Page 29 of Falling Back to You

“I just woke up.” And I was nursing a perpetually broken heart. It had been shattered a long time ago, but somehow Dial kept finding pieces to break. “Sundays are the only day I get to sleep in. So you better have a good reason for interrupting that.”

“Isn’t seeing my face reason enough?” She preened and sashayed around. Fancy was like a dose of sunshine, bringing light to any room.

“They may be clamoring for you in Hollywood, but your face card declines in this household.”

She handed me a cup of coffee. “I wanted to come over and personally invite you to our housewarming party.”

“Housewarming? Edison’s been in that farmhouse for close to two years now. Isn’t the house warm enough?”

“We finally cleared out the dining room of all the previous owner’s stuff, and that’s cause for a celebration.”

“I’m sure Edison is thrilled.” Unlike Fancy, Edison wasn’t fond of the spotlight. She fished in her oversize bag and pulled out an envelope, sliding it across the counter in my direction. “Is this an invitation?”

“Yes.” She beamed, proud of the official card. I rolled my eyes, ripping the seal. My sister could’ve just sent a group text, but she had to be extra. “It’s in two weeks, so I’m giving you plenty of notice.”

“Who all’s going to be there?”

Fancy cleared her throat. “Family and friends, but no kids. I love Maple, but there’s going to be music, dancing, carousing, and adult games.”

“A sex party? You and Eddy are throwing a sex party?”

“Shut up, it’s nothing of the sort.”

“Is Dial going?”

“Her yes is tentative.” She took a thoughtful sip from my favorite mug. “You can bring a plus-one.”

“And why would I do that?”

“To make Dial jealous, duh.”

My ears perked up at the suggestion. “I’m too grown for games.” But I was already going through my mental rolodex trying to pick a lady that would make Dial’s hair stand on end.

“I heard about what happened at the Melting Mozz.”

I scratched my forearm. “The people in this town ain’t got nothing better to do with their time than spread rumors?”

“Word is you roughed up Shelton Krause. He’s currently sporting a black eye.”

“Well, he didn’t get it from me. He and I had words, yes, but no punches were thrown. You know living in Hume is like one big game of telephone where the truth gets more diluted as information is spread.”

“What is it Daddy says? A lie can travel to Nashville and back before the truth has even had time to lace up its shoes.”

“Accurate.” I tipped my mug in her direction.

“So, what happened at Mozz?”

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“Involving?”

I released a low sigh. “Dial.”

“So, the rumors were true—Dial was involved.”

Anytime I did something stupid, Dial Birch was usually the root cause. “She just happened to be present.”

“Ugh, Oz, will you just tell her you’re still in love with her?”