Page 77 of You Fall First

“Oh.” He startles. “Wow. That sounded a little …” He cuts himself off. “You know what? Never mind.”

Home. I said home.

Then I talked about all of us getting ready for the night. Like a family.

Whoops.

“BYE!” Dutton shouts.

Noah bends to bump knuckles with him—their personal superhero move. “Be a good space ranger, okay? Take care of Miss Jo for me while I’m gone.”

At the door, he turns back to me. “Yes, I will be home by five.”

Home.

Take care of Jo.

All the domesticity in those words echoes in my head, but I try not to obsess. At least not much. Dutton and I have plain pancakes to eat, books to read, and forts to build, then to dismantle. By midday, the sun is shining in an almost cloudless sky.

A perfect afternoon to go downtown.

As we wander along Maple Street, the doors to shops are propped open by flower pots or sandwich boards advertising Friday specials. Buzz Lightyear trots along beside me, Bugs dangling by one ear. When the scent of baked goods wafts out from Catty’s Coffee, I’m too tempted.

“Want an apple cider donut?”

Dutton holds up the rabbit. “Two!”

“Let’s start with one, and see how that goes.” I’m already risking a sugar high with a long night ahead of us. Then again, we could probably both use the boost. So I let Dutton scoot inside first, hopping like some kind of space ranger bunny. That’s when I spot him at a booth in the back corner.

Our booth.

Well, used to be.

He’s hunched over an oversized ceramic mug, his wire-rimmed glasses refracting light. But I recognize the goatee in half a breath. I used to love watching him read poetry at open mic nights right here, in this coffee shop. Or belting out karaoke at Tequila Mockingbird. We had a standing trivia team that met there every week. We always won.

Until I lost him.

The woman across the booth might as well be my opposite in every visible way. Sleek blonde hair, birdlike shoulders, butter-yellow tank dress. I can’t see her face, but as she reaches up to smooth her hair, her diamond winks at me.

Oliver is here.

With Amelia.

We need to go.

I try to snag Dutton’s shoulder, but he slips away and makes a mad dash for a gumball machine that wasn’t there the last time I was. I’d come here to meet Oliver for apple cider donuts that day, and I left without a boyfriend.

In hindsight, I think he wanted me to catch him. Why else would he have left his phone on the table when he went up to place our order? The screen was right there in front of me. Lighting up over and over.

His gaze lifts now, and we make eye contact. My stomach lurches, but I refuse to let him see me sweat. I want to show this man he means nothing to me. He is nothing. I’m stronger than ever without him. So instead of waiting to see if he’ll wave me over, or try to duck and cover, I march right up to our booth.

Their booth.

Please don’t stammer. Please don’t stammer. Please don’t stammer.

“Hey. Hi, there. Hello,” I stammer.

“Jojo.” Oliver inclines his head.