Free Forgiving You: A Bluebell Valley Novel by Ginnie Carmichael

men April or her mother introduced her to, but she never found anybody she liked.
    And looking at his face now, she wondered how long it would take her for all those feelings for him to come back. Maybe, she realized, they were already there…
    “So, where are you taking me?” she asked as she noticed that they were driving by the river, toward the west side of town.
    “I’m taking you for dinner, first,” Austin replied. “But that’s all I’m telling you for now.”
    Sam had nothing against a little bit of mystery, so she leaned back in her seat and let Austin drive her to where they had to go.
    The truck finally slowed down and Sam looked at the building they were parking in front of.
    “That’s where you’re taking me?” she said, laughing.
    “I thought you’d like a slice of the past. I mean, of pie .”
    Sam looked at the diner in front of her, where she had spent so many evenings with Austin. They both loved Mrs. Frank’s blueberry pie and her burgers. They were the best in town.
    “I love it,” Sam said as she grabbed Austin’s arm. They hadn’t seen each other in a decade, but he still remembered how much she loved her pie.
     
    As they entered in the restaurant, Sam noticed a few heads turn in their direction, but she decided to not care. Of course people were going to whisper about them, especially since the Cole family was well-known in Bluebell Valley and everybody knew what had happened with Austin.
    He took her to a faraway booth, where they could talk without having everyone eavesdrop on them. Sam was thankful for that.
    “I’m sorry about that,” Austin said, looking around the diner. He had noticed too how quiet it had become when they had come in. People were starting to talk again and there was again a comfortable humming around them.
    “It’s okay, don’t worry,” Sam replied with a smile. She wanted to forget about it and concentrate on her time with Austin.
    “Are you hungry?”
    “I’m starving,” she admitted as she grabbed the menu in front of her. She wasn’t only going to eat pie. She needed a real meal. “Is this what you missed most about Bluebell Valley?”
    Sam might have been avoiding Austin’s eyes, but she could feel his on her. She blushed as she realized how intense his stare was.
    No, you’re the one I’ve missed the most, she wanted to hear. Was it what Austin was thinking about? He was taking a bit longer than she thought he would to answer such a simple question.
    “Mrs. Frank’s pies? I guess nothing in New York can compare with them. But no, what I’ve missed the most is how slow life is here. You can really enjoy it and you don’t have to be in a rush all the time.”
    Sam sighed as she allowed herself to look at Austin. He was smiling at her, his eyes full of the sweetness she knew he had.
    “But there are plenty of other things I just started realizing how much I miss. Like spending time with you,” he admitted. Sam felt her heart skip a beat as he said that, his words making the butterflies in her belly more intense than before. “Do you remember when we used to come here as kids?”
    “How could I forget?” Sam answered. She tried to sound as casual as she could, but she knew there was something inside of her that she couldn’t control anymore. Looking at Austin’s handsome face, she knew her feelings for him were back already. “We’d beg our moms to give us money, then we’d run here to order a milkshake and a slice of blueberry pie.”
    “And you’d always order a chocolate milkshake that you’d drink with two straws. I never understood the straws part.”
    Sam couldn’t help but laugh as it all came back to her. She had forgotten about her obsession over having two straws instead of one.
    “Everybody knows two straws are better! You can drink a lot more at once,” she replied with a grin. The more they talked about the past, the more she missed it. Those times were so simple. She was just a carefree girl who loved to do