Loving Her Fling

by Heather B. Moore

  She sent a smiling emoji.

  His heart thumped once, twice, then he wrote: Can I call you? Texting was fine for short communication, but he’d rather talk to Everly. Hear her voice and figure out why he hadn’t been able to get her off his mind. Maybe it had been a fluke. Or maybe not.

  Okay.

  He pressed send on her number, and she answered on the second ring.

  “Hi.”

  Austin smiled at the sound of her voice. “Hi. Is it too late to call?”

  “It’s too late to ask since you already did,” she said.

  He laughed. “Good point.”

  “Long day working?”

  “Yeah, that’s a good way to put it,” he said. “But most of the orders are put in, and my crew arrives tomorrow morning.”

  “Wow, it’s moving fast,” she said, her tone sounding wistful.

  “It will look great, don’t worry,” he said. “You can even come visit the job site if you want to see how things are progressing. You know, in between your job and your movie schedule, which will be limited now.”

  “I saw the new hours posted on the theater website,” she said. “I’ll have to make some major adjustments. I mean, the single theater will now be more crowded if there’s only one option, and I like my special seat, you know.”

  “I know,” he said. “I might have to fight you for it.”

  She laughed, and that only made his smile grow. “I have no problem coming early to the theater to get my seat.”

  “Except I’ll be there all day, and as soon as I see your car pull up, I can beat you to it.”

  She scoffed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “You’re right,” he said. “I’d be the gentleman and defer to you.”

  “And I would let you.”

  He was grinning. Like a fool. “So, the weather is supposed to be decent this weekend. I thought maybe you should take me on one of those hikes you told me about.”

  “Oh, you think I should take you?” she teased.

  “If you want,” he said. “I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed if you asked me.”

  She laughed.

  And he was still grinning. “Okay, if you insist on being old-fashioned, then I’ll ask you. And I’ll pick you up. I’ll even pay for our meal, or two, depending on how long all the hiking takes.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Is that a yes or no?”

  “I’m working Saturday, and on Sunday, my sister asked me to come to a brunch with her almost in-laws.”

  Austin paused. “As in the in-laws that might have been yours if you and Brock hadn’t broken up?”

  “Possibly?”

  “Well, I think you need to tell your sister that you have other plans,” he said.

  “You do?”

  “I do,” he said in a firm tone. “Unless you really want to go to that brunch.”

  “I don’t, in fact,” she said. “You know how family puts on the pressure though, right?”

  “Right . . . the kind of pressure that leads you to making up a boyfriend? That kind of pressure?” Maybe he’d gone too far, but he couldn’t imagine agreeing to such a brunch.

  Everly was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “What time can you pick me up?”

  He was back to smiling. “Does eleven work?”

  “Perfect.”

  And just like that, he had a date.

  Sunday couldn’t come fast enough, and by Saturday morning, he was feeling as jittery as a high school kid waiting for his first prom. So, on his lunch break, he decided to drop by the craft store. He probably had to buy something there, right?

  “Jimmy,” Austin said, walking up to his foreman on the job. The past few days, the crew had mostly been tearing out the old carpet and seats in the first theater room. The renovations on the concessions would start next week.

  Jimmy Arnold had been working for Austin’s dad as long as he could remember. The guy was sixty-five, completely bald, but still spry. In fact, he had more energy than most of the younger crew members.

  “What’s up, boss?” Jimmy asked.

  “I’m heading to the craft store in town, is there anything you need me to pick up?”

  Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck. “At a craft store? I don’t think so, boss. But lunch would be nice.”

  Austin chuckled. “Got it. I’ll be back soon.”

  On his drive over, he scoured his brain over what he might pick up at the craft store. Wood glue? Good enough.

  He parked down the block from the craft store since there seemed be to some sort of summer sale going on, and the place was busy. Would the place be too busy for him to have a chance to talk to Everly? Hopefully it wasn’t, and they could talk for a minute.

  Austin walked along the sidewalk, enjoying the chance to be outside in the middle of the day. The day was warm, the was humidity down, so it was all quite pleasant.

  He stepped into the craft store, and it didn’t take long for him to spot Everly. She was ringing up the line of waiting customers. So, he decided to browse for a few minutes to see if the line would go down soon.

  Everly was wearing a green summer dress, and her hair was in a side-braid that rested over her shoulder. She laughed at something a customer said, and the sound of her laughter warmed Austin even though he wasn’t the recipient.

  He moved down the aisle so he wouldn’t be caught ogling, but he couldn’t help glancing over a time or two as the line moved forward. Wandering to the back of the store, he picked up a bottle of wood glue as someone said, “Can I help you?”

  He turned to see an older woman, wearing a shirt embroidered with Darla’s Crafts on it.

  “I found what I needed,” he said, holding up the wood glue.

  “Those are on sale, you know, buy one get one half off.”

  “Oh,” he said. “I should get two then.”

  “What else are you looking for?” she asked, her dark brown eyes peering at him, reminding him of Gentry from the Town Hall.

  “I’m just looking around,” he said.

  She nodded. “Are you new in town?”

  “Sort of,” he said, then explained about the theater.

  “Oh yes, I’ve heard of you then,” the woman said. “You’re Austin Hayes, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Darla Brown.” She tilted her head. “I guess you’re wanting to talk to Everly? She told me all about you.”

  Austin couldn’t have been more surprised. “She did?”

  Darla nodded with a knowing gleam in her eye. “I’ll let her know you’re here.”

  “Okay,” Austin said, his mind still spinning. What had Everly said about him to her boss? He moved to the next aisle and stopped when he saw a display of what looked like the same type of art in Everly’s apartment. They were prints though, and not original paintings. He leaned in to read the artist’s name in the bottom left-hand corner. Everly King.

  He walked slowly along the aisle. There were eight of them on display. All painted black and white with accents in various colors such as blue, or red, or orange. The art had a timeless, almost haunting aspect to it. Classy and clean.

  He glanced at the prices. Only thirty-nine dollars for the prints. He picked up one from the shelf. It was about 20x20, smaller than the originals he’d seen. And he decided the paintings would look great in the movie theater. The originals, of course, not the prints.

  He picked up another one of the prints as Everly arrived in the aisle.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, smoothing some hair from her face.

  “Checking out the local art,” he said.

  She set her hand on her hip. “Really?”

  “I might buy a couple of prints.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Please, don’t.”

  Austin walked toward her with the print in his hand. “How many have you done? Just these eight?”

  “I have a few more,” she said.

  “I’d love to see them.”

  Everly’s gaze held his. �
��You really don’t have to do this, Austin. I mean it’s nice of you to take an interest, but I know my talent level. Selling prints in a craft store is about as good as it gets.”

  He lifted his hand and moved a bit of her honey colored hair behind her ear.

  She blinked, but she didn’t pull away.

  “I’m not doing it to be nice,” he said, dropping his hand. “I’m doing it because I’m interested.”

  The edges of her mouth lifted. “Okay . . . You’re kind of laying it on thick, you know.”

  “How’s that working for you?” he asked.

  “No bad, Mr. Architect, not bad.”

  He laughed.

  She smiled, and he was pretty sure his heart grew a size.

  “So, wood glue?”

  He looked down at his other hand. “Yep. And this print. Do you think you can ring me up?”

  “Right this way, sir,” she said with a smirk, then turned and walked toward the cash register.

  Austin followed, wishing they could have lingered in the aisle a bit longer. But the store was busy, and Everly and Darla seemed to be the only two employees.

  Darla was ringing up customers at the register, and Everly opened up the second register.

  “I really should be giving you this print for free,” Everly said, scanning the print, then the two bottles of wood glue.

  “I’m sure it will be worth every penny.” Okay, so he was being over the top. But it was kind of fun with Everly. Especially since it made her cheeks tinge pink.

  “I’ll give you the friends-of-employee discount,” she said.

  “Is there such a thing?” he asked.

  She laughed. “Not exactly. So, you’re just getting my discount.”

  “I’m fine paying the full price.”

  She gave him a pointed look, then typed something into the register. The price dropped by a few dollars.

  Austin took out his wallet and ran his card through the older card reader. No chip reading at this shop. After he paid for his purchase, he said, “Well, I guess I’ll see you soon, right?” There were now people waiting in line behind him, but he didn’t care.

  “Yep, tomorrow.”

  “Unless . . . you don’t have dinner plans?”

  Her eyes widened, and he wondered if he was pushing too hard. “We’re open until nine tonight, and my dinner’s going to be a turkey sandwich that I’ll probably share with Snatches, thanks to you spoiling her rotten.” She tilted her head, a smirk on those pretty lips of hers. “Thanks for the offer though.”

  She looked like she was about to say something else, but he could feel the gazes of the customers behind him. So, he walked out of the store with his wood glue, the art print, and a few more ideas forming in his mind.

  9

  Everly

  “What do you mean you can’t come?” Everly’s mother asked over the phone. “Everyone is looking forward to seeing you.”

  Her mom was sweet to say so, although Everly knew it was a bit misguided. No one would miss her. Not at a brunch with Brock Hayes and his family.

  “Is it Tom? Can he not come?”

  Her mother already knew that Everly had cancelled Friday night because Tom couldn’t make it. Well, Austin was right. It was now time to break up with Tom.

  “No, he can’t come, and actually we aren’t seeing each other anymore,” Everly said, making a mental note to text her sister the news as well.

  It was so complicated keeping a lie straight.

  “Oh no, what happened?” her mother asked.

  After Austin had come into the craft store yesterday and shamelessly flirted with her, she realized that even going on a hike with Austin might put them in proximity to other Hidden Hollows residents. Some of which might know her mother.

  “Our schedules were forever conflicting,” she said. “I feel like I never saw him.” Everly closed her eyes. She was making a disaster out of this. “But today, I’m going on a hike with a new friend.”

  “Friend? Who’s this friend, Everly? Are you doing those one-night stands I’ve heard about?”

  Everly laughed. “No, Mom. I’m not . . . This guy’s a friend.”

  “Oh, so it is a man,” her mom said. “Who is he? What’s his name? Is he from around here, or did you meet him at one of those craft fairs you go to?”

  “His name is Austin, and he’s doing the renovation on the movie theater in town,” she said.

  Her mom’s questions only multiplied, and finally Everly said, “Mom, I’ve really got to go.”

  “But—”

  “Love you, bye.” Everly felt bad about cutting her mom off, but it was the only way she could stay sane. And she wanted to be sane on her date, or whatever it was, with Austin.

  Six weeks—well, five weeks—and he’d be gone. So, they really would be friends.

  Although Everly had seen what she hoped was interest in his eyes, they lived in different cities, had different lives, and probably different goals. Not that it mattered because going on a hike with him was just an activity. Show him around a bit. That was all.

  Meow.

  “I know, me too,” Everly said, petting the cat’s head. “Oh, is it really almost eleven?”

  Everly scrambled off the loveseat. She was mostly ready, but she needed to double check her appearance, and . . . Her cell phone rang.

  She cut her gaze to where she’d left it on the coffee table. Austin’s name flashed across the screen. Her stomach plummeted, and she wondered if he was cancelling. “Hello?” she asked in a breathless voice she hadn’t been able to conceal.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Her heart thundered as she waited for him to tell her he had to cancel. Of course. She shouldn’t have been surprised. This was all too good to be true, right?

  “Should I knock on the back door of the shop?” he said. “I mean, it’s locked. Or are you coming down?”

  “You’re here?” she said, her voice a squeak. Dang it.

  His voice was definitely amused when he replied, “We did agree on eleven, right?”

  “Right.” Breathless, again. “I’ll be right down.” She hung up. He was here. He was here. She hurried into her tiny bathroom and flipped on the light. She’d worn her hair in a messy bun. Maybe it should be in a ponytail instead so that it wouldn’t potentially come out on the hike. She started over on her hair, using a bit of water to smooth it into a ponytail.

  She was already feeling hot, so maybe she’d overdressed? Should she wear shorts instead of the capris she had on? Or maybe she should be wearing a darker t-shirt instead of the white one she had on. Were her earrings too long and dangly?

  She wasn’t sure how much time she took getting ready all over again, but by the time she walked out the back door of the craft shop, she was surprised that Austin was still waiting.

  He was leaning against his truck, hands in his pockets. He wore khaki shorts and a light blue t-shirt that gave more definition to his chest and arms than she’d seen in his dress shirts. And yes, she was enjoying the view. His navy baseball cap was pulled low over his eyes, and he exuded a maleness that made her legs feel like water.

  “Did you sleep in?” he asked before she could apologize.

  “Um, I think I lost track of time,” she said. “My mom wouldn’t take no for an answer over a text, and so she called. And then . . .” She stopped in front of him. There it was. His clean, showered scent. And this close, she could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes.

  “And then . . .?” he prompted, his mouth curving.

  “I might have told her about you.” She held her breath because she wasn’t sure how Austin would react. They hadn’t even been on a date technically, and he was leaving in a few weeks.

  But he wasn’t frowning or anything, so that was good, right?

  “What did you tell her?” he asked in a low voice, his gaze trained on her.

  “Your name and why you’re in town,” Everly said. “She peppered me with questions, but I said I had to go. And I
did tell her that things with Tom and I were over.”

  He smiled then, and that smile did funny things to her belly.

  “So, you’re free and clear?” Austin asked, his smile still there.

  “Yep.”

  “Then we’d better get going so we don’t waste this beautiful day.”

  Would it be okay to kiss him yet? The wild thought sent a rush of heat through Everly. Back off, woman, she told herself as she walked with Austin around his truck. He opened the passenger door for her, and she had to pass by him to climb in. Yep. He smelled delicious.

  She settled into her seat as he walked around to the driver’s side. She could do this. Be casual. Have a nice day with a good-looking and definitely charming man. Keep him at a healthy distance while also doing a tiny bit of daydreaming.

  As he pulled onto the street and headed out of town toward the hills, Everly wondered how much he’d dated since his wife’s passing. Did he keep things casual all of the time? Did he ever think about a more permanent relationship? Or would it be impossible for another woman to measure up to his wife?

  “What’s in the bag?” he asked as he slowed for a stoplight.

  She looked down at the bag she’d brought, currently at her feet. “Oh, I brought a few snacks.”

  “A few?” the teasing in his voice made her smile.

  “Maybe we’ll want a granola bar on the drive back, or something.”

  He glanced over at her, amusement in his shaded eyes. She sort of wanted to take off his hat so she could get a better view of his chocolate brown eyes.

  “When I first saw you with that bag, I was sure you were sneaking in food to the movie theater,” he said. “But it seems that it goes everywhere with you.”

  She smirked. “It has all of my essentials in it.”

  “Essentials?” He chuckled. “Like what?”

  “Well . . . my wallet and my phone for one.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense, but that bag is the size of a small child.”

  “Whatever,” she said. “I have a small bottle of lotion, Chapstick—well, a few choices in case I don’t like the first choice.”

  Austin turned onto the road that led to the trailhead they’d decided to take. “What’s your favorite Chapstick?”