The flight to Tennessee had been quick and painless, even though I’d flown commercial, which sometimes could be hard to do if someone recognized me. After the flight, I grabbed a rental and drove straight to the restaurant where I had agreed to meet Sadie.

“Sir, can I get you a glass of water while you wait?” the server asked as he stood at the end of my table. I’d kept my back to the room and tugged the brim of my cap down farther as news of my signing with the Hockey Network went worldwide. I’d be able to work mostly from wherever I decided to call home, so long as I had a green screen and power. They were willing to bend over backward to have me on the weekly show.

There was still talk of me co-hosting a baking show on the National Food Channel, but that would only require my commitment for a couple of weeks a year. It was still a gig that made zero sense to me, but the team behind it seemed excited.

But my face was all over the place, this time for my career, which was better than for my relationships, but I knew that people were still curious about Autumn. The paparazzi that stood outside my hotel in LA floundered around me, trying to get information. Originally, I had planned to ask her to come along with me, but I’d second-guessed myself. We hadn’t defined our relationship and that would surely put us on another level.

But spending the week with her instead of having to text and video message would have been far better. God, I missed her. More so than I ever thought possible.

“No, thank you. I’ll wait until my guest arrives.”

“Okay. I’ll check back with you.” I couldn’t see him, but based on the sudden breeze I felt at the base of my neck, I was certain the teen had scurried away at breakneck speed.

While I waited, I scrolled through my phone, my thumb hovering over Autumn’s number. I had missed our call the night before because I was live at the hockey game. We’d messaged, but she seemed a bit distant, taking longer and longer to respond. Of course, I was to blame for her hesitancy. I still hadn’t told her when I would return. A lot of that depended on how this meeting went.

If Sadie seemed as genuine as I hoped, then there was a good chance I’d want to stay in Knoxville and spend some time with her. If I had even the slightest inkling that she had something malicious or selfish in mind, I wasn’t certain I could return to Ashfield right away. I’d need another day or two to wrap my head around everything that had transpired. And that I was still an orphan with no family. As much as I wanted to see Autumn, I knew that she’d have questions. Ones I wasn’t prepared to answer.

“Excuse me, Mr. Crawford? Your guest has arrived.”

My breath shook as I turned in my seat and stood. I wasn’t surprised at the girl’s startled breath. What did take me aback was my own. The girl was clearly related to me, and I towered over her. From her olive skin tone to the mousy brown waves of hair, there was no mistaking us as anything else but siblings.

“Thank you. We’ll order in a bit,” I said to the host, who nodded as he left us alone, still staring at each other.

Finally, the girl chose to break up the silence.

“So. . .um. . .I’m Sadie,” she said, holding out her hand in greeting. It quivered ever so slightly as she waited for me to return the greeting.

“Hi, Sadie. I’m Colton, but you already know that.” I returned her impressively strong handshake and gestured for her to sit in the chair across from me.

We sat in silence. I had no idea what to say to this girl who seemed as lost as I was. Luckily, the server chose that moment to return to the table and take our drink order. We laughed as I ordered a light beer and her a soda to ease the tension.

“Sorry,” Sadie said, squinting her eyes contritely. “Now that I’m here, I’m not quite sure what to say.”

“Well, there isn’t much about me that you can’t find on the internet. I assume you Googled me before even sending me your first letter. Am I right?”

She shrugged her shoulders as petals of red scattered across her cheeks. “Guilty.”

“So, tell me about you. What brought you to Knoxville?”

That seemed to be all the encouragement she needed as she launched into her childhood. Sadie had grown up living on the outskirts of the city with her mom. She had a stepfather for a short period of time, but he ran off with another woman when Sadie was only six. It amazed me when she said she had never been ice skating and couldn’t believe when she found out that I spent the majority of my life on the ice.

“I’m studying environmental engineering at the University of Tennessee. I was so excited to get accepted. It had been my dream school my entire life.”

While she had been speaking animatedly about her life, the server had come and taken our order. He quietly placed our burgers in front of us and I took a hefty bite of the large patty.

“What are you up to now?” Sadie asked as she snatched a fry off her plate and shoved it into her mouth.

“Not sure yet. I signed on to film a few spots on the Hockey Network and my agent is tossing around a few options.”

“Nothing else? Because I’m pretty certain I saw a picture of you and a girl on the cover of a magazine at the grocery store this morning.”

The bite of burger lodged in my throat and I covered my mouth with the napkin as I coughed.

“Sorry. That, um, girl’s name is Autumn. “

“She’s really pretty.”

“I think so, too.”

“Can I meet her?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have many girlfriends. Well, friends at all.”

This was it. This was going to be the moment where she either asked for money or begged to live with me to gain some sort of celebrity status.

“Why is that?” I asked more sternly than I intended. It was clear that I hurt her feelings when her eyes grew to the size of saucers.

“Oh. . .I just mean. . .Money, er,”

The chair screeched against the floor as I shot up, slamming my fists on the table. Thank goodness the chain restaurant was mostly deserted.

“Of course. You came here wanting money.”

“No! No,” she cried out, shaking her hand in a stop motion. “No, please sit down, Colton, and let me explain.” When I hesitated, she begged again. Slowly, I returned to my seat and pushed my burger aside. Any appetite I may have had early had quickly dissolved away.

“When my mom passed away, she left me a hefty inheritance from her life insurance policy. I had no idea it existed. When my so-called friends found out, they became leeches. Asking me for money, pretending they wanted me to join them for dinner only to leave before the check came and I was left to pay for it all. Just, not the kind of things friends do. So, when I started at the university, I kept to myself mostly.”

“That really happened to you?” I asked the question, but I already knew the answer. It was clear with the way she flung her hands around, speaking so animatedly.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I’ve just been burned before by people wanting something from me.”

“I get it. I’d probably have done the same.”

My appetite hadn’t returned, so I sipped my beer while Sadie finished her meal.

“You’d like Autumn. She’s funny and so fucking smart.”

“Is she prettier than in the pictures?”

“They don’t do her justice at all,” I explained, tearing at the edge of the paper wrapped around the neck of the beer bottle.

“You really love her, don’t you?”

“Love?” I asked, the bottle nearly falling over on the table as my hand jerked at the shocking accusation.