Page 93 of Flirty Fall Fling

Being blasted online is a normal occurrence for me. But I know it won’t be for her.

Blaire

Can I see you tonight?

Jamie

Yes. Please.

I rub my fingers over the necklace, wanting it to calm me.

Jamie

Meet me at my place for dinner?

Blaire

I’d love to. Warning: I’m already starving. For you.

Blaire

Oh, and I’m sorry again for falling asleep last night.

Jamie

It’s no problem. We’ll just have to make up for lost time.

Blaire

I plan on it.

I chew on my lip, then tuck my phone back into my pocket.

It’s wild how a simple text from her turns my frown upside down.

Unfortunately, I haven’t cooked a proper meal for anyone in a very long time. The only thing I’ve prepared in Patterson’s celebrity chef–designed kitchen since I arrived was a protection spell. Pretty sure it didn’t work.

However, there’s one dish I know how to build from scratch by memory. Years ago, I flew to Italy and took a homemade pasta course because I wanted to impress a woman. She might be long gone, but the recipe stuck. I almost laugh at myself as I unlock the car. I shut the door, lower my hat on my head, and make a quick grocery list.

Once I’ve got everything written down, I realize I’ll be cooking my crush meal for Blaire.

Damn. I’m under her spell, and I really don’t give a fuck about it.

The four-block drive to the store takes twenty-five minutes. Walking would’ve been quicker, but I can’t risk being spotted on the streets right now. That woman said she heard Patterson was staying in Pine Haven, which means it’s only a matter of time until someone believes I’m him. Or they figure out it’s me.

Tonight, at dinner, I’ll warn her, lay it all out with the understanding that this could be the end. Secrecy was her rule, the first one she made. I agreed to it with her mouth an inch from mine. I’ve spent weeks learning I don’t want to hide her. She signed up for a secret fling that ends in November. I’m afraid she’ll cut her losses to protect the shop.

I get out of the car and pass the wooden crates of pumpkins by the entrance. The last time I was here, they were stacked high; now over half of them are gone. I grab a cart as classical spooky music plays overhead, and it’s unsettling. The same teenager works the register and scrolls his phone. If only I could multitask like that.

Picking items off a shelf and adding them to my cart is the most normal task I’ve done in years. Something as simple as buying a fresh loaf of baked bread from the bakery makes me smile. I grab everything I need in twenty minutes flat.

A display of dark red, yellow, and orange dahlias is by the front. I pick a few bouquets for Blaire because a pretty girl deserves pretty flowers.

I step up to the register, and behind me, I hear a familiar voice. I glance over my shoulder and see Winter, Autumn’s little sister. She looks inside my cart like she’s memorizing what I’m buying.

“Jamie. Right? My sister told me about you,” she says.

“Yeah. I’m sure she did,” I say, placing my items on the belt. “Bet it was all great.”