Page 30 of Falling Inn Love
“Good. We always have a good time together. And now with these puppies? Never a dull moment.”
“They're pretty great. Evan and I are going on a hike, apparently,” I say, grinning. “A hike I just found out about a few minutes ago. I better get out there. See you guys tonight.”
“Sasha’s making the ultimate comfort foods. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy, plus green beans and an apple crisp.”
“That sounds heavenly, count me in.”
“Have fun!” Margie waves as she offers one of the pups a chew toy.
When I walk out, I see Evan sitting on the back of his truck, wearing aviator sunglasses, looking fine as hell as I approach. He looks at his watch and back at me. “Twenty-six minutes,” he says, shaking his head playfully. “You’d make a terrible Marine.”
“Hey, I got distracted by the puppies and Kase. I can’t help that they’re all so cute. And it may not have been the Marines, but I had a hardcore job before this. One that even you probably couldn’t hack.” I kiss him on the cheek.
He pulls me close, kisses me on the lips, but then pulls back. “Teaching kindergarten is a snap. So easy,” he teases.
“I’d love to see you try. You’d probably need a nap in the afternoon just like they do.”
He looks at me and deadpans, “Most definitely.”
I laugh and lean my head on his shoulder. “So what’s the plan for today?”
“You’ll see. If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss out on the best part of the day. Come on,” he says and opens the passenger door for me.
“Where are we going?” I ask, sliding my sunglasses and a hat on.
“A spot that has the most beautiful foliage you’ll ever see this time of year in New England. Only locals know about it. Also, I convinced Sasha to pack us a lunch.”
“Wait, so is this a date?”
“Yep.”
“Shouldn’t you just ask me to go on a date with you?”
“Where’s the fun in that?
I huff but grin at him. “Alrighty then.”
As we drive through town, we pass Sam’s auto body shop. “Should we stop and check on my car?” I ask. I’m nervous about how much it’s going to cost to fix. It’s an older SUV and I can’t afford to replace it.
“I talked to Sam. He’s getting to it and he’ll let us know as soon as he knows something.”
His reply seems suspicious, like he knows something but he’s holding back. “What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s been over a week now. Shouldn’t we have heard something by now?” I’m starting to feel frustrated. “What if I don’t have enough money to fix it? What if he can’t fix it?”
“Beth, don’t worry. Sam is great, he’ll work with you. Today, let yourself relax. Have fun. Laugh. Take in how beautiful New England is in the fall. But first, we have one stop to make.”
He pulls into the parking lot of a place called The Freedom Bean.
“Coffee?” I ask, hopeful. I raced to get ready and barely finished one mug back in the room.
“Thebestcoffee,” he corrects me. “You’ll be ruined for any other coffees that come after this one. Except for the inn’s coffee, of course.”
As we head inside, the delicious fresh-brew aroma hits me and a pretty blond woman behind the counter waves in our direction. “Hey, Evan,” she says, looking happy to see him.
“Hey, Kristi. How are you?” Evan replies as he leads me to the counter.
