Page 114 of Fall Fake-Out

Laughter sniffs out of him as he pulls down an old gravel road I haven’t been on in years. The trees grow thicker here, their branches arching overhead. Fallen leaves crunch beneath the tires, and the headlights catch flashes of orange and yellow as we drive deeper into the dark.

The old Alden apple orchard—or what’s left of it.

“This is trespassing.”

Wade turns off the truck. “Tiny law. Besides, we’re practically best friends with Dean now.” Then he looks at me. “Want to check it out?”

I know we shouldn’t be here, but the corner of my mouth betrays me because I’m curious.

And because, apparently, Wade Stevenson is not done spending time with me yet.

And something about that feels exciting.

Wade

The old Alden orchard stretches in front of us, dusted in moonlight. The ground is uneven beneath our feet as we walk through the trees, softened by old leaves and damp grass.

“I remember going to the other apple orchard when I was a kid.” I grab Ari’s hand, guiding her through the rows of trees. I half-expect her to pull back, since there’s no one here to witness, but instead, her fingers slip into mine effortlessly. “My dad would take my siblings and me there every fall. We’d fill a huge bucket full of apples and then take them home to my mom so she could bake with them. We ate a lot of apple pie that month.”

Ari smiles a little. “That’s a cute memory.”

“Don’t be fooled. I’m pretty sure we fought the entire time about who picked the best apples.”

“You seem really close with your family.”

“We are, for the most part.”

“I’m jealous of that.”

“You’re close with your family too.”

She shrugs, looking ahead. “My family is close, but sometimes I feel like I’m orbiting them instead of being part of them. It doesn’t help that I moved several states away for the last nine years.”

I’ve seen the tension between Ari and her mom, and I hate that she feels not included. In a small way, I understand it more than I want to. My life choices have made me the odd man out in my family, at least from my dad’s perspective.

A gust of wind moves through the orchard, rattling the branches overhead. I glance up at the thick clouds gathering. It looks like rain, but I don’t want to leave. Instead, I’m wondering if, for once in my life, I should open up to someone about my struggles with my dad. I’ve never told anyone about our tumultuous relationship. But the strange thing is, I want to tell Ari. Not because talking about my dad is fun. It’s not. But because at some point, she’s become the person I want to tell things to, and I’ve never felt that before.

Ari playfully bumps her body into mine, and the moment passes me by. “At least your entire family has always lived in Autumn Ridge. That helps.”

“But the shared history can create problems too. Sadie and Ryan are barely speaking right now because of that very thing.”

“Seriously?” Ari looks at me. “What happened?”

“It’s complicated.” I blow out a breath. “Sadie’s been hanging out with James Carver behind Ryan’s back.”

“Didn’t James kiss Lily when they were in college or something?”

“Yeah, it was a huge fallout. So this thing with Sadie and James blew up at Sunday dinner last week. And I feel like I’m in the middle of it.”

“I’m sorry.”

I shrug. “It’ll be fine…eventually.”

For a few steps, neither of us says anything.

Then, as if Ari read my mind earlier, she asks, “And what about your dad? You once told me that your relationship with him is complicated.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “My dad and I are a whole different mess.”