Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One) Page 2

  “No way.” Happiness shone from Amethyst’s eyes.

  Gabby nodded, thrilled to see a familiar face. Especially Amethyst’s. The first time Gabby had come to town at the age of twelve, Amethyst had been the first one to welcome her. And every year thereafter, Amethyst had made sure to include Gabby in anything she and her friends were doing.

  Something about running into her first was just so right.

  “How long have you been in town?” Amethyst asked.

  “Less than a week.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “I guess you didn’t hear,” Gabby said, her voice subdued. “My Aunt Mary passed away. I’m living in her cottage now.”

  “Oh, Gabby.” Amethyst placed her hand on Gabby’s arm. “I’m so sorry. She was such a sweet lady.”

  “I know. I miss her a lot.”

  A small smile pulled up the corners of Amethyst’s lips. “But I know she’d be thrilled you’re living in her place. She loved that little cottage. And she always loved it when you came to stay with her.”

  Amethyst’s sunny outlook had always cheered Gabby up. “Thanks.”

  “I have an idea,” Amethyst said after a moment. “I’m going to throw a party and get the old gang together. At least the ones who still live here.” Enthusiasm radiated from her. “What do you think about that?”

  Though Gabby normally avoided parties—she found making small talk draining—in this case, she was excited to see the friends she’d known in her youth. “I’d love it.” Warmth towards Amethyst washed over her. “I’m so glad I ran into you.”

  Amethyst pulled her in for a quick hug. “Me too.”

  “So,” Gabby asked. “Who’s still around?”

  “A lot of them moved away,” she said, “but Chloe and Ashleigh still live here. Plus Gage owns the bakery in town, and Cody took over his father’s ranch.”

  Hearing the names of some of the friends she’d hung around with during her summers in Emerald Falls brought a feeling of home to Gabby—a feeling she relished after her awkward run-in with Travis.

  Speaking of…

  “Did you know Travis Haywood is back?” Gabby asked, and as she pictured his handsome face, her heart did the little flip it always did when she thought about him.

  A slow smile curved Amethyst’s mouth. “I’ve seen him around. And, I might add, he’s still mighty hot.” Her eyebrows rose. “Hey, do you want me to invite him to the party?”

  Gabby had gotten an unmistakable message from him—I’m not interested in you. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t really know him.”

  Amethyst’s forehead creased. “What?”

  “Remember, he and I were only here at the same time for one summer.”

  Amethyst laughed. “That’s right. And you were too chicken to talk to him.”

  Gabby’s face flamed red. “Thanks for reminding me.” As if she had forgotten.

  “It’s okay. I’m sure you’ve gotten over your shyness.”

  Forcing a smile, Gabby muttered, “Yeah.”

  “So,” Amethyst began, her eyes sparkling. “Is there a special someone in your life?”

  Not wanting to get into her failed love life, she said, “No. How about you?”

  The brightness in Amethyst’s eyes dimmed slightly. “There was, but it didn’t work out.”

  They chatted about other things, and after exchanging cell phone numbers, Amethyst promised to let Gabby know when everyone would be able to get together for a party.

  When Gabby got home, she climbed out of her car and stood in front of the cottage, taking a moment to let the memories of the place wash over her.

  A tall maple tree with a thick trunk caught her eye and she remembered the many times she’d climbed it. Though she was no longer the tomboy of her youth, her palms itched to grasp the rough bark of the tree as she scrabbled into the highest branches.

  She wasn’t a teenager anymore. Climbing trees was no longer appropriate.

  With a frown, she turned away from the tree and stared at the house that now belonged to her. The red door stood smack in the middle of the red brick facade of the one-story cottage, and a pair of windows framed by forest green shutters adorned the front of the house, one on either side of the front door. The steeply pitched roof masked the existence of the finished attic, and on the right side of the house a bay window pushed into the yard. Low bushes nestled under the front windows, and shade from the tall maple tree to the left of the house gave the yard a cool feel.

  A sense of home washed over her, and as she carried the bags of groceries from her car into the charming kitchen, contentment brought a smile to her face. Moving to Emerald Falls was going to lead to something good in her life.

  Her lips twitched into an almost-frown, but she forced them upwards.

  It just had to.

  Chapter 4

  As she knocked on Amethyst’s front door on the night of the party several days later, Gabby smiled in anticipation.

  What was everyone doing and what did they look like? It was going to be so fun to see them.

  “Hi, Gabby,” Amethyst said with a welcoming smile. “Thanks for coming early.”

  “No problem. Helping out is the least I can do after you put this together.”

  Amethyst laughed. “You know I love an excuse to throw a party.”

  Gabby smiled. “Well, I appreciate you throwing this one.” She followed Amethyst into her kitchen and worked with her to finish preparing the food.

  “I have an idea,” Amethyst said as she placed a tray of appetizers in the fridge. “When the doorbell rings, you go into my bedroom and wait. When everyone’s here, I’ll bring you out and surprise them.”

  Gabby tried to picture the looks on her friends’ faces when they saw her. “That sounds like fun.”

  “Good,” Amethyst said with a smile. “I’m super excited.”

  “Me too.”

  Travis parked in front of Amethyst’s house, then climbed out of his car. The party she’d invited him to sounded like fun—a small group of friends that he’d known long ago. Since moving to Emerald Falls he’d kept pretty busy at the clinic and hadn’t gotten around to socializing, so this get-together was something he’d been looking forward to. The idea of catching up with friends he hadn’t talked to in ages was especially appealing. If he was going to be living here for a while, he ought to reconnect with whomever he could.

  He knocked on the door and a moment later it swung open.

  “Good evening, Dr. Haywood,” Amethyst said as she gestured for him to enter.

  Her emphasis on doctor made him smile. Though he’d worked hard for that title, he never insisted on anyone using it, but he liked that she recognized what he’d worked so hard to accomplish.

  “Thanks for inviting me,” he said as he walked inside.

  “I haven’t seen you out and about, so I figured you’ve been sitting home most Saturday nights.” Her eyes twinkled. “Am I right?”

  Slightly embarrassed that he wasn’t the social butterfly she may have remembered, he said, “I’ve been putting in a lot of hours at the clinic.”

  “Uh-huh. Well, tonight it’s time to catch up with old friends.”

  She hooked her arm through his and led him into the living room where he saw several familiar faces. He greeted the two men and two women, but before he could get into a conversation with them, Amethyst said, “Sorry to interrupt, but now that everyone’s here, I have a little surprise.”

  Travis sat on a chair while Amethyst left the room. He looked at the others but they seemed to be as clueless as he was.

  “We have a new resident to Emerald Falls,” Amethyst said when she returned a moment later. Then she swept her arm towards the hallway. “And here she is.”

  Travis watched as Gabriella Peters walked into the room.

  Why was Gabriella Peters here? Not that he minded, but wasn’t this a gathering of old friends? Maybe Amethyst was just trying to include her in their group. That was nice of her
, but why tonight? And why say she was a surprise?

  Confused, but curious, once again Travis couldn’t help but notice how attractive Gabriella was. With her long, dark hair and engaging smile, she would catch any man’s eye. But he had the sense that she didn’t realize how beautiful she was.

  “Gabby,” Ashleigh exclaimed as she jumped to her feet, then threw her arms around Gabriella. She pulled away and said, “You live here now? Really?”

  “Yes.” Gabriella smiled, but Travis noticed her gaze shooting to him before focusing back on Ashleigh.

  How did Ashleigh know her? Was he missing something?

  “How are you, Gabby?” Gage asked.

  Wait. Gage knew her too?

  Then a memory flashed into his mind. The summer of his eighteenth year. A quiet, yet pretty teenaged girl standing on the edge of the group. His gaze drawn to her, but his attention quickly diverted by the people near him.

  He remembered her now. She had been to Emerald Falls before. A long time ago. His eyebrows furrowed. Why did she tell him she’d just moved here?

  Why was Travis Haywood here?

  Gabby’s gaze went from Travis’s face to Amethyst’s. She could see by Amethyst’s expression that her own appearance hadn’t been the only surprise Amethyst had planned.

  Why hadn’t she warned her that Travis would be here? Amethyst knew how Gabby had felt about him when she was a teenager, although she probably had no idea that she was still attracted to him. Very attracted to him.

  Turning her focus to the friends who were greeting her, she tried to slow her pounding heart.

  “Come sit by me,” Chloe said as she patted the couch cushion beside her.

  Warmth towards her friends rushed through her, and she savored the feeling of being included. Trying to pretend Travis Haywood’s attention wasn’t laser-focused on her—although knowing it was gave her a pleasant tingle—Gabby sat beside Chloe, and Ashleigh sat on her other side.

  “What made you decide to move here?” Chloe asked as she pushed a strand of her shoulder-length auburn hair behind her ear.

  “Do you have a job yet?” Ashleigh asked.

  Wondering if Travis was going to say anything to her, Gabby concentrated on the questions her friends threw at her.

  “I’ll be teaching at Emerald Falls Elementary,” she said.

  “No way.” Chloe’s voice rose with excitement. “That’s where I work.”

  Pleased by this news, Gabby said, “That’s great. What grade do you teach?”

  “Third. What about you?”

  “I’ll be teaching second.”

  “How funny that we both ended up as teachers.”

  “I know.” Gabby turned to the others. “What do the rest of you do?” Her gaze slid to Travis and her face heated. “I know you’re a vet.” She looked at the others. “But what about the rest of you?”

  “I work at the library,” Ashleigh said.

  “You always did like books,” Gabby said with a smile. “So I guess that’s kind of perfect for you.”

  “I know.”

  “Well,” Gage said, “If you’re ever craving a mouth-watering donut, come to my bakery.”

  Gabby laughed. “I just might take you up on that.” She turned to Amethyst. “What about you? Besides throwing great parties, that is.”

  Amethyst laughed, then said, “I design custom jewelry and sell it online as well as in some local boutiques.”

  “That’s awesome. I’d love to see some of your work,” Gabby said.

  “It’s really pretty,” Ashleigh said. “I’ve bought several pieces.”

  “Ah, thanks,” Amethyst said. “You’re sweet, Ash.”

  “What about you, Cody?” Gabby asked. “Amethyst told me you’re running your father’s ranch?”

  “Yeah. He passed away several years ago, so now I run the place.” He smiled. “Keeps me extremely busy, but I love it.”

  “Hold on a second,” Travis said, which immediately caught Gabby’s attention.

  Everyone turned to him.

  “What’s wrong?” Amethyst asked.

  Travis pointed to Gabby, which made her heart race. “You told me you just moved here, but you used to live here, didn’t you?” Travis’s tone was almost accusatory.

  Gabby’s face was on fire. Not only was Travis focused exclusively on her, but now he was bringing up the past—the past that included her puppy love for him.

  Stay cool, Gabby. You don’t have to confess your teenaged crush.

  “Kind of,” she said, her voice soft. “I used to stay with my Aunt Mary during the summer.”

  Travis’s eyes narrowed as he nodded. “I think I remember you.”

  He remembered her? She didn’t think he had known she existed.

  “You should remember her,” Gage said with a laugh. “She couldn’t keep her eyes off of you.”

  A soft gasp slipped from Gabby’s mouth. She was going to die. She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

  Chapter 5

  Travis’s eyebrows shot up at Gage’s announcement, then he looked at Gabriella, whose face had gone beet-red.

  “Shut up, Gage,” Chloe said with a quick glance at Gabriella. “That’s not true at all.”

  “I don’t know,” Gage said, his tone implying that he did know.

  “Come on, you guys,” Amethyst said.

  Gage chuckled. “I’m just kidding. We’re all friends here.”

  Travis could see how uncomfortable this conversation was making Gabriella, and though he was curious if what Gage had said was true, he didn’t want to be the cause of someone else’s embarrassment. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” he said. “The past is the past, right?”

  “That’s right,” Chloe said.

  “Yeah,” Gabriella murmured. “Right.”

  Travis struggled to remember any interaction he’d had with Gabriella ten years before, but he couldn’t come up with any. Why couldn’t he remember anything beyond seeing her once or twice? He must have talked to her. Kind of surprised that he didn’t have any memory of her, Travis vowed to make up for it now.

  Hold on there. Was he already forgetting his reason for coming to Emerald Falls? He was here to gain experience, not to get romantically involved with someone.

  Travis glanced surreptitiously at Gabriella.

  The temptation to stay away from her might be too much to resist.

  Gabby frowned. She might have to kill Gage. She couldn’t believe he had said that. And right in front of Travis. Of course, once again, Travis had made it clear that he had no interest in her.

  She replayed his reply: It doesn’t matter anyway. The past is the past, right?

  Yeah. He was making it pretty clear he wasn’t interested.

  Trying to pretend that Travis wasn’t sitting mere feet away, Gabby turned to Chloe and began talking about teaching at Emerald Falls Elementary.

  Later, when the party was beginning to wrap up, Gabby went into the kitchen and began loading the dishwasher.

  “I’m sorry about earlier,” a voice said behind her.

  Startled, Gabby turned and saw Gage standing there.

  “I really didn’t mean to embarrass you,” he said.

  The memory of Travis looking at her when Gage had announced to everyone that she’d had a crush on him made her blush all over again. Still, she’d gotten over her irritation at Gage. “That’s okay.”

  Gage nodded. “It was stupid of me.” He laughed. “Being around all of you guys…for a second there I thought I was back in high school.”

  Gabby smiled. “It was fun seeing everyone and catching up.”

  “Yeah. We’ll have to get together again.” He grinned. “And to make sure you know how sorry I am, come by the bakery and I’ll give you your choice of donuts.”

  Gabby laughed. “I’m going to.”

  “Good. I hope you do.”

  All feelings of annoyance towards Gage disappeared, and after he left her alone in the kitchen, she felt better abo
ut what had happened. Except for the part where she didn’t know what Travis thought about her now.

  After everyone left, and it was just Gabby and Amethyst, Gabby turned to her friend as they tidied the living room. “I really appreciate you throwing the party, but why did you invite Travis?”

  Guilt flitted across Amethyst’s face. “He was part of the group.”

  The memory of how embarrassed she’d been washed over her and her lips compressed. “He wasn’t part of my group. I never even talked to him.”

  “Well, now you have.” Amethyst gathered the empty glasses and carried them into the kitchen.

  True as that was, Gabby feared that Travis must think she was pathetic. And she kind of was, so maybe it was better for him to know that right out of the gate. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t interested in her. How much clearer did he have to make it?

  Sighing, Gabby went into the kitchen to help Amethyst clean up.

  “I hope you had a good time,” Amethyst said as she turned the dishwasher on.

  Despite that awkward moment with Travis, and despite the fact that the only time she interacted with him was when they were in a group together, she did have a good time. “I did. Thank you so much for pulling this together.”

  Amethyst leaned against the counter. “You still have a crush on him, don’t you?”

  “On who?”

  Amethyst laughed. “Don’t play dumb. You know who I’m talking about.” Her smile grew. “Travis Haywood.”

  Not ready to admit it, Gabby asked, “What makes you think I have a crush on him?”

  Amethyst folded her arms across her chest. “I saw the way you were looking at him.”

  Was it so obvious? “I don’t know how I feel about him. I don’t even know him.”

  Amethyst tilted her head as if she was coming up with a new scheme. “Maybe we’ll have to do something about that.”

  With a laugh, Gabby shook her head. “You don’t have to play matchmaker. I’m a big girl, you know.” Although that didn’t mean she was going to make a fool of herself in front of Travis.

  “I know.” Amethyst ran her fingers through her red hair. “Anyway, I’m too tired to think about planning another party.”