“I’ve been trying to research the town archives for pictures of the house. Interior and exterior. But I’m not having any luck. The town came after the house.”
“This is fascinating,” I told her as I sifted through the stacks of pages again.
“You really think so?”
My gaze collided with hers and my breath left my lungs in a whoosh. Somehow, I knew that a chink in her armor had fallen away. I’d taken down one of her walls with a simple compliment.
It left me wondering about some of the men she’d dated in the past. Were they the kind of men that cared for her, or did they look at her as a possession? I knew a lot of guys like that and their girlfriends and wives became shells of themselves.
One of the servers quickly refilled our drinks without us having to ask as I leaned back in the booth.
“So, want to tell me a little bit about yourself, Autumn?” Now that I had a chance to really take her in, I let my gaze casually travel across her body. She was the same size as her sisters, but with a bit more curves. She was a knockout.
Taking a sip of my beer, I let the cool liquid linger in my mouth before swallowing. From behind the glass, I noticed Autumn’s eyes glaze as she watched the movement.
“Not much to say, really.” She nervously played with the ring of condensation left by the bottom of her own beer glass. Impulsively, I reached out and twisted my finger in hers as she traced the water.
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
The beautiful waves of hair surrounding her oval face fluttered as she puffed out an exasperated breath of air.
“Well, if you must know. I grew up here. I have three sisters and a half-brother. He’s closer to your age, actually.
“I lived in New York for the last few years and worked at Regent Events as an executive event planner. The owner and I dated the last two years until he cheated on me with one of our married clients. They are now living together in the apartment we shared. And here I am. . .homeless and jobless at the ripe age of twenty-four.”
“Fucking pathetic,” I mumbled and instantly regretted my words as Autumn’s body stiffened. Her shoulders pressed against the booth back and she raised her body another few inches. “Excuse me?” She was hostile and pressing for a fight.
“Hey, hey, hey. I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about your ex. What a fucking pathetic asshole. Who the hell would cheat on you? You’re smart as fuck and beautiful. That man must have lost his mind.”
“Oh. . .ugh. . .no, he was quite brilliant, actually,” she said hesitantly.
“I don’t give a fuck if he was as smart as Stephen Hawking. That man was a fool to leave you. Let alone cheat. Bastard.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her body now lax against the booth again. “For. . .uh. . .defending me. All of our mutual friends sided with him. Which I guess is for the best, since I find myself in the place I wanted so badly to get out of as a teen. It would be nice if he would stop calling and messaging me, though. He ended things but can’t seem to let go.”
“Ashfield is amazing. You have no idea what I would have given to grow up somewhere like this. Or anywhere to call a home, really.”
Our server chose that moment to bring out our food. A pasta dish of some sort. It sat untouched as Autumn asked me what I meant.
“I grew up in foster care. Even as an infant, no one wanted to adopt me. So, I hopped from foster home to foster home. Hockey was the only home I had.
“Funnily enough, I spent the last few years playing for the New York Renegades.”
“I know,” she said with a giggle as she took another sip of her second beer and swirled the pasta around her fork. “I may have looked you up.”
“Did you now?” I was intrigued. She didn’t peg me as the sort to follow any gossip considering how terrified she was of the rumors swirling around the town.
“Don’t be so surprised. I needed to know who was living on the land next to ours. For safety reasons, of course. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course.”
The rest of the meal was made talking about some of our favorite places to eat in New York City and I argued with her for a solid ten minutes that not a single restaurant could hold a candle to The Purple Goat. I was so adamant I ordered a second plate of the pasta to take home with me.
“You know, you’re making me like you,” she said as the server brought her a third beer. I stopped after the second since I was driving.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Maybe,” she murmured.
“Hm… we’ll have to see what we can do about that.” A coquettish smile grew on her lips as she tucked her chin down and finished her meal.
The lights seemed dimmer as the crowd grew during the progressing hour. Bodies now pressed against the edge of the booth as they waited for the bar and darkness had descended upon the town. With a quick glance at my watch, I saw that three hours had passed since we arrived at The Purple Goat. And those three hours had seemed like minutes. This perplexing woman who seemed so defensive of the town and its people enraptured me, but also seemed out of place. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something about the town and Autumn that brought out a different side of me. And I wanted to learn everything I could about both.
“Ready to get out of here? I bet your dad’s waiting up,” I joked, but I secretly feared Nash. The man was stronger than most men my own age. And I wanted his approval. Not just as a potential neighbor, but as a friend. Maybe he could guide me into the good graces of his daughter.
“Sure.”
Autumn and I stood simultaneously, her gathering her binder and a few extra pages that had untucked themselves from the built in folders, while I tossed a hundred-dollar bill onto the table.
“Mind if I stop by the restroom?”
“Sure.” Autumn nodded as she leaned against the wall in the dim hallway connecting to the entrance.
I did my business quickly, noting that there were a lot more people lingering about as I exited. Autumn didn’t stand out at first, but thankfully my height allowed me to pick her out. A group of boys that looked about her age surrounded her. Nothing more than teens with a few extra years tacked on.
Fury and possession bubbled up inside me. I didn’t know what it was, but I’d claimed Autumn and I wanted everyone to know. It was impractical and cavemanlike, but I couldn’t control myself. A roar burst from somewhere inside me and it threatened to break free.
My feet stomped through the wall of men, the group parting without me having to lift a finger. I didn’t care if any of them recognized me. All I cared about was the woman with the binder clutched against her body and the asshole with his arm pinned against the wall at her head. There was a familiarity between them, that I was certain, but she carried a look of alarm. Whomever this person was, she didn’t want them that close.
