Just Don't Fall (Sweater Weather, #1; Appies, #1)

by Emma St. Clair

“How is it being back in Harvest Hollow?” she asks. Okay, now we’re moving into less easy territory. I shift in my chair. “I didn’t think I’d ever come back,” I say honestly. “It’s an adjustment.” “Your mom moved, right?” she asks. “Florida.” My voice is clipped, and Parker must read my reaction, because there are no follow-up questions. Instead, she sets a bowl in front of me. I stare down at it for a few seconds, blinking as I take in the sight and the spicy aroma. “I know,” she says, taking the seat across the small table from me. “It’s just cheap ramen and has almost zero nutritional value.” She thinks I’m disappointed? I just sat and watched her chop things and doctor up a cheap meal to make it something else. “This looks great,” I say. Honestly, it does. What’s more, I don’t remember the last time someone so much as microwaved a burrito for me. At least, someone who wasn’t a paid employee. “You’ll need to stop somewhere later for more protein to feed”—she glances across the table, her gaze sweeping over me as a blush paints her cheeks—“all that.” I chuckle. “My abs really did come up short in your exam, huh?” My teasing sounds flirty. And I never flirt. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. But something appears to be broken. Parker huffs and tosses a piece of ice at me from her glass. I catch it and pop it in my mouth with a smile. She bites her lip, her smile fading. “You don’t have to do this.” “Do what?” I watch her across the table that barely fits us both. Parker ...