Page 67 of Fall For Me
“Still teaching first grade?” Liam asks, his voice dripping with gentle teasing.
“Yes,” Faye says pointedly.
“Too bad.”
I look between them. There is a vibe here—an inside joke? To my utter dismay, a visceral spike of jealousy twists in my gut. I don’t want them to have inside jokes.
A tall hunk of a man steps up behind Faye. He’s handsome in a rugged way, with longish chestnut hair tucked under a backward Bobcats cap. He places a hand on Faye’s waist and nods at Liam.
“Hey, man,” he says. It’s somewhat tense.
“Hey,” Liam replies, equally terse.
Faye rolls her eyes at the macho standoff and turns to me. “Peyton, this is Ryder. My boyfriend.” She cups a hand over her mouth, but still speaks loud enough for everyone to hear, “You should display an appropriate level of awe. He is an Evans. From a founding family.”
The man smiles, and somehow, he looks even better. “Ryder Evans. Nice to meet you. You don’t need to show any awe.”
He turns to Faye and digs his fingers into her sides, tickling her. “Stop mocking me for saying my family were founders on the day we met.”
Faye laughs, squirming away from him. “I can’t. You mansplained your status to me too charmingly.”
Yeah, I’d let him mansplain things to me, too.
“I have a few more things to mansplain to you later,” Ryder murmurs, leaning down. They kiss, and it’s not a polite, public peck. They’re full-on making out. Ryder’s hands cup Faye’s face, and she melts into him as if they’ve forgotten anyone else exists.
A pang of longing stabs between my ribs. They’re so clearly in love, it radiates off them—real and bright and unforced.
While the man beside me, the one burning a path of heated awareness along my left side? He’s just a business partner.
A small boy, maybe eight or nine, comes crashing between Faye and Ryder. “Ewww! Do you guys know how many germs are in the mouth?”
They spring apart, laughing.
“I bet a lot,” Faye says, ruffling the boy’s hair. “But most of them are harmless.”
Ryder nods at us, still chuckling, and heads back toward a smoking grill at the rear of the tent.
Faye smiles, her cheeks still flushed from the kiss. “What can I get you guys?”
Liam fishes his wallet out of his jeans pocket. “A hot dog with all the toppings, and a soda.”
He turns to me.
“Same,” I say.
Liam slides a fifty-dollar bill across the counter. “Keep the change. Happy to support the Bobcats.”
“Rhys, go get the drinks, please,” Faye tells the boy.
Rhys scurries to a cooler and returns with two red cans. We grab our food, say our goodbyes, and head toward the stadium entrance.
I unwrap the foil on my hot dog as we walk. I take a massive bite, and it’s transcendent.
“Mmm,” I moan loudly, closing my eyes. “Oh my gosh. I have never eaten anything better.”
“Yeah,” Liam says sarcastically beside me. “Everyone could hear your appreciation.”
My eyes snap open. The shame hits me instantly. I blush, shrinking in on myself.
