The Day I Kissed An Older Man

"You're much more of a gentleman compared to that night," Rita remarked with a smile.

In response, Sherman cocked an eyebrow and quipped, "And you're much more amiable now than you were then."

Their shared laughter drew Sadie's gaze and fueled her resentment.

She wanted to know when Rita started to have eyes on Sherman and felt that Rita was utterly shameless for trying to charm the man that Sadie had been eyeing first.

That being said, a public display of frustration was hardly appropriate, so Sadie forced a smile and approached Sherman.

"Where have you been, Mister Sherman? I looked everywhere for you earlier but couldn't find you," she said, disregarding Rita's presence.

him, he instinctively took a step back

stiffened in response to that

Sadie seemed to think too highly of herself rather than looking at herself in the mirror to see if she was fit to even approach him. Plenty of young women in the banquet were dying to get close to him but did not dare to do so. Sadie had to ask herself if she had anything

humor you have there, Mister Sherman," she said with a strained smile. "I'm Sadie, the second daughter of the Russells. We crossed paths upstairs earlier, but I suppose you couldn't get a good look at

the faint smile at Rita's lips seemed to mock her. Sadie gritted her teeth and yearned to lash out,

with the Russells' eldest daughter, Rita. I wasn't aware there was a second daughter Sherman replied matter-of-factly, which came as a huge surprise to Rita. After all, they had only met each other once, and he had no reason to incur Karen's wrath for her sake-not that he had anything to

on the brink of tears.

little sorry for her. She knew that it could not have been easy for a nineteen-year-old to mask their emotions

father. Sadie later changed her surname to our family's," Rita explained

someone as thick-skinned as Sadie could not endure any longer. She gripped