Page 53 of Beau & Autumn

“It was all part of the bidding agreement thing we had, at least, I thought it was.” I squirm in my seat. “Then I realized how cute he is, sweet, and funny and... God do I sound like a broken record? And to top it off as soon as I discovered all these things right under my nose, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I still can’t.”

Her smile is about a foot wide. “I can’t believe this!”

“Nothing is happening,” I quickly state. If you take the recent past out of the equation for a moment, anyway. “It’s a fleeting idea and not reciprocated.” I don’t want to throw Beau under the bus. He was, after all, saying he’d marry me because he felt bad for me, not because he means it.

Eden pulls up outside the cafe and puts the stick into park.“Are you sure about that?”

“I’m not sure about anything.” And that part is true. The only thing I do know is Beau’s truck is parked just across in the lot, so he’s already here.

“Beau is such a sweet guy!” Eden claps her hands together. “Oh, this could be really perfect.”

“I don’t know what it even is, E. Me being ridiculous sure comes to mind.”

She rubs my arm in an attempt to reassure me. “You couldn’t go wrong with him, that’s for sure. He’s different from other guys. A real sweetheart if I’ve ever met one. He doesn’t sleep around, even when every single woman in Stoney Creek has tried, and he’s good to the girlfriends he’s had in the past. I see no foul here.”

I wish I had her confidence. I know she thinks he’d be good for me especially because we already know my taste in men is a one stop shop to disaster. Especially if the last one was anything to go by. Why do I always fall for the bad guy?

Maybe it’s time I fell for the good guy. The guy who doesn’t always have the right answers or the flashiest suit or a cocky attitude when they get caught cheating and try to blame you. Bastard.

The twinkle in Eden’s eyes tells me it’s a good idea.

“I have to go.” I swallow hard. I know that I’m falling for Beau and I don’t know how to stop it.

“Best not keep a Bassett waiting.” She winks. “Call me later, missy! We need to delve into this conversation a little more.”

I press my lips together with a smile. “I will. Thanks for the ride, Eden.”

15

Beau

I tap my fingers on the table as I wait. I’ve been trying to distract myself all day and I’ve been unsuccessful to say the least. No matter what I’ve tried to do today, I can’t shake the way I’m feeling about Autumn, and the things we said that night. Hence the reason I’m sitting here nervously waiting for her to arrive. I’ve never felt these emotions in my life; sweaty palms, heart racing, stomach swirling. I think we owe it to ourselves to explore what all of this means.

She texted me a few minutes ago to say she was running late and heading in with Eden.

My mind flicks back to my conversation with Fletcher while we were gaming, and some of what he said definitely makes sense. If I don’t do something now, maybe I never will… Maybe he’s right when he says I could end up alone, and soon enough Autumn would be in the arms of another man. Again, my heart constricts when I think of some other dude with his arms around her. Getting to see her beautiful smile, her body and being beside her, and not just in bed.

I mean, it isn’t like there aren’t other girls out there, but there’s only one girl that I really want…

“Beau, hi!”

I look up with a start to see Dolly Simpson leaning against the booth, holding her takeout coffee cup in her hand. She has the longest hot pink nails I’ve ever seen and she’s sporting a wide grin with her infamous red lips.

“Hey, Dolly.”

“You’re looking a bit lonely there, mind if I slide in?” Her vivid blue eyes flick over to the spare seat opposite me. Autumn’s seat. Dolly is from the local beauty salon and has a reputation for being a gal who likes to flesh out fresh meat. She’s also very forward.

“Actually, I’m just waiting for someone…” I trail off as Autumn walks up behind her and my eyes widen. Dolly turns her head slightly and gives Autumn a tight smile as she sits down opposite me.

“Finally here!” Autumn says. She appears bright enough, but if I’m not mistaken, she looks a little miffed. She presses her lips together, looking between me and Dolly with slightly narrowed eyes, trying to gauge if there’s something going on between us. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Well, have fun, y’all.” Dolly drags herself away without looking back. At least she can take a hint.

“Bye, Dolly,” I say after her.

Autumn raises her eyebrows. “Can’t leave you alone for five minutes around here, can I?”

I laugh. “Dolly was just sayin’ hi.”

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