Page 3 of Fall at Once

My parents were high school sweethearts who married young, with my older sister, Riley, being the unspoken reason for their marriage.

Now, they were divorced and never talked. Dad got custody of Cozy Creek, and Mom got custody of my sisters and me. You couldn’t pay her to step foot in this town unless she was sneaking to Gigi’s house beneath the cover of night for a holidayget-together or if she knew for a fact that he was out of town.

Their relationship was doomed from the start. Mom was all type A determination as she worked to create the top PR firm in Colorado Springs. At the same time, Dad had become the ultimate ski bum. He owned a ski and snowboarding shop in Cozy Creek with my aunt. She ran it, and he traveled the country, hitting the slopes and leaving a trail of heartbreak in his wake.

I could hardly blame Mom for staying away. Dad had done a real number on her—and on his daughters as well. He was not the type to stick around for anything or anyone. I’d be in Cozy Creek for the foreseeable future, and he wasn’t even in the country and had no intention of coming back to see me.

“I know, I know.” Her sigh was sad. “They were just too young, and he was completely wrong for her. But enough about them, for now anyway. Did you hear Cole is divorced? It’s been final for a couple of months now.”

Another shiver shot through my body as my eyes shifted involuntarily to my reflection in the rearview mirror. “Um, no, I did not know that.” I pursed my lips and then bit them to add some color. Looking cute never hurt anyone.

“Yep, he’s single as could be now and still just as attractive as ever. You’re single too. I say it’s time for you to get back out there. He’s a hero, Madi. He’s not just a firefighter. He’s now the chief of The Cozy Creek Fire Brigade.”

“That’s impressive. But I don’t need another boyfriend right now. Do not try to fix me up with him, please. Remember how you spent an hour listening to me rant about the guy Riley andAbigail set me up with last week? I’m not dating anymore, Gigi. I mean it. I’m done. It’s barely been a month, as it is. I need more time to recover. I tried telling them that, but?—”

“That’s right, and I told you to let me be the one to set you up next time, didn’t I? Hello? They’re the ones who fixed you up with Ross in the first place.”

They hadn’t listened to me, just like Gigi wasn’t listening right now. I laughed and let her keep talking. Sometimes, it was easier to nod, smile, and do what you wanted, which was basically how I handled my entire life.

Growing up with a bunch of dominant personalities in my family had made me stealthy. I was so stealthy, in fact, that I barely knew who I was or what I wanted anymore, which was super fun to deal with.

“My picker isn’t broken like you girls’ is,” she continued. “I was married to your grandpa for over fifty years before he passed. You’re young and smart and beautiful?—”

“You’re sweet to say that, but—” She was going to attempt to fix me up with Cole. I knew it.

“Setting you up with a man like Ross, who was too blind to appreciate how wonderful you are, is a travesty. And I don’t know who you went out with last week but forget about him. I always say good riddance to bad rubbish. Let the trash take itself out, you know?”

“Thanks, but?—”

“You’ll see that you’re better off soon enough. Ross never deserved you, stringing you along and making you think he wantedthe same things you did. Oh, never mind. Lookie here, how fortuitous. Cole just returned my text message. He’s about five minutes away, so I’ll let you go. Put on some lipstick and check your hair, honey.”

“Gigi!”

“Bye for now. See you at the house.”

“Wait—” Too late, she’d hung up. “Great,” I muttered before blowing an errant highlighted brown curl out of my eye and flipping my mirrored sun visor down to get a closer look at myself.

Apparently, she was going to ignore my newfound vow to forgo dating and fix-ups from my sisters from now on.

Gigi had been right about Ross all along. I wasted too much time on him—five long, fruitless years. The trauma was real, even though my heart wasn’t entirely broken.

Perhaps I wanted to be married with kids more than I had wanted to find the right man to start a life with. But I’d keep that little tidbit between me and my therapist. I didn’t need the judgment from anyone who wasn’t bound by doctor and patient confidentiality laws to keep their dang mouth shut.

No new men in my life were allowed until I met one on my own, the old-fashioned way, like at the grocery store, the park, or maybe a museum if I felt fancy.

Of course, for that plan to work, I’d have to stop having my groceries delivered and commit to leaving my apartment once in a while.

Ugh, whatever.

Maybe I’d never date again.

I pinched my cheeks and fluffed my hair before rolling my eyes at myself in the mirror.

Like you have a chance with Cole, even if she is trying to fix you up with him.

The last thing I needed was to be in another relationship right now. I needed to get my life straightened out. I had to decide what I wanted from a man and not just settle for the scraps he was willing to give me.

Plus, I couldn’t help but think a man like Cole would be too much for me to handle.

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