Page 86 of The Friendly Fall

She nods, a smile tugging at her thin lips. “Maybe try Botner Creek. I don’t know if that’s where he’ll be, but it’s worth a shot.”

Of course!

I nearly facepalm myself as I remember him saying the spot by the creek was one of his favorite places to go. “Thank you!”

“You’ll need four-wheel drive to get down there this time of year,” Martha says cautiously. “It can get pretty treacherous and slick, especially with the snow on the ground.”

I nod, my stomach knotting up at the thought of trying to maneuver the manual transmission truck through that kind of terrain. For a moment, I consider just calling it off, and sending Nick a text to meet me back at Granny’s when he’s ready to talk.

Thatwouldbe a lot easier…

Maybe even safer.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, brushing away the thought. “I can do it.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Nick

I sit here, staring at my text message to Eliza that’s not sending. I have no idea what she wants to talk about, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to know.

I can only imagine her giving me some sort of talk about how great our friendship is—and that she doesn’t want to lose it, but that she’s getting back with Devon.

Dropping my phone beside me, I sit on the back of the tailgate of my truck, trying to process the hurt that’s pummeled me. I’ve experienced some heartbreak in life, but never like this. I shove myhands into the pockets of my hoodie, since I never bothered to stop by the store and get my coat—mom is definitely back there by now…

And I’m not ready to talk to anyone.

I roll a ball with the loose lint in my pocket, fidgeting with it as I take a few deep breaths. Losing Eliza isn’t the end of the world—besides, I never even really had her. I’ll forever be thankful for the moments we shared.

And that kiss.

Flicking the lint ball out into the snow, my eyes follow it, watching it fall until it disappears into the mixture of snow and mud.

The sound of the revving of an engine catches my attention, and I freeze, wondering who in the world has the nerve to drive through the muck to get down here.

I slide off the tailgate and peer around, waiting for whoever it is to appear from the trees. It’s probably my mom—she’s already tried to call me twice. I tried to answer, but again, the service just doesn’t work down here.

Maybe she’s just that worried about me.

However, as the headlights that cut through the setting sun, I realize they aren’t my mother’s. My heart jumps at the sight of Ms. Marilyn’s pickup truck roaring through the opening, and I’m completely shocked to see Eliza pull up just behind my truck.

She climbs out of the driver’s side, her hair windblown and her body wrapped up in a black coat and red scarf. “Why did you ignore my text?” she demands, hurt on her face. “I literally had to try toguesswhere to find you.”

“Um, well, I tried to reply, but it wouldn’t send,” I say, hesitant. “It’s not like I was purposefully ignoring you—and besides, you were probably busy with what’s-his-face.”

Her mouth drops open. “Says the man who sent him on a wild goose chase!”

I shrug, guilt washing over me. “I just … I thought I wanted to talk to you before he did, but as it turns out, you’ve already made up your mind.” My voice grows a little sharp at the end, and all of the emotions I’ve been working through internally start to spill over.

“What?”

“You came here to get a fresh start, and I don’t really think it’s some secret that I fell head over heels for you,” I blurt out. “It was so freaking obvious, and then what did you do? You asked me to be your fake boyfriend to impress your parents—or maybe it was to winDevonback,” I continue, letting it all out. “And thathurts.”

“It wasneverabout Devon,” she clarifies, ignoring the rest. “I don’t want to be with Devon. I’m over him. He wascrazyto show up here like he did. I told him it was over. And…” She pauses, letting out a heavy breath, meeting my eyes. “I’msorryfor ever asking you to be my fake boyfriend for the sake of my parents, but…”

“But what?” I urge, suddenly hanging on her every word.

“But I don’t regret it.”

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