Falling Into Fate: A Stand-Alone Friends-to-Lovers Short Romance by Abby Knox

Author:Abby Knox [Knox, Abby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Author Abby Knox, LLC
Published: 2021-10-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Ben

Billie will never see the inside of that godawful place again.

With relief, I take in the sight of her actual residence—a small bungalow within walking distance from the square—and breathe in the homeyness.

Everything about the outside of it screams Nora. Or Billie, as she is now.

Built into the side of a hill, the sloping lawn is filled with flowering shrubs and plants, bird feeders, birdbaths, and a butterfly garden. There’s hardly any grass to cut, and I’m sure she likes it that way. She shows me inside, past a swing on the wooden front porch, and into a small, bohemian living room with a straight view through a galley kitchen to the back door.

Everywhere I look, there are comfortable blankets, and fuzzy throw pillows draped over vintage furniture. Rustic bookshelves and built-ins are choked with volumes of hardcovers, paperbacks, comic books, and art.

I inhale the scent of kitchen herbs. I’m filled with good smells, cozy textures, and pleasing color palettes. It’s everything I imagined for her.

“Are you okay?”

I snap my gaze back to Billie. “I’m not sure. Have you ever walked into a place and decided you never want to leave?”

She beams at me over her shoulder while she flutters around the kitchen, making us both coffee. “I’ll take that as a compliment. You can stay here for as long as you like. But I have to warn you, once it becomes clear that the locals like you, the sheriff will make it difficult for you to leave. It’s a whole thing. So you might have to build your brewery here whether you intended to or not.” She’s blushes and speaks animatedly. The way she used to do, just for me, when we were kids. I love seeing her happy. The only other time I’d seen her this giddy and animated was when she was excused from physical education class after faking “period problems.”

I smile at the memory. And then, I think, Oh, damn. Our future kids are going to be hell on wheels, aren’t they?

I’m so glad she found some healing in this place. She goes on, and I’m content to listen. “As for this house, well, I rent from Rex, the mechanic. He doesn’t charge nearly enough, but he knows what I make as a sales associate at that store in Gold Hill. I try to offer him more, with the extra money I make giving knitting lessons once a week at Ruby’s diner. But he won’t take it. He says I can stay as long as I want, but I’m sure there will come a day when he’ll need to sell it. I think he and Juniper and Danny and Izzy are personally trying to contribute to a population boom.”

I love watching her walk around the kitchen and chatter. I want this, all day, every day. I could give a shit about what she means by the overreaching sheriff; I’m sure he already knows my reputation as a juvenile in Gold Hill. As for starting a brewery here, I already plan to.

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