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"I was wondering when you'd leave."

Danny wearily raised his head. Across the street, leaning against the storefront of You Sew and Sew was Amy, bundled head to toe against the winter cold. "How did you let him hustle you?" she called out while crossing the deserted Pine Street. "How could you let Garrett goddamn West embarrass you like that?"

"I don't know, Amy," sighed Danny. "The loss is in the record books. That's all that matters."

"It's not all that matters," she snapped. "Look, Sadie and Scarecrow probably think they own this place now. We can use that to our advantage. The next time you're in town, we'll sit down and..."

Even raising his good hand made Danny wince. "Stop, Amy. It's over. West won, I lost, and I'm going to move on. I was pissed when I lost, but now?" His sigh of despair escaped him like a prisoner going over the wall. "What's the point?"

"The point? The point is, you told me last night you wanted Garrett beaten and broken. And now? Because you lost once in fourteen fucking years, that's it?" Amy's proclamation echoed briefly both ways down Pine Street. "You've got a record of, what, 451-and-1 against him and one loss is enough to make you quit?" She scoffed haughtily. "He fucks your girlfriend behind your back, takes you for seventy-five grand, and that's enough to make you walk away? Maybe Scarecrow's right. Maybe you are a loser."

"What I am," he shot back weakly, "is someone who needs to get his priorities straight. Like getting my shoulder fixed, focusing on basketball, and forgetting about... forgetting about Garrett." The name fell from his mouth like a penny bouncing down the stairs. He carefully pointed at his injured shoulder. "This is my fault, but I blame you. I'm going to try to forget about Scarecrow, and I suggest you try to forget about Sadie. You're a clever woman with a head for business. Focus on that. And stay away from me."

"Don't tell me what to do," she yelled while he disappeared down the sidewalk. "Gutter trash like her doesn't get to win, Danny! Do you hear me? Her time's going to come! And so is Garrett's! He's run once before! Making him quit town a second time's going to be a fucking cakewalk, which is more than I can say for your championship hopes!"

Her high-pitched screeching echoed down the empty street and into the night air. "They don't get to win," cried Amy. "Emerald Pines is MY hometown! Not theirs! Mine! And I'll make sure they fucking know it!"

X X X X X

"What time is it?" Brenda looked at her smartphone to answer her question. "Oh shit. It's almost one in the morning. I'm sorry, but I have to get going. I've got a long drive back to Denver tomorrow."

Both Gio and Michelle acknowledged their next day travels as well. The impromptu party began breaking up as friends old and new traded hugs, handshakes, kisses, and cheek presses. As coats were gathered, Sadie was reminded of graduation ten years earlier. Then, the same group (minus Vienna) had exchanged farewells and vague promises to see each other down the road. Tonight, however, consisted of genuine goodbyes and a generous helping of 'see you soons.'

"I'll go warm the car up," Gio proclaimed as he and Evelyn headed for the door. "Come down whenever you're ready, Michelle. I'll text you all when I get back to Cheyenne. Have a good night!"

"Am I still giving you a ride?" Garrett inquired of Sadie. A saucy grin and a flirtatious eyebrow were her answer. "Alright," he laughed, "let me use the bathroom first."

After eyeing the quartet of friends, Vienna offered a knowing nod. "I'll go pick up the bedroom," she offered. "I have a feeling someone's going to be sleeping in my bed."

"They are," answered Colette. "And they're going to be sleeping because they have to get up in six hours and open their store. Don't forget Garrett, you're opening with me." He offered a casual wave over his shoulder before shutting the bathroom door. Vienna also closed the door behind her as she walked into the bedroom, granting the four young women a modicum of privacy.

Colette clapped her hands together lightly. "Well, that was a fucking weekend."

Brenda brushed her hair behind her shoulders. "I feel like I've been going non-stop since I left Denver Friday afternoon." She gave them a sad, yet whimsical smile. "But I don't want to go. I feel like I'm walking away in the middle of a story."

Sadie shook her head. "You're leaving at the end of the first major story arc. I've got a feeling that there's plenty more to come. And there's no fucking way I'm letting you sit on the sidelines."

Brenda glanced around the apartment. "Maybe I'll move back here. It looked like there's a lot of new restaurants opening up at Sapphire Drop. Six years in Denver and I haven't put down roots. It might be time for me to come home."

Michelle threw her arm over Brenda's shoulder. "Go for it. I'll take a four-hour drive to visit you over a seven-hour one any day of the week. Plus it means I can see all three of you at once."

"What about you, Michelle?" Colette inquired. "Any chance of moving back?"

"Andrew and I have too much invested in Telluride to pick up stakes and leave. It's up to you guys to hold down the fort. And speaking of Andrew, I have to get going. All the sexual imagery from this weekend, by the time I'm done with him he won't be able to walk right for a week."

By the time Michelle had finished hugging her friends a final time, Garrett was stepping out of the bathroom. "Goodbye," Michelle said as she wrapped him up in a firm embrace. "It was good seeing you. If you disappear on us again, I'll kill you."