Page 23 of Fall Fake-Out

“Yeah, well, you smell like dirty gym socks and teen acne.”

“I wasn’t aware acne had a scent.”

Patty nods politely at Sadie as they pass, as any good boss would do, but she doesn’t stop talking to Linda. “I heard her fiancé in Florida took all her money and left her at the altar.”

The mention of Florida grabs my attention.

There’s only one person in Autumn Ridge with ties to Florida, and that’s Ari.

“That’s what happens when you live your life the way she has.” Linda tsks. “There’s always one black sheep in every family. At least Barb has Landrie.”

“And what a gem Landrie is,” Patty gushes. “Thank goodness for her.”

“Amen!” Linda says a little too boisterously, but we did just come from church, so I guess she’s still feelin’ it.

My brows drop as I contemplate, Is this just typical Autumn Ridge gossip, or did Ari really get left at the altar? Anger hits fast—at some guy I’ve never met who was stupid enough to hurt her. Then the emotion fluctuates to Patty Keller and Linda Tolman. I hate how they reduced Ari to a failed relationship. There’s so much more to her than that. She’s probably the best teacher at the high school. They should be talking about how lucky we are to have her here.

“Don’t look so confused,” Sadie interrupts my flash of irritation. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who the black sheep is in our family.”

I push aside my Ari thoughts and glance back at my sister. “I don’t think Rusty, our family dog, would appreciate you talking about him like that.” Fake seriousness covers my entire expression. “Imagine being an Irish setter, and somebody refers to you as a black sheep. They’re not even in the same animal family. It’s so offensive.”

Sadie shakes her head as she tries to hide her laugh.

Ari finally walks out of the church with Landrie and the Ednas—oh, they’re to blame for her taking so long. It all makes sense now. She stands out in her red dress and white sneakers. Heck, she stands out in anything. But it’s really her smile that does the heavy lifting. Big, animated, full of natural joy. I could stare at it all day, every day, and never get bored.

The Ednas both point their fingers at her as if they’re telling her something important they want her to remember. She nods, all the while pulling Landrie’s arm to get away from them. I grin as I watch her escape attempt.

“I recognize that look in your eyes,” Sadie smirks, following my gaze.

“What look?”

“Like you just found your next conquest.”

“Ari’s not a conquest.”

“Oh, yeah? What is she, then?”

That’s the loaded question I’ve asked myself ever since we were teenagers.

She’s not like other girls to me. She’s more.

But I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. “A coworker. A friend.”

“Ha! Until you pursue her, date her, and drop her like every other girl around here. There’s a graveyard of women who wouldn’t call you a friend anymore.”

My expression sours. “There is not.”

“Okay.”

I’m not a fan of the sarcastic tone in my sister’s voice, but I don’t have time to respond before Ari and Landrie are upon us.

“Ah, Ari!” Sadie says with an enthusiastic smile. “Wade and I were just talking about you.”

“Really?” Her brows hike a little. “I hope good things.”

“I was just telling Wade⁠—”

“How happy she is that you moved back to Autumn Ridge,” I cut in before my sister says something that I have to do damage control on.