Page 8 of Falling for Autumn Again

Chapter Four

Autumn

“You’re changing your clothes again?”Meg says, following after me.

"Yes!" I bark. I'm also attempting not to murder my bestie. She's only in town for a couple more days. I'm focusing on clothes and not the fact that Meg just accepted a date for me.

A date—as in dinner, dressing up, guy-and-girl-go-out kind of a thing. The kind of thing I haven’t done in… oh…forever!

“I could run into Daniels and see what they have at Walmart,” she suggests.

“My meeting is in twenty minutes. Daniels is thirty miles away.” I shake my head, staring at my white T-shirt and red plaid button-up. My jeans are clean, at least.

“We could try the thrift shop,” Meg says, her blue eyes scanning over my outfit. “Or we could cut a few inches off the bottom of my slacks.”

“Meg—it’s fine! You were right before. I’m the boss here. I can wear what I want!”

She wrinkles her nose. “You’re mad about the Kip thing? Right?”

“The Kip thing?” My brows rise to the very top of my head. “Ifyou are referring to the date you accepted on my behalf, well, I’m not exactly thrilled.”

She blows out a sigh. “This is your red bikini.”

“Excuse me?”

She waves one hand at me. “When I went to Hawaii, you stole my swimsuit. You shoved that red bikini into my suitcase. I had no choice but to wear it. And in the end, I was glad.” She nods, so sure of herself. “This is your red bikini.”

“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth. I’m giving her this only because that red bikini was so outside her comfort zone, like Wyoming-to-Australia outside.

I can always cancel my date with Kip once Meg leaves town.

Meg wraps her arms around my back and pulls me in for a hug. She hugs me tight until I can’t help but forget my anger. She loves me. Truly. And she’s trying to help. Besides, I have more pressing things to worry about. I’m down to ten minutes before my interviewee arrives.

“It’s fine,” I say, hugging her back. “I’m just stressed. Who knows why? I’m the one doing the hiring today. I mean, in place of the Linus’s, of course. They could override me, they’d have every right, it’s their funding and—”

She drops her arms and steps back to look at my face. “Whoa. They aren’t going to override you. They trust you. You’ve been dreaming about your own restaurant for years, Autumn. You’ve thought of everything… Well, except for this outfit”—she wrinkles her nose—“but everything else. Stop with the doubts.”

I breathe in, grateful again that Meg is here. Even if she is a weasel who accepted a date on my behalf with the sapling truck driver. She’ll head back to Hawaii and Kal in three days, and then I’ll be stuck here again, all by myself.

I’d go on that date with Kip if it meant she’d stay.

As it is, I will be backing out the minute Meg boards her plane.

And—I'm not technically by myself. I need to be more grateful.I have people. Lots and lots of people… The Linus's, Dessie, and Don are like family and I adore them. I've been helping them run the Christmas tree farm and their trio of Airbnb's for years. And then there's Mom. She's in town. Never far away. Depending on me and ready to listen if I ever feel like talking.

I stayed for her. And, of course, for Dad.

My heart pinches with the thought of my father.

Because while Mom and the Linus’s are still here. He isn’t.

“You have your list of questions?” Meg asks, bringing my thoughts back to the present.

“I do.”

She reaches out and tucks a straying hair from my ponytail behind one ear. My hair might as well match my clothes. Ponytails and plaid go hand in hand. Right?

“And you’re meeting him, where?”

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