Page 13 of A Match Made In Fall

Heat rushes my cheeks. “I’m not sure,” I admit. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually met one before coming here.”

“Well,” Abby chimes in, “I can offer some insight.”

Eloise snorts. “No you don’t, you’re too biased.” She turns to me. “As the only officially married woman here, I think I’m the most qualified to give relationship advice.”

Abby rolls her eyes. “You can’t be serious. You would take eight to twelve day breaks from your boyfriend until he agreed with you.”

“Exactly,” Eloise says proudly. “Those breaks changed everything for us, and now we’re happily married. I really should write a book—I could title it From Breaks to the Alter.”

I laugh, and Abby shakes her head before looping her arm through mine.

“Anyway,” she says, lowering her voice slightly, “in case you’re wondering, Austin is genuinely a great guy. He’s funny and down-to-earth. Nick’s known him for years, even before they were teammates on the Bears.”

“So Nick is new to the team?” I ask.

Abby nods. “He got traded last season. At first, he was miserable about coming here.”

“Until he met Abby,” Eloise cuts in. “Then suddenly the big trade became the best thing that ever happened to him.”

Abby’s grins. “That’s…pretty accurate.”

“They have a disgustingly sweet love story,” Eloise tells me.

“Love stories are my favorite,” I admit with a smile. “It’s interesting how things work out. If it wasn’t for his trade, you may have never met.”

Abby nods. “We talk about that all the time. I can’t imagine my life without Nick.”

The way she says it almost brings tears to my eyes.

“So,” Abby says, bumping my shoulder, “what do you think of Austin?”

I hesitate for half a second. “He seems really nice.” I pause, gathering my thoughts. “And he’s definitely attractive.”

Eloise cackles. “Oh definitely.

“Yeah, Austin’s hot,” Abby agrees.

“Yep, so hot,” I mutter, laughing as I hide my face.

“We should all go out together sometime,” Abby says excitedly. “Like a group thing. I could absolutely make it happen, and I’m one hundred percent sure Austin would say yes. He seemed very interested in what happened to your missing crutches.”

I shrug, casually. “Sure. Sounds fun.”

Eloise points at me dramatically. “Look at you, not a bit of hesitation. I appreciate you just going for it.”

I laugh. “Going for what?”

“You’re blushing again,” Abby informs me.

I place my hands on my cheeks. “Guilty.”

They laugh while the employee at the truck hands us a paper bag full of warm donuts dusted in cinnamon sugar.

Abby nudges me again as we step away from the line. “Hey, you never know what could happen. Trust me, I should know.”

I take a bite of the donut, mostly to avoid answering right away. It melts in my mouth instantly—the perfect combination of apples, crisp sugar coating, and cinnamon. Now I understand why the line was so long.

“Well,” I say finally, “I’m not expecting a lot to happen since I’m only here for a short time.”