Fall for You (Flirting with Forever Book 4) Read online

  Fall for You

  Amanda Bailey

  Fall for You © Copyright 2020 by Amanda Bailey

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  This novel is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Contents

  Credits

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  SNEAK PEEK: Charmed by You

  Also by Amanda Bailey

  Also by Amanda Bailey

  Dear Reader

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  About the Author

  About the Author

  Credits

  Editing by Rebecca Kimmel:

  www.thewritingrefinery.com

  Proofreading by Krista Dapkey:

  www.kdproofreading.com

  Cover Design by Diana TC:

  www.triumphbookcovers.com

  Chapter 1

  Quinn

  I break off a piece of Mom’s decadent chocolate cupcake and shove it into my mouth as my friends look at me with wide, assessing eyes. Do they realize? Have they figured it out? I finish chewing, eyeing each of my friends, trying to determine whether they think I’ve gone completely off the deep end. I’m being secretive, which isn’t completely abnormal for me, but it is when it comes to our little tribe of friends. The looks on their faces range from surprise to amusement to cautious interest. I lick a bit of frosting from my lip.

  “Okay, fine. I went back that night to see Liam. Piper’s forgotten gloves and hat were just a convenient excuse.” Oh my God, please don’t let them ask more questions than that. I’m not used to the focus being totally on me.

  No. Such. Luck. I can already see I’m in for a veritable interrogation from these ladies.

  “And … you like him, Q?” Sophia pauses, bottle of water midway to her lips, and studies the emotions as they roll across the features of my face, plain as day. She’s my closest friend in the group, and we also happen to work side by side in the science department every day. I fully expect her to be able to read me like a damn road map.

  “I do. He’s really nice.”

  Hadleigh makes a pfft sound, tossing aside my choice of descriptors. “Nice sounds boring. I did not get a boring vibe from him.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “More like a sexy panther on the prowl, just waiting to be unleashed by the right woman.” She makes a little roar sound complete with bared claws.

  I give a little giggle-snort and shake my head at her in amused disbelief. She’s so infamous within our group for her bawdy comments and sexual innuendo, we now know something is very wrong if she isn’t right on us with them. Seems like Hadleigh’s doing just fine tonight. All must be well with her and Sawyer, even though he’s just wrapped up his student teaching with her and they aren’t seeing each other as much.

  “He’s single?” Zoey sucks in air through her teeth and toys with her necklace. “Sorry, I always feel like such a bucket of cold water, but better to ask now than later, right?”

  I glance over with a frown at her words. “Oh. Um, I would think so.” I grimace, realizing she’s put her guidance counselor hat on for this particular discussion. Then I roll my eyes at myself, also aware that I don’t want anyone to tell me that what I’m doing is wrong when every moment has felt so damn right. If nothing else, at least I know myself.

  “He’s got to be mid-thirties, wouldn’t you say?” Madison taps her finger to her lip, thinking. “I mean, he owns the cider mill, right? He’s not just a manager or something like that, like Shawn is for his bar?” Her boyfriend runs one of our favorite places to hang out, especially now that they’ve started doing karaoke on Friday nights.

  Sophia nods her head as she sits up straighter in her seat. “I’m positive. It’s his business. When Heath and I first met him at the grand opening, he introduced himself as the owner.” She hesitates for a second, her brows pinching together. “I agree, though. Mid-thirties. And cute as hell.”

  Piper’s brows raise. “Kind of makes you wonder why no one has snapped him up yet.” At my startled look, she holds up a hand. “Maybe he’s just been too busy with his career. What did you say he did before the cider mill? Must have been something pretty lucrative. That, or his family has a lot of money. One or the other.”

  My throat goes dry. With every word dropped from Piper’s lips, I realize I know next to nothing about Liam. To be fair, I hadn’t shown up at the mill that night to get to know him. I’d been drawn back by the look in his eyes. Sounds silly, but it’s true. In my head, I’d imagined him eating me right up. It’d felt like he’d been talking to everyone at our table, but at the same time to me and me alone. It’d given me the sense that we had some sort of chemistry. That something in him called out to the same something in me.

  And Lord help me, that very first night I met him, I’d flirted like my friends have never seen me do before. Yeah. The laugh was on me there. Never say never because I totally had gone all in with it. Me, Quinn—ever responsible, inherent caretaker, faithful steward of our friendship circle who always puts everyone else first—would never in a million years have thought I’d get up the nerve to initiate, and then dominate, the conversation with him. Lucky me, the whole group had noticed. And I’d plainly admitted to them once he’d walked away to attend to other customers that I’d be interested in having him give me a hand with parts that have gone untended in a very long time. So, yeah. Never say never.

  I didn’t mention to anyone but Piper that I’d gone back there—and I’d only shared that with her because I had actually picked up her left-behind gloves and hat and needed to return them to her.

  Time for a distraction. “So, what was with this blue alien romance?” I pick up my iPad Mini and begin to scroll through the book to look at the About the Author section. “Who thinks this stuff up? I’m curious to know more about what kind of person writ
es this stuff.”

  Hadleigh gives a loud cackle. “Girl, even a blue alien with two dicks isn’t enough to sidetrack me from your real-life drama. You’re not fooling us for one second.” She sends me a sly wink as the rest of the table bursts out laughing. It takes us a few moments to calm ourselves, and as we do, I make a valiant attempt to figure out just what to say about the whole Liam situation. I really don’t know what we are doing, so how can I begin to explain it to anyone else?

  “Okay, okay, is everyone calm now? Can we go back to the Liam discussion?” Zoey sets her cupcake down and wipes her fingers on her napkin. “I’m confused. You went back to get the hat and gloves. And? What happened?”

  My gaze follows my mom, Meg, as she goes back into the kitchen area of the bakery. I wouldn’t care if she were listening, but … I don’t want to get her hopes up. She’s been fussing at me lately for the lack of dates on my social calendar. The harping has gotten worse as each of my friends found a special someone, one after the other. I’ll admit, watching Sophia and Heath, then Madison and Shawn, Hadleigh and Sawyer, and now Piper and Damon, all pair off has done a number on my ego. I guess the most terrifying part is that I feel excited about Liam, but I can’t tell if he’s the one or just a bit of fun. I don’t often open up about this kind of personal stuff—the relationship stuff—since it usually blows up in my face. I can’t tell them things may have gotten more than a little heated between Liam and me. I mean, I barely know the guy. Who does stuff like this? Oh, right. That’d be me. A warm blush creeps across my cheeks.

  Once I’m sure Mom’s out of earshot, I take a deep breath. What would they think of me if they knew what I’ve been up to? Maybe that you’re attracted to him? Duh, Quinn.

  And then there’s the fact that I just saw him again last night … I don’t have a good explanation for why I’d shown up at the cider mill again. There was no emergency hat and gloves rescue. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, and before I knew it, I was pulling up in his parking lot, ten minutes to closing time.

  “I like him, I just don’t know if it’s going anywhere.” I shrug. “If something more happens than that, I’ll share.”

  Sophia’s giving me that look that says I know damn well you’re not telling us everything before giving me a short nod. Changing topics, she asks, “So, is everyone ready for parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday?”

  Ugh. Well, it’s a good deflection, anyway, as everyone takes a second to groan aloud. I send her a weak smile, and she just raises one brow a fraction of an inch at me to let me know she’s onto me.

  Yes, yes. I’ll tell you all the sordid details of what’s going on later.

  Piper rolls her eyes to the ceiling. “Honestly, conferences are my least favorite part of teaching. I can’t stand parents who think their kids are either angels or smarter than everyone else.”

  I hold up a finger, happy to have the conversation moving in a different direction. “Or worse, they assume we are responsible for bad behavior.” I shake my head. “I swear, if I ever have kids, I will not be like that. And I won’t be one of those parents who behaves badly either. You can hold me to it.” I hold out a finger to Piper for a pinkie swear.

  “Ditto.” Piper chuckles as she links fingers with me. “Speaking of parents behaving badly, I finally told my parents about the co-department chair decision.”

  Sophia’s eyes get wide. “Oh, man. How’d that go?”

  Piper shrugs. “Not great. Damon and I are happy, and that’s all that matters to me. Of course, my parents reined in their objections about it with Damon right there with me when I told them in person.” Her cheeks take on a rosy hue and her eyes go a little dreamy.

  “Aw, she really does love him.” If Zoey were an ice cube, she’d have just melted into a puddle on the floor.

  I smile. “I would have paid to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.”

  “You can say that again.” Madison meets my eyes and laughs behind her hand. “I imagine they didn’t know what to think when you brought your co-chair home to them.”

  Hadleigh nods, a smirk lighting up her face. “I knew he’d be so good for you. Damn studly beast of a man.” She cracks up and the rest of us follow.

  A few minutes later, we’re talking more about our upcoming parent-teacher conference day when Madison holds up a hand to get our attention. “Hey, how about we order pizza and have it delivered for lunch on conference day? They are giving us a whole hour and a half break. I can place the order while you all are finishing up with your morning conferences. We can meet in the library at one, and I’ll have a yummy lunch already waiting for you.”

  We all nod eagerly and with that decided, Zoey perks up. “It’s my turn to choose a book for next time. I think you all are going to love this one.” She gives a little giggle and pulls her e-reader out of her bag. Still trying not to head into full-fledged laughter, she turns it on and pulls up the cover of the book. “Falling for the Pterodactyl.”

  “What in the name of all that’s holy is that?” Hadleigh shrieks with laughter.

  Oh my God, I didn’t think it could get worse than the two-dicked blue lover from outer space.

  Zoey shakes, her body practically convulsing with her mirth. “I—I don’t know. I found it on Amazon.”

  Madison groans. “At this point, I think we are all just trying to outdo each other with the insanity.”

  “Truth.” Sophia waves her hand in front of her face, trying to calm herself. “Okay, fine. Up next is a little dino lovin’.” She stops to laugh. “So, where do you want to meet next time?”

  Zoey, who is normally so quiet and not at all an instigator, flashes me a wicked smile. “How about the cider mill?”

  Oh yes, let’s. Right back to the scene of my crimes. I’m sure they are thinking maybe they’ll find out more about what it is I’ve been up to if we go there. Not that I don’t want to see Liam again. Because I do. He’s hot and sweet … and oh my gosh. I glance around at the delighted looks on everyone’s faces, and my face flushes pink. How long have I been sitting here thinking about him while they’ve been staring at me waiting for my reaction?

  I nod, raking my teeth over my lower lip. “Sounds good.”

  Hadleigh grins. “Awesome. I can’t wait to go back to the cider mill and talk about dino porn.”

  We dissolve into another puddle of laughter and that’s how Mom finds us a full five minutes and several jokes later. Damn, I love these women.

  Chapter 2

  Liam

  “Olivia, wait a sec, would you?” My fifteen-year-old daughter is poised to take off like a shot to her room the second she and her mother walk in the door.

  She pauses, brown eyes full of curiosity, questioning what the holdup is. “What’s up?”

  My gaze travels over her face, and I see the slightest bit of apprehension showing through her usual devil-may-care teenage attitude.

  Becky tilts her head to the side. “What’s going on, Liam? Is this something you need me for? I’ve got to get back. I’ve got a lot of work to do on that big case I’m trying next week.” My ex-wife is a high-powered defense attorney in Boston. Wanting to drop Olivia off and bolt back to work is typical Becky. This is part of the reason why our marriage fell apart and she knows it. At my grimace, a flicker of apology passes through her eyes.

  I press my lips together. “Actually, I think you need to hear this.” I run a hand through my hair. “Olivia is failing her biology class. I received an e-mail from her teacher this morning.” I lift a brow as I gaze at my daughter, waiting for her confirmation that she’s aware of her standing.

  “Olivia! Seriously.” Becky stares at our daughter like she’s grown a third head—which I’m guessing Olivia did not learn how to do in biology class.

  Olivia wets her lips before her eyes snap to her mother’s stern face. Her focus quickly falls to her Converse sneakers. “Oh. Um. Yeah. I bombed a test, I guess.”

  I work my jaw back and forth. “Olivia, it takes
more than one bombed test to get an F in a class. I mean, I know you think I’m old, but high school wasn’t that long ago, and your mother and I both went through it.” I watch her patiently, but her eyes don’t meet mine. Her lips tremble ever so slightly.

  I sigh. “The e-mail from your teacher says she’d like to see us Tuesday at parent-teacher conference day.” I glance over at Becky. “I thought we should both make a point of attending, if you can make it.”

  Becky grits her teeth. “Tuesday at what time?”

  “Ms. Lockmore had an eleven thirty conference time open. Does that work?”

  “Yes. I’ll make it work.” Her gaze slides over to Olivia, whose face is still aimed at the floor. “Why didn’t you tell us you were having trouble?”

  Olivia shrugs her thin shoulders. “I dunno. I’m sorry.” She blows out a heavy breath before crossing her arms in front of her, shooting a look at her mother. “I know it’s a big pain in the ass—”

  “Olivia. Language, please.” Becky sighs rather dramatically.

  “Sorry, Mom. I’m just saying, I know it’s hard for you to come all the way out here in the middle of the week.”