Free Fall from Love by Heather London Page B

there, staring at the sticker and can’t seem to peel my eyes away from it. As much as I try to push the memory away, a very alive, happy and smiling image of Adam pops into my head. He’s kneeling down in the parking lot of his apartment complex and cleaning off a spot on the back of his Jeep.
    “What do you think? Is it straight?” He turned and flashed a wide grin at me.
    “It looks straight,” I told him, not understanding why he was making such a big deal about a sticker.
    “Are you sure? I can’t tell from this angle. You need to be sure ‘cause if it’s not straight, then it’s going to bug the shit out of me.”
    “It’s straight.” I laughed at his need for everything to be perfect. He turned back around and placed the round Alpine Rescue sticker on the bottom left corner of his window.
    The vision of him dissolves from my mind, but I still can’t take my eyes off the sticker.
    Seconds later, a horn honks, distracting me. If it wasn’t for the disrupting sound, I’m not sure how long I would have sat there, staring.
    When I walk into the small shop, I immediately spot Carter. His tall frame is pretty much impossible to miss. He’s leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. One of his long legs is stretched out beneath the table and the other is folded back under his chair while his head is covered up with a baseball cap, sitting backwards on his head. There’s a cute brunette leaning against the table and she’s smiling, looking at him like he’s the most interesting thing on the planet. For a moment, I don’t move, I just stand there in the entrance, staring at them, not wanting to ruin the intimate moment between them. There’s a second or two where I actually play with the thought of turning around and running out the door, back to my car. He hasn’t even seen me yet and I can always come up with an excuse for why I can’t meet him. Feeling like the biggest chicken shit on the planet, I shake the stupid idea from my head and try to keep focused, knowing that I’ve come too far to turn back now.
    As I’m still standing there, watching him, I study his expression a little more carefully. It takes me a moment to realize it, but I finally see that he’s uncomfortable… or maybe it’s annoyed. I don’t know him very well, so it’s hard for me to read the exact expression his face is making. All I know is that he doesn’t look happy or interested.
    Shifting in his seat, he anxiously starts to glance around the small coffee shop. When his eyes find mine, a look of relief appears on his face and a smile breaks across his lips. He sits up a little straighter in his chair and, without even having to try too hard, a small smile tugs at my lips, too. I make my way over to him and it doesn’t take the woman long to follow his gaze, assessing me as I approach the table.
    “Hey, Carter,” I say, taking a seat across from him.
    “Hey.” He’s still smiling. I notice that his grin is getting bigger and bigger by the second.
    “What can I get for you?”
    I look up and see that it isn’t just some random girl leaning over and flirting with him, it’s the waitress. “I’ll have a cappuccino, thank you.”
    “One coffee and one cappuccino, coming right up.” She glances back over to Carter, winks, and then smiles again before walking off. Unable to stop myself, I smile—mostly at how hard the poor waitress is trying and how disinterested Carter seems to be. Poor girl.
    “Wow, thanks,” he says, relaxing back in his chair. “You saved me just now. I thought I was actually going to have to ask her to get off the table. A few more seconds and I’m scared she would’ve mauled me or something.”
    I chuckle and purse my lips, trying to hide my smile. “Sorry, that’s rude,” I say, shaking my head.
    “What? To smile?” He looks at me with confusion.
    “No, it’s rude to laugh at someone.”
    “Ah… I see. So you’re laughing at me?” A tiny smirk appears on