The Magnolia Sisters

by Michelle Major

  “I haven’t had a chance to mention it. You can tell her.” Stacy wagged a finger at him. “You better not throw me under the bus. She certainly isn’t going to get into a private college on your paltry salary. I’m doing all of this for her.”

  “Think about custody, Stacy.” He forced an encouraging smile. “I promise it doesn’t have to change anything.”

  She gave a reluctant nod. “I’ll call you next week. My smoothie is melting.”

  “Sure,” he agreed. “Have fun in California.” He walked away, his gut burning at the thought of relaying this news to his daughter. Violet might act tougher than most girls her age, but he knew how it hurt when Stacy didn’t make her a priority. He also understood that he’d try to cover for his ex. Anything to keep her receptive to his plan. She had to agree to modify custody. Gray would do whatever he had to if she’d only say yes.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “I DON’T BELONG HERE.”

  Avery pressed herself against the side of the building, heart racing. The heat of the bricks only made her sweat harder, which added to her panic at the thought of walking into the dance studio with Gray.

  “I’ll admit,” Gray said, glancing behind him, “it’s a little unorthodox to be hiding in an alley. We don’t see that a lot in Magnolia. Especially when—”

  “Hey, Gray,” someone called from the street. “Everything okay?”

  Avery wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

  “Sure, Bubba,” Gray shouted back. He shifted so he blocked her from view of anyone passing by. “Be there in a minute.”

  A puff of hysterical laughter burst through her lips. “Bubba,” she murmured, then glanced up at Gray through her lashes. “Is that really his name?”

  He nodded. “Bubba Roshek. His family has lived around here for as long as anyone can remember. He runs the car dealership out on Route Five. Gave me a great deal on the truck.”

  “Do you remember I called you Bubba that first morning at the gas station?”

  “Yeah.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “I didn’t reckon you’d confused me for the real Bubba. Not sure if you got a good look but he might be as wide as he is tall. Hairy, too.”

  “What am I doing, Gray?” She held her hands fisted at her sides, anxiety coursing through her like a riptide, threatening to pull her under.

  He reached out and laced his fingers with hers. He lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed a featherlight kiss across her knuckles. She’d spent the past few days with Carrie working on clearing out the garage at Niall’s house. Her normally manicured fingernails had seen better days. Tiny cuts dotted her fingers from her battle with one of the three foster kittens Meredith had foisted on her.

  Oh, yes. Avery Reed had gone from corporate finance risk manager to manual laborer sweating her butt off as she cleared out her dad’s hoard only to return home to her cats and an overweight mutt. She felt like the poster child for a premature midlife crisis.

  “I thought you were coming with me to Violet’s recital?” He checked his watch. “The performance starts in ten minutes. My mom is saving seats for us.”

  “Your ex-wife should be here,” Avery told him.

  “Agreed, but she isn’t. You don’t have to do this, either, if it’s too uncomfortable. Violet—”

  “Stop.” She shook her head. “Stop letting people off the hook so easily. I told Violet I’d be there, and I will.” She blew out a breath. “As soon as the need to puke passes.”

  He smiled but she could see the hurt in his eyes. Of course he didn’t want to hear that he let people—women—take advantage of him. No man wanted to believe that. But she’d heard him make excuses for his ex with Violet. Avery could tell the little girl hadn’t bought what he was selling, but she’d taken the news like a champ. Or like a kid who was used to being put on the back burner by her mother.

  Avery could relate. Only she hadn’t had a father like Gray to soften the blow when her mother missed important events in her life because she’d been busy at work.

  “Why the sudden wave of nausea? You’ve been getting more involved with the revitalization plan every day. It won’t be a surprise for people to see you out in the community.”

  “That’s the problem.” Avery tugged one hand out of his grasp and pressed it to her stomach. “Now there are expectations.”

  “Such as...”

  “Like I’m supposed to care about this place,” she blurted, then wished she could take back the careless words as Gray took a step back.

  “Ouch,” he whispered.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” she quickly amended. “I do care. I care so much it scares me to pieces.”

  “Is this about the running shoes?” he asked, his gaze gentling.

  As embarrassing as it felt to admit how vulnerable her feelings made her, the alternative of him thinking she was coldhearted... Well, that was even worse.

  “We’re making great progress on the plans for downtown. But I can see the way people look at me now. Like I’m some kind of small-town savior.”

  “No one is going to put pressure on you in that way.”

  “Carrie, Malcolm and I were meeting yesterday at the gallery to discuss a new online marketing campaign. Joe from the diner delivered lunch and homemade brownies that his eighty-year-old mom made. He’s also behind on his mortgage payments and told us that if he loses the business, his wife will leave him and his oldest son will have to drop out of college.” She drew in a shaky breath. “How’s that for pressure?”

  “Wow.”

  “Right? I want to see Violet dance. That little ankle biter has wound her sassy self around my heart. But I’m afraid for people to depend on me. I’ll let them down. I’ll let her down.” And you, she added silently. Most of all, she didn’t want to hurt Gray.

  “You’re complicating this,” he told her, taking several steps toward the alley’s entrance and holding out a hand. “Just watch the recital today, and you can deal with saving Magnolia tomorrow.”

  She studied him, looking for a reason to argue. It couldn’t possibly be as simple as he made it sound. She’d never done that. She analyzed risk and then made the most prudent decision she could.

  Magnolia challenged everything she knew about herself. Everything that gave her life meaning. On the flip side, she’d never felt as alive as she did in this town.

  Particularly with this man.

  She straightened from the wall, ignoring that the fabric of her shirt stuck to her back. Nerves didn’t matter. Violet had asked her to come to the recital, and Avery wouldn’t allow her own cowardice to be the reason she disappointed the girl.

  Ignoring the shaking in her knees, she stepped toward Gray. “Simple is my middle name,” she said, kissing him quickly. She swatted his hand away when he tried to pull her close. “Which is why I’m not walking into the dance studio holding your hand. No reason to give people more incentive to talk about me.”

  He dropped another kiss on the top of her head and then they walked toward the sunlit sidewalk together. “It might distract them. You could go from being the town savior to my sweet honey-bun.”

  “Or they could talk,” she said with an eye roll, “when I throat punch you for that sassy mouth.”

  He leaned closer. “You love my sassy mouth.”

  “In your dreams,” Avery said, shocked she was able to get out the words without choking on them. Because her immediate thought had been I love you.

  She truly had fallen in love with Gray Atwell.

  So much for analyzing risk and making a sensible decision.

  * * *

  GRAY COULDN’T BELIEVE how much better it felt to walk into Josie’s dance studio with Avery next to him. He’d gotten so used to handling things on his own. There was no point in wasting time thinking negative thoughts about his ex-wife.

  She’d given him Viol
et, and for that he’d always be grateful.

  But he wanted something for himself.

  Someone.

  Avery, specifically.

  He understood how much it took for her to be there with him. She didn’t want to be a part of the community, but she fit with Magnolia. She fit with his life.

  She needed time to get used to the idea. He had to believe if he let her take the lead, she’d be willing to give so much.

  Her significance in people’s lives went well beyond him. She was the glue that held together the fragile bond between Niall’s daughters. The fact that she was an outsider and had no background with either Carrie or Meredith, or an agenda of her own definitely calmed the waters.

  She smoothed parts of him, as well. Rough spots he hadn’t even realized he’d developed like scar tissue over his battered heart.

  Avery wouldn’t hold his hand as they entered, but her fingers grazed his arm as if she needed to ground herself with his presence. He waved to several parents, then found their seats next to his mom.

  “You were almost late,” she said with a humph, then looked around him to Avery. “I didn’t realize you were a ballet fan.”

  “I own this building,” Avery said without missing a beat. “I like to support my tenants, and of course, I want to see Violet.” She flashed a smile so sweet it made his teeth hurt. “I did her hair for the recital.”

  “How nice of you,” his mother said, then leaned toward Gray. “Call me next time.”

  “It’s fine, Mom.” He patted her arm. “The performance is starting.”

  He’d told his mother that Avery was coming, so he did his best to ignore the tension radiating from her. He understood her desire to protect him, but Avery made him happy. She made Violet happy.

  Gray hadn’t given a thought to his future beyond raising his daughter since the divorce. But now he could see much more.

  The performance began with Violet’s class taking the stage in their pink leotards and matching tights.

  Violet twirled and kicked across the dance floor, and his heart swelled with pride. At the end, she returned to center stage with the other girls for their bow. She gave him a little wave and smiled at her grandmother. When her gaze landed on Avery, she scrunched up her nose and tugged on one braid, reminding Gray of the performance Josie had staged to show Avery the importance of the dance studio.

  He glanced at Avery from the corner of his eye. She subtly stuck out her tongue, then winked, earning a wide grin from Violet.

  “You have a funny way of bonding with her.”

  “I told you I don’t like kids,” Avery muttered with an eye roll. “I treat her like a person, not a little girl.”

  “You have no desire for kids of your own?” he asked, then immediately regretted the question. What the hell was he thinking putting her on the spot in the middle of a dance recital?

  So much for letting her set the pace. He wouldn’t blame her if she went screaming from the building in response.

  “Hypothetical question, of course,” he added. Maybe if he played it off she wouldn’t notice. Damn. It wasn’t as if he were imagining Violet with a younger sibling who had blue eyes and golden-blond hair. Except...

  “I wasn’t cut out to be a mom,” Avery answered, keeping her gaze trained on the dancers taking their curtain call. “Obviously, my mother didn’t expect to get pregnant from her fling with Niall. She never really warmed to motherhood the way most women do. I take after her.” She bit down on her lip. “Look at me with Violet. I’m not a good influence.”

  “You do okay,” he said because she couldn’t handle anything more. He knew she’d get anxious at the thought of how important she’d become to his daughter.

  Maybe he’d made a horrible mistake by letting her into their lives. Even if she wanted to believe they were keeping things casual, he could see the magnitude of her influence. But it went both ways. She was setting down roots in Magnolia. Like the spindly trails of ivy over a brick facade, the town was winding itself around her. She might think the vines were delicate, but he knew the strength of them. The power of this community.

  She turned to look at him, as if she expected more of an argument. He wouldn’t give it to her. She needed to find her own way to what he already knew. Gray was not only patient, but determined. He’d learned it the hard way. He’d met with Douglas yesterday to develop a custody modification petition for Stacy to sign and take to the court. As he’d expected, his attorney hadn’t been pleased that Gray had gone to his ex-wife on his own, but he didn’t regret it.

  He believed she’d agree.

  He couldn’t allow himself to consider any other alternative.

  Just like he wouldn’t let the worry take hold that Avery might break his heart. It wasn’t naivete. It was optimism.

  When the dancers had taken their final bow, he opened his arms and Violet ran forward to hug him. She smelled like berry shampoo and little girl. He breathed deeply, wanting to savor this perfect moment. He’d worked hard to give her a good life. Wouldn’t it be amazing if they both got what they needed in the process?

  She hugged her grandma, then turned to Avery.

  “Where’s Spot?” she demanded.

  “At home.” Avery shrugged. “She had gas this morning because someone gave her a piece of cinnamon toast. I didn’t want her stinking up the place.”

  Violet’s bony hip jutted out. “It was half a piece because she was still hungry.”

  “Whatevs,” Avery answered.

  Gray heard his mother’s gasp but only smiled. He was used to this snarky banter and knew both his daughter and Avery relished their unique bond.

  “You did pretty good out there,” Avery said. “You flubbed a few steps but you kept going. That’s what makes a real professional.”

  Lila stepped forward. “My granddaughter was perfect,” she said, her voice tight. “If you can’t—”

  “No, Gram.” Violet tugged on her grandma’s hand. “I messed up, just like Avery said. But I found my place again. Miss Josie says if you fall seven times you have to get up eight.” She squinted as if she were working out the math of that statement in her head. “That means you can’t stop trying even if you aren’t perfect yet.”

  His mother’s eyes widened. “You’re perfect to me,” she said, gently squeezing Violet’s fingers.

  “Who wants cake and punch?” Gray asked.

  “Me,” Violet shouted and pulled her grandmother toward the crowd gathered at the reception table at the far side of the studio.

  “I should go check on Spot,” Avery said, glancing around.

  “You’re nervous again.”

  “What if people talk to me?”

  He chuckled. “You’re capable of carrying on a conversation. I’ve watched you do it.”

  “I’m not ready to answer questions about what’s happening with Niall’s estate or what it means for the future.”

  “Even if I ask them?”

  Her mouth opened to form a small O. Although he knew the basic gist of the work she was doing with her sisters, they hadn’t yet discussed the implications for her prospects in town.

  She swallowed and nodded. “I thought we agreed to stay in the moment.”

  “Yes, but I can be in the moment and still plan for the future.” He took a step closer, ignoring the people who filed by them on their way to the reception. “I love you, Avery. You have to know—”

  She flapped her fingers in front of her face like she’d just eaten a hot pepper. “You can’t say that,” she whispered fiercely. “Not here. Not now.” She shook her head. “Just no.”

  “Okay,” he said, needing to make this better. He knew she wasn’t ready, but once again, had led with his heart instead of his brain.

  Stupid, stupid heart.

  “I didn’t mean it.”

  “You did
n’t?” Her eyes flashed and he realized he was digging himself deeper at a frantic pace.

  “No... I mean yes.” He ran a hand over his face. “I meant it but didn’t mean to say it here. Now.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Want some punch?”

  “Punch,” she repeated.

  “And a cupcake.” He nodded. “The bakery makes a special recipe for Josie. You should try them. They’re the best.” Oh, shut up, you idiot. He was babbling like a madman.

  “I’m going to go,” Avery said slowly. “Please explain to Violet that I needed to check on Spot. She should stop by the carriage house when you get home. I have a gift for her. A little something to congratulate her for the performance.”

  “You didn’t have to—”

  “Have her stop by.” She took a step back, away from him. He felt the distance like it was the Grand Canyon that separated them. “By herself,” she clarified. “It’s a girl thing. And I...I need a little time.”

  “Avery.”

  “It’s fine, Gray.”

  It was anything but fine yet all he could do was nod and watch her walk away.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “HE OFFERED YOU PUNCH?” Carrie smothered a laugh.

  Meredith didn’t bother to hide her loud cackle. “As in... ‘I love you... Want some watered-down punch?’”

  Avery dropped her head to her hands, elbows perched on the dining room table in Niall’s run-down antebellum home later that night. “Something like that, only way more awkward.”

  “You should have taken a cupcake for the road,” Meredith advised, her expression solemn. “Sunnyside Bakery makes the best. Everyone agrees.”

  “She can buy her own cupcakes.” Carrie placed a mug of tea in front of both Avery and Meredith and then slid into a chair at the head of the table. “We can all buy as many cupcakes as we want. No one needs a man to buy them a cupcake.”

  Meredith and Avery shared a look. “As much as I appreciate the girl-power sentiment,” Meredith told Carrie, “sometimes a cupcake is just a cupcake. You’re reading too much into it.”