Page 25 of Fall Over You

“Okay, Ellie. Let’s go.”

I take her hand again and notice the cute clip holding her hair out of her face. I wonder if Tyler put that there. “Can I show you my classroom?”

I’m stunned. I’ve been around this girl a handful of times and she just trusts me. She likes me. She wants to show me things that are important to her.

“Maybe another time,” I say. “We’ll have to get Miss Kristen’s permission.”

“Okay. Maybe you can bring T-Bone then!”

I look behind me and Tyler trails us, hands stuffed in his pockets and with a ballcap shading his eyes. “Sorry,” I mouth. He just purses his lips and shakes his head. A dismissal.

I crouch in front of Ellie in the dawning light and straighten her backpack straps. “Hey, you have a good day now. Thanks for letting me walk you in.”

Ellie hugs me and Kristen catches my eye. “Becca? What are you doing here?”

“Nothing! I mean, my special friend here asked me to walk her into school so . . . here I am.”

I can’t read her expression, but it’s not good. “I’ll say. Tyler, good to see you too.” Her eyes travel over Tyler, top to bottom and back again. I’d make some comment about the loss of the art of subtlety, but I’ve never been subtle a day in my life. Who am I to talk?

“Yep,” he says, almost inaudibly.

Kristen moves along, her pace disorienting. “That reminds me, Becca, did you ever get those coupons printed for this weekend at your farm? I know some of the families would love to come back. I might even stop by.”

I want to die inside. What I need is for thousands of people to attend my festival and for each of them to pay full price.

But half price ticket vouchers get people in the door, and right now, any people beats no people.

“Right, yes. The coupons. I’ll bring them by before the weekend.”

“The sooner the better,” she says placidly, looking past me and directly at Tyler. “Will you be there this weekend, Mr. Davis?”

“Haven’t planned that far ahead,” he grumbles so low his lips barely move. How does he do that? Is he good with puppets or something?

“Oh, well if you don’t have plans⁠—“

“I actually need to get to work,” I cut in.

Tyler flicks his chin toward the truck. “Let’s go.”

His hand touches my lower back as we walk away and I feel that flash of butterflies I get from him.

Or got. That one time. And that other time he hauled me over his shoulder to get me away from some guys I had no business hanging around with.

And then the butterflies I got again this morning.

He shocks me by opening my truck door and holding out his hand. “After you.”

I eye him suspiciously. “Thank you?”

He replies by gnawing on his lower lip and giving me a quick nod before getting in on his side and starting the truck.

“God, does she ever quit?” he grumbles.

“Kristen’s got a crush,” I tease, burrowing down in his jacket. A cloud of his scent wafts from the fabric, and I hope I still smell like this when I take it off.

“Yeah, well, it’s one-sided,” Tyler states, and I get a flash of that personality he keeps tucked away for most people. But with me, he shows it. Every once in a while anyway. I guess I should feel honored.

“Oh come on, she wants to test your DILF status.”