Page 45 of Further To Fall

“Anytime. You want milk or water?”

His eyes lit up like a little kid’s at Christmas. “Cupcakes and milk? I feel like I’m back in Georgia, sitting at your mom’s kitchen table.”

I smiled as I poured him a glass of milk. “Best compliment ever.”

He smiled back and took a sip. “So…I saw Austin today.”

I stilled. Liam almost never brought up Austin’s name, and if he did, it was usually an accident. Never anything direct like this. “He said he tried to call you and asked for your new number. He’s starting a youth program at his new training facility, and he wants you to consult on it. You ready for something like that?”

I wiped my suddenly sweaty palms on my apron. I had no idea if I was ready. I had honestly resigned myself to the notion that Austin wanted nothing to do with me. And why would he? He had the world at his fingertips now. I was just a faint memory of a girl he used to know.

Because I was so sure he was done with me, I honestly hadn’t thought about how I would feel if he ever came back around. My heart clenched. “I miss having him in my life. I miss my best friend. So, I guess…yes?” Liam didn’t look convinced. “I just need to have better boundaries in place this go-around.” I could do this. I had a year of distance on my side, and the knowledge that Austin had zero interest in me beyond friendship. This would be a piece of cake.

Liam had a look on his face that I couldn’t quite read, but he pulled out his phone. “I’m going to send it to him then.”

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry as a desert. “Okay.”

Later that afternoon, I was on my hands and knees, scrubbing a spot on the kitchen floor that nobody could see but me when my phone’s ringtone caused me to jump and knock into the bucket of water next me, spraying it all down my front. “Shitake mushrooms!” I had turned my phone’s ringer to the highest possible setting so I wouldn’t miss any phone calls while in my cleaning frenzy.

In hindsight, it probably didn’t need to be quite that loud when it was less than two feet from my face. Live and learn. Jumping to my feet, I grabbed for my phone. Austin’s name lit up the screen, I guess he hadn’t changed his number. My hands shook as I hit the green button. “Hello?”

“Hey, Firecracker.”

With just two little words, he stole all the breath from my lungs. “Hi, Austin.”

“It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Yours, too.” His was different, yet the same. Rougher or deeper somehow but holding that same warmth that hit me right in the belly.

“How are you?”

“Um, I’m good. Freaking out a little bit at the moment, but good.” I twisted the rag I was holding between my fingers.

“Don’t freak out. I hate that this is over the phone, I want to talk to you in person. Would you meet me?”

My stomach dipped at the thought of seeing him in person after all this time. “Uh, sure. When?”

“How about tomorrow after you’re done with school?”

“Okay, that works.”

“Can you meet me at my gym? The same place we used to do self-defense training.”

I sucked in a breath, thinking about walking into a place that held so many memories but nodded. Then I realized Austin couldn’t see me nodding and said, “Yeah, I can do that.”

“I can’t wait, Carter. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” He had hung up, but I stood there for several long seconds, phone still pressed to my ear, wondering what I’d just gotten myself into.

The soundof footsteps had me turning around as I headed out to the school parking lot. It was Kyle. I inwardly groaned. It was like he was everywhere these days. But I guess that’s what you got when you dated a co-worker, and it didn’t work out—frequent awkward encounters. “Hey, Carter, you done for the day? Want to go grab coffee?”

He asked me to do something at least three times a week. At first, I had said yes every so often because I wanted us to transition back into a friendship. We’d never had much chemistry, so I had thought it would be easy, but…not so much. I now politely declined every time he asked. “Hi, Kyle. I can’t, I have plans.”

“Oh, yeah, what are you up to?” he asked as we continued walking.

I thought about lying. Austin had not exactly been a warm and fuzzy topic during our short relationship, but I went with the truth. “I’m meeting Austin at his gym.”

Kyle grasped my arm and stopped walking. “You’re talking to him again?” His jaw was tight, and his fingers cut into my flesh.

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