Page 18 of Falling for Love

What if I screwed this up? What if I tried too hard or not hard enough? The thing about Evie was that she made me want to be better—to prove I was worth her time and her trust.

For now, though, I’d savor this small victory.

She’d said yes, and that was enough to keep me floating for the rest of the night.

Just as I was basking in my small victory, the door swung open again.

“Liam!” Fifi’s voice echoed through the house like a freight train. “I decided I wasn’t done with you.”

I glanced up to see her standing in the doorway. Her tote bag was now stuffed to the brim with my food. A bag of pretzels poked out the top alongside what looked suspiciously like my favorite bag of trail mix.

“Seriously?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Did you raid the whole pantry?”

Fifi grinned, not the least bit ashamed.

“What can I say? You’ve got good taste in snacks. Besides, you can’t trust a woman to eat just one pretzel.”

“You mean one bag.”

“Details.” She waved me off, dropping the bag onto the floor. “Now, why do you look so dopey? Did you win the lottery or something?”

“Noneya.”

“Noneya, what?” Fifi narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she studied me.

“Noneya business.”

“Oh no. You’ve got that look. The ‘I just texted a girl, and she didn’t reject me’ look. Spill.”

I smirked, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And yet, here I am.” She gestured dramatically. “Your loving, supportive sister who just wants to know if her clueless brother has finally made progress with the woman he’s been pining over.”

“Okay, fine. I texted Evie. And…she agreed to breakfast.”

Fifi gasped, clutching her chest like I’d just told her I’d won a gold medal.

“Breakfast? The most sacred of all meals? I’m shocked. Truly shocked.”

“Don’t be dramatic.”

“Oh, I’m just getting started,” she said, grinning. “Breakfast is basically a promise ring for single parents. Do you realize what this means?”

“Fifi, it’s pancakes, not a marriage proposal,” I said, though I couldn’t help but laugh.

She ignored me. “Yet,” she quipped, wagging a finger at me.

“And this tells me you must stay far away from her, or you’ll scare her off.”

“Give it time. Next thing you know, Hayden’s calling you Dad, and you’re stuck wrangling dogs and horses for the rest of your life.”

“Not the worst future,” I muttered, but she caught it. “That tends to be my days at the lodge anyhow.”

Fifi’s grin softened into something more genuine. “You really like her, huh?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to say more.

It wasn’t just that I liked Evie—I respected her.

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