Trust Me .(17)
I climb into the squad car with Jake on Tuesday morning, still reeling three days later from the kiss Saturday night with Avery. When Jake wanted to stop by his parents house on Sunday night to grab some food I was conflicted as hell. I wanted to see Avery so badly, yet I didn’t want to risk her being able to see how much that kiss really impacted me and sent my head spinning leaving a wave of confusion and lust in its wake.
“Hey, you never told me how it went with the girl Saturday night,” he asks.
“I didn’t go home with her,” I mumble.
He looks at me, wide eyed and full of surprise. “What? She was hot with big boobs and was ready to show you a good time!”
“I know that. I’ve been there before with her, Jake. I ended up taking your sister home.” The words left my mouth before I considered their meaning to a guy like Jake. I quickly look at him as rage fills his face, turning it an ugly shade of red.
“You better explain ‘taking my sister home’ right now,” he growls through firmly clenched teeth.
I throw my hands up in the air as if waving the surrender flag. “No, no, no. I mean just that. After you left, she and Holly got drunk off tequila shots so I drove them each home. That’s it. End of story.” He didn’t need to know that was, in fact, not the end of the story.
“Oh. Good. For a minute there, I was about to drag you out of this car and beat the living shit out of you.” Well, now I feel like an even bigger pile of shit. I can’t tell him I think his sister is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and that I made out with her in her doorway like a horny teenager. Shit! I’ve done it twice. I am the world’s worst friend.
I change the subject back to the reason we are climbing into the car. Work. Patrol. Safe. Our Tuesday morning is fairly busy with routine traffic stops so the morning passes pretty quickly. As lunchtime rolls around, Jake says he needs to run by the bakery to pick up some goodies that his mom has for him. We pull the squad car into an available spot along the street and head inside the bakery. It smells delicious. But then I smell the one scent I can pick out anywhere. Vanilla. Not just any vanilla, but a very specific vanilla. I turn to see Avery sitting with her mom at one of the small tables in the back, eating a sandwich. She must be on her lunch break.
She looks up and our gazes meet. Jake is already walking over to her to give her a big hug, followed quickly by a hug to his mom. I quietly stroll up behind them, making myself look busy by checking out the treats in the display case.
Elizabeth walks up to me and gives me a big motherly hug. She kisses me on the cheek and gives me a warm smile. “I’m glad you and Jake could stop by for a few moments on Sunday night,” she says. “I always feel better knowing that you both are eating a good meal every now and then.”
“I appreciate you feeding me every once in awhile, Mrs. S. I’ve never had bad food when it’s come from your place.” I can’t tell her that the whole time I was standing in her house, I was pretending not to be thinking about the one girl who is now sitting in front of me. Avery looks over at me and gives me a small smile. Her cheeks redden a little, and I can tell she’s embarrassed. I wonder what just went through her mind. She goes back to talking with Jake and I turn my attention back to Mrs. Stevens.
Mrs. Stevens gives me a sly smile that makes me feel like she can see inside my soul and read my thoughts. I start to sweat a little, pulling on my collared uniform shirt. She leans in and whispers, “Nothing would make me happier.” She pulls back, gives me another kiss on the cheek and walks away towards the back of the bakery. I don’t know what to say or do. What the hell does she mean? Nothing would make her happier. Me and Avery? My mind is all over the damn place.
Jake slaps me on my back and we head back towards the front door. He hollers a good-bye over his shoulder at his mom and heads out the door. As I’m getting ready to head through the door, I turn back toward Avery. She’s watching me. Our eyes lock for a brief moment and it makes my heart stop. Her eyes are the first thing I think of every morning and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. And now I’m thinking about that kiss. The most perfectly amazing kiss. I’ve thought of nothing else since it happened Saturday night. As if sensing where my thoughts are, Avery reaches up and lightly touches her lips like she did Saturday night after the kiss. I give her a little smile and head out the door. Oh, yeah, she’s thinking of it too.
*****
I’m heading home after work on Thursday when I remember that my fridge is completely bare. I don’t even have beer which is unacceptable. So I make a quick left at the next stop light and head towards the market. I walk the aisles with my cart, grabbing a few things here and there. I’m not a big cook, but I enjoy using the grill. So I load up on steaks, burgers, dogs, and chops. I make a quick trip down the produce aisle for some potatoes and other items, and then head back towards the bread aisle for buns. As I turn the corner, I come face to face with Drake. He hasn’t noticed me yet, but I can tell he’s in a heated discussion with someone. A girl. Shit, not just any girl. Avery.