I’m trying to focus on the morning rush, but my mind keeps drifting tost night. The way Nick’s hands felt on my skin, and how he looked at me like I was something he wanted, continues to unravel me. We almost lost control in the water under the starlight. I sigh.

    If it wasn’t for those meddling kids!

    “Earth to Jules!” ire snaps her fingers. “That’s the third time you’ve overfilled a cup.”

    “Shit!” I grab towels to clean up the mess.

    “So …” ire leans against the counter, watching me when there’s a lull in customers. “How was your night?”

    I give her one look, and that’s all it takes.

    Her eyes go wide. “Tell me everything!”

    I nce around, then whisper, “There’s a trail behind Zane and Autumn’s ce. We took a side-by-side to stargaze.”

    “And?” she whispers, growing giddy with each passing second.

    I lower my voice, leaning closer to her so no one overhears this conversation.

    “Magical. Until drunk teenagers guzzled our champagne, stole my lingerie, then burned our clothes!”

    She gasps. “Bastards! Did you recognize them?”

    “No! But I swear, if I ever see them again, I’m telling their mothers! They have my panties and bra! I had to ride to the cabin with nothing more than a nket wrapped around me!”

    ire shakes withughter. “Wait. Why were your clothes off?”

    I shake my head. “We were skinny-dipping.”

    “Oh? Oh. Oh!”

    “Before you say anything, we’re just having fun and helping each other with rtionship stuff,” I say.

    ire gives me a look. “Jules?—”

    “I’m just enjoying my time with him for now without stiptions and expectations. It’s been nice. It is what it is right now, and I’m okay with that,” I admit.

    “You are so entirely screwed.”

    “Nah. It’s not like that with us. It’s different.”

    “Yeah, it sounds like it,” she says, looking past me. “The real deal.”

    The bell chimes, and when I turn to look at the door, I see Nick carrying pink roses and a white box with a ribbon. His hair is messy from being blown in the breeze, and his button-up is rolled to his elbows, showing his delicious forearms. I breathe in, actually happy to see him.

    “It’s like you summoned him,” ire says loud enough for everyone to hear, even Nick, who looks pleased.

    The women in the dining room turn their heads toward him as he stalks across the room toward me. It’s like they’ve been waiting for him to arrive too. The air in the room evaporates, and my stomach does that flutter thing when our eyes meet. My entire body heats like he set me on fire.

    “Wow,” ire whispers. “I’d die if a man ever looked at me like that.”

    “Morning, beautiful,” Nick says so naturally, leaning across the counter.

    I think he’s going to kiss my cheek, but instead, our lips touch. I want to melt into him, but let it be quick, considering everyone is watching us.

    “Hi,” I say. “I was just thinking about you.”

    “What a coincidence. I was thinking about you too,” he admits, his voice low and sexy.

    ire scoffs. “He’s not real.”

    Nick hands the fancy box across the counter to me. “For you. Open itter. When you’re alone,” he says with a wink.

    ire is speechless and shocked. Nick moves to the register and pulls his wallet from his pocket.

    “If you hurt my best friend, I’ll chop off your dick,” ire warns under her breath.

    “Good,” he says. “I’d deserve it.”

    He leans in and orders his drink.

    A minuteter, I nce down and smirk when an order for a pumpkin spicette prints.

    He walks past me and waits against the wall. “I was reminded about a surprise party tonight.”

    My eyes go wide, and I nce over at ire. “Already? I swear it was?—”

    “You’ve been very upied,” she whispers, nodding toward Nick.

    I turn back to him.

    “Would you like to ride with me?”

    “Wouldn’t that be out of your way?” I ask, lifting a brow.

    He licks his kissable lips. “Never for you.”

    ire scoffs, watching us. “Next autumn, if I’m single, I’m quitting Cozy Coffee and joining a convent.”

    I finish his coffee, putting a lid on top.

    “One extra-spicy pumpkin spicette,” I say, handing it over to him, our fingers brushing. “See you tonight.”

    Butterflies take over.

    “Can’t wait. Pick you up at five.”

    He leaves the coffee shop, and when my eyes scan across the dining room, every woman is swooning.

    “It’s such a beautiful day,” I say out loud, and they go back to their conversations.

    ire immediately corners me. “That’s La Pe in that box.”

    “And? What’s that?” I ask, confused.

    “Expensive lingerie. Thousand-dor nightgowns.” She leads me to the back. “I want to see. Open it.”

    “He said alone,” I mutter.

    “I don’t count,” she says, encouraging me. “I’m a ghost. Ooh-ooo-ooh!”

    Carefully, I untie the white ribbon and slide the lid from the top. Inside is a ckce balcte bra with matching panties.

    I open the note and see his handwriting.

    A recement.

    “Damn,” she says, and I hand it to her to read. “I’m going home and putting together the same love spell that I did for you and Autumn. First, Autie finds Zane, and now you find Nick. Who will I find?”

    “There’s someone out there for everyone. And”—I lower my voice to a whisper—“no one has said anything about love. We’re just friends.”

    “Hate to break it to you. This …” She returns the note to me. “This isn’t friends-with-benefits behavior, babe. I just saw the face of a man who’s falling. And look at you. Oh, you are not innocent. You’ve been lost in your head, daydreaming. I give it a month until you’re both annoyingly in love.”

    “This is just a recement.”

    “Right. And I’m the Queen of Ennd.” She shakes her head. “Hundred bucks says you’re engaged within a year.”

    “You’re delulu, ire. Seriously, I think the incense has finally rotted your brain.”

    “I’m prophetic. Mark my words. That man is your forever.”

    I smile, thinking about that. Is it even possible?

    “See, that reaction is proof,” she says. “Doomed.”

    I ce the sexy lingerie in the office, then return to the front.

    The rest of the shift passes in a blur of customers,bined with ire’s teasing.

    “Stop looking at me like that,” I tell her as we stock the fridges for the next shift.

    “I can’t help it. My best friend is getting properly romanced by a billionaire who looks at her like she hung the moon.”

    “It’s not romance. It’s a hookup situation, one that you suggested, if I recall correctly.”

    “Keep telling yourself that.” She carries several gallons of milk from the back and moves me out of her way. “What are you wearing tonight?”

    “I don’t know yet,” I admit.

    I feel like Autumn reminded me two weeks ago about that party. It’s like I blinked and now it’s here.

    “I heard Autumn invited fifty people,” she tells me. “Mostly Zane’s friends from New York.”

    “I’m not prepared,” I admit. “I dunno what to wear.”

    She ces her hands on my shoulders. “When we leave here, I’lle over and help you pick something out. Remember, you’re lovable and you just need to be yourself.”

    “Thank you.”

    “I won’t steer you wrong,” she says.

    “You never have.”

    An hourter, ire is in my bedroom, in my closet. She grabs three different dresses but changes her mind at thest second.

    “This is the one,” she says, sliding a maroon velvet-crush dress off the hanger. “ssy but sexy. Also, very easy ess. And it’s vintage Dior.”

    “What? I got that from my mom’s closet.”

    “Mama has ss. Also, wear your ck boots with the zipper. A man only gives a woman expensive lingerie if he’s nning to take them off. Let him enjoy unwrapping you like a gift.”

    “Sold,” I say, grabbing it and sliding it over my body with a grin. I move in front of the full-length mirror. “Do you remember when we were twenty-one and you, Autumn and I made that dumb wish list of all the naughty things we wanted to do with our partners?”

    “You told him about it?”

    “I gave it to him.”

    She gasps, and her jaw hits the floor. “And?”

    “He’s helping me check things off.”

    “Eek!” ire squeals. “Which ones?”

    “All of them.”

    She’s shocked. “Does he happen to have a clone?”

    “I kinda wish because …” I say, and ire shakes her head.

    “You’re naughty as hell. But also, same.”

    My phone buzzes, pulling my attention away.

    Nick

    On the way. Also, just got the guest list from Autumn. Tonight will be very interesting.

    Julie

    Um … in a good way?

    Nick

    My brothers are at Hollow Manor now.

    Julie

    Oh, so it’s like a family reunion?

    Nick

    I told them to behave. See you in a minute!

    ire points to the door. “I’ll see you there, okay?”

    “Yes. Thank you for everything!”

    “Happy for you. Find out about the clone, okay?” She snickers, and a minuteter, I hear the front door click closed.

    I put on some makeup and curl my hair to give it some volume. The lingerie is a secret against my skin, and the burgundy dress, paired with these boots, makes me feel confident. ire was right. She has a sixth sense for picking the right outfits.

    When Nick picks me up, he does a double take. “Wow. Stunning. Fall queen.”

    “A nickname I will happily take.”

    I lock up, and he interlocks his fingers with mine as we walk to the Range Rover. I shouldn’t like it when he ims me for the world to see, but I do. Then I remember that part is fake. Isn’t it?

    It’s like he senses my mood shift. “What?”

    “Fake?” I ask.

    He nces down to our hands and shakes his head. Then he’s pulling me into his arms, walking closer, taking up the entire sidewalk. “I don’t want anyone thinking you’re anyone’s but mine.”

    The sidewalks are much busier than they werest week.

    “And the lines keep blurring,” I mutter with a smirk.

    “Babe, I never had a line. That’s yours that’s blurring,” he says, and my heart does a pitter-patter.

    We navigate through the crowds of festivalgoers to his vehicle that’s parked across the street. Nick steals nces at me as much as he can. Sometimes, I catch him, and other times, I pretend not to notice.

    He opens my door for me, and I climb in. Before he walks away, he leans forward, sliding his lips against mine. I melt into him, running my fingers through his hair at the back of his neck.

    “What are you doing to me?” he asks.

    “Teaching you how to live a little,” I tell him, and he immediately smiles, brushing his thumb against my cheek.

    “You’re my favorite part of fall,” he says, kissing me again.

    Momentster, he’s moving to the driver’s side. He cranks the engine. After he reverses, he takes my hand, and we drive away.

    “Should I be nervous about meeting your brothers?” I ask.

    “No, I know they’ll love you. They’re embarrassing as hell and sometimes say the quiet parts out loud.”

    “Oh.” I chuckle. “This should be fun then.”

    As we pull up to Hollow Manor, it looks empty, until we pull to the side, where Autumn told us to park. The house is lit in the setting sun, and warm light spills from every window. The house looks alive, buzzing with energy I can feel, even from here. My stomach does a nervous flip.

    “That’s a lot of cars,” I say.

    Nick squeezes my hand. “We can leave when you want. Just say the word.”

    “Pumpkin spice?” I tease, but my voice trembles.

    He turns to face me. “Hey. They’re going to love you. And if they don’t, fuck ’em.”

    The way he says it is so simple and sure.

    “Ready?” he asks.

    I take a breath, looking at this man, who’s turned my life upside down in the best possible way. “Yep. Let’s do this.”

    He kisses my knuckles, then rounds the car to open my door. As we move toward the house, I see shadows moving past the windows and hearughter drifting out.

    This is it. I’m about to meet his brothers.