Page 16 of Falling for Love

“Sure, you’re not,” she said over her shoulder. Her laughter echoed down the hall.

I sat there for a while, staring at the now-empty bottle on the coffee table.

Maybe Fifi was right. Maybe Evie was starting to let me in. And if that were the case, I wouldn’t mess it up.

Hope was dangerous but for Evie? It felt like a risk worth taking.

I reached for my phone and texted Evie, hoping to capture the energy from tonight so she wouldn’t ghost me by tomorrow morning.

I’d learned not to overthink my words with her—Evie was sharp and quick, and she had a knack for cutting through the fluff. So, I kept it light and typed my message.

So, does Sir Lancelot snore louder than Hayden, or is it a toss-up?

The three dots appeared almost instantly.

She was reading it.

And responding.

My fingers hovered over the screen, nervous but excited. After what felt like forever, her reply popped up.

LOL, toss-up. But Lance has the edge when he dreams about chasing squirrels.

A grin tugged at my lips. Classic Evie. Her humor was always there, just sharp enough to make me want to keep going, and I did.

Sounds intense. Should we consider doggy therapy?

She wrote back.

Only if you’re paying. Therapy’s expensive. I’ve tried it myself.

I chuckled and texted her.

So have I, but I’m not sure it worked on me.

She wrote me again, which felt like huge progress.

You’re the most together guy I’ve ever met. It obviously did some good.

I laughed, reveling in the compliment I didn’t expect from Evie. But I wasn’t done.

How about we do breakfast one day this week?

I hit send before I could think better of it, then stared at the screen, my heart racing. Was I pushing too hard? Maybe I should’ve waited. But then her typing bubble popped up again.

After what felt like hours, she wrote back.

Breakfast? Bold move, Harper.

What can I say? I’m a bold guy, hoping I don’t run out of luck.

As she wrote, the little bubbles appeared again, and I realized she might actually like me.

Or a persistent one. Same difference.

I grinned and typed.

Can’t argue with that. I’ve been told persistence is an admirable quality.

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