Page 78 of Break My Fall

And that was that.

She definitely did not check her phone throughout the day on Tuesday to see if he commented further, but Wednesday came with no answers, and no random deliveries of special treats arrived at her home. And she wasn’t disappointed, because that would be silly.

But on Thursday morning, she was completely gobsmacked when a delivery arrived at 10:00 a.m. with a tray of Chick-fil-A biscuits and minis.

There was no Chick-fil-A in Gossamer Falls. The closest one was forty-five minutes away. And she missed her biscuits and minis. So much. She’d even tried to make her own. They were okay. But they weren’t the same.

There was a note. She took it to her office, closed the door, and opened it.

I overheard you say once that the only thing you missed about Raleigh was the easy access to CFA, specifically for breakfast. I didn’t know if you were a biscuit girl or a minigirl, and really, can you go wrong either way? I think not. Hopefully there will be enough here to satisfy your craving.

He didn’t sign it, but did he need to? No. He did not. This really had to stop.

But she didn’t know how to make that happen.

And deep, deep in her soul, she didn’t want to. She wanted to see what he would do next.

The knock on her office door had her shoving the note into her jacket pocket.

“My, my, my.” Bronwyn Pierce stood in the doorway. “What have we here?”

“Biscuits and minis.” Meredith touched the tray. “Want some?”

“Why do you think I’m here?” Bronwyn grabbed two minis and took a bite. “Oh, sweet deliciousness. How I have missed you.”

Meredith took a bite of a biscuit, then turned her attention back to Bronwyn. “How did you know?”

“That would be for me to know and you to never find out.”

“Beep!”

Bronwyn grinned. “I saw him come in with them. Figured I’d give you a few minutes and then invite myself for breakfast. Looked like he had plenty.”

“What do you mean, you saw him?”

“I mean, I saw him get out of his car with a tray. I said, ‘Good morning, Gray, whatcha got there?’ and he said, ‘Morning. I got Meredith some CFA.’ And I said, ‘I’m totally going to eat some of it.’ And he said, ‘There’s plenty.’ Then he walked into your office. Twenty seconds later he walked out, smiled, got back in his car, and drove to the station.”

“He went to CFA and got this for me? This morning?”

Bronwyn nodded and spoke around a bite. “Would seem so.And, can I just say that if he keeps this up, you’re going to have to marry him.” Then she held up a hand. “Kidding. Kidding. Kinda.”

“I heard there was Chick-fil-A in here.” Mo’s voice rang through the hall.

Bronwyn’s eyes widened, and she took a step back from the desk. Mo barged into Meredith’s office, eyes only on the tray. “Baby sister, don’t ever forgive him.” He popped a mini into his mouth whole, and it was only then that the realization that they weren’t the only ones in the room hit him. For a moment, his eyes widened, and his body stiffened.

But he didn’t turn and leave. Neither did Bronwyn.

Never underestimate the power of a chicken biscuit. Or, in this case, chicken mini.

“I’m kidding, of course. Forgiveness is divine and all that. But if you could not forgive him for a few more weeks? He might end up buying you a car.”

“I don’t need a car!”

“Who’s getting a car?” Lucy walked in and went straight for the biscuits.

“Maybe Meredith.” Bronwyn and Mo said the words at the same time, same inflection, same humor. They studiously avoided looking at each other, but Meredith couldn’t stop the whisper of hope for a future that might include her best friend and her brother speaking to each other again.

“Not Meredith,” she said. “Meredith likes her current modes of transportation just fine, thank you very much.”

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