Page 48 of The Friendly Fall

I snap my laptop closed and take a deep breath.

It’s better to just not even go there.

Chapter Seventeen

Nick

“Do you have any plans for Halloween this weekend?” I ask Eliza as I run the rag, covered in stain, along the wood railings. I’mfinallydone building the ramp, and this is the last step of the project.

“I’ll probably just be passing out candy with Granny. Other than that, I haven’t thought too much about it, why?”

“My sister, Mara, and her family are coming to town,” I say. “I thought you might like to meet them. We’ll probably take the kids trick-or-treating if you wanna come. Vanessa, Daniel, and their girls will be there. It shouldbe fun.”

She nods. “Yeah, that would be fun. I just need to make sure I’m back in time to help pass out some candy with Granny. I’m sure she’ll tell me not to worry about it, but you know, I like to spend time with her.”

“I understand,” I say, setting the rag down as I finish. “You don’t have to go at all if you don’t want to. I know we’ve been spending a lot of time together … You might want some space.”

She laughs. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll still go, I’ll just make sure I get back with enough time to help Granny for a little while.”

I nod, her answer bringing me some relief. “Great! I think you and my sister will hit it off,” I comment, not bothering to mention the fact that IwantMara to meet Eliza. “Plus, my niece and nephew always keep it interesting, and I figured I’d take them on a hayride too.”

“You drive a tractor too?”

I give her a funny look. “Well, considering I was raised near my grandparents’ farm and always had to help out, yes. I do.”

“Huh, jack of all trades.”

“Master of none,” I finish the statement. It’s always been the way I’ve felt. Carpentry is about as close as I come to being a master, and even then, I still have so much to learn.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Eliza says, grabbing my attention. “I think you’re literally amazing at everything you do.”

Just not amazing enough to make you fall for me.

I nearly roll my eyes at how pathetic the thought is. But to be honest, I’m pininghardafter Eliza. The more timewe spend together, the more my feelings grow. But with how much she seems to mention the wordfriend, I don’t think she feels the same.

I eye her, gathering the courage to ask her a question that’s been burning in my mind. “Hey, whatever happened with those pictures you took of us at the orchard?”

“Funny you should ask. I actually just posted them last night.” Eliza shifts, pulling her phone from her pocket. “Do you want to see them?”

I hesitate, the sweet moment between Eliza and I forever burned in my mind. “If you want to show them to me, I’ll be happy to look.”

She rolls her eyes. “Always such a gentleman.”

“Always.” I shoot her a wink that makes her laugh.

She hands me her phone, and I peer at the pictures of us. The one pulled up is us standing close to each other, my arm wrapped around her shoulder as she leans into me, her smile reaching her eyes. My heart does a stupid little dance in my chest as I take in the genuine happiness on her face. It’s a beautiful moment, one that I’d happily relive.

We look like an actual couple.

“Scroll to the right to see the rest,” Eliza comments.

I do, and instantly am sucked into the picture of her laughing beside me.Jeez.Her face is tilted toward the camera, just enough to see the glimmer of the sun illuminating her creamy skin. She didn’t photoshop out her freckles, either, leaving them to dance across the bridge of her nose.

She’s stunning.

I’m just about to ask if she could send me the photos when a text message flashes across the screen.

Hey, can we talk?

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