asked.
“What time is it?” Sadie asked squinting at her phone.
“It’s eight,” he said. “Don’t you usually open the shop at eight?”
“Look at the sign, Justin. The shop doesn’t open until ten. And today it may be noon.”
Lucy and Betty had stayed late and, in fact, had gone home only when Zack had come by at two a.m. He’d been driving by and seen the light on.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I could come back later…” he sounded a little sad.
“No. I’m awake now. Give me five minutes.”
Sadie got up, brushed her teeth and threw on some clothes. She stuffed her feet into a pair of Keds without bothering with socks, and then she went downstairs.
“Come on,” she said to Justin as she stepped out of the shop. “I need coffee.”
Justin followed her into the bakery, the shop next to hers. She ordered coffee and two pastries and sat at her usual table. John, the shop owner who normally would have sat with her, saw she had company and nodded, but stayed behind the counter.
Justin ordered a cup of tea and sat on the edge of the wooden chair across from Sadie. She took a couple of gulps of coffee and then waved her hand in a gesture for him to begin.
“I’m awake now,” she said. “What do you need, Justin.”
“I came by to tell you that Tamsin’s lawyer bought me a new car. You are a miracle worker.” He smiled at her tentatively.
“He never would have caved if you hadn’t done whatever you did.”
“I did what you should have,” Sadie said. She was tired and a little more direct than she might have been if she’d had more sleep.
“I found evidence that you were telling the truth and Tamsin was lying. If you’d had a little imagination, you could have done it yourself.”
“But how did you do that?” he asked.
“I asked to see the security footage from Town Hall,” she said.
“There are cameras all over that place. It clearly showed Tamsin running into your parked car. It also showed you walking down the street when it happened. Even Tamsin’s lawyer couldn’t dispute that.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” Justin said sheepishly.
“You need to start thinking for yourself. You’re a college professor, for Pete’s sake, you aren’t a child anymore, Justin.”
Sadie glared at him over her coffee cup. She hated being mean, but really, the boy needed to start taking care of himself or everyone in this town was going to take advantage of him.
“I guess I’m used to my mom taking care of everything for me,” he said. “But she couldn’t help with this. She was as clueless as me.”
“Well, it’s time for you to stop expecting other people to clean up messes for you. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t bring this on yourself. You need to learn to problem solve and figure out solutions to your problems. You need to take care of yourself. That’s what adults do.”
Sadie took a bite of her pastry. It was wonderful, as usual in the bakery. She closed her eyes and savored it.
“Can you teach me how to solve problems?” Justin asked. “Help me figure it out?”
“I’m not sure,” she said.
“Let me think about it. Maybe if you get stuck, but I think you just have to start thinking for yourself. Instead of running to your mom, or to me, start by thinking about what needs to happen and then see if you can do what needs to be done.”
He sipped his tea. “I guess I could try that,” he said. “But could I call you when I get stuck?”
“You can call, but not until you’ve tried everything you can think of first. When you’re good and stuck, then you can call me. Deal?” She held her hand out for him to shake.
“Deal.” He shook her hand, already looking more confident.
“Good,” she said. “Now go teach classes, I need to go see someone.”
“Okay,” he said, looking a little confused. “But you haven’t
“What time is it?” Sadie asked squinting at her phone.
“It’s eight,” he said. “Don’t you usually open the shop at eight?”
“Look at the sign, Justin. The shop doesn’t open until ten. And today it may be noon.”
Lucy and Betty had stayed late and, in fact, had gone home only when Zack had come by at two a.m. He’d been driving by and seen the light on.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I could come back later…” he sounded a little sad.
“No. I’m awake now. Give me five minutes.”
Sadie got up, brushed her teeth and threw on some clothes. She stuffed her feet into a pair of Keds without bothering with socks, and then she went downstairs.
“Come on,” she said to Justin as she stepped out of the shop. “I need coffee.”
Justin followed her into the bakery, the shop next to hers. She ordered coffee and two pastries and sat at her usual table. John, the shop owner who normally would have sat with her, saw she had company and nodded, but stayed behind the counter.
Justin ordered a cup of tea and sat on the edge of the wooden chair across from Sadie. She took a couple of gulps of coffee and then waved her hand in a gesture for him to begin.
“I’m awake now,” she said. “What do you need, Justin.”
“I came by to tell you that Tamsin’s lawyer bought me a new car. You are a miracle worker.” He smiled at her tentatively.
“He never would have caved if you hadn’t done whatever you did.”
“I did what you should have,” Sadie said. She was tired and a little more direct than she might have been if she’d had more sleep.
“I found evidence that you were telling the truth and Tamsin was lying. If you’d had a little imagination, you could have done it yourself.”
“But how did you do that?” he asked.
“I asked to see the security footage from Town Hall,” she said.
“There are cameras all over that place. It clearly showed Tamsin running into your parked car. It also showed you walking down the street when it happened. Even Tamsin’s lawyer couldn’t dispute that.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” Justin said sheepishly.
“You need to start thinking for yourself. You’re a college professor, for Pete’s sake, you aren’t a child anymore, Justin.”
Sadie glared at him over her coffee cup. She hated being mean, but really, the boy needed to start taking care of himself or everyone in this town was going to take advantage of him.
“I guess I’m used to my mom taking care of everything for me,” he said. “But she couldn’t help with this. She was as clueless as me.”
“Well, it’s time for you to stop expecting other people to clean up messes for you. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t bring this on yourself. You need to learn to problem solve and figure out solutions to your problems. You need to take care of yourself. That’s what adults do.”
Sadie took a bite of her pastry. It was wonderful, as usual in the bakery. She closed her eyes and savored it.
“Can you teach me how to solve problems?” Justin asked. “Help me figure it out?”
“I’m not sure,” she said.
“Let me think about it. Maybe if you get stuck, but I think you just have to start thinking for yourself. Instead of running to your mom, or to me, start by thinking about what needs to happen and then see if you can do what needs to be done.”
He sipped his tea. “I guess I could try that,” he said. “But could I call you when I get stuck?”
“You can call, but not until you’ve tried everything you can think of first. When you’re good and stuck, then you can call me. Deal?” She held her hand out for him to shake.
“Deal.” He shook her hand, already looking more confident.
“Good,” she said. “Now go teach classes, I need to go see someone.”
“Okay,” he said, looking a little confused. “But you haven’t
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