sydney james

sydney james || adelaide kane 

twenty-nine years old. dental hygienist. born & raised in madison, ga

Mags was nervous, she knew that it wasn’t like Sydney was going to be her next great love, or well, she didn’t expect it. But she and the brunette were hitting it off, and she was enjoying the time they spent together. The question threw her off, but she smiled, laughed a bit, and ordered another drink when the bartender came by. “Probably anytime gents come in tryna make up to their misses. One guy came in sayin’ his wife had been too sweet on their new neighbor so he wanted to remind her of what she had.” Maybe not the craziest, but it was Madison. “Or anytime Mr. Johnson comes in to buy flowers for the young teachers as if that’ll make ‘em sweet on him.”

Sydney laughed softly, “Trouble in paradise seems to bring flowers to the table, always,” she shook her head, “Though if he thought bringin’ flowers was goin’ to remind her what she had, he ought to be thinkin’ a little deeper on a daily basis.” She chided with a teasing smile. “But that’s just my opinion on the matter,” Sydney lifted her shoulders in a shrug, smiling sweetly over at Magnolia. “Can’t go wrong buyin’ teachers flowers, have to keep them smilin’ after dealing with kids all day.”

“Now that I can agree with.” She said with a tease. Shiloh was most definitely something else and that didn’t always make her get along with the rest of Madison but she was who she was and she wasn’t going to apologize for it. “Really? Well, I’m going to have to take you out for a few drinks and see if I can pry some of the details out.” Shiloh teased, knowing she wouldn’t force the other to say anything she wasn’t comfortable with sharing. “You keep those memories for as long as you can. It sounded hot as hell. I can relate because I had a lot of fun too.”

“You know a few drinks will do just the trick,” she shook her head, “don’t they always?” Sydney teased with a small laugh at her own self. “Mm, yeah?” Her brow raised in a playful manner at Shiloh. “And pray tell who did you have so much fun with at the ball?” The woman pried in a teasing tone, “I mean, truly it could have been anyone of of the number of guys I saw lining up to find the nerve to talk to you.” She laughed, a smile tugging onto her lips. 

“I could’ve told ya he’d be a great date,” she said confidently. “It’s why I set y’all up, Syd. He’s just enough of a gentleman that he’ll treat you right, but not so much of a gent that he won’t give you a good time, if you catch my drift.” Greer winked at her friend. She made herself at home on Sydney’s couch, plopping down onto her back and stretching across it. “Now, tell me everything. Give me all the beautiful, juicy details. I’m goin’ to live vicariously through you.” 

“Oh I know exactly what you mean,” she shook her head as her cheeks began to turn red at the thought. “Live vicariously through me? Shouldn’t I be living through you and your love for Austin?” Sydney wiggled her brows at her best friend, “I mean, I’ve just been waitin’ for y’two to confess your love for one another already.” She was only teasing before shrugging her shoulders, “Well, for starters he proposed on our first date,” she laughed, “Offered to take me down to get one of those candy machine rings and all,” she shook her head, “We had lots of laughs, just felt really comfortable and all,” Sydney admitted, “Honestly, best date I’ve been on in a long time and that’s how we ended up at the dance where he got cornered by Sadie and now Deacon’s taken me out to breakfast. All to make sure that I’m safe.” She shook, her head again, “You know my siblings.”

“I know, I know,” he replied with a laugh. Deacon would always tease his sister, knowing that she would defend her job just like he would his own. He’d admired her for putting in the work to become a dental hygienist and was proud of her for doing something so prestigious compared to the work he did. He didn’t need a degree to be a cop, and he had joined the academy right out of high school. In his eyes, his sisters were both much more admirable than he was. “Hey now, I’m just askin’ a simple question. I want to make sure you know I care, that’s all.” Deacon held his hands up innocently, not wanting to come across too judgmental. After all, Deacon was a guy who believed in second chances, he’d proven that with his wife. “Oh, okay, shots fired then. Nah, I’m glad you had a date this year, a real one. It’s about time the boys of Madison got their heads on straight and realized what a catch you are. I got to get you married off soon or you’ll be livin’ in my attic for the rest of my life.” 

“Deacs, how could I forget that you care?” Her brows raised as her head fell to the side as she spoke. She wasn’t lashing out at her brother - not in the slightest. If there was one true and steady it was that her siblings cared about. Their heads may butt and their words may find disagreement, but a the end of the day, they were a family. They grew up with everything the needed to sustain a normal and happy life and her siblings were most of that equation. No number of materialistic items would ever compare to the love that her siblings brought to her life. Her lips parted in laughter once more, taking another bite of the the chocolate croissant before her. “You know I mean well,” she stated as she finished chewing the food. Her eyes grew at his words, “Hey! That was one week that I needed to stay in the attic,” she teased him, “It’s not my fault my apartment flooded. Lucky for me though now, Ximena is a great housemate to have, even if her and Ryan are not quiet at all.” She laughed, shaking her head, “Zeke is a good guy, Deacon.” She turned more serious, the laughter dying off, “I can’t say that it will go anywhere, I can’t predict the future but I really like where things are at right now. And,” she paused, a smile beginning to touch on the corner of her lips, “if he goes and breaks my heart, then have at your brotherly duties of kicking ass.”

❀

Bo snorted in amusement around her last bite of cupcake, neatly discarding the wrapper onto the plate. “If only it were that simple, I might be able to remedy the situation” she joked, though it was a halfhearted attempt at best. The sheer weight of her impulsive actions were haunting her every thought and she had to discuss it with someone or she was liable to drive herself insane. Sydney, always brimming with kindness and understanding, was the perfect outlet. There were few people in the world she felt so comfortable confiding her woes in. Drawing in a long breath as if gathering the courage to confess her wrong doings she hastily reached for the freshly poured wine glass, taking a healthy sip. “I…slept with Nevada”. Straight the point seemed to be the best way to begin. As the words left her mouth she felt strangely as if they were physically hanging in the air above them, a visual representation of her mistake. 

“He kissed me and I just – I couldn’t help myself” her eyes rounded with emotion, fingers gripping the glass as tightly as she dared. “It was perfect Syd, it was everything I imagined and more. But now there’s absolutely no way I can just go back to being friends. Its ruined, everything is ruined” she took another sip and groaned softly. “I’ve been avoiding him” 

“I’m sure we can remedy whatever it is you have going on,” she told her friend with a smile, doing her best to remain optimistic despite not knowing the situation at hand quite yet. It’s part of what made Sydney a good friend - she would at least look for the silver lining among other’s cloudy days. Sydney’s eyes widened with the news of Bo sleeping with Nevada. She had heard many of stories about the man but really, she didn’t know him personally. “What?!” Her lips parted as she nearly shot up off the couch at Bo’s words. “I mean,” she thinned her lips, tipping her head to the side, “I can’t say I blame you there.” Sydney had at least seen what the man looked like and well, she wouldn’t have been able to help herself either. “I mean, do you have to go back to being friends? What’s wrong with being a little more than friends?” Her brow raised, genuine curiosity ringing in her words. Sydney was not trying to make her friend uncomfortable, but only to see the whole story at hand here. 

Zeke raised a brow at Sydney’s comment and smirked, shaking his head. “Now Miss James, are you lettin’ your mind wander somewhere a southern belle would never go?” He asked with a chuckle, taking a sip of his drink but keeping his eyes on her across the table. He’d already thought about how he wanted tonight to end but he was going to try to be a gentleman at least until dessert, even if it wasn’t his usual tactic. “Sounds perfect to me. Low risk, high reward.” Zeke laughed at her jokes and found himself feeling oddly comfortable with Sydney. He was never someone to let down his guard, and he still wasn’t sure he was going to with her either, but she made him feel like there was a possibility and that in itself was exciting to Zeke. The waitress took their orders for dinner and it wasn’t long before the two were lost in conversation again, hardly even noticing when the food arrived a little while later. “So tell me somethin’ not everyone in this town knows about you. I feel like in places like this everyone knows all your business so I wanna know somethin’ you don’t tell everyone else.”

“Well I’m not southern belle,” she dragged on, “so it’s really no surprise where my mind might be wandering,” her lips poised in a playful smirk, unable to take her eyes off of Zeke in that moment. “That’s the way to go,” at least it was for her. She grew up in a modest household. Low risk and high reward was much more up her alley. Risks weren’t exactly something Sydney was fond of taking in the first place, though she wasn’t feeling like this date with Zeke was even skirting close to taking a risk. It was something different, a change of pace, but it was much, much more than a risk. Their short encounter together had her heart racing, pulse pounding. He was more of an adrenaline rush than a risk. She fell so easily into the conversation with him, rarely finding a lull and almost not paying attention as the plate of food was placed in front of him. Sydney would easily let it go cold to keep the conversation going but all that talking brought a silent grumble to her stomach. Sydney only paused to take a bite while he asked her another question, chewing a bit slower as she pondered the thought that crossed her mind. “Hmm,” she hummed, swallowing the bite of food. “Well for starters, you don’t have to tell everyone somethin’ for it to be common knowledge,” she teased, knowing all too well that secrets came out even when people didn’t want them too. “Well, actually,” few people knew this about her because growing up, she had felt slightly ashamed over the fact, but now that she was proud that she did it. “I paid my way through high school cheerleading. It was far too expensive for my parents and well, I did a lot of babysitting and even tutoring other kids for the money to pay for it because it was life or death at that age,” she laughed, shaking her head, “Now I look back and it really wasn’t, but learned some important lessons.”

location: sydney’s place with: @sydneyxjames​ | closed

She knew the way to Sydney’s by heart. It wasn’t often she popped over unexpectedly, but Sydney hadn’t been as available lately as Greer would have liked. When she found herself outside of her friend’s apartment, she knocked on the door and rested her head against the door frame, a smug grin on her face. Greer had barely let Sydney get the front door open before she found herself mouthing off in her usual style. “Well, damn, you could at least have written me a thank you note or somethin’ for hookin’ you two up. I saw you at the ball, I know you two hit it off, just like I said you would.” 

Sydney rolled off the couch at the sound of a knock on her door. She hadn’t been expecting anyone to come over, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t the chance that someone would show up at any given time. When she swung the door open to reveal a smug looking Greer, she knew exactly why the brunette was standing at her door. “Easy there, easy,” she teased her friend, stepping back to let her inside before tossing the door shut. “I mean, it’s only been a date and a trip to the Belle Ball and you know he proposed on the first date?” She raised a brow at her, laughter breaking the serious thinning of her lips. “Really though, he’s been great to spend time with.”

Roman put his hands around the beer bottle in front of him, pressing his lips together at her words as he turned his head to look over at her as she started to talk. “Decent?” He joked as he tapped his fingers against the beer bottle in his hands. “I mean… I’m sure we could find better ways to spend our time together.” He mused.

“Decent enough,” she teased at him, a slow smirk tugging the corners of her lips to her cheeks. “Oh could we now?” Her brow raised, head tipping to the side with his notion of better ways to spend their time. “I’m curious in which ways you are thinkin’,” Sydney mused, “I imagine they’d be relatively similar to mine,” she knew he was a few years younger, but my God, he was hot, and well, Sydney was in need of some fun. “but go on, tell me some.”

It didn’t take long before he was being pulled forward by a Berger Picard on a leash, the dog excited to greet Sydney after recognizing her. “Thanks for the warning, I’ll keep that in mind in case I never need to do laundry here. Have you thought about letting the landlord know about it?” Tamsen question. Maybe, he would go down and take a look at the washer. The boy wasn’t great when it came to operating machines but there was a thing or two he knew about them.  “Holes in your sweaters? Well, shit, I will definitely not be using that one now. I very much enjoy wearing sweaters, though having holes in a few of them might give it a little grungy look but I like to stay warm.” He peered over at Sydney, “Were you just stepping out, or getting in?”

Sydney’s smile grew as his dog came toward her, leaning down to pet him as she smiled up at Tamsen. “Yeah, I figured it was my neighborly duty to do so,” she added with a small laugh. “Or something like that, if you catch my drift.” Her hands ruffled through the fur of the dog a few times before she stood back up. “I have emailed the landlord but he hasn’t responded,” she rolled her eyes at the thought, “Unlucky for him my best friend is a lawyer,” Sydney joked. Not that it was a lie that Logan was a lawyer, but a little nudge in the right direction never hurt anymore. “Maybe that will light a fire under his ass to get things fixed.” She laughed, nodding her head, “Grungy is a fine look, but staying warm is definitely more up my alley too,” she agreed with Tamsen, “Just getting back from dropping off some of my extra baked goods to my sister. I definitely had way too many cupcakes last night.”

-

“Farming is hard work,” Sadie said matter-of-factly. Truthfully, it was all she could think of to sound interested in Zeke, but she was trying. 

Part of her wondered if she felt jealous that Sydney found someone. That would make sense, and explain some of her reaction, but she would never admit it. “Well, that’s really exciting. Is there a second date in your future?”

“It is,” she knew her sister was trying but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Sydney hated the small bout of tension flowing between them in that moment. Over a boy. So to speak. Sydney nodded her head, “Well, he did end up asking me to go to the Belle Ball with him,” she didn’t look at her sister, popping an egg into the bowl to begin mixing it. “So I think that counts as date two?”

Logan lifted her eyes up towards one of her best friends when she brought up how Sadie cornered Zeke in the bathroom. “It’s not surprising,” she admitted as she sat at the kitchen table, two glasses of wine poured for them. She pushed over the drink as she cleared her throat. “I don’t think you’ll ever get a moment of peace with those two as your siblings. Just like I know when the day comes and I decide to actually settle down Jo and Austin will probably make their lives a livin’ hell.” She teased as she cleared her throat. “Actually, there’s something I should tell you… because you’re my best friend and I love you but don’t let it change anything that you’re doing cause it’s fine.” She sat forward, crossing her fingers together. “Uh, I may have had a few one night stands with Zeke when he first came into town.” She pressed her lips together, waiting for the other’s reaction.

“That’s what makes siblings so great isn’t it,” Sydney teased with the roll of her eyes. Not that she didn’t appreciate or love the hell out of her siblings, but as most siblings, they could often be a bit much in her life. She was reaching thirty years old after all. Sydney raised her brow at Logan, rarely hearing the woman talk like this when they were joking around. Something must have been on her mind. She brushed hair from her face, keeping her gaze on her friend. The furrowed brows were beginning to worry Sydney and when Logan admitted to sleeping with Zeke, her eyes shot open. “Wait, what?” She still found that she was laughing, “Oh, Logan,” she shook her head, “You really don’t have to worry about that. I mean, people in a small town are bound to cross paths like that,” more likely than not. “And I really can’t blame you. He’s hot.”

“Well when your date shows up looking like an actual princess, you gotta turn on the charm a little bit.” Zeke explained with a smile, taking their drinks from the bartender with a thank you before handing Sydney her beverage. “Oh, hot and sexy? Wow I’m killin’ it in this suit then huh?” It was a rented suit that he’d never wear again after tonight but it was nice to hear that Sydney was enjoying him being her arm candy. It was obvious to anyone that she was the star of the show here and he was just there to accentuate her beauty. Zeke had taken a look around the room, deciding that once again Sydney was the most beautiful one there and he was more than happy with his dumb luck to have been there with her. He usually found himself with someone attractive attached to him, but not usually one who was attractive and smart and funny all wrapped up in one perfect tiny little package.

Sydney ducked her gaze, trying to beat the heat that shot to her cheeks. She had a feeling she failed as she looked up at him through her lashes, “A princess, huh?” Her chin lifted with a growing smile, “Haven’t heard that since I was like five,” she teased him, laughing at his words. His charm. Zeke was keeping her on her toe and it was a refreshing feeling, especially surrounded by a bunch of people with expectations through the roof over the belle ball. “You most definitely are,” she gave him a single head nod, “but that means I am goin’ to have to keep you away from that gaggle of old ladies over there,” she pointed with the tip of her head, “They might try and steal you away from me with you in that suit.” She added, casting a glance over at the group of ladies that momentarily had Nicholas Gates in their grasp. 

“No judgment from me on that one. Thirty was a hard pill to swallow.” He nodded as he thought about the differences between his twenties and his thirties. If Sydney had met him five years ago, she wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with him. Ezekiel Dalton was a disaster back then, no idea who he was or what was gonna make him feel okay. He wouldn’t have said he necessarily had that all figured out now but going to prison had changed him, forced him to take a hard look at who he was and who he wanted to be. “I think my thirties have been good to me so far though. I’ve grown up a lot in the last year.”

He was glad that Greer had thought of him when looking to set Sydney up on a date. It wasn’t often that anyone thought he’d be good for someone so it meant a lot to him to know that maybe he was changing. Maybe he was maturing and turning into someone who could be trusted. He responded in laughter when Sydney did, the sound carrying across the nice restaurant and disrupting other patrons but he didn’t care. “Well shit, I don’t have a ring but I bet there’s a little quarter machine in the diner down the road I can get you a plastic one.” He liked the way she took his jokes in stride and didn’t get awkward at his playful proposal. “Confident, I like it.”

“I keep hearin’ thirty isn’t so bad.” She told him, having had reassurance from her own cousin. “It’s dauntin’ but I’m sure with some alcohol and well,” her shoulders lifted in a shrug as she thought about some rather inappropriate thoughts in regard to Zeke, “I suppose it won’t be so bad.” Sydney laughed, nodding her head, “You are exactly right. Those rings will even turn my finger green so we will have a forever remembrance of where we go it from.” She teased, wiggling her fingers as she lifted her left hand up. “You can’t go wrong with a surprise pick at an engagement ring. I know the selection there is rather divine.” Her lips grew into a smile still, nodding her head. “Comes with almost being thirty,” she winked at him. It was easy to play along to his proposal. Hell, it was easy to be around him. It wasn’t the awkward first date that the brunette had been anticipating. It seemed as if Greer really outdid herself this time. 

special delivery - @sydneyxjames

Ximena couldn’t even remember what path she took to get home. All she knew was when she got home, she tossed her phone onto the kitchen counter and left it there. She placed herself on their couch and cried the emotions out - whether it was anger or pain or betrayal. Although, there was a small part that was beating herself up for even being upset in the first place because Ryan was single when it all happened… At least had hoped he was. She wiped the tears rolling down her face when she heard the front door open, her head turning towards the window as she kept herself quiet, letting her thoughts run wild in her head.

Sydney had run errands after the work, leaving her getting home long after Ximena had. Seeing the woman’s car in the parking lot, she swung the door open, her lips parted as words began to roll right off her tongue. “You would not believe the day I had.” She shook her head, shutting the door behind her with the kick of her foot with hands full of groceries. Sydney went straight to the freezer to unload a bin of ice cream. She turned to grab it from the bag when she saw Ximena sitting by the window, looking out of it. There was something all too wrong with the picture. “Oh no,” the rest of her items would be fine to sit on the counter. She grabbed the bin of ice cream, popping it open and grabbing two spoons as she nearly tripped over her own two feet to get to Ximena. “What’s wrong?” 

“Of course you have to say that,” Deacon replied with a shake of his head. He loved Sydney, and usually would be saying something pretty similar to his kids. Whenever they wanted extra candy at Halloween, he reminded them of all the things Aunt Sydney would say. “Don’t worry, I’ll brush my teeth, I promise.” Reaching for his own chocolate croissant, Deacon rested his elbows on the table and pulled a small bite off. He rolled it between his fingers slowly before looking up at Sydney and slipping it into his mouth. “So did you have fun at the ball with Zeke? I heard y’all went on a date, too.” The last part wasn’t a question, just a statement letting her know he’d heard about it. He did his best to keep his tone away from any kind of judgement, not wanting her to feel like he was here to cause any trouble. He just didn’t think it was worth beating around the bush when she probably knew why he’d wanted to meet up today. 

“It’s written in blood that I have to at least say it,” she teased him. It’s only because Sydney did most of the teeth cleanings that she mentioned it anyway. To give her brother a hard time was not something the brunette could pass up. “You better,” she wagged her finger in his direction, leaning back in the chair. Sydney fought off an eye roll as he dove right into mentioning Zeke. “Not wasting any time, I see,” her tone was still pleasant. At least she knew she was going to be ambushed by Deacon at this breakfast with him. She had no idea that Sadie had a bad interaction with the man, tainting her image of him almost immediately. Not that it would have changed the fact that she went on a date with him. “Yes, we did have a great time.” She told Deacon, “He’s not a bad dancer,” she admitted, “Which was a nice touch. My last date could not dance all that well,” she teased, poking fun at her brother with a playful smile.