The guy grunts at our collision, steadying me with large hands and a strong grip. Wow, he smells good. It’s my first thought as the crisp breeze winds the spicy, warmth-infused scent around me. It’s a welcome distraction for a second until I get my bearings.
“Whoa, hang on,” he says in an amused tone that makes my stomach twist in a nice way. “I’ve got you. Where’s the fire?”
“Sorry about that,” I stammer. “I was, um. In a rush.”
God, the last thing I need right now is for anyone in town to see me like this. My head threatens to spin right off my shoulders from the overwhelming last fifteen minutes of my life. Without fail, the end of the year is a sure sign everything I’ve managed to hold together up to this point is about to fall apart.
“I think I got that from your attempted hit and run. Maybe we should exchange insurance information.”
He chuckles. I freeze, struck by the familiar sense of nostalgia that almost knocks me on my ass right there on the autumn leaf-speckled grass.
I know that laugh. Lifting my gaze, I confirm I’m in Cole Kincaid’s arms.
Did I trip, hit my head, and slip into one of the fantasies of my seventeen year old self?
“Eve.” His brows lift in recognition. “Hey. Good to see you.”
His gaze passes over me, pausing at my earrings. The translucent sparkly pink resin heart lollipops are tamer than some of my quirkier ones I’ve made, like the dinosaur chicken nuggets, miniature potted houseplants, and rainbows with cute little faces.
My heart skips a beat under the full weight of his attention. His dark brown hair is as thick and tousled as always, slightly longer on top than he used to wear it. The corners of his warm green eyes crinkle with his handsome smile.
Too many responses crowd my thoughts at once. He drops his hands from my waist and steps back. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize my brother’s best friend immediately, though I’m not exactly thinking straight.
“I didn’t know you were visiting,” I say. “It’s been a while.”
The last time I saw him, he was the best man in Benson’s destination wedding three years ago. He only visited one or two other times before that. When he went to college, his family moved out west to be near him. The only thing left for him in Heston Lake is his friendship with my brother.
“Not just visiting. I’m back.” His relaxed, uneven grin widens at my confused expression. He inclines his head. “For now at least. I don’t usually stick in one spot for long.”
“Back,” I echo. “Didn’t your family sell the house when they moved to be closer to you?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of weird to be here but not living there.” He pushes a hand through his hair, casting his gaze down the street before nodding to a nearby house at the end of the block. “I’m renting. Remember Mrs. Carter’s place? With the cat we all liked to pet on the way to school? Now it’s a duplex. I was lucky they offered me a month-to-month lease.”
It was renovated into apartments like many of the other historic homes in town to save them from demolition and preserve our sleepy college town’s charm. Most of them are filled with Heston University students that don’t want to live on campus. A few older properties have become vacation rentals for the autumn and summer tourists.
“Yes, I went to the estate sale. Scored a whole basket of good yarn.”
The edge of his mouth lifts. He studies me for a beat, smile falling as his brows crease with concern.
“Are you okay? You look like you might—Want me to carry that for you?”
I clutch the box, not in the mood to explain what I’m carrying or why. Hopefully it’s not written all over my face that I was as easy for my boyfriend to throw out as this box he chucked out the door.
Crying in front of him would be way worse than Shawn seeing me upset. The last time he saw me shed tears over a boy who toyed with my heart, he found Benny and the pair of them beat the guy up. It wasn’t until after they both graduated two years ahead of me that any guys dared asking me out again.
“I’m good. I’d better go, actually.” I speak quickly, moving past him.
“You sure?”
“Super sure.” I pause to turn. “Welcome back, Cole.”
He gives me another one of his signature heart-stopping smiles. “Thanks. See you later, Evie.”
My breath catches. I haven’t heard that nickname in years.
Cole is the only one that’s ever called me that. I might be turning twenty-five soon, but being around him always makes me feel like a teenager again.
My brain short-circuits, attempting to respond with two different things at once. “Glad to touch you later. I mean, thanks, you too.”
