Accidentally Hers(16)
“Well, I don’t know how you’ll feel about this, actually.” Kelsey paused. “I hear Matt may be coming back to town.”
Avery straightened her spine and glanced at Emma for confirmation. “For a visit, or for good?”
Emma shrugged. “I don’t know. He called Grizzly’s to see if they still needed an off-season bartender.”
Kelsey cut in. “Apparently things aren’t so hot with little Miss Silver Spoon anymore.”
“Phht,” Avery said, waving one hand dismissively. “Didn’t take too long, did it?”
“So, does that weird face you’re making mean you wouldn’t take him back if he returned?” Kelsey asked.
“Why would you think I’d take him back?” Avery bugged her eyes. “Do I have chump written across my forehead or something?”
“Because you loved him and you guys had talked about the future, even if you weren’t officially engaged.” Kelsey’s sincere consternation galled Avery.
“I thought I loved him, until he dumped me and took off!” Avery’s mouth twitched. She picked up the sweaty, cold bottle of Blue Moon Harvest and took a swig, wishing the beer would wash away the shame of being duped by Matt. “Honestly, as if his betrayal wasn’t enough, do you think I’d want to go back to the mousier version of myself I was becoming in that relationship? No, thanks. He pulled me under once, but I’m free now. I’ve never made the same mistake twice, and I’m not about to start with Matt.”
“But—” Kelsey began, but then Emma interrupted.
“Kels, Matt isn’t any of our business.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset anyone.” Kelsey slumped back into her seat. “I just want to see one of us in love and happy.”
Avery adored Kelsey’s mushy heart, even if she never did understand it.
“Since when has love ever guaranteed happiness?” Avery fixed her gaze on the bottle in front of her. She picked at the edges of its wet label, then raised the rim to her lips and chugged a good portion of its contents. “Besides, none of our hearts have done a good job of picking a partner. Just as well, from what I’ve seen of marriage, anyway.”
Silently, Avery vowed to be smart. To see the heady swirl of lust and infatuation for what it was instead of pretending it was something more. To remember that flirtatious nicknames, sultry eyes, and full, kissable lips were merely tools of seduction, not love.
Chapter Four
Avery’s blissful moment of relaxation—nestled into the corner of the sofa, sipping her chai while flipping through Shape magazine—ended when her father stormed into the living room from the garage, the vein in his temple straining beneath his skin.
“Avery, what’s this I hear about you working with Grey Lowell?” He came within a few feet of her and then folded his arms. “I had to learn about it from Joe at the hardware store. Said Andy must be grateful that you’re trying to butter up Lowell. Made me feel like an ass.”
“Joe’s an idiot, Dad. And I didn’t mention it because there’s already enough tension in this house.” Her dad’s continual disappointment hung over the roof like a dense fog, each swipe he took at Andy exploding like a grenade in the living room. Snide remarks like Joe’s only made her dad more irate.
She’d been grateful for her parents’ help caring for her brother during his recovery this past month, but now she wished they’d return to Arizona until his trial.
Avery continued reading the magazine, determined not to let her dad destroy another Saturday morning. “Anyway, I’m just doing my job.”
“Don’t give me that malarkey, young lady. Nobody’s forcing you to work with that man. In fact, I can’t believe you’re allowed to treat him, under the circumstances.”
“That man is not the enemy.” She rested the magazine on her lap, her hands tightly gripping its edges. “He’s a patient who recently had knee surgery. There aren’t any other ortho PTs within thirty miles of town, so I’m working with him. It won’t be a problem.”
Even as the words fell from her mouth, she knew them to be untrue.
“Surely you can’t be so naïve. You know he’s going to sue your brother. You’d be wise to remember Andy’s chief asset is half of this house.” He gestured up to the ceiling and around the open space. “You know your mom and I count on the monthly loan payments as part of our retirement income. We can’t afford for Grey Lowell to pocket your brother’s half of its value in a forced sale.”