Page 96 of Flirty Fall Fling

Not sure what you’re talking about.

Winter was off today and said she was going to check out the festival. The three of us are handling the shop well, but I think I will hire a few more people soon.

Winter

Please. Jameson “Jamie” Cross. That name ring a bell? I spoke to Autumn. She told me about him! She also told me that she’s trying to get you two to date. Why do I feel like that’s already happening?

How does she know? I ignore her.

Winter

Look, I just want to know where you found the genie who granted you THAT wish. Seriously.

Blaire

OMG. I don’t kiss and tell. Good night, Winter!

I shake my head, sliding my phone back into my pocket, as Josie and I leave.

“Will you be home later?” Josie asks.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” I tell her.

The sun has set over the mountain, and the temperature is steadily dropping.

“Oh, before I go, I wanted to ask you who lives in the apartment above the shop,” Josie says.

I glance up at the window. “Honestly, my aunt called him Dick. He direct deposits his rent every month. I’ve never seen him.”

She looks up at the window. “You don’t find that odd?”

“I’ve never thought about it. He’s lived there for two years. If my aunt trusted him, I guess I do too.”

“Whatever you say,” she says. “Look. He was just up there, moving the curtain to the side.”

I shrug. “I’m sure you’ll solve the case.”

She laughs, pulling her coat tighter as we walk toward the house where my car is parked. The string lights cast a warm glow over the square. People drift toward the carnival rides as lines form outside the food trucks. I button my coat, and when I turn my head, I see Jamie standing in front of Roasted Bean.

“I’ll see you later,” I tell Josie.

She glances over at Jamie, then at me. I smile and put my finger over my lips, then cross the street. My cousin will keep my secret.

Jamie’s hands are tucked in his pockets as he reads the hours on the door of the coffee shop like a tourist. I’m pretty sure he has the hours memorized—or at least the times I usually show up. His black baseball hat is tucked low on his head. My first thought is that he’s lost his mind since I’m supposed to be meeting him on the ridge right now. My second is that he’s wearing a different style coat that looks great on him. I cross the street before anyone else notices him or me.

Before he fully turns around, I grab his arm and pull him with me.

“Follow me,” I whisper.

I tow him around the corner of the bookstore, past the recycling bins, where the brick blocks the wind. He chuckles under his breath as he follows me. None of this is funny.

Headlights sweep us, and I take a step forward.

“You do this a lot?” he asks, sounding amused.

I back him into the wall and press a finger over his lips. “I thought I was meeting you there? Why are you in town?”

He makes a muffled sound behind my finger.