Page 59 of Falling in Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings 1)

“The old man cleans up pretty nice, huh?” he teased. He owned one suit, and since this was a formal affair, he’d busted it out. “How’s your foot? Are you staying off of it?”

“It was hurting a little so Noah went to go get my Advil from Drew’s mom’s purse and something to drink to take it with.”

Since Asher was working, Blake had come to the Dance-A-Thon with Logan, Emma, and Drew and she was going to be spending the night at Dorsey’s house once his friend finished dancing. Dorsey had signed up early and gotten the best time slot, noon to eight. The only available slot when Asher signed up was eight at night to four in the morning.

“You should be sitting down and staying off of it.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. Do you have my phone?” she asked as she held out her hand.

Asher pulled the device out from his back pocket and handed it to his daughter, who technically hadn’t earned it but he’d been so relieved that she was okay he’d have given it to her the day she was hurt.

“Thank you, Daddy!” Blake took the phone and was already typing on it when the tall kid walked up with a cup and two pills.

“Hi, Mr. Ford.”

“Noah.” Asher nodded.

He knew that the issues he had with the kid were his own, and he had to admit Noah had gone above and beyond making sure that Blake was taken care of on the day that she’d gotten hurt and since. Dorsey told him that Blake had tried to overdo it during camp and not use her crutches, but Noah had insisted that she not cut corners and take it easy.

Asher didn’t doubt that was true, since he knew his daughter and that she probably wasn’t taking her recovery as seriously as she should be. It was a relief that Noah was, but that still didn’t mean Asher had to like the kid.

“Thanks, Noah.” Blake gazed up adoringly at him before she put the pills in her mouth and then drank the water. After that, she gave Asher a quick hug. “Good luck Dad. Don’t step on Dr. A’s toes.”

Dr. A.He’d heard the kids in town call her that and each time they did he was reminded that she had a PhD, which was just one more reason that the two of them would not work. She was an intellectual and he only had a high school diploma.

He could add that to the mountain of other reasons that included but were not limited to: she had just come out of a two-decade long serious relationship. He hadn’t disclosed their past to Blake and had no plans to do so. He was horrible in relationships and had vowed never to be in another one after his train wreck of a marriage. He’d also vowed that this next chapter of his life would be dedicated to Blake, he owed her that. His entire adult life he’d worked in a career that exposed him to the worst, ugliest, darkest sides of humanity and she led mindfulness classes that focused on positivity and an appreciation for life.

The list was longer than that but those were in the top ten. He knew that logically, but his hormones, his heart, and sadly even his head were not dealing in logic. Every part of him wanted her. He’d gone cold turkey in hopes that he’d get the hell over it, but in this case, absence had definitely made his heart and hormones grow stronger.

Blake turned and smiled up at the tall kid and the two made their way over to the bleachers that lined the walls. Asher watched her wobble on her crutches and tried to ignore the hand that Noah had placed on her lower back for support.

His baby girl was growing up and he needed to come to terms with the fact that she was going to be dating and, he guessed, if she was going to have any boyfriend, Noah wasn’t the worst choice.

He still didn’t like it though.

It took him only a second to locate the sign-in table and he headed that way.

“Hi, Mrs. Perkins.” Asher smiled at Sue Ann Perkins who owned and operated Sue Ann’s Café and was manning the sign-in table.

“Oh, hello Asher Ford. Are you ready to cut a rug on the dance floor?” she asked as he filled in his name on the sheet.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he answered honestly.

“Well, that’s good because your partner is already here.” Mrs. Perkins winked and lifted her chin as she tilted her head.

He turned in the direction Mrs. Perkins had indicated, when he heard an announcement over the loud speaker from the DJ whose booth was set up along the far wall of the room.

“This is a five-minute warning for Group B. Make sure you get a drink, use the facilities, whatever you need to do before you head out on the floor.”

Asher’s eyes scanned the crowd and his world stopped spinning as all the oxygen around him was sucked into a void. Like a scene in a movie when a spotlight shines on one of the characters, he saw Ava standing with her sisters, but all he could see was her.

Even from across the room he saw that her lips were a cherry red shade that glistened, calling to him like a lighthouse in the midst of a storm. Her silky hair fell down over her shoulders in soft waves and his fingers itched to run through it. His mouth watered as his eyes traveled down the red dress she wore that hugged her curves like a second skin.

Time slowed as Ava turned her head toward him. Their eyes met and he began walking toward her. He didn’t do it consciously. It was as if he was being pulled by an invisible force as his feet moved in her direction. The rest of the hundred plus people in the room faded into the background, all he could see were Ava’s green-blue eyes.

When he was within a few feet of this stunning beauty, her siren lips twitched before the corners lifted in a wide smile. That smile was like a time machine transporting him back to his first kiss, his first girlfriend, his first time. It made him feel like a teenager again.

“Hi.” She lifted her hand in an awkward wave.

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