Falling in Line: A Second Chance Romance (Arcadia Creek Book 2) by Kasey Stockton

Author:Kasey Stockton [Stockton, Kasey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Golden Owl Press
Published: 2024-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

JUNE

When I left my room the next morning, Dad was already awake, dressed in his Sunday best and doing his physical therapy exercises on the couch.

“How’s your knee today?” I asked, stretching my arms high above my head. My neck had a kink in it. I would guess I slept on it weirdly, but that would have required sleep. As it stood, I basically tossed and turned all night.

“Fine. You coming to church?” he asked.

“Of course.”

“Hmm,” he said, grumbling. “Didn’t expect that.”

Something was up. His behavior was strange. “Why? I always go to church with you.”

“You didn’t last week.”

“Because Grandma called right when⁠—”

“Hmm,” he said again, a deep groove forming between his eyebrows.

“Love the confidence, Dad. What time do you want to leave?”

A knock came at the door.

We both looked toward it, but the handle started turning before I could even take a step.

“Good morning, Bakers,” Nellie said, barging in with a tray covered in tinfoil and a basket hanging over her arm.

“Morning, Nellie,” Dad and I echoed.

“I didn’t know you’d want to come,” Dad said, looking a little guilty.

“More the merrier,” Nellie said.

Wait. Was she here to give Dad a ride to church?

She bustled into the kitchen with the food, giving me a once-over while she busied herself setting up something in Dad’s crockpot. “You need a minute to get ready, hon?”

“Yeah.” I spun away to get dressed, a little weirded out by the ease she had in this house. It wasn’t like she was a stranger here, obviously. But I’d never seen her let herself in and mosey around the kitchen like she was intimately familiar with it. Knowing exactly which drawers to open for what she needed, where the crockpot was—it was mildly disconcerting.

I threw on a sundress and sandals, smoothing out my hair as best as I could manage and swiping on some mascara. Yes, I’d been raised to wear my Sunday best, but God didn’t care if I had much makeup on, and I didn’t need any Arcadia Creek women thinking I was trying to entice Tucker.

Yes, they’d said that. Two weeks ago at church. My fury at overhearing it was probably why Dad didn’t think I’d come today.

Nellie and I helped Dad to her car. I climbed into the backseat, slipping my phone out of my pocket. Still nothing from Tucker. Not that I was expecting anything, but he’d messaged me last night after we’d eaten waffles and chatted at his kitchen table for an hour. He’d walked me home, then texted a few minutes later to say goodnight.

Maybe I was just hung up on our past, but I was missing the “good morning” text now.

Was I pathetic? Yeah. I was.

Could I just text him? Yes. But after ending that kiss yesterday, I was overthinking every tiny thing I did.

“Mercy,” Nellie said when we passed Tucker’s house and the giant longhorn painted on the front. “What’s that about? He’s not a UT fan.”

His truck was missing. I hoped that meant he’d be at church, too.

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