Page 12 of The Friendly Fall

Mom’s shoulders slump. “People ask each other out when they first meet themallthe time. You’ve got to learn to take a risk sometimes, son.”

I shake my head. “I’m not one of those people, and you know that.”

But suddenly, I’m kind of wishing that I was.

Chapter Five

Eliza

“I just can’t believe you met a hunky fireman in the first five minutes of being in town…” Amy gushes over FaceTime. “Did you get his number?!”

“No, I didn’t get his number. Are you crazy? It was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life.” I roll my eyes at my best friend. “And you already know I’ve sworn off men and love. Besides, he was just doing his job. There’s nothing to read into.”

I take in my new, messy look in the mirror: faded jeans, oversized sweatshirt, and a loose bun on the top of my head. I’ve gonefrom uptown businesswoman to unemployed and living in my granny’s spare room.

The definition of rock bottom.

“Oh, come on, Eliza! You can’t tell me there wasn’t a spark there. I mean, you described him like he walked straight out of one of those lumberjack romance novels.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “You watch too many chick flicks, Amy. This is real life, not some cheesy movie plot.”

“Real life can be just as romantic, if not more,” she insists, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought when I was with Devon, and look how allthatturned out for me,” I retort, the bitterness in my voice surprising even myself. “I’m here to start fresh, not to repeat the same mistakes.”

I sigh, taking in my father’s old room, which is now just a plain guest room—complete with a full-sized bed and a fall-themed quilt that I’m sure is nearly as old as the house. Despite the fact it smells like stale air, it’s a quaint little room … and maybe even cute.

But it’s a huge change from the luxurious apartment I shared with Devon—against my family’s wishes, of course. They didn’t want us to move in together before we were married.

I always thought we’d get married eventually, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.

But clearly, I was wrong.

Ugh. Such awaste of time.

Amy shakes her head, her expression softening. “I get it, Eliza. But not every guy is going to be like Devon. And who knows, maybe this fireman is the fresh start you need. I mean, he did rescue you from a hole on your first day in town!”

“I appreciate your optimism. But let’s focus on the reason I’m actually here: to help Granny and start fresh,” I redirect the conversation, hoping to steer away from the topic of Nick.

“Right. Okay, well, what do you plan to do there, then? Once you get settled in, of course.”

“Well, I came to West Falls with a decent savings to help pay for things, but I still need to find a way to make money. I don’t want to mooch off Granny. She already won’t let me pay rent,” I explain, leaning back in my chair and looking around the room at my half-unpacked bags.

“I’m assuming they don’t have a marketing firm in West Falls?”

“Definitely not.” I chuckle. “Though, I’m kind of relieved to finally have some time to figure out what I want to do with my life. Because working at that marketing firmwasn’tit.”

“Yeah, your boss was a real turd.”

“That’s an understatement.” I shake my head, memories of my old job flooding back.

“Hey, if you want to make a quick buck, maybe you could be an Uber or Doordash driver until you find something more stable?”

I can’t help but chuckle at the thought. “Amy, I appreciate the suggestion, but West Falls has less than five thousand people andmost of them probably don’t even know what Uber or Doordash is. I’m not sure if either of those services even work here.”

She laughs. “Fair point. Hey, maybe you could dust off your old camera and start a photography business or something. You used to love photography.”

It’s true. Ididlove photography. So much so, I actually planned to major in photography in college. But then I met Devon—who was well on his way to law school—my sophomore year, and he convinced me that photography wasn’t a viable career choice. It was “too risky” and “not a stable source of income” according to him. So, when it came time to officially declare my major, I chose marketing instead…

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