I was finally making progress. Finn's exterminator called and I made an appointment for Saturday to get rid of my infestation and the electrician called me up as well and I made an appointment for Wednesday. I warned Mark that the rewiring may cost a pretty penny but he sent a thumbs up and told me to go for it, so I did.

I completely had the living room, dining room, linen closet, and kitchen completely cleared out and I was ready to start painting and dismantling.

I needed to go back to Weston's to buy the supplies, so I loaded into Wanda Thursday morning and made my way back into town. I was also out of avocados and spinach and knew I needed to run to the market, but I wanted to avoid Matty. I didn't really want to see him until our date tonight since I was a little nervous about it anyway.

My first date in ten years was with a guy named Matty who owned my grandmother's supermarket. How the fuck did that happen?

Finn only texted me a few more pictures of items to bring over, but there was no more banter or comments made about my legs. I wanted to get the flirting going again but I didn't want to appear desperate either. I just couldn't figure out if he was into me. He mentioned he was single, and I mean, just look at me, why wasn't he making an obvious move?

Maybe he already has a carousel of women he was going between. Maybe there isn't room for me in his line up or he doesn't want to bother since I told him I was only here for the summer.

I pass by the pot we filled when I make it to Weston's and am relieved to find parking in the back this time. When I make it inside, I find Hazel behind the register and her eyes light up when she sees me.

"Good morning Miss Sadie," she says to me and rises off the counter. I notice her teal top pops against her dark skin and she has a necklace made of colorful buttons as her flashy accessory today.

"Morning Hazel," I say back to her and saunter over to meet her.

"I was hoping to run into you again," she says and then dips behind the counter to grab something. She pops up and then holds out a piece of paper for me to grab. "We're having a bench installed in the park near the church for your grandmother. We're gonna do a short little memorial thing for her at Strawberry Days next weekend." I slide the paper into my fingers and look over the flyer the Garden Club mocked up for the event. Food, Drink, Games and Prizes are advertised on the top and I glance back up at Hazel.

"I don't remember Strawberry Days when I used to visit here," I confess and I would have stayed far away from it had I known about it then too.

"It's a new thing the Garden Club cooked up a couple years ago to raise some money. We do some lawn games, vendors come sell stuff, it's a fun thing your grandmother helped create so we thought it was perfect to unveil her bench at this year's festival."

I let out a light laugh, "I didn't know Sadie knew how to create fun things. I always thought she was more of a stifler. A killjoy if you will," I reply and then fold the flyer up to stick in my purse.

Hazel grins, "She started to let loose as she got older. I think she had a lot of regrets after she sold the store, and I think she needed ways to kill time."

"Well, I'm glad she finally had some fun."

"So do you think you could make it? I didn't know if your mama would like to come out too since I know both y'all missed the funeral," Hazel says in a tone that implies we should have not missed the funeral. But to be fair, I had no idea Sadie had even died until Cade called to tell me that I had inherited the house.

"Yeah, I regret not hearing about Sadie passing sooner, but I don't know if my mom will make it out. I don't even know if she's in the country," I confess with a shrug. "But I'll do my best to come down."

"We'd love that," Hazel says with a warm grin.

"Well, I actually popped in for some paint," I admit as I take a step away from the counter.

"Back to the right, honey," she answers with a point of her finger. I wander away from the counter with the flyer feeling like it weighs a hundred pounds.

I don't know how many people here know that my grandmother disowned me once she found out I had premarital sex and was pregnant at nineteen. The fact that it had happened under her own roof was the real sin she couldn't forgive. My mother had sent me out here for the summer so I wasn't left to my own devices in Little Rock. She thought my grandmother would have a more watchful eye on me and I was supposed to be in Magnolia helping at the store and around her house. Not flirting with the football star and getting stoned in Alyssa Meyer's civic.

After she told me I wasn't allowed to step foot in her household again and a lot of other hurtful and heinous things, I never came back to Magnolia. Mark and I had a courthouse wedding in Mississippi near Ole Miss after we decided to go through with the pregnancy, but the wedding bands did nothing to change my grandmother's mind. I had broken her trust and her heart and she wanted nothing to do with me.

Now her garden club wants me to be there to unveil her memorial bench. I should sit and fart on it.

I'm in a daze when I make it to the paint aisle and I shake off memories of Sadie's hatred of me to focus on the task at hand.

Sadie hated the color pink so I grab a pint of "Rose Petal Pink" and another of "Carnation Pink" and drop them into my basket. I think her beloved armoire would look lovely in one of these shades. I then grab two gray colors for the china cabinet and a matte white for the bookshelves. I have to grab another basket for the supplies and am in a better mood when I pay Hazel. She reminds me again that Strawberry Days is next weekend and I still give her a lukewarm commitment. We'll see how I feel about it when the time comes.

After I dump my bags in Wanda, I glance over to the market and my stomach squeezes. I think of Mark telling me to eat, but I don't want to chance running into Matty. I remember the new juice bar and decide to make a pit stop there instead.

Of course Mainstreet isn't as busy as it was when I crashed into the pot and I was glad to be the only one in Squeeze. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the choices and was thrilled to see they offered acai bowls. They may not have a pilates studio or a Veggie Grill yet, but this addition was a step in the right direction.

A teen working the counter smiles brightly at me and waves me over to the register.

"Welcome to Squeeze, what can I get ya?" She asks and she has the same cheery disposition that Cooper has. They look to be about the same age and if he hasn't met this girl yet, he should. She's adorable and radiates warmth.

"I'll do a medium Green Goddess and acai bowl, please. To go," I tell her and she writes my order on a cup. She asks for my name and then tells me to wait in the corner. I notice another guy walk in once I wander away from the register and he looks familiar. It's been a decade since I have seen people here, but I swear I know him.

After he orders, he does a double-take when he sees me in the pickup line. I should have worn a hat and kept my sunglasses on for this exact reason. I give him a minuscule smile and then flit my gaze back to the floor. He comes and stands next to me but he doesn't say anything. When my name is called, he flicks his head over to me and says, "Sadie, Sadie Melvin? I thought you looked familiar."

I look at him after grabbing my order and ask, "Do we know each other?"

He points to himself, "Oliver, Ollie Sanders." Oh, fuck me.

"Ollie, wow hi!" I say, wishing I could teleport. A vivid memory flickers across my mind of us half-naked in the back of his 4Runner and I shove it away. He had long hair back then, was stick thin and always decked out in Billabong shirts. It only happened once and it was before I was obsessed with Mark. Ollie clearly remembers our rendezvous as well by the way his eyes do a quick once over.

"You back here now?" He asks me, hope radiating off of him.

"Not officially. I'm just taking care of some of my grandmother's things," I tell him as I start inching towards the door.

"Ah yeah, I heard she passed a few months back. Is Mark here too?"

"No, he's still in L.A."

"Yeah, playing for the Rams right? Who would have thought our little Marky Du would be big time?"

I want to say, every single person here since everyone knew he was a big deal when he arrived in Magnolia. But I want to stop talking about Mark so I stupidly ask, "How are you? Been in Magnolia this whole time?"

He nods, "Yep, took over for my dad at the RE/MAX here on Mainstreet. Who would have thought I'd have a big boy job." He laughs and I nod in agreement. Ollie is who Alyssa and I would buy our weed from. We would also watch him skate around in the back of the grocery store until Sadie would chase him off. Now he's standing before me all clean-cut in khakis and a button-up.

"That's great to hear," I say as I get to the door and I notice he is walking along with me.

"What about you? I saw the news about you and Mark. No plans to move back here though?" He asks a little too hopefully.

"No, I don't see me moving back to Arkansas. I'm just here to clean out my grandma's house and then I'm gone," I tell him with my back now pressed against the door.

"Well hey, while you're here we should hang out. They are doing this movie thing in the park tomorrow," he suggests.

"Oh yeah, I'm actually going there with a friend."

"Cool. Might see ya there then," he says with an eager smile.

"Yeah, maybe." As I go to turn away, he adds, "Hey Sades, you still looking good. I'm glad I bumped into ya." He eyes me again and I attempt a smile. He watches me push through the door and I feel his eyes on me until I pass the windows. I shake out my willes as I head back to the car and eye roll Ollie fucking Sanders. Why did I have to be such a slutty dumbass back then?