A massive weight lifted from my shoulders at having shared this with Sage. I didn’t resent them, but I had a feeling that ifI hadn’t talked to them about it, I might’ve reached that point someday. That wouldn’t have been fair to either of us.
We chatted about other job options for me while finishing dinner. When Sage opened a can of green beans, I checked my phone and saw a message from Mickey. Simply seeing his name made my pulse quicken.
Mickey: What are you up to tonight? If you’re free, I’d really like to see you, even for a little while.
And there was another secret.
“Hey, Sage? Can I tell you something? You have to keep it between us though. Sibling pinky swear.” I held out my pinky.
After dumping the beans into a pot, they hooked their pinky around mine. “Of course. What’s up?”
Before I had a chance to second-guess myself or come up with something else, the words tumbled out. “I’ve fallen for Mickey.”
Sage blinked slowly. “Mickey Brewer from Red’s?”
“The one and only.”
“There are so many conflicting thoughts racing through my mind right now.”
“Tell me about it.” I filled another pot with water and set it on the stove, then flicked the burner to high. “Go ahead and tell me how terrible this is.”
Sage moved around the breakfast bar and hoisted themself onto a stool. “I mean, yeah, part of me is thinking that this is the worst thing ever. Red’s and Sparky’s? How would that work? It would fuelMaplewood Mattersfor the rest of our lives. But more than that, you’re my brother. All I want is for you to be happy, and if that person is the heir to Red’s, well, fuck me. But also, good? For you, I mean?”
Their uncertainty made me want to laugh, but it was validating for the scrambled thoughts I’d been sorting through over the past month and a half.
“We’re keeping things quiet, obviously. Just spending some time together. I’m not sure it’ll go anywhere.”
Sage frowned. “Why wouldn’t it?”
“Other than simple probabilities for most relationships? You said it yourself, Red’s and Sparky’s. Impossible. Not to mention the whole not sure I’m staying thing. The odds of it working out, even if I’m in Burlington, aren’t great.”
“The fact that you want it to work out means something. I’ve never gotten there with anyone I’ve dated.”
That statement pulled me up short. “That’s a good point.” I paused. “How do you think Mom and Dad would take it?”
Sage’s face turned thoughtful. “If you’d have asked me that when we were younger, I would’ve said they’d freak out. But sometimes I think the town cares more about the feud than our family does.” They shrugged. “I don’t know.”
They were closer to the truth than they realized.
I tapped a message back to Mickey. “On that note, I’m heading out after we eat dinner. Don’t wait up.” I winked.
“Gross.” Sage tilted their head. “Though Mickey is pretty hot. You could do much worse.”
“Good thing I’m the Flynn who got to him first.”
Conversation flowed to lighter topics as we ate dinner. In some ways, I felt relieved, but a heaviness swirled in my chest. There was so much uncertainty. The only thing I was certain about was that I wanted Mickey’s arms around me.
THIRTY
MICKEY
My leg bounced while I waited for Amos to arrive. He’d texted when he left Sage’s, but the minutes stretched into eternity. I was desperate to see him. It felt like nothing in my life made sense except for Amos and how I felt for him.
When I heard the familiar hum of his car, I jumped to my feet and hurried to the door. The white twinkle lights on the big maple in the front yard and porch illuminated his figure as he approached. A thin layer of snow had fallen since I’d gotten home earlier.
“I keep telling you I’m going to expect this kind of greeting every time.” Amos’s warm smile soothed my most frayed nerves.
My response was to close the distance between us and pull him in for a kiss. The damp boards soaked through my socks, but I didn’t care. Amos was here, and I already felt a thousand times better by simply being able to touch him. It scared me how much I needed his presence.
