Page 54 of Beau & Autumn

She slides into the booth. “I got a flat tire and my car was making weird noises after the gas station,” she grumbles.

“What?”

“It’s okay, Eden came along and gave me a ride. I just called roadside from outside the cafe.”

“What do you mean, weird noises?”

“It was grumbling and gurgling before I got the flat.”

“After you filled up with gas?”

“Yeah, a few miles down the road.”

“Hmm, I mean, I’m no expert but it sounds like you may have put the wrong gas in?”

Autumn’s face drops. “OHMYGOD!”

“It happens,” I say.

“Oh shit. I mean, I’ve never done that before…”

“It’s not uncommon, it can be fixed.”

“Have you ever done it?”

“Well, not exactly, but I know other people that have.”

“My dad’s gonna kill me!”

“No he won’t.” I chuckle, trying to make light of it. “The fuel will get drained out and it’ll be fine. He won’t have to know.”

“Why the hell is my life such a disaster area right now?” She folds her arms across her chest and sags a little. She’s wearing a cute denim dress that buttons all the way down and has one side of her long dark hair pinned up. She looks so pretty. “To top it off I ran over a piece of wood that I think fell off the back of a truck and then my tire deflated. It’s like luck hates me at the moment.”

It’s my turn to press my lips together because she has had a few things going on just lately but I don’t want to make her feel bad. “Seems like you’re just having a run of bad luck, that’s all it is.” My eyes flick to hers. She has the cutest freckles on her nose.

Why am I just noticing these things? Plus, her makeup is pretty, with a peach tone to her cheeks. Her eyes are outlined in a smoky blue kohl and her long lashes blink rapidly in her annoyance, making the blue in her eyes seem even deeper. I swallow and grab the menu.

“You sure about that?” She sighs.

She’s even cuter when she’s flustered. I pry my eyes away and act like the Stone’s Throw menu, which I know off by heart, is the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen in my life. “You worry too much, Autumn Leaf.” She grabs a menu too and after a few moments I ask, “What do you feel like?”

“Just a coffee.” She closes the menu again as the server JJ walks over to us. I haven’t seen Aunt May yet, the cafe owner. She and her husband, Mike, still own the cafe but her daughter, Caroline, runs things now while they help out.

“What about one of those chocolate chip cookies you like?” Shit, should I be acting like I know every minor detail about her?

She smiles warmly, biting the corner of her lip. “Sounds good.”

I smile back and place our order, waiting for JJ to head back to the counter so we can talk.

I lean on my elbows and take a breath. I guess now is the time to get to the nitty gritty. “Did you have a chance to, uh, think about things?” I ask.

She finally releases her lip and my mouth goes dry at the very sight. Lifting my gaze from her mouth to her eyes, she stares back at me, blinking a couple of times. Her voice drops to a whisper. “Assuming by things you mean that whole us getting married idea?”

“You had any other proposals I should know about?” I try to keep it light but the idea annoys me. So much so, I clench my hand against my thigh under the table.

“Nope. You’re the only crazy one suggesting it.”

I feel the smile spread across my face, I can’t help it. It floods warmth through me — it doesn’t scare me in the slightest that she could be my wife, even if temporarily.

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