Falling for Autumn by Sherelle Green Page A

your mind,” she told herself. “You control your fears.” Even as the words left her mouth, she felt another chill down her spine, causing her to slightly cringe at the unwelcome feeling. She supposed people never forgot their fears. You could suppress them. Pretend they didn’t exist. Act as if you aren’t really afraid. But did people actually eliminate their fears altogether?
    Acting quickly, she locked the front door and began walking to her house. On instinct, she continued to look over her shoulder despite the fact that no one was following her. No one ever was. As much as she tried to tell herself that, looking over her shoulder helped her feel safe.
    When she neared her block, the only noise she heard on the sidewalk was her heels clicking against the pavement. It briefly crossed her mind that this was exactly how women got abducted in horror flicks. Walking alone at night on a deserted street.
    I really should have driven my car today. When she noticed her house a few feet away, she breathed out a sigh of relief and took her keys out of her bag. She felt another chill ricochet through her body as she tried to put her key in the lock.
    She went to turn the key just as a loud noise pierced through the silent street, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. Digging around for her phone, she answered the call without even checking to see who it was.
    â€œHello.”
    â€œAre you okay?” Danni asked. “You sound aggravated.”
    â€œI’m fine. Aren’t you on a date?”
    â€œThe date was a bust, but I’m not ready to call it a night yet. Do you want to get a glass of wine with me?”
    â€œSure,” she replied, not needing to give it another thought. “Where do you want to meet?”
    â€œI’m in my car so I will pick you up. Are you home?”
    â€œYes, I’ll be waiting in my foyer, so call me when you’re here.”
    As she disconnected the call, she breathed out another sigh of relief. She really didn’t want to be alone tonight.
    Ten minutes later, Danni picked her up and they went to a nearby wine bar. Since one of the guys who worked there had a huge crush on Danni, they often got prime seating.
    â€œWhen are you going to go out with him?”
    â€œHe’s so not my type,” Danni said after taking a sip of her wine.
    â€œI know. But he’s always so sweet to you.” She took a sip of her red wine and relished the bitter, yet sweet, taste. “Last year, two sociologists at the University of Michigan did a study on short men versus tall men, and results showed that divorce rates were thirty-two percent lower for short men.”
    â€œAnd you’re telling me this because...”
    â€œIf you haven’t gone on a date with him because of his height, I figured you should know. Shorter men also do two more hours of housework per week than men of average or tall height.”
    â€œA whole two hours more? I guess I should jump on that, then,” Danni said sarcastically.
    â€œJust saying.”
    â€œOh, no, look what you did.” Autumn followed the direction of Danni’s head nod. “Now he’s coming over.”
    True enough, the bartender stopped by their table and asked Danni if he could bring her to the wine cellar to show her their newest inventory. He always took forever to get to his point, and she knew the only reason Danni hesitated on coming to this particular wine bar was because the guy would talk her ear off.
    After a little convincing from Autumn, she eventually went, leaving Autumn alone to reflect on her thoughts. However, tonight her thoughts were conflicted. She lightly outlined the rim of her wineglass with her index finger as she stared out the front window at a couple sitting outside. She watched the woman laugh at something the man had said and place her arm playfully on his. A simple gesture that held so much meaning to someone who hadn’t had a moment like