Cannon took his seat behind the wheel and closed the door. The windows fogged immediately. “I wouldn’t be near freezing if you hadn’t ignored my calls and message. This could have been talked out. ”

“I was angry.”

Sage shook with fury. “You haven’t seen angry.”

Cannon scooted closer and reached for her. She pressed her back to the door. “Oh no, you don’t. You don’t get to break up with me and then think you can make it better because you offer me shelter from the storm.”

“I was hurt.”

“I am hurt, Cannon. I’m hurt you thought I’d keep something that big from you. I called that guy the day I arrived. Remember that day? The day I thought you were an asshole. Maybe my first impression was right.”

“Come on, Sage. I was confused. Hell, I’m still confused.” He pointed to her and back to him. “This thing between us. It’s been more of a storm than the one outside. You struck me like lightning. You washed over me like rain. You shook me to the core like thunder. I’m afraid of losing everything.”

“You could have said something. You could have asked. And to think I was going to tell you I loved you.” She shook her head. “My grandmother always said, ‘No risk, no reward.’ She was right. If you can’t risk your heart, Cannon, I can’t reward you with my love.”

She opened the passenger-side door and walked back into the storm, leaving Cannon to contemplate her words.

Sage marched across the street to the bakery. She plopped herself in the nearest chair, and laid her head on the table. When Katie came to the front of the display case, Sage was fully committed to an ugly cry.

“Oh, sweetie.” Katie knelt beside her and wrapped her arms around her shoulder. “You need a cookie?”

Laughter bubbled inside Sage. She was certain her laughter mixed with tears made her look like a crazed woman. “I need more than a cookie. This might be one of the worst days I’ve had in years.”

“Hold that thought.” Katie dashed into the back room. The echo of footsteps on the stairs meant she’d gone to her apartment. A few minutes later, she came back winded. In her hand was a light pink envelope. Give to Sage on her darkest day was written across the front in Bea’s distinctive handwriting. She took the seat across from Sage and gave her the envelope. “I figure if this is the worst day you’ve had in years, it qualifies as a dark day.” She stood and looked down at Sage. “While you open your letter, I’ll get some cookies.”

The last time Sage received a pink envelope, it changed her life. What would this contain? She ran her finger under the flap to reveal a single handwritten page.

 

Dearest Sage,

If you’re reading this, you’ve come to a turning point in your life. I have no idea what that might be, but I’ll offer you my solution. Many call it a list of pros and cons. I simply call it one hundred reasons. Whatever you’re debating, write it down. Come up with one hundred reasons to move forward. If you can’t come up with a solid list, then feel free to quit or move in another direction.

If you’re still confused, look around you. The people of Aspen Cove are never too busy to lend a hand, an ear, or an opinion.

With love and affection,

Bea

 

The smell of the baked goods arrived before Katie, who delivered a plate of heart-shaped sugar cookies.

“If the letter didn’t help, these will.”

Sage set the letter down and picked up a cookie. “It’s Bea’s way of reminding me to consider the positives and not make decisions without thought.” She took a bite and hummed. “These are a positive.”

“Tell me what’s happening.”

Once she’d swallowed the cookie, Sage explained everything.

When Sage was finished, Katie lifted her eyes skyward. “Is that all?”

“All? Are you kidding? How do we build a relationship when we can’t communicate? Cannon is so afraid of a broken heart, he refuses to use his.”

“I’ve seen Cannon look at you. He gave you his heart already. What will you do with it?”

“He’s not in love with me. He’s never said the words.”

“Have you said them to him?” Katie reached over the table and tugged Sage’s damp curls. “You just figured it out. He’s a man. They’re slower.”

“You really think he loves me?”

Katie handed her another cookie. “Eat up. You must be weak, because your brain isn’t working. He wouldn’t have been so upset at the thought of losing you if he didn’t care. You make a difference in his life.”

Sage chewed the edge off the cookie. She nibbled around and around until she reached the center. Maybe she’d reached Cannon’s heart the same way. She chipped away at the edges until she’d made her way inside. The way he kissed her and held her spoke volumes. In the back of her mind, she could hear her mom telling her that actions spoke louder than words. Maybe the words weren’t important.

“He really loves me.” Sage said it with awe in her voice. “I make a difference, and in the end that’s enough for me.”

Katie looked down at the pink paper. “You need a pen?” She didn’t wait for an answer. She pulled one from her pocket and handed it over.

Sage didn’t need a hundred reasons. She needed one. The best reason was Cannon, because she loved him one hundred times over.

On the page she wrote his name, hugged Katie, and left. She needed to talk to Cannon about a property. Not the kind that sat on the lake, but the real estate in his heart.