Page 20 of To Fall or Not to Fall

Chapter Thirteen

A va

The smell of ginger fills the kitchen as I putter around, making gingerbread men and spiced muffins. I love baking almost as much as I love owning the bookstore.

“Today is a good day. Today is the best day. Today is the day I will fall in love.”

I sing out loud, not even sure where the words are coming from.

I’m still riding on a high from the previous evening, when Theo and I shared an intimate moment together.

I still get chills thinking about his ghost story, but I could tell, based on the way he told it and the way he looked at me afterwards, that it was something he’d never shared with anyone else.

It made me feel special, which, admittedly, it shouldn’t have, because it wasn’t like he declared his undying love to me.

But I still felt like it created a moment between the two of us.

And then we kissed.

I’d been absolutely out of my mind, squeezing his cock, which was thicker and longer than I had assumed Theo was packing. And while I didn’t have that much experience with men, I was pretty confident he was much larger than most.

Smiling to myself, I open the fridge and grab some milk. I’m going to make eggnog, even though it isn’t yet Christmas season. I pull out a large bowl, and, as I do, I hear my phone ringing.

Grabbing it without looking at the screen, I sing out, “Happy fall!”

“Ava, is that you?”

My heart races as I recognize the voice.

“Theo?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“How are you?”

“I’m good. What are you up to?”

“I’m just making gingerbread men,” I say with a laugh. “To sell tomorrow in the store.”

“Oh, I do love me a gingerbread man.”

“You can come over and have one if you want.”

He chuckles. “I don’t want to eat away your profits. But I’m not going to bring up money again.”

“Good,” I tease. “So, how can I help you?”

I feel oddly polite, not really knowing what else to say.

“I was calling to ask you out on an official date.”

I go silent. Happy. Surprised. Unsure how to respond.

“I didn’t want you to think I was playing hard to get, like last time, when I waited too long to call you.”

“Well, you never called me last time. I just saw you at the bonfire.”

“Yeah.” He laughs. “After that, I didn’t want you to think this was just a game. So, I was wondering if you’d like to grab dinner tonight?”

“Perhaps… Why don’t you come over? We can make gingerbread men and hang out and watch a movie.”

“While I would love to do that…” He pauses. “Don’t you live with Arabella and Aria?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well, I like spending time with you, but I don’t want them to think I’m monopolizing your time. Plus, if things get a little more… amorous, I don’t want?—”

“What do you mean by ‘a little bit more amorous’?” I ask, giggling.

“Well, if we start making out, I don’t necessarily want them there, watching like two eager high school kids.”

“My friends are adults,” I say, laughing.

“I know they’re adults. But do you want them watching?”

“No, I guess not.” I giggle. “So, are you saying you don’t want to come over and make gingerbread men?”

“I’m saying that I’d very much like to come over and make gingerbread men, but I would not like that to be the basis of our date. Maybe that can be the first part of our date.”

“The first part? How long is this date going to be?”

“Well, I was hoping it would be a really long date. Like, twelve hours or more.”

“We’re not going to have a twelve-hour date. We have to sleep. And I have to work tomorrow. I do have money to make, after all.”

“Oh, so you are interested in making money, then?”

“Well, of course, I’m interested in making money. I don’t want to lose my business.”

I smile, then realize he couldn’t actually see me.

“You know, Sebastian?—”

“Sorry, what?” He pauses. “Did you just call me another man’s name?”

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I totally didn’t mean to do that.”

“Who is Sebastian?”

“No one,” I say quickly.

“I think you owe me an explanation.” His voice sounds gruff now. “Do I have some competition I don’t know about?”

“What do you mean by competition?”

“I mean, who is this Sebastian you’re talking about? Is he someone else you’re seeing?”

“Firstly, Theo, it’s not really any of your business,” I tease. “And secondly, are we seeing each other? Because you just asked me on our first official date. So technically, we don’t have anything… either.”

“Maybe I’m trying to change that,” he says.

“Maybe you are. Anyway, Sebastian is a guy I used to date ages ago. I don’t know why his name came up.”

“Have you been thinking of him?”

“Honestly? No.”

“Good.”

“What do you mean, ‘good’?”

“Because I wouldn’t be very happy if I thought you were sitting here fantasizing over another man.”

“Really? And why is that?” I know I shouldn’t prod, but I like seeing him this way. I know it’s slightly toxic, but I love seeing jealousy in a man.

“Maybe because I like you, Ava.”

“You do?”

“Would I be asking you on a date if I didn’t?”

“I don’t know. Would you be?

“Fine. Come over in an hour. We’ll finish making the gingerbread men, and then we can go out. But you have to figure out what we’re going to do. If you’re asking me out, I’m not planning the date.”

“Sounds like a plan. Oh, and Ava?”

“Yes, Theo?”

“Even if Sebastian was on your mind, I’d make sure to get him off your mind pretty quickly.”

“And how would you do that?” I tease.

“I think you know that I’m working with a couple of things.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“Namely, my tongue and my fingers.”

“Okay.”

“And that thick cock you were squeezing the other day.”

“Oh my gosh, you did not just say that.”

“Which part?”

“You know which part.”

“I mean, I didn’t think you’d mind, seeing as you had a good feel.”

I burst out laughing. “I’ve felt bigger.”

Silence. I must have wounded his ego.

“You do know dildos come in very large sizes.”

He bursts out laughing. “Touché, darling. Touché. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay,” I say, and hang up.

Taking a deep breath, I fan my face. “Oh my gosh. Did that conversation really just happen?”

I squeal as I run to the bathroom and look at my reflection.

I look like a hot mess. My hair is frizzy, there are stains all over my top, and I have no makeup on. I need to wax my upper lip and pluck some hairs from my chin. I hate having dark features sometimes.

“Okay, take a deep breath, Ava.”

I glance at the clock in the living room. “He’ll be here in an hour. Grab a shower, get your razor and tweezers, and go to town.”

I pull off my clothes, turn on the water, and jump in, making sure to bring the conditioner with me to make my hair all soft and shiny. I grab my razor and shave my legs and underarms, and scrub my skin with a peach sugar scrub.

Jumping out of the shower, I towel myself off, grab my tweezers, and pluck the hairs I really don’t want Theo seeing.

In my bedroom, I open my wardrobe. “Okay, what am I going to wear? I want to look sexy, but not skanky. I want to look modest, but not like a nun. I want to turn him on, but not so much that he’s asking me how much I charge for the night.”

Suddenly, I see it. My cute black dress. Innocent at first glance, but with a slit up the side and a low V-neck that accentuates my boobs in just the right way. I smile to myself. This will do.

I look at my shoes, debating between sneakers, sandals, and flip-flops, and finally settle on a pair of kitten heels. Not too high, but still sexy. And I could walk in them. Plus, if we went to the beach, I could slip them off easily.

I quickly grab a pair of panties and a bra, slip into the dress and shoes, and head back to the bathroom to do my makeup. A little foundation, blush, mascara, a touch of eyeshadow, and bronzer. I stare at my reflection.

“Much better,” I say, taking a deep breath.

In the kitchen, I open the oven. My gingerbread men are done.

“What perfect timing,” I say out loud. “It’s like it’s meant to be.”

Smiling to myself, I pull them out to cool, then turn off the oven. I’m not baking anything else tonight.

I wondered where Theo is going to take me. It’s weird that I barely know this man, yet I’m so excited for a date.

“You’ve already kissed him,” I remind myself. “You already played with him, and he’s already played with you. It’s a bit too late to be worrying about how short a time you’ve known him, Ava.”

I laugh softly just as the doorbell rings.

Taking a deep breath, I stride toward the door and open it with a wide smile.

“Hi. You’re five minutes early.”

“Better early than late, right?” he says, offering me a warm smile.

He looks casual—really casual. White shorts that accentuate his tanned legs. A blue shirt that brings out the color of his eyes. His teeth are sparkly white.

He steps inside. “Smells delicious in here. It smells like gingerbread men.”

I say, “They're nearly done cooling, if you want to help me ice them.”

“I would love to help you ice them.”

He looks me up and down. “Can I say just how beautiful you look tonight, my darling?”

“You're calling me ‘my darling’?”

“Is that too much?” He frowns. “Sorry. I think Coconut Beach has done something to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm not normally this person. Anyone who knows me, if they could see me right now, would be absolutely shocked by the things that I'm saying and doing, but it just seems to fit here.”

I laugh. “I'm going to take that as a compliment. But thank you for saying I look nice. And you look very handsome. Shall we decorate some gingerbread men?”

He nods. “Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

We head toward the kitchen, and I see his eyes take in the living room and kitchen area.

“It’s nice in here. Really homey, comfortable.”

“Thanks. I kind of love it. Aria, Arabella, and I have made it a home.”

“You really have. It feels like a well-loved and lived-in space.”

“What's your place like back in the city?” I ask, curious. I wish I could see it. I wish I could be in his space and understand where he is coming from.