I should have known that Colton would have that effect on me. Somehow, the man had wormed his way over the walls I’d constructed the day I left New York. Those were the same walls Max had barely been able to sneak through when I had given him a chance.
“Ma’am? Can I take your order?” the barista repeated, breaking me free from my musings.
“Chai latte,” I said with a grunt, scaring both the server and the woman standing behind me in line.
“Wow. If you continue to growl, no one is going to want you to move back home.” Ready to give the observer my two cents, I turned to find Lily Chisolm sitting at a bistro table alone.
Stepping over to her table, the sounds of the coffee shop drowning out my groan, I asked her how she knew I hadn’t made a decision yet.
“Betsy,” we said at the same time and then giggled in unison. That woman knew everything about everyone.
“Yeah, the town is growing on me a bit, but I just want to make sure I make the right choice.” I didn’t want to tell her that the man staying at her house had a bit of something to do with my inability to decide.
“I understand, but remember, make the decision for you, not for anyone else. Anyway, I have a class to teach in a few minutes, so I hate to run off.”
That was when I noticed she was dressed in spandex athletic wear from head to toe.
“I teach yoga at the small gym down the street. You should come sometime.”
She couldn’t have known that I’d never stepped foot inside a gym, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. But she looked at least twenty years younger than she was, closer to my age for sure. Maybe that could be something new that I did for myself.
“You should also think about coming to the book club meeting on Wednesday. Your sisters are usually there and sometimes your mom joins them.”
“Oh, what book are you reading? I have plenty of time to catch up.”
My eyes widened as Lily freed a boisterous laugh, tilting her head back as she let it out.
“Oh, sweet girl. We don’t actually read any books. It’s more like a chance to get together, drink some wine, and gossip.”
“Oh.”
“Oh my. I haven’t laughed that hard in years,” she claimed as she swiped her fingertips under her eyes.
Normally being the butt of a joke would have me hightailing it out of the shop, but I knew Lily wasn’t laughing at me to be malicious. The woman didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
As she stood from the table, I agreed that I’d try to make it to the book club and then waved her goodbye just as my drink was ready.
I had plans to meet up with Alex this morning, so I took my order to go and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The sun was shining, as if we hadn’t experienced a deadly storm just days before. People milled about without a care in the world, smiling at each other as they passed. But years of walking the New York streets had hardened me. There was no quick grin or warm greeting. I strutted with my head down toward my destination, ignoring everyone in my path.
“Autumn?” a voice called out from behind me and I cringed. “Hey, Autumn. Wait up.”
My body straightened as I inhaled a deep breath as I came face to face with the man I’d snuck away from.
“Hey,” he said in a surprisingly chipper mood considering the last time we were together. “I thought that was you. I was in the hardware store picking out some fixtures for the house when I saw you pass by the window.”
“Oh, well, here I am,” I said petulantly. I wasn’t sure where my attitude was emerging from, but there was nothing I could do to push it aside.
Colton was quiet, and when I peered up at him from beneath my lashes, I found his head tilted to the side as if he was trying to figure me out. He wasn’t alone. I was trying to figure myself out as well.
“Did I do something to upset you?” he asked and I shook my head in reply.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No, Colton. I am just on my way to meet my sister.”
“You know,” he began, crossing his arms across his chest and the image of my hand gripping his bicep popped into my head. God, I loved his arms. “I thought we had a good time that night.”
Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair, pushing it away from my face. “We did, Colton. I did. I’m just. . .” Chuckling, I dramatically dropped my hand from my hair and let it fall back to my hips, my palm slapping against the denim. “I don’t know what I am.”
