Page 29 of Knight's Fall

Isobel rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a drama queen. I need a dog sitter, and you need something to do. There’s no hidden motive. I’m not giving you a choice. I have to get to work. We’re heading out in forty-five minutes, and I want to stop by the diner for breakfast first.”

The mention of the diner conjured an image of Courtlyn in his mind. He imagined her already at the diner doing what she loved and was exceptional at. He had started to look forward to her food deliveries, but even he had to admit it wasn’t just the food he enjoyed. He looked forward to her company. Courtlyn was surprisingly easy to talk to, and though he preferred to be alone these days, he didn’t mind spending time with her.

Isobel snapped her fingers in front of his face, and he realized he had zoned out for a few minutes.

“Hey, where’d did you go just now?”

“Sorry. I was just thinking I could go for some breakfast myself.”

She eyed him closely. “Right.” She drawled the one word out slowly, her disbelief of his excuse evident in her tone. “Well, throw on a shirt and some shoes, and come on. BB is meeting me there. Mo will be fine on his own while we’re gone.”

He told himself he was only agreeing because of the hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he refused to entertain the idea that he was going to the diner to possibly see Courtlyn. That would be ridiculous since he only had to cross his back yard to get to her house if he wanted to see her. And yet, he was moving with a spring to his step that wasn’t there before.

“Give me five, and I’m right behind you.” He disappeared down the hallway into his bedroom.

∞∞∞

Courtlyn sat at the end of the couch, her legs folded under her and her back braced against the corner. Her body sank into the cushions deep enough to be comfortable but also to make rising difficult. Good thing she wasn’t looking to stand anytime soon. She held her mug between her hands, the warmth tingling her palms. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the rich aroma of the French roast that fueled Olivia’s creative energy.

Courtlyn spent many mornings just this way — relaxing on her best friend’s couch with a cup of coffee while the tapping of Olivia’s fingers against her laptop’s keyboard filled the silence. Of course, lately it was rare they both had a morning off from work. If Courtlyn wasn’t working the lunch shift, she could be home in time to hang out with Liv for an hour before she set off for her retail job, but that was never enough time for the two best friends.

They had been planning the morning of relaxation since Olivia found out her boyfriend Dex had to leave for a business trip. Olivia had requested a long weekend off from the store so she could finish her next book. Courtlyn had a day off from the diner, so Tabby could try out a part-time cook she was hoping to hire to pick up a few shifts.

Olivia told her she wanted company while she worked, but Courtlyn knew that was Olivia’s code for saying she had explicit ideas for her next book that she wanted to run by Courtlyn. She had no idea why Olivia wanted her opinion when half the time she was too embarrassed by the content to know what to say.

Courtlyn was only half-way through her coffee when Olivia suddenly stopped typing and closed her laptop with a snap. Her green eyes pierced Courtlyn, a mischievous gleam making them sparkle. The way her lips smirked put Courtlyn in mind of a diabolical cartoon mastermind bent on taking over the world with an elaborate, likely-to-fail plan.

“What?” Courtlyn demanded.

“What is going to be your next move?”

Courtlyn quirked her brows. “My next move? Well, I plan to finish my coffee, fill the cup up again, and come back to this spot to drink it. What about you? I thought your muse was being extra inspirational this morning.”

Olivia’s smirk expanded into a grin. “Oh, she has been, especially after the way Dex woke me up this morning. Inspiration struck not once, not twice, but three times before he left for the airport.”

Courtlyn cringed. “Please, save your sex stories for your books. And tell me you’re finally going to put Dex out of his misery and agree to marry him. He’s a great guy who obviously makes you happy.”

“I don’t want to talk about me. We are talking about you and Sexy Neighbor.”

“No, we aren’t. There is no ‘me and Sexy Neighbor.’ We’ve had a couple of conversations and that’s it. If anything, I’m in the friend zone or venturing into the friend zone.”

“He kissed you, Coco.”

Courtlyn rolled her eyes. “He kissed my forehead, like I was a child or something.”

“From what you described to me over the phone, there was a connection between you two. And guys don’t kiss women they barely know if there’s no attraction there, even on the forehead. The key is your next move. You don’t want to lose any progress you’ve made.”

“What progress? He’s rescued me from embarrassing situations. He’s returned the earring I lost. And he let me ramble on when I was too tired to think straight. That’s not progress. That’s him being nice.”

Olivia’s curls that framed one side of her face bounced as she tilted her head. “What happened to the hopeful, excited Coco who called me after Sexy Neighbor kept her company and gave her a kiss?”

She reached over the back of the couch to place her mug of now cold coffee on the table. “I had a good night’s rest and woke up to realize I read too much into the whole thing. And you know? So what if I’m in the friend zone? He’s a nice guy and someone who would be good to have as a friend.”

“Why are you acting this way?” Olivia rose from her overstuffed chair, placed her computer on the cushion she just vacated, and sat across from Courtlyn on the couch. “Why is it beyond the realm of possibility that this guy would be interested in you? Look at me and Dex. We are as opposite as can be, but we make it work.”

“So why are you afraid to marry him then?”

Olivia pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t say I’m afraid exactly. It’s just…his family hates me. They think he can do so much better than me. He doesn’t care, but it bothers me. I can’t ask him to choose between me and his family.”

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