Page 8 of Down Memory Lane
“Okay, Dad,” she sassed, earning herself a swat on the behind. The tingling sensation that traveled up her spine at the feel of Felix’s palm against her jeans clad ass was an exciting new addition to their dynamic, once she welcomed and would like to repeat. She pointed at him as he backed toward the sidewalk. “Save that for later, Mister.”
Felix crossed his heart with his finger as he stood by and waited for her to drive off, even staying there as she pulled out onto Main Street and took off toward the freeway. Autumn watched him disappear in her rearview mirror, biting her lip and wondering if maybe she shouldn’t put off her trip into Seattle for another week or two if things went as well as they had this morning. As quickly as the thought had come, it was also dismissed. Autumn might not need money from her wares as desperately as she had at certain points in the past, but throwing clay made her happy. Almost as happy as the person she’d just left behind.
Smiling, Autumn merged onto the freeway, letting the first hour of her drive pass in a haze of thinking about Felix and all of the fun they could get up to later when she got home. Evergreen trees flew past her window as did a sign for deer crossing. It had been a while since Autumn had seen one of her favorite wildlife creatures, so she kept her eyes peeled for any that might be along the side of the road. Sadly, as the miles of her trip meter ticked over, no deer were found. What she did encounter was a moose sprinting across the highway, and then another. At the sight of the robust creatures, Autumn slowed her vehicle, but not in time to avoid the straggler at the back of the line. Crunching metal, shattering glass, and the smell of burned rubber were the last things she experienced before the world as she knew it faded to black.
Chapter Five
Felix
Branch and Brew was normally a place Felix had no trouble being at any time of day, any day of the week. He’d designed it that way, wanting to create a space that was sleek and modern but still welcoming and comfortable for patrons. The Spanish brown walls were soothing, set off by colorful murals of his family’s orchard as well as his cider press, and the polished light wood and black steel furniture were both aesthetically pleasing as well as comfortable. The air was a garden of aromas. Fruit mingled with hops, barely, and yeast to form a scent that was both unctuous and bright. It was the perfect place to have a drink and spend some time with good friends, but at the moment, it was the last place Felix wanted to be.
Where he wanted to be was about two hours West in a pottery supply store, watching Autumn as she ran her hands over blocks of clay, picked up tools only to decide she didn’t need new ones, and spent hours in a place that most people would find boring after ten minutes. Felix normally found spending time at Pottery Playground to be a bit of a chore, but that was before he realized that the most entertaining thing about that store wasn’t on the shelves, but browsing them as a customer.
Thinking of Autumn had Felix replaying the small kiss they’d shared in his mind again. He’d kept it brief, but doing it in the first place was something Felix had felt compelled to do. He couldn’t spend another minute of his life not knowing what she tasted like, and since they’d agreed to try a romantic relationship, he decided to test the waters. Well, the waters were more than fine and he couldn’t wait to wade in them again as soon as Autumn got back.
Felix was smiling sappily at the thought of if Autumn would still taste like caramel like she had earlier when he kissed her again or something else from her day out when Lottie arrived for her shift. She was wearing one of her signature looks, but she could have been wearing a garbage bag for all the attention Felix paid to her. It took her rapidly waving a hand in front of his face to finally snap him out of his Autumn induced haze.
Smiling, he nodded to Lottie. “Good afternoon.”
Lottie looked at him surreptitiously. “Apparently,” she said, a wry smile on her face. “Now, what has the boss man in such a good mood, and can I get whatever it is you’re having?”
Felix snorted but couldn’t deny what Lottie was saying. He wasn’t sure if he was actually glowing, but it did feel like there was an extra bounce in his step and a light trying to shine its way out from inside his chest. “Well, what I am having, I’m not sharing.” He and Autumn hadn’t talked about who they should tell or not about their relationship status change, and letting it slip to Lottie was probably the worst thing imaginable since she lived to tell other people’s stories, but he couldn’t help it. “I’m keeping Autumn all to myself.”
Lottie gasped and covered her mouth before slapping his shoulder. “Finally,” she exclaimed before pulling him into a hug. “This is so great, and before you even say anything.” She trailed off before zipping her mouth shut and tossing the imaginary key over her shoulder. “It’s in the vault.”
Felix nodded. “I appreciate that. It’s very new and not something I’m sure we’re going to advertise right away, but I’m too happy to not tell someone.”
Lottie chuckled. “That much was obvious. I’m really happy for you guys.” Felix saw nothing but genuine delight in her eyes and he couldn’t wait to see it in everyone else’s when he finally told them about him and Autumn. It might be premature to celebrate before they’d even gone out on an official date, but Felix had had feelings for her for a while now. Trying to hold them back any longer seemed impossible, like the words would burst from his mouth regardless of intent. He was an overstuffed teddy bear, ready to bust his stitches at any moment from all of the joy and excitement trying to break loose.
Felix was still buzzing with barely contained happiness hours later. Every time a patron walked through the door, he turned to face it, hoping to see a shock of pink hair and a smile that lit up his whole world. He was constantly disappointed, and unfortunately the bar was slow for a Friday and offered little in the way of distractions. He hoped either Autumn would show up soon or the after work crowd would start to pour in to help calm the jittery feeling that he had in his chest.
Felix’s phone buzzed in his back pocket, finally offering a break from the longing. Assuming it was Autumn, he dropped his tea towel in the middle of cleaning up a spill and pulled it out. The smile that was on his face as he expected to see Autumn’s name vanished when he saw a random number with the Seattle area code. Maybe it was his stomach twisting into knots or his heart thumping against his chest, but something had him accepting the call when he would normally flick the unlisted number over to voicemail.
A bad feeling descended upon him as he stared at the blinking screen a moment longer before finally raising the device to his ear. “Hello,” he said shakily. Felix wasn’t sure what told him the call would be a bad one, only that nothing good ever came from an unlisted number. At best it would be a telemarketer, but he had the feeling this wasn’t going to be a best case scenario.
A throat cleared on the other end of the call. “Is this Felix Kemp?”
