Page 68 of Falling for Autumn Again

When my phone rings, my mind doesn’t feel like it’s all there. Like I had one too many drinks when actually I’ve had zero.

“Autumn?” I say without bothering to look at the screen.

“No, darlin’, it’s Dess,” Dessie says over the line. “Ezra, honey, where are you? I thought you and Autumn were going over business things tonight. I went by, but both houses are empty.”

“Uh. We were, but she had a date show up.” I run one handdown the front of my face and stifle a groan. “Does she date often, Dess?”

“A date?” Dessie scoffs. “Not possible.”

“Well, he came with flowers, saying they had plans. And she left with him. That sounds a whole lot like a date to me.”

“Where is she now?”

“Heck if I know.” Except that I do—don’t I? Unless good ol’ Kip took her for food after all. Autumn is known for getting hangry. “Love’s Lanes, I’d guess.”

“Where are you?” my friend asks, with the tone of a mother bear worried over her cub. Though, I’m not sure why. Autumn’s the one out with some guy she shouldn’t be. Not me.

“I’m at the cemetery.” My eyes drift back up to Mr. Green’s stone. “I didn’t know he’d died, Dess.”

She doesn’t ask me who.

“He was my friend too. No one told me.” My throat aches.

She is quiet for a minute. “We were all so caught up in Autumn’s loss. We had Summer and April to help too. And we put it all over Facebook. That’s how we let people know. We all assumed you’d see it.”

“Yeah.” I cough. “Well, I didn’t.” In my efforts to avoid Autumn by not keeping in touch with anyone from Love, I never heard the news by word of mouth either. If only I hadn’t cut off that part of my world.

“Oh, darlin’—”

“I’m gonna hang up, Dess. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Before she can protest, I end the call.

The grassy floor is littered with leaves falling from their trees. It smells like fall. Love always had a scent for every season. And fall smells like dried leaves and clove. Fall was always my favorite in Love—as short as it may be. Though that may have to do a whole lot with the girl I’ve loved most of my life and the excuse of the farm to spend the majority of our time together.

I sit a few minutes more when a black car pulls into the yard, down the path, and parks just beside my Honda Civic.

I squint, not recognizing the vehicle. But then short legs, long wavy hair, and loathing eyes step from the passenger seat. With one hand on her hip, Autumn stares at me, her jacket looped over her arm.

“What are you doing here?” she says. Then, swooping her head back into the car, she says something I can’t hear before closing the passenger door.

Kip drives away—without another look back.Idiot. He has no idea what he’s running from.

Autumn walks over to where I sit next to her father’s grave. “Dessie said you sounded like you’d been drinking.”

“Drinking?” I choke out with a laugh. “You know me better than that.” It’s hard to touch the stuff when it literally made my childhood a nightmare.

Her face softens. “You haven’t?”

“Autumn.” I shake my head. “No.”

Her shoulders fall. “Well, what are you doing out here, Ez?”

I peer back at the stone where her dad lies. “I never got to say goodbye.” I read his name again and again. Edward Bennett. “It should have been Mav,” I say.

A small puff falls from her chest and she plops down next to me. “It absolutely should have been.”

I huff out a laugh. It isn’t funny. None of it is.

“Ed Green told me to take care of you.”

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