Page 10 of Fall I Want
The thought makes me chuckle. “Because I’m incredibly approachable.”
“You can be when you want to be. Mom would want you to at least do the pumpkin patch a few times. Only weirdos go alone.”
She’s right. My mother wouldn’t want me to be holed up in Hollow Manor by myself, not when there are fall festivities in town.
“Are you attending Dad’s wedding?” She abruptly changes the subject.
“Not sure.”
My father has been single since my mother passed away when I was fifteen. Now, he’s marrying my ex–best friend’s mother. It would be rude for me to ask which of us they’d like in attendance, so I’ve planned to skip. It won’t be a problem if I’m not there.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m not committing,” I admit, glancing at the cloudy sky and seeing sunrays burst through the fluffy clouds. “You know Celine will be there, and I’m not ready to see her with Nicolas yet.”
“But Dad asked you to be his best man.”
“Yeah, there is that.” I think about how strained our relationship has been this year.
“What’s your plan, then? Driving to your dark castle and hiding away for the winter?”
“You tell me since you’ve already predicted it all,” I snap back.
“We both know your future wife will be with you.”
“Okay, well, since you have the answers, did you want to discuss anything else?”
“No. I was checking on you because I got this strange feeling and it made me pause,” she says. “Like, ten or fifteen minutes ago.”
The moment I met Autumn.
I ignore that fact, though.
“I’m fine. I need space. A lot has happened in a short amount of time. I can’t pretend everything is perfect anymore. I want to find solace in Cozy Hollow, just like Mom did.”
“It’s impossible to run from your problems. They always follow you.”
“I know, but at least I can deal with them how I want without the pressures from the outside world. Mom always said fresh air and mountains can fix anything. I came to see if she was right.”
After I finish putting the top down, I climb behind the steering wheel and put on my seat belt. “I’ll check in with you.”
“Okay. Is the town hosting those events like they used to?”
“Yep. I took a picture of the flyer. I’ll text it to you so you can be jealous.” I grin, thinking about the time my mother insisted we enjoy the celebrations every weekend as a family. I say family, but it was only the three of us—her, Harper, and me. My dad was too busy working, but he stopped in when he could. Those months we spent together are ones I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.
“Maybe I’ll crash your pity party for one,” my sister says.
“Please don’t.” I crank the engine. “Is that all?”
“I guess so.”
“Great. I love you, sis. Stay out of trouble,” I tell her.
“Yeah, you too,” she says, and the call ends.
I lock my phone and pull onto Main Street. I take the block around the town square. At the stop sign, I switch the radio to the local station that plays only oldies. The nostalgia of being here nearly takes me under, and the tension in my neck slightly releases.
Tourists walk the streets and I can smell the sweet scent of homemade crêpes on the grill of one of the food trucks sitting outside of the park.
