Page 65 of Fall Fake-Out

“So it was okay for you to date Wade, but it isn’t okay for me?”

Landrie smiles like my question is ridiculous. “That was different.”

“How so?”

“Well, for starters, I knew it was just a fling. And I was so young. Dating for fun is expected at that age.”

“As opposed to my old-maid age of twenty-seven?”

“Shoot.” Landrie stops walking to face me. Sincerity lines the edges of her eyes. “Ari, that’s not what I meant to imply. You’re not an old maid. And I actually love that you are getting back out there after Andy. You deserve some rebound fun after such a long and serious relationship. And who is better for that than Wade?”

It’s true. Wade is perfect for something like that, but that isn’t what this is. This arrangement is purely transactional. A business arrangement of sorts.

“And who knows”—Landrie puts her arm around my shoulder and starts walking toward the wooded pathway again, forcing me with her—“maybe you’ll be the one woman who can tame the town playboy, and you’ll end up with a fairy-tale ending like Jaxon and me.”

“I doubt it,” I automatically answer. That definitely won’t happen. Wade isn’t the type of guy I want to end up with. I mean, he’s exactly the type of guy I think I want. Fun, playful, exciting. But I have years’ worth of dating data from Andy that tells me those traits aren’t reliable.

So, no. There won’t be any taming of the playboy. Not on my watch. I’m keeping strict boundaries in my head and my heart.

But if Wade reminds me of Andy and old mistakes, why do I keep defending him and want people to stop judging him wrongly?

It doesn’t make sense.

After touring Horseshoe Holler, we head into town to stop at Keller’s Bakehouse to look at a few pictures of the types of wedding cakes they can create for the reception.

There isn’t an open parking stall in front, so we’re forced to park down at the end of Main Street, which normally wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t live in the nosiest town in the U.S.

The second I step out of the car, I’m cornered by an Edna—I have no clue which one.

“What happened to waiting for the new dentist?” She’s instantly in my face—or would be if she weren’t six inches shorter than I am.

“Uh…” I instinctively back up. “Hello.”

My mom comes around the car to where we’re standing on the sidewalk. “What’s this about the new dentist?”

“Nothing.” The last thing I need is my mom getting the idea to set me up with another man in Autumn Ridge.

Edna wags her finger at my mom. “Your new boss could’ve been your son-in-law if Wade hadn’t swooped in.”

“Carson Price?”

I didn’t know the new dentist was Carson Price. He was a popular older boy when I was a teenager.

The wheels in Mom’s head start turning…fast. “Yes! Why didn’t I think about Carson and Ari? He’s divorced and single.”

“Plus, he has that daughter.” Edna easily supplies more ammo for my mother to use.

She places her hand over her heart. “I could be an instant grandma!”

“We have to go.” I grab my mom’s arm, pulling her away from Edna. It’s the dark-haired one, by the way. She just made my “Public Enemy #1” list.

“Seriously, Ari.” There’s a frightening level of excitement in my mom’s voice. “Carson Price is the answer to all our problems. He’s like a gooey cinnamon roll. I’ll be helping set up his new dentist’s office next week. I’ll line up a date for you two.”

She keeps talking about how this is a match made in heaven, but I ignore her, turning to Landrie. “Carson Price? Does he really have a child now?”

“Yeah, but I don’t actually remember him. He’s a lot older than me.”

Mom whips out her phone, checking the calendar app. “What if I tell him that you’d go to the opening of the pumpkin patch with him and his daughter next Saturday, September twenty-sixth? That’d be a great first date and would give him enough time to get settled in town.”