Page 146 of Fall Fake-Out

Later, after the guests have all left, I find myself carrying chairs toward the storage room.

“Thank you,” Barb says as she holds the door open for me.

I shrug as much as I can with a pile of chairs in my arms. “Many hands make light work.”

A small smile touches her mouth. “That’s not what I was thanking you for.” She glances across the room to Ari. “I can see that you really care about her. So, thank you for making her happy, especially tonight and this week. It could’ve been really hard for her.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I’m sorry if I came off as rude. It was less about you and more about my fear of Ari getting her heart broken again.”

“You don’t have to apologize. She’s your daughter, and it’s not like I’ve had an outstanding track record with the women I’ve dated.”

“But I hope that’s changing?”

“I hope so too.”

Then she walks away before I can figure out a better answer than that.

I watch her disappear into the crowd, wondering if, after the wedding, Barb will still feel the same way and want me in her daughter’s life. Still want me to make her happy.

I hope so, but I also have no idea what happens next between Ari and me.

This is uncharted territory.

I don’t know whether Ari is building a future here in Autumn Ridge or simply enjoying her time with me until she leaves again.

Ari

The guest bedroom in Archer Kade’s house has been completely taken over by Landrie and her bridesmaids. Hair spray hangs in the air. Curling irons crowd every outlet. Garment bags hang from hooks and doorknobs.

But for the first time all afternoon, Landrie and I are alone.

She stands in front of the mirror while I fasten the tiny buttons running down the back of her wedding dress.

“You know what I was thinking about this morning?” Her eyes find mine through the mirror.

“How you’re going to be Mrs. Jaxon Walker soon?”

“No, actually, I was thinking about the phone call. The one where you told me you were moving home.”

My hands pause briefly. “Not what I expected.”

“You were convinced moving back here was the worst thing that could happen to you.”

I laugh. “I was.”

I remember that moment too, how moving home felt like a failure. The last place I wanted to end up was Autumn Ridge. I thought this town represented everything I didn’t want. The gossip. The lack of privacy. The feeling that everybody knew my business before I did.

I’d spent years convincing myself I had outgrown this place.

And somewhere along the way, without noticing, those same things became comforting instead.

The gossip turned into people caring.

The familiarity stopped feeling suffocating and started feeling safe.

And the community I used to roll my eyes at became something I looked forward to.