Page 28 of Once Upon a Fall

“Exactly,” I say, laughing.

His humor always catches me off guard. I never expect it, which is what makes it even better.

“They knew your grandparents, by the way,” I tell him.

“Oh, really?”

“Apparently your grandma ran the pie booth for seventeen years. Or it could have been sixteen. There was a debate.”

The microwave beeps, and I carefully pull out the warm bowl and set it on the island. Dean opens the silverware drawer and pulls out a fork and hands it to me.

“Thank you,” I say, impressed by how quickly he’s memorized my kitchen.

I take a bite and do a full-body sigh. “This is so good,” I tell him. It’s flavorful, the veggies are perfectly crisp, and the chicken is perfectly tender.

My frozen pot pie could never.

“Where did you learn to cook?” I ask before taking another bite. I’m trying not to scarf this down like a raccoon in a dumpster, because my mom taught me better than that. But it’s not easy.

“My Grandma Vivian,” he says. “I used to visit every summer until I was fifteen.”

“Why did you stop going?”

He shrugs a shoulder. “I started playing baseball, and the summers got busier.”

“Right. I cheered in high school. That took over most of my summers,” I say, holding myself back from yelling Go, Eagles! because that would be stupid. But it’s practically a reflex, especially after yelling it so much tonight.

Dean gives me a small smile again, and my stomach does a tiny flip.

“You’re probably not surprised by that,” I say before taking another bite.

Dean shakes his head. “Not a surprise, no.”

“Is it the rambling?”

“Maybe,” he says, reaching up and rubbing his stubbled jaw. “And attending high school football games.”

I snort out a laugh. “I’ll have you know that’s a community thing. We all go.”

“Right,” he says. “It’s that small-town charm.”

“We are pretty charming.”

Oh, crap. That was . . . flirty. I didn’t mean it to be, but it definitely sounded that way.

Dean’s only response is a nod, and I’m not sure how to take that. Did he even notice?

“Autumn Ridge is charming, though,” I say, feeling the need to fill the space that I made awkward. “The town is adorable, and we’ve got all kinds of people from all walks of life. Not to mention the inn on Main Street is a delight.”

“A delight?”

“That’s what reviews are saying.” I give him a smart look before taking another bite.

I got a fraction of a smile for that one.

“How long have you lived here?”

“Most of my life.”