Page 72 of A Cup of Autumn
“Isn’t that how you ended up with Emmett, only not with the Boo Bash as the catalyst?” Taryn asked.
Yes, but… Raine shrugged. “Keaton isn’t like Emmett.”
“He’s better-looking,” Anna muttered.
She wasn’t wrong. “Keaton’s not sticking around Silver Falls. But doing things with him is good practice for when I’m ready to date again.”
“Emmett’s dating already,” Pippa said.
“I know, but I’m not him,” Raine clarified. “I mean, I’m over Emmett. But I’m not ready.”
Callie refilled her wineglass. “I owe Keaton an apology.”
“What for?” Anna asked.
Raine wanted to know the answer to the question.
“I was worried he might hurt you,” Callie said to Raine. “But he said the same thing you just said.”
“Thanks, but I’m not letting Keaton or anyone else in.”
Taryn grabbed an éclair. “Sometimes what you want isn’t what you need.”
“It is in my case.” Raine appreciated her friends, but they were wrong in this case. Yes, she was attracted to Keaton. They had fun together. There seemed to be a spark between them. That didn’t happen every day, but the timing was off. “And besides, we’re too different.”
True, but saying the words left a hollow feeling inside her. She didn’t want more, but there seemed to be a connection with Keaton.
“What do you mean different?” Taryn asked.
Oh, boy.Raine hadn’t wanted to go there.
Her four friends stared at her as if they were looking at a complete stranger.
Guess I’m going there.Raine took a breath. “We’re opposites. Keaton’s a professor. He has three college degrees. The definition of smart. I’m a barista who barely passed to get her associate’s degree.”
“A degree doesn’t make someone smart. You own and run your own business. You couldn’t do that if you weren’t intelligent.”
“I attended a culinary institute to learn to be a pastry chef. That was better for what I wanted to do than getting a college degree.”
“Seriously better,” Pippa agreed. “I have a degree in horticulture. It’s come in handy, but I spent a lot of money when I could have learned the information elsewhere. I would have been better off getting a degree in business. I’m still paying off my student loans.”
“Pippa’s right.” Callie scooted forward in her chair. “I have a degree I’m doing nothing with. I didn’t have to pay for college, but it was a waste of my parents’ money given what I do now. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“Do you really feel this way?” Anna asked. “Or is it how Emmett made you feel after things ended?”
Raine considered the questions. “A little of both. Silver Falls was no longer good enough for him. And when he called it quits with me the last time, I wasn’t good enough for him either.”
“Not true,” Callie blurted.
“Feels true,” Raine admitted.
“Emmett wanted a different future.” Taryn smiled sympathetically at Raine. “That’s not on you.”
“It’s hard to believe that.” Raine stared into her wineglass. “I believed in forever with Emmett, but my dreams turned into nothing. Maybe I’m not supposed to have a forever with someone.”
“Or maybe you just haven’t met the right person,” Taryn said with compassion.
Callie nodded. “Someone is out there for you, Raine. The same as for Anna and Pippa.”
