Page 7 of Fall at Once

I kept my eyes trained out the passenger window as he drove, letting them drift along the side of the highway as the forest became one big green blur.

“You awake over there?” he teased.

“Huh? Yes, sorry.”

Cozy Creek loomed in the distance, and the highway narrowedas we got closer to town. I sat up, happy that everything was the same. Downtown was even more adorable than usual as it had been decorated for fall. Potted mums decorated the entrances of most of the businesses while autumnal baskets of flowers hung from the light posts. I had to bite my lip and look away when we passed Gigi’s Cozy Creek Confectionery. I couldn’t believe I would spend the next month or two working there.

When we turned onto Gigi’s street and saw her house, I almost burst into tears. I felt a mixture of relief at being off the side of the highway and a feeling of beinghome. Warmth, acceptance, and love filled my heart.

Gigi’s place was an old split-level house with a gorgeous wraparound porch on a large lot filled with tall pines, a lush lawn—that I knew Cole kept mowed for her—and her magnificent rose garden. Of course, she also had a picket fence with a wisteria-covered trellis leading to the backyard and a pair of matching porch swings. Dark-stained wooden shutters and planter boxes stuffed full of annuals and trailing ivy decorated each street-facing window. This house could be a set piece straight out of a small-town movie.

But more than that, Gigi’s place felt like home, arealhome—comforting and cozy, warm and inviting. And after how shitty I’d been feeling about myself ever since my breakup, I needed this. I needed to be around someone who wanted to love me, faults and all, without trying to fix me—well, too much, anyway. Gigi was a fixer, but it was all born from love and a deep knowledge of who I was.

My mother was all about impressing people. She threw business parties and frequently held office staff get-togethers at our house. It was part of her job, and I had always understood that. It was how she earned her living to care for us, after all. But I had to be so careful not to mess anything up. Our house was an extension of her office, and as such, it was very formal. I grew up not being allowed to sit in the living room, eating dinner in the dining room was forbidden to us kids, and god forbid I let my room get messy. What would our housekeeper think?

My sisters had grown up to be her mirror images. Of course, I loved them all; we were close and had all the fun together, but I often felt like the odd woman out. But those feelings could have been related to my inferiority complex. It frequently reared its head to cloud my judgment—at least, that’s what my therapist kept telling me.

Anyway, that was not how Gigi lived. You could kick up your feet and curl up with a book on her sofa, and she’d bring you a pillow and a drink, then join you with a book of her own. Formalities meant very little to her. She was more concerned with making sure we were comfortable.

Gigi’s house had always been like paradise to me. Think homemade quilts, knitted throws, and cross-stitched pillows on every piece of furniture. Her house always smelled like April Fresh Downy and chocolate chip cookies. Each time I’d visited her over the years, I’d always wished I could stay forever. I could breathe here. I felt free here, and I was myself here—the real me. And I knew Gigi would always be here for me, no matter what.

Relief covered me like a warm blanket as Cole pulled over to park at the curb. “Thanks for the ride,” I mumbled, keeping my tear-filled eyes aimed at the house and my face turned away from his.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I swiped the back of my hand beneath my eyes before turning to face him. “Oh, yeah. I’m totally fine.”

“Okay.” The sympathetic tone of his voice told me he knew I was full of crap. “I’ll help you carry your stuff inside. Sit tight, and I’ll get it for you.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, slamming my eyes shut as he opened his door and got out.

“Is that my baby girl I see?” I threw open my door as Gigi burst onto the front porch with Sir Basil hot on her heels, barking his furry little brain out and hopping up and down at her side.

I lost it. Tears ran down my face with abandon as I stepped out and ran to her. The last couple of months had been too much for me. I could admit it now that I was here and safe to let my emotions get the best of me. I needed a hug from my Gigi, dang it. I’d been hanging on by a thread, which had just unraveled.

Gigi was what I always wanted to be like when I grew up. She was fun, driven, savvy, and smart. But most of all, she loved her girls with her whole heart—Mom, my sisters, and I were her pride and joy, and she always made sure we knew it.

We were tall and curvy, just like her, and had brown eyes like hers, but her hair wasn’t brown like ours anymore. She had gorgeous, soft silver waves that fell to her shoulders. She was stylishand beautiful and always smelled like Chanel No. 5 and cookies. She felt like home.

“I missed you so much,” I cried into her shoulder as she gathered me close. “Oh no! Your ankle.” I tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let me.

“It’s fine, honey. I need a big squeeze from my Madi, and I’m not done getting it.” Basil licked my ankle before scampering into the house, and I laughed.

“I needed this too. I’m so glad I’m finally here.”

She pulled back to take my cheeks between her palms, brushing my tears away with her thumbs. “Look at you. Still pretty as a picture. We’re going to have fun together, you and me.” She looked past me as Cole approached from his truck. “Thank you for getting my granddaughter home safe, Cole. I appreciate it.”

“My pleasure.” The deep timbre of his voice sent a shiver up my spine. “I’ll take these bags inside for you.” He nodded in my direction with a grin. Damn, his voice was deep and gravelly, like hot guy ASMR. I could listen to him talk all day. Even though he was nowhere near me, I swear I could feel his heat against my back. Goose bumps raced across the nape of my neck as his voice sent a shiver up my spine.

“Thank you so much, Cole. I owe you a coffee, a beer, or maybe a batch of brownies.”

“You don’t owe me a thing.” He looked at me indulgently. His blue eyes sparkled into mine as if he found me irresistible. “I’m happy I was around to help out. But I am tempted to take you up on the brownies. If they’re half as good as Gigi’s, I’ll be inheaven.”

“Uh…” I mumbled at a loss for words as Gigi laughed at my side.

“They’re even better, honey. Madi is a wonderful baker. She learned from the best, didn’t you, sweetie?” She winked at me.

“I sure did.”

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