Page 24 of To Fall or Not to Fall

Chapter Sixteen

T heo

I open the door and listen to the bell go off as I enter Beachy Balls, Biscuits, & Books. I look around and see Ava at the back of the store, chatting with someone.

I watch her for a few moments. She’s always so friendly, always so nice. She could give a masterclass in customer service. There’s just something so special about her, and it strikes me that I don’t deserve for this woman to like me.

“Welcome to—oh. Hey, Theo.” She offers me a warm smile and a little wave. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“No worries. Take your time,” I say as I head over to a table on the left.

I gaze down at the different notebooks and some psychological thriller books on display. I pick one up and read the back, though I can’t concentrate. Something feels off.

I take a deep breath and turn around, about to leave the store, when Ava hurries over to me.

“Hey,” she says, opening her arms to give me a hug.

“Hi.” I feel like I’m evil as I hug her back. I kiss on the lips because I can’t resist, and then she rubs my shoulders.

“You look nice.”

“You look really nice, as well,” I say. “Has it been busy today?”

She shakes her head. “I wish people would stop asking me that. Maybe because it’s never busy. It’s still quiet. But yeah, I’m going to plan more events,” she says excitedly, “hopefully draw more people in and keep my business afloat.

“Granny was in here this morning, and we were talking, and I was telling her that I feel really bad because she invested money in my business, and I don’t want her to lose anything.

She was just saying that she has faith in me, and I want to prove her right.

I want to prove to her that I can do it.

I really don’t want to sell this place. Coconut Beach is special. This store is special.”

“You are special,” I say.

“Thank you. But anyway, there are other things I could do. But there’s nothing I want to do more than own this bookstore.”

“I see,” I say. “So you’d never consider going anywhere else?”

She looks me right in the eyes and licks her lips. “What do you mean, anywhere else?”

“Oh, I mean other cities, other towns.”

“You mean, towns like Coconut Beach?”

“I guess.”

“Why would I go to another town like Coconut Beach if I live in Coconut Beach?”

“Well… what about somewhere like San Francisco or LA or—I don’t know—New York City?”

There’s a pause. Then she plays with her hair, running her fingers down the side of her pants.

“I’ve never thought about living in New York City. I mean, it’s never really come up.”

“I see.”

It’s not like I could ask her to move to New York City to be with me.

That would be crazy. We barely know each other.

But I wouldn’t mind if she did. That would solve all my problems. She could move to New York City, live with me.

She could work for me. Maybe in marketing, or customer service, or quality control—whatever.

And then I could buy the building and build the hotel?—

“Oh, I didn’t tell you,” she says, interrupting my thoughts.

“What?”

“I want to figure out who sent me the anonymous love letter I got.”

My heart grumbles.

“Yeah, I know they probably don’t want me to know,” she continues, “but they knew my favorite book was Little Women . Yeah, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but I don’t know. Maybe he’s my soulmate,” she jokes, “Anyway, I was thinking I’d go around town, see if I could figure something out.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to spy.”

“Spy on who?”

“Whoever has been spying on me.”

“You’re confusing me, Ava. Are you okay?” I touch her forehead to see if it’s hot.

She laughs. “Look, whoever left me the love note knew my favorite book was Little Women . So that means they really know me and my brain. And yes?—”

“They knew that either because they know you really well, or because they heard you saying it,” I finish.

“Exactly. It’s possible they were spying on me because they’re just so into me. And so, if they’re spying on me and I spy back?—”

“But you don’t know who you’re spying on.”

“But I can look. See if anyone’s following me.”

“I’m not quite following, Ava.” I laugh. “It sounds like you have a plan, but I don’t know how you spy on someone when you don’t know who you’re spying on.”

“Okay, Theo, look at it like this: I’m spying on myself.”

I just stare at her, and she bursts out laughing.

“I mean, when you put it like that, it doesn’t really make sense.”

“I mean, I don’t know. I just have a bachelor’s degree and an MBA, and I run?—”

I pause, realizing I’d been about to admit that I run a Fortune 500 company.

“You run what?” she asks, eyebrows furrowing.

“I run marathons. Sometimes,” I say quickly. “But not that it has anything to do with this. I’m just saying I’d love to do whatever you want to do. And if you want to go around town spying on yourself, then you just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

“Obviously, I’m not spying on myself. I’m looking to see who’s spying on me.”

“They’d have to be a pretty bad spy if we caught them.”

She puts her hands on her hips. “Theo Wilder. Really?”

“I told you—just call me Theo,” I say. I hate it when she mentions the fake last name I gave her.

“Well, anyway, I want to know who loves me enough to have left that love note. And I need a partner in crime. Are you going to help me?”

“I can help you. I mean… are you seriously asking me to sleuth through Coconut Beach to find a guy who may be your soulmate? Before we go back to my place and make love?”

I tilt my head to the side. “Is this your way of asking me if I’m looking for a devil’s threesome or something?”

“Oh my gosh. No. Of course not.” She shakes her head. “Really, Theo?”

“I’m just wondering,” I say, laughing. “Why do you want to know who left the letter so badly?”

“I don’t know.” She looks away. “I have my reasons.”

“Okay.” I nod slowly.

I wonder if I should tell her that I’m the one who left the letter. That I’d done it in a fit of madness, thinking it would be a good way to learn more about her. But I’d quickly dismissed pretending to like her as a means to gain information because I realized I did like her.

Maybe that’s why I feel so conflicted. Maybe that’s why Jenna’s words got to me. Because in the back of my mind, I know I’m in a terrible position if I come clean.

I don’t see how Ava could forgive me. I don’t know if I would forgive me. And yet, I know I need to. But I don’t want to. Not yet.

I don’t want to give up this feeling of being happy, this feeling of being warm and cozy. This feeling of having someone to do things with, to smile with, to laugh with, to joke around with.

“So we’re going to be Sherlock Holmes and Watson, then?” She grins at me.

“I don’t know if you ’ re Sherlock Holmes, and I certainly don’t feel like I am,” I say honestly.

She glares at me. “What are you trying to say? You don’t think I could be Sherlock Holmes?”

“Well, did Sherlock Holmes ever spy on himself?”

“Theo!” she says, hitting me on the shoulder.

I grab her hand and pull her toward me. I kiss her again, deeply, softly, with passion. I stare into her big brown eyes that are laughing, and I shake my head.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe take me to the fall festival.” She says it under her breath.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.” She pulls away quickly. “I’m just going to finish with this customer, and then we’ll close up and go sleuthing.” She grins at me.

“Okay.”

I watch as she walks away and pull out my phone to look at my calendar. I have meetings waiting for me in New York City. I should have left Coconut Beach ages ago.

I scroll to see when the fall festival is. I really shouldn’t still be in town for that. And yet, I want to take her. I want to be with her. I want to experience it with her.

She’s the fall queen. I want to go to a kissing booth, eat cotton candy, ride the rides, hold her hand, bob for apples, carve pumpkins, and hold her close.

I want to feel the cool breeze on my cheeks as I press her against the barn again and kiss her, touch her.

I want to feel the crisp leaves beneath my feet.

I want to be here. I want to experience the festival Coconut Beach was made for.

And yet I know what it means—to her, to her grandma, to the entire town. Taking a date to the fall festival means the relationship is going somewhere.

And how could it possibly? She has no interest in coming to New York City, and I can’t give up my life to be in Coconut Beach. And I don’t know that she’d want me to if I ever built the hotel.

But what if you don ’ t? a voice whispers in my head.

I freeze. Because if I’m not here to make sure I close the deal for the hotel, then it means I’m only here for Ava.

Then it means emotions have guided me these last couple of weeks. And that’s something I abhor in people. I’ve always believed people should think with their brains, with their smarts, not their emotions.

I can’t let myself turn into one of those people I hate. I can’t let myself stray from my lifelong dream, my goal, my plan. Even if it’s for someone like Ava, whose smile is so bright it could stop traffic.

I groan as I feel a headache coming on. I’m in over my head. And I don’t know what I’m going to do.