Kisses Between the Lines: An Echo Ridge Anthology (Echo Ridge Romance Book 2)

by Lucy McConnell

  “Did he have a come-apart when you told him you were quitting?”

  “Oh, yeah. He went into retirement when I took over as manager, and tried to offer me a raise when I gave my notice— the first raise in three years, mind you— but I told him no thanks and convinced him Steve was up to the task. I’d been training Steve on the sly for months before we decided to pull the trigger. That was two months ago.”

  “Wait, you decided to quit your job two months ago, and we only found out about the new business two weeks ago? What’s up with that?”

  “We didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up before we had it all ironed out. Can you imagine my mom’s response if I told her I was moving here to open a business and then things fell through and the bank loan didn’t come though?”

  “Ouch, yeah, you’re right. But some of us aren’t your mom.”

  “But we couldn’t tell some of you and not all of you. Honestly, would your mom be able to keep it a secret? I don’t think so.”

  “Fine, you have a point.” Fay wasn’t sure if she could twist her brain around Austin, the dedicated, organized businessman. It was going to take some time. She stopped in front of a cherry-red snowboarding coat. She ran her fingers down the lapel. “This is nice— sleek fit, but functional.”

  He pulled it from the hanger and slid it over her shoulders. “Warm too, plenty of goose down and it cinches in nice everywhere you might want to keep the snow out. It would be perfect for you.” He helped her slide her arms into the sleeves and slowly zipped it up, his eyes on hers.

  How did that feel so intimate? It was such a simple action. Fay snorted to cover the way it made her tremble with nerves and the fact that the coat itself was super comfy. “As if I have time to ski these days.” She hadn’t been on the slopes since high school. She played with the coat lapels and turned to model it in front of a mirror that leaned against one wall, ready to be installed. It looked good. Really good, but a glance at the tag told her it was definitely out of her price range— especially since she didn’t see herself skiing again anytime soon. It was with some reluctance that she unzipped and removed the coat.

  He took the coat back, but studied her face for a long moment before hanging the garment up again. “Maybe you need to take more time to get out and enjoy yourself. You work too much.”

  “Says the man who accomplished this in the past couple of weeks.” She gestured to the room.

  “I wasn’t alone. Bret can, occasionally, be very helpful. Besides, the hundred-hour weeks won’t last forever.” He took her hand and led her to the folding table they had set up in the corner. All of the items they had bought were stacked neatly on one end and a large piece of cardboard filled most of the remaining space.

  “That’s what I said when I took over Fay’s too.” Fay stared at the pile of odds and ends they had bought at Walmart. “What are we doing?”

  “There’s a harvest-themed diorama contest for the Harvest Hurrah. I thought we should enter it. I know the items are supposed to be all stuff you have lying around the house, but since all I have are my two suitcases, a sleeping bag and air mattress, plus stuff from setting up the shop, I thought shopping for random items was in order. You did excellent at being truly random.”

  “Thank you, I did my best.” She studied the supplies critically. She knew about the contest, of course, but hadn’t thought much about it, since someone else was running it. “You want to do a diorama? It’s not like we could compete. They don’t have an adult category.”

  “Nope, but it can still go on display in here, right? It’ll be fun. So, what do you want to design?” All signs of the odd intimacy that had been growing between them a few minutes ago had dissipated now to comfortable companionship as he looked at the table in front of them.

  She quirked a brow at him and slid into one of the seats, grabbing a smaller chunk of cardboard and a pen to start sketching ideas.

  Austin grinned and sat across from her, making suggestions. Then they got to work putting the pieces together.

  “Fantastic idea, buying the washi tape. No harvest diorama is complete without zebra print.”

  “That’s what I think too. Honestly, I don’t think any decor or outfit is complete without zebra print, but it’s so hard to find it in the right shades of black and white.” She grinned. “Good thing I got the liquid stitches, too. This is excellent glue. You know, for fabric. I’m sure it’ll hold paper and cardboard too, though.”

  She measured and drew out the parts for the diorama and he got to work cutting them out. “So, seriously, what’s the deal with you moving home?” she asked while they colored vegetable cutouts from some very heavy neon yellow card stock that had been used in the packing boxes. “Not enough excitement in a regular paycheck?”

  “Not enough control and ability to try new things. Plus, I miss being around my family and it’s hard being best friends with someone who is so far away. He hates his job, you know? Not the work, but the atmosphere. I was surprised he offered to keep working there for a while so we had some basic bill money until things pick up here.”

  “I knew he didn’t love it, but he never said he hated it. I know Mom and Mike are thrilled you two are back, and I’m sure your parents feel the same.”

  “They do.” He added a dab of glue to his paper pumpkin and attached it to the veggie cart they had made. “I was kind of hoping you would be excited too. I knew it was too much to ask, though.”

  She shrugged away the discomfort his words caused. “I admit, I’m not the best at sending water under the bridge and forgiving. I’m working on it though. We’re friends now.”

  “I guess I was confused about that too.” He picked up a few of the chocolate chips she had bought for their snack and played with them in his palm. “Why did you hate me so much? I mean, I teased you sometimes, but only because I liked you. I didn’t expect you to go crazy on me because of a simple kiss.”

  Was he really that clueless, or was she completely out of her mind for even coming with him today? Fay set down the drawing of a vegetable cart she was decorating with elaborate wood grain and stared at him in surprise. “Are you kidding me?”

  She wiped her hands through the air to start over. They were friends now, so she was going to try to give him the benefit of the doubt, so instead of biting his head off, she would step back and try again. She sucked in a breath and chose the part of his comment that didn’t make her want to deck him. “You liked me?”

  Austin looked puzzled. “Yeah, I kissed you, didn’t I? Despite what you might think, I only kiss girls I like.”

  “But you guys were always pulling pranks on me and harassing me. It drove me crazy.”

  He tapped her nose with his fingertip. “That’s because you’re so cute when you’re crazy. Well, that’s why I did it. I think Bret did it out of big brother syndrome. He couldn’t help himself.”

  “He’s not my big brother. His birthday is only two weeks before mine. And we had only been related for a few years by then.”

  Austin shrugged his understanding of her point. “He takes to the role naturally.”

  “I’d say.” She rolled the topic around in her head and yanked a tighter rein on the thoughts and hurt in her head that was threatening to explode. “If you liked me, why all the crap with the kiss— it didn’t exactly send off liking vibes, you know.”

  “How could it not? I thought you liked me too when you agreed to meet me on the stage.” He waggled his brows at her.

  “I didn’t know it was going to be you. If I had, I wouldn’t have gone. Lexi knew that.”

  “So who did you think you’d be kissing? Eddie Vance?” The joking tone had left his voice now and his glance became much more focused.

  Her jaw dropped. “Eddie? Why do you think that?” And how had he guessed? She hadn’t told anyone. Anyone but Lexi— and that was probably how it came out. Seriously, the girl was a menace. Fay was lucky to be quit of her.

  “Come on, half the school knew you had a crush
on him. I hoped I was wrong when your friends set up the secret meeting.” He paused for a minute, pressing his lips together and looking uncertain before admitting, “I was crushed when you pushed me away and ran off.”

  “Lexi said you were in on the whole thing. You didn’t see the pictures of us?”

  “What pictures?” He set down what he had been holding. “Maybe you should start at the beginning and tell me how you remember it, because I know something big went down— you practically skipped the last week of junior year and never came back. People whispered, but no one would tell me what happened.”

  Fay wasn’t sure if she could believe him— he seriously had no idea? It was the single-most traumatic moment of her life— well, after the issue with her dad leaving his family for someone else and basically ignoring her for years. She couldn’t believe no one had told him about what was really going on that day.

  “I think that might be a much longer discussion than we have time for.”

  “I can listen for as long as you want to talk.” His onyx eyes bore into hers.

  Fay checked her watch. Could she do this before going back to work? No way. Could she do this with him at all? She wasn’t sure about that. Getting it cleared up would help her. A lot. But she couldn’t do that in half an hour before going back to work.

  “Maria has to go home to her kids in less than an hour. I can’t be late, and I can’t go back all worked up from this discussion.” Fay capped her pen and stood. “Maybe you should take me back now.”

  Austin looked like he wanted to argue with her, strongly, but he didn’t. After a long, long moment, though, he said, “We need to have this discussion.”

  “I know.”

  “When can I talk to you about it? Tonight after work?”

  Fay wanted to put him off, but she knew it would only drag things on, and she didn’t want that. If this thing between them was going to go anywhere, they would need to clear it up. The problem was, she didn’t think he had any possible way of explaining himself that would make her fully trust him again. “It’ll be ten when I finish closing up, and I have to be back at the café to open in the morning, so you’d need to be there, waiting when I finished closing out for the night.”

  “I can do that. My schedule is my own for now.”

  She nodded. “Take me back?”

  Though he looked like he wanted to argue, he didn’t. Instead, he tightened the lid on the liquid stitch glue, checked the markers, and then led her to the car. “This must be a much bigger deal than I ever heard of.”

  “I guess so.”

  They didn’t talk on the way back to the café and Fay wasn’t sure if she was glad or unhappy about it. Maybe she was too mixed up to have an opinion.

  He dropped her at the bottom of the stairs to her apartment. “I’ll be in the café before closing to help you with your evening routine.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  With a grim expression, he answered, “I know.”

  Then he drove away. Fay hurried upstairs, feeling the tears sting her eyes. She was not going to give in and cry now. She was going to stay strong and calm, work the night rush and clean everything so she could get the conversation over with.

  Then she could decide whether or not to believe his response. Whatever it might be.

  FAY DIDN’T REMEMBER EVER having such a bad night at the café— even though the customers were steady, but not too crazy, and Hank didn’t miss a step. Her mind, however, was not fully on her work— one half was on how she would explain her version of events to Austin. Did she believe that he had just come up to kiss her because he liked her and, well, wanted to kiss her?

  Considering how everything went down, she had a hard time believing that— harder than she had expected it to be when she’d considered the possibility of having it out with him a couple of weeks earlier.

  That could be because she liked him now. She wasn’t sure if she liked him, liked him, but she definitely was well on her way, which made everything ten times more complicated.

  After she messed up the third shake in a little over an hour, Hank peered out the window from the kitchen to her. “What is going on with you tonight?”

  “It’s just me, being a ditz.” She set down the shake and pulled out a fresh cup. Time to try again.

  “Anything in particular that has you distracted?” Hank asked.

  “Yeah, but now is definitely not the time.” She glanced at the clock when she said that and noticed there was only ten minutes until they locked up for the night. Speaking of time.

  She pushed the thought away and focused on the shake, taking it off the machine as someone walked through the front door. She managed to clear the frustration from her face and smile before turning around to hand the customer the correct shake. “I’m so sorry about that. Have a good night.”

  “No problem. Thanks.” The older woman checked the shake— presumably to make sure it was right this time— and gave her a small wave before exiting.

  Fay looked at the register to find Austin sitting beside it, trying to look casual, though the way his forehead was crinkled, he was as anxious as she was. “You’re here.”

  “I said I would be.”

  “Great. Have a shake.” She set the mixed one containing M&Ms instead of Heath bar bits in front of him. “You’re responsible for it anyway.”

  His brow wrinkles deepened further in confusion.

  “Sorry, I’m being spacey tonight. It’s the one I messed up for the lady who just walked out. She noticed it was wrong before taking a bite, so it’s fine.”

  He reached out and took her hand, enveloping her in his warmth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make this such a cruddy night for you.”

  “I know.” She gave his hand a squeeze, then released it and grabbed the sanitizing rag from the bleach bucket.

  Austin took it from her hand. “I’ll wipe the tables. You work on stuff back there.”

  She was about to protest when she realized how stupid it would be and gave him the rag instead. She might be an idiot sometimes, but she didn’t have to make all of this any harder on herself. Having his help so they could get the discussion over with would be best.

  Cleanup went faster than ever with Austin going back to help Hank in the kitchen. Before she knew it, she had locked the door behind the last customer for the night and was counting down the cash register.

  As she put the deposit money into a bank bag, Austin came to the front again. “He’s needs to put away the dishes I washed up and he’s ready to go. Looks like you’re about done. Anything else I can help with?”

  She stared at him. “You work like a demon— you want a job?”

  He laughed. “Um, I think I have my hands full with my own business right now, thanks.”

  She turned off the rest of the front lights and double-checked the locks.

  “You going to walk her over to the bank to deposit that, or do I need to?” Hank asked.

  “I’ve got it. Thanks.” Austin shook his hand and Hank took off out the back. Austin gestured to him. “You owe that man some time off. He might work as much as you do.”

  “So true. He does get a couple days off per week, depending on when Dale can come in, but I need to hire another cook.” Fay wished for the less-strained moments when they had left Walmart earlier, holding hands, but hopefully they could get back to that. He just had to pull off an amazingly convincing excuse for what happened before.

  Part of her wanted to say forget it, it’s been ten years, you need to let it go. The other part didn’t know if she could trust him if he wasn’t able to explain the way she had been treated. Sure, they had all done stupid things, but there was a difference between stupid and mean.

  She deposited the cash in the overnight drop and then he walked her back to her place. “Come on up, I guess. We might as well be comfortable.”

  “That, and if we talked in the café, someone would see us sitting in there through a window and the next thing you know rum
ors will be going around that you’re having my baby,” Austin joked.

  “Oh, it’s too late for that— people saw us together in Walmart, after all,” she said.

  He chuckled and followed her up the stairs.

  Fay was glad for the banter, and that it had lightened the mood between them, but she still felt anxious about the discussion ahead. Was there any way for him to explain himself, to justify his actions? Would she be able to express herself well enough that he would understand, on any level, how she had felt? Would she have the courage to be honest about how it had affected her? She appreciated that he had apologized for the event, but his comments earlier made it clear that he didn’t actually understand any of it.

  They walked into her apartment and she set the bank receipts and daily sales totals on her desk next to her laptop to enter into the spreadsheet later. She could enter the whole deposit into the computer as general sales, but wanted to track different sections of her business more closely for trends.

  When had she become a numbers geek, anyway?

  Fay pushed that thought away and turned toward Austin, looking up at him. She slid her hands into her back pockets to give them something to do. Otherwise she might be tempted to take his hand and let the whole conversation slide.

  Though she had noticed how good looking he was before, she had never truly appreciated the angles of his jaw or his firm lips, or been sucked in by them— until now. How was that possible?

  “You want to tell me your version of events that day?” she asked, making herself face the discussion ahead. No point beating around the bush— she had to be up early and she wanted this over with so she could go to bed, though whether or not she would sleep was another issue entirely.

  His brows lifted. “I thought you were going to read me the riot act first.”

  “I thought about it, but I decided it would be best to let you fill in some blanks first. Then I’ll know that you’re telling it the way you remember it and not in response to anything I said.” She bit her lip. “I know it probably seems untrusting and a little crazy, but I’m having a hard time with this, even if it is stupid and petty of me to still have a grudge about it.”