Falling Like Leaves (Bramble Falls, #1)(65)

This whole thing is so messed up.

“Well?” Jake says. “I’m sort of dying over here.”

Oh. “Um…” Cooper finally looks at me as he and Chloe wait for my response.

I want to go to the Pumpkin Prom with Cooper. I want to wear a cute couple costume and dance the night away with him. I want to kiss him and laugh with him and hold his hand while he walks me home.

But he made it clear that isn’t going to happen. Ever.

I swallow and look at Jake. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go to the Pumpkin Prom together.”

“Hell yes!” he shouts, a huge smile spreading across his handsome face. “Now pick up your popcorn and get your ass up here.”

Cooper slides over, making space for me, and the movie starts.

But this time there are no small, kind gestures or hidden touches beneath the blanket.

The only thing between us now is the knowledge of what might have been if I hadn’t stopped talking to him three years ago.





Chapter Twenty-Eight




It’s another overcast autumn day in Bramble Falls. With the end of October in sight, the breeze carries a chill as Aunt Naomi, Mom, Sloane, and I walk around the Lively Farm, where the annual A-maize-ing Corn Maze event is being held. A potato-sack slide, a Ferris wheel, and a haunted house have been set up alongside various other fair-type rides in the big open field next to endless acres of cornstalks.

The whole town seems to be here, and all of them come to say hi to Aunt Naomi. It’s honestly amazing to see a woman be so confidently in charge. Street Media seems allergic to promoting women.

I’m going to change that, though—even if being here has set me back.

While Aunt Naomi and Sloane are in line for corn dogs, Mom grins at me.

“What?” I ask.

“I saw the clothes you’ve been working on.”

I blush. “Oh.”

“They’re really good.”

“Thanks.”

“And I swear I wasn’t snooping,” she says. “But I was putting your clean clothes in your room, and your sketchbook was open on your bed…. Those designs are incredible, Ellis.”

“They’re okay,” I say, looking at the ground.

“How are you the most self-assured person I know—until it comes to this?” she asks. “They’re unique and beautiful and, whether it was intentional or not, they so perfectly capture fall in this town.”

“Yeah?” My lips involuntarily curve up at the corners. It was entirely intentional.

She nods. “They’re perfect.”

“Thanks, Mommy.” I lay my head on her shoulder and she laughs.

“You haven’t called me Mommy in, like, ten years. I miss it.”

“Maybe I should start again,” I say.

“You’re welcome to, but people might think you’re a weirdo.” I lift my head and she turns to me. “Are you still miserable here?”

I shake my head, truthfully. “No. I’ve had fun here, actually.” But I’m ready to go back to the city—now more than ever, given the Cooper situation. I’m ready to get back to my internship and to my real, drama-free life and to my future.

Only a couple more weeks.

A few minutes later, Sloane bounces over to us with her mom trailing behind.

“Want to hop on some rides?” she asks me as she practically inhales her corn dog.

“Sure.”

“Maybe something that doesn’t spin, though. I’m not trying to puke all over this cute shirt you gave me,” she says, looking down at the blue plaid button-down I cropped for her. She takes my hand and pulls me toward the rides.

“You two have fun,” Mom calls from behind me.

Since Aunt Naomi and the Lively family found enough volunteers and don’t need us today, Sloane and I spend the next few hours riding every ride and drinking lemonade and eating fried Oreos. At some point, we meet up with Asher and eventually run into Jake and Slug. We all attend the goat show and the community art show, and it takes everything in me not to ask where Cooper is. At four thirty, Jake and Slug saunter off to the pie-eating contest, and Sloane, Asher, and I grab a map and enter the thirty-acre corn maze.

“You guys are cheaters if you’re going to use a map,” I tell them.

“Believe me, we want a map. This thing gets intense. It’s massive and easy to get lost. Not to mention people rarely have phone service out here,” Sloane says.

She’s right about the cell service—I haven’t had it all day. This farm is like a dead zone. But: “It’s a maze. It’s supposed to be a challenge,” I say.

Sloane looks at Asher. “Fold it up,” he says with a shrug. “We’ll have it in case. Let’s see if we can do this without it.”

She sighs as she folds it and shoves it into her pocket. And we’re off.

We make our way through the towering cornstalks, slipping deeper into the twisty labyrinth with each step as the screams and laughter of the festivalgoers fade into the background.

After an hour of walking, Sloane lets out a groan. “My feet hurt.”

“Wimp,” I murmur.

She slaps my shoulder. “Shut up. Not all of us are fueled by a challenge.”

“Maybe not, but aren’t you fueled by the idea of getting out of here so you can lounge on the couch?”