AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He clutches his chest, right over his heart in a dramatic sweep of his arm. “You wound me, sweetheart. Twice in one night. First, death by friend-zone and then pineapple. What a way to go.” He sounds like he's lamenting, a sort of musical quality in his teasing voice.
A laugh bubbles up from my chest, the sound bouncing off the brick walls of the buildings around us. I can't help but feel a sense of ease around him, like we've known each other for years instead of a few hours.
“So, ready to dive into something personal yet, sweetheart?” His tone is casual, matching his speed as we stroll down Main Street.
I want to be annoyed with the pet name, I do. But there's something about the way his tone drops when his tongue curls around that word. It causes a shiver to run down my spine and my heart to race.
“I don't know, should I be afraid?” I tease, glancing from him to the sidewalk in front of us.
A group of teenagers are outside one of the coffee shops, standing in a loose circle, talking and laughing.
Nova chuckles, a deep, rich sound that makes something in my lower stomach clench in the best way possible. “Nah, you don't ever need to be afraid with me. But I'm just curious about the person that I'm going to be spending all my time with.”
I peek up at him from the corner of my eye, my heart skipping a beat at the idea of spending all my free time with him. Something I seem to have an abundance of lately.
But I don't let myself get too carried away. This isn't the plot of some romcom, even if this town feels like it was plucked straight out of one, the hero included.
“Well, what do you want to know?” I keep my tone light, content to see how this plays out.
He hums, pretending to mull over a question like he hasn't had it ready for the last thirty minutes. “Let's start with something easy. What brought you to Rosewood?”
My gaze drops to the perfectly square cement sidewalk. “My grandmother left me her—oomph.”
Something hard crashes into my shoulder, stealing my words and sending me careening into Nova on my right. I stumble to the side, but I don't fall completely.
“Oh, shit,” someone murmurs from the left.
I can barely hear them over the thundering of my heart, my adrenaline spiking so quickly, if not briefly. I'm not a clumsy person usually, but I didn't want to eat pavement in front of Nova and everyone else walking around downtown.
“You okay, Evangeline?” His voice is a low rumble next to my ear, his hands spanning across my ribs.
I nod, swallowing down the tremble in my throat as I steady myself. “Yeah, just lost my footing for a second there. I'm fine though.”
Nova's hands linger as I straighten up, slowly falling away. He takes a step, but not behind me. No, he pulls the ultimate protective gestures and steps in front of me.
“Shit, I'm sorry about that,” a guy says, hands outstretched toward me. He's late teens, shaggy brown hair and face twisted in a wince.
“It's fine.” I wave him off.
But the kid doesn't step back. He doesn't take his gaze from Nova in front of me. He tilts his chin down a little. “No disrespect meant, Casanova.”
I see a flutter in the side of Nova's jaw, but that's about all I can see from this angle. After a long tense moment, he nods. The kid visibly exhales, taking several quick steps behind him.
There's something off about the whole encounter, but I don't have time to question it. The scent of freshly baked bread and fresh garlic permeate the air, distracting me from my curiosity.
13
EVANGELINE
I follow my nose,stopping in front of The Slice. Just around the corner on one of the side streets off of Main. Rustic, weathered bricks and wrought iron details give the pizzeria a modern take on old world charm. A cobblestone pathway connects the sidewalk to the entrance, three tables on either side making a small courtyard.
A hand-painted wooden sign sticks out of an overflowing barrel of bright flowers next to the door. The Slice written with a cursive flourish in white. Soft strings of Edison bulbs illuminate the space above each cluster of tables, creating an inviting ambience.
A bell above the door jingles as Nova opens it for me. The second he steps foot inside behind me, someone behind the counter yells his name.
Nova ghosts his hand along my lower back as he stands next to me. “Marco, what's up, man?”
One of the two men behind the counter flashes us a grin as he dusts his hands off on a white apron tied around his waist. He has a mop of dark curls tucked underneath a black beanie. Flour handprints and smudges dot his pants and there's what looks like pizza sauce splatter on the sleeve of his white The Slice tee.
