An Autumn to Remember: A Novel (Elmtown Series Book 1) by Joy Galloway Read Free Book Online Page A

“Sure thing man, good to meet you too. I don’t know about famous though.” They shook hands and then John got up to leave.
       Amy also had a pedicure appointment at Stephanie & McCoy, the oldest beauty salon in Elmtown, so she couldn’t stay either. They both said their goodbyes and drove off in their respective cars.
       “Do you have to go too? Stay for a little while, I’ll be bored now if you leave,” Chelsea said. From Jamie’s body gesture she could tell he was about to leave too.
       “Ummm...OK, I’ll stay for one more hour then I’ll have to leave. I’m supposed to be working on a few things with my mom today.” He wished he could tell her everything they were going through, tell her everything about him: the good, the bad and even the ugly. He wanted to tell her things about himself he’d never told anyone. How could he have let their friendship slip out of his hands because of distance?
       “Make it two hours?” she pleaded.
       He confirmed his agreement with a nod and smiled at her.
       “Thanks, let’s go watch something while we catch up on what’s been going on.”
       They sat on the two brown office chairs in her father's library. The shelves were still empty and books were still in boxes, but her father had set-up his iMac and connected it to their internet.
       “When was the last time you saw an episode of ‘Leave it to Beaver’? You remember how we used to binge watch that?” she asked.
       “Of course I do. I haven’t seen that in years. The last time I watched it was with you.” You were wearing that big blue tee shirt you always wore and were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, he thought. Could it be that he’d always been in love with her but was too young to know what it was? Well it didn’t matter anymore.
       “Seriously?” She looked at him curiously. “I even bought the complete DVD in London. It’ll be hard to wean myself off those sixties and seventies shows.”
     As Chelsea browsed through her Netflix account she asked, “What shows do you watch then?”
       “I used to watch Seinfeld, Star Trek…but I haven’t watched TV much in the last two years.”
    “Oh! So what do you do to relax in your downtime?”
       He understood her surprise, this was the same guy she used to endlessly watch TV with, but they’d grown up in almost opposite realities. She had parents who provided everything she needed and more. He had to work really hard (together with his mom) for every little thing they had–nothing came to him on a platter of gold. There was no time for TV. With school and working at the club, his spare time had to be used for the most important thing to him, jazz.
       “I listen to jazz, write songs or just practice on my guitar. I also cook when I can though. I started cooking at eighteen. I actually find it relaxing. Looks like the older I get the more boring I become. So what about you?”
       “Me? I don’t really cook much. I mean, I know how to cook but I’m just lazy about it.”
       “No I mean what do you do in your own downtime?”
       “Oh right. Honestly I just watch my favorite shows on TV. Sometimes I feel like the characters are my friends and I’m spending time with them, like I’m a part of their world. I know, I know it’s the same old classic case of escapism. It comes in handy when I’m overwhelmed.”
       “I guess music is my way of escaping the real world too then. Imagine if I could turn it into my means of livelihood. That would be me ‘living my dream.’ I think people who do what they love for a living are so lucky. I want that so bad.” People who get to be with their dream girls are very lucky too, Jamie thought.
       “I know right. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll always be happy being a doctor. Anytime I say that, my mom thinks it’s because I’m afraid of medical school. But the point is, if you are going to dedicate yourself to something for the rest of your life,