by Addison Fox
Avery met Chooch’s gaze head-on. “Thank you. I think.”
“Damn straight. I meant it as a compliment. Legs like that’ll get all the boys to notice. And then maybe that’ll kick some sense into Roman Forsyth’s thick skull.”
“I wore this dress for me.”
“’Course you did. Men come second when it comes to feeling good about ourselves.” The woman moved in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper as she gestured Avery and Jess near. “Never make your decisions for a man, no matter how stupid over him you are.”
“That’s good advice, Chooch.” Jess nodded her head solemnly, and Avery thought the older woman’s advice was sweet.
Until she branded it in a way that was uniquely her own.
“And even if he’s giving you several orgasms a day, you don’t let him boss you around. You can give ’em to yourself just as easy and you don’t need to let him know he makes you crazy or has such power over you.”
Jess actually dribbled some of her sip of beer she was trying so hard to hold back the laughter, and Avery could only thank her lucky stars she hadn’t taken a sip yet. “Equally good advice, Chooch.”
“Don’t forget it.”
“Oh, we won’t.” Both women waved at Chooch’s departing figure before falling against each other in a heap of giggles.
“How does she do that?”
“I’m not sure.” Avery leaned down, clutching her stomach as another wave of laughter overtook her. “But I’m quite positive I’ve never thought of Hooch McGilvray as a master of the female orgasm.”
“Maybe they’ll erect a statue in his honor next to the Love Monument.”
Avery and Jess collapsed in a fresh heap of giggles at the innuendo as well as the image. It was only when a deep voice interrupted them that Avery came back to her surroundings.
“You both look like you’re having a good time. Can I get you fresh beers?”
“Ronnie. Hi.”
“Hi.” His smile was as broad as his wide, T-shirt-clad chest, and Avery wondered once more why she couldn’t see the man past her image of him in Garfield pajamas. “I can only assume Chooch was dispensing advice?”
“Was she ever.” Jess mock shuddered before she made the inevitable ploy to remove herself from the conversation. “I need to get going. I’m going to give the bride and groom a big kiss and then I have to get home and get the food put together for poker night.”
“How’d you get roped into that?” Avery shot her a dark look even as she kept her tone bright, fun and oh so slightly manic.
“Because I love my man and want him to have the bestest poker night ever.”
“That doesn’t sound like you’re following Chooch’s advice.”
Jess smiled—broad and wide—and shook her head as she walked backward across the grass. “Ask me if I care.”
Avery shook her head as she watched Jess float off. “She’s really happy.”
“She is.” Ronnie nodded. “I meant it about that beer. Can I get you one?”
A quick glance down at her nearly full bottle and Avery shook her head. “I’m good for now. Are you enjoying the party?”
“I am. I was in and out of the wedding because we had to get the bar ready last night for anyone who was coming in afterward, so it’s nice to be out here enjoying the day.”
“It was a great wedding.”
“You looked beautiful.” He took a sip of his beer. “In your bridesmaid dress.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“Oh yeah. It was quite a party.”
They stood together in awkward silence before Ronnie nodded toward a group of kids playing a round of touch football. “My brother, Mike, is beside himself about the hockey lessons this week. He can’t stop talking about it. He’s really good and this should help him get a whole lot better.”
“I’ve heard several kids talking about it.”
“It’s awfully nice of Roman to do it.”
Avery heard the stiff formality in his tone and smiled. She knew Roman wasn’t Ronnie’s favorite person, so the fact he could see something good in the lessons was yet another sign Ronnie was a stand-up guy. “It is.”
“So, um, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a beer some night or something. I don’t have to work every night, and it’s been really pretty this summer. We could grab a picnic or burgers from the diner or something.”
“Oh. Well. Um, I’d need to check my calendar. Susan’s taking a lot of nights off in the coming weeks because of Roman being home and, well, um.”
She saw his tentative smile hover in place, even as he put a few feet of distance between them, and wanted to shoot herself between the eyes.
Damn it, why couldn’t she do this? And why did it have to hurt someone else in the process?
“Sure. Well, it’s no big deal. Just drop in to the bar some night if you change your mind.”
“Maybe I will.”
She watched Ronnie amble away and felt like the lowest scum. How had a polite rejection—albeit a poorly worded one—managed to hurt him so badly?
And why couldn’t she just take what was being offered?
She was young and healthy and vibrant and interesting and—damn it—why was she unable to just do something crazy and fling-worthy?
“Your admirer had his puppy-dog eyes on.”
Avery turned to see Roman standing next to her and every unpleasant thought running through her head coalesced into a fiery ball of anger. “Shut up.”
“It’s a joke, Avery.”
“It’s mean and unnecessary. You’re the big, bad hockey god so you have no fucking idea what it’s like for the rest of us.”
Alarm painted his features as he turned toward her. “Look, I wasn’t trying to be nasty. And what the hell does the fact that I play hockey have to do with anything?”
“It’s the bigger point. Not everyone’s blessed with a larger-than-life existence. He’s a nice guy.”
“So go out with him.”
“I don’t want to go out with him.”
“So what are you all up in my grill for about it?”
“I wish I wanted to go out with him.”
The anger in his eyes changed as his brows slashed further over those green orbs, and Avery knew she was looking at the distinct notes of jealousy reflecting back at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The conversation was so absurd—almost as absurd as the fact that she was actually having it with Roman—that she threw up her hands and took off for the edge of the field.
She’d hurt Ronnie’s feelings and had put her own on display in the process.
And damn it, she’d gone and ruined a perfectly good afternoon in a hot new dress.
Chapter Eight
An unpleasant surge of frustration, anger and misery carried Avery across the town square and back to the hotel. She could only thank the heavens everyone was so wrapped up in getting in line for the fresh burgers coming off the grill that they didn’t pay her much attention as she stalked off the town square.
She hit the parking lot of the hotel and realized she wanted to head back inside as much as she wanted a root canal. A quick glance at the Jitters had her reconsidering.
An oversized mocha would go a long way toward assuaging some of her anger and guilt. It wouldn’t fix it, but the chocolate therapy would at least make for delicious company as she tortured herself replaying the afternoon over and over in her mind.
The Jitters was practically empty, as she’d expected it to be, and she couldn’t hold back the smile at the teenager’s resigned face behind the counter. On one hand, she looked happy to have something to do, and on the other, she seemed moderately irritated to have her issue of Seventeen magazine interrupted.
The girl—Stacy, Avery thought her name was—handed over the extra-large mocha and beelined for her magazine. Avery turned to grab a few napkins when her gaze alighted on Trina Detweiler.
For the briefest instant,
Avery couldn’t hold back the thought that something looked really wrong, but then Trina caught sight of her and her expression changed.
“Trina. Hey.”
“Hey.”
“You okay?”
“Of course.”
“What are you doing in here?”
Trina’s slim shoulders went up and down. “I felt like a coffee.”
“Oh. Me, too.” Since she was doing the same, Avery figured she couldn’t quite argue the point, but it was still odd.
Trina was usually in the middle of everything, so it was a surprise to see her holed up in the empty coffee shop while the party raged on outside in the square.
Add on that Avery was picking up on an inexplicable sense of sadness that had softened Trina’s features and made her normal, barracuda-like features almost human—and she couldn’t help but wonder what she’d walked in on.
“You want some company?”
“If you want.”
For the life of her, Avery had no idea why she’d asked the question or why she was sitting down, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.
“That’s a pretty dress. Those colors look great on you.”
“Thanks. Sloan’s inspiration.” Avery looked down and smoothed the skirt. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
“This town is so boring, I miss having Kate around, and I’m just not feeling very celebratory. That about sums it up.”
While she knew all of those things were true, she couldn’t quite believe Trina wasn’t holding something else back. But she opted for a slightly different tack. “Grier said Kate’s doing well.”
“She is. And I’m so happy for her.” Trina looked up from her foamy coffee. “Really happy for her. But I miss her.”
“I think Grier does, too.”
“And it doesn’t sound like she’s coming back anytime soon. New York’s her new home. Not that I blame her.”
“You should go visit her.”
“The last thing she needs is a visitor as she’s trying to set up house with Jason.”
“You’re friends. She’d be happy to have you.”
“May . . . Maybe I’ll look into it.”
Avery heard the slight hitch and wondered what else was at play. Was it the money?
While most everyone managed to get by, Indigo wasn’t a bastion of wealth by any means. Everyone worked pretty hard for what they had, but most people weren’t traveling the world, either. Could that be what had Trina down?
Before she could dwell on it, Trina shifted the conversation. “Speaking of new relationships, what’s going on with you and Roman?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh come on. The two of you generate so much heat it’s surprising the whole town doesn’t go up in flames.”
“It’s not like that.”
“So what’s it like?”
Avery took a sip of her coffee and tried to figure out what she wanted to say. She and Trina had never been close, and if you added on the woman’s inability to keep a confidence, she was likely to have whatever Avery said repeated across town in a flash.
On the other hand, no one seemed to believe her when she said nothing was going on, so maybe she needed to be more specific.
“Just because Roman and I have a history doesn’t mean we have a present. It also doesn’t mean we’re not friends.”
“You two always just sort of fit.”
“Yeah.”
“So why haven’t you kept in touch? Seems to me, if you had a friendship that was that good and that strong, a few thousand miles shouldn’t get in the way.”
“It’s complicated.”
Trina’s gaze sharpened and Avery realized that there was a whole lot more going on behind those blue eyes than anyone ever gave the woman credit for. “Lots of stuff’s complicated. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”
“Trina. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yep. I’m sure.”
“Okay. Well, I’m going to get back.” Avery stood and was surprised to feel Trina’s hand on her forearm.
“Avery?”
“Yeah?”
“Look. I know we’ve never been close and that dumb stunt I pulled in high school before Roman left sort of ensured a friendship would be impossible. But if you really have feelings for him, don’t let the past keep you from your future. I think you have a real shot with him.”
“Oh . . . okay. Thanks.”
Trina dropped her hand. “I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, you, too.”
Avery thought about the conversation as she walked back to the hotel and long after she’d curled up on her couch with her coffee. Trina wasn’t the first to tell her to focus on her future—heck, her friends had been saying it since the previous winter.
But it felt different coming from someone who was essentially a stranger.
Maybe Trina had a point.
And what was with Trina’s weird mood? Despite years of annoyance or, at best, indifference toward the woman, Avery couldn’t help hoping whatever had put the distinct notes of sadness in her eyes would resolve itself soon.
• • •
Roman was still fuming over horseshoes at Avery’s determined march off the square. He’d played a few rounds—poorly—and had resigned himself to a position of watching.
While he fumed.
Jess crossed the square, a bag of ice in hand, and Roman waved her over. He reached for the ice as she came to a halt.
“I’ll hold that.”
“I totally forgot it and had to come back. Thanks. It’s heavier than it looks.”
“What was that about before? Was Ronnie giving Avery a hard time?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh come on. Ronnie was looking at Avery like he could eat her up.”
“And well he should. She looks gorgeous.” Jess gave him a good hit to the shoulder. “Like you don’t feel the same way. And if it bothers you so bad, why weren’t you there hitting on her?”
“I—” Roman broke off, then switched tactics. “I want to know what Ronnie said to her. She yelled at me for not understanding and then stomped off, upset.”
Jess’s face fell at that as she turned to look back across the wide, open lawn. “When I left them to head home, they were just talking.”
“Well something happened.”
“I don’t know, Roman. I left to give them some privacy. They seemed fine.”
At the implication that there was some reason to give Avery and Ronnie privacy, Roman felt his entire body go cold.
Damn it.
He’d thought the kid was over this stupid fascination with Avery, but clearly not.
Jess’s eyes narrowed as she watched him. “What’s this all about, Roman?”
“Nothing.”
“Really? Because she’s entitled to some attention. She’s young and attractive, and since you’ve chosen to do nothing, the girl deserves someone who will put himself on the line. Ronnie likes her. He always has.”
“Jess.” Jack approached and laid a hand on his fiancée’s arm, his broad smile an indicator he’d not heard their conversation.
The easy comfort was a good thing to see, not to mention a long time coming. Jack’s first wife, Molly, had passed away several years back from cancer and it was only the previous winter Jack and Jessica had found their way to each other.
“What’s up, babe?”
She shot Roman one final look that could have fried his shoes before turning toward Jack. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I need to go get set up at home.”
She gave Jack a quick kiss before grabbing the bag of ice and stalking off in the same path Avery had taken. Jack’s eyes followed her, his jaw slack with surprise. “What the hell did you say to her?”
“Nothing, Jack.”
“She doesn’t get mad like that unless we’re talking paint colors. Seriously, what the hell happened?”
“I just asked where Avery went and she went off on me about not b
eing jealous over Ronnie’s interest.”
“Are you?”
“Fuck, Jack.” Roman took a few steps back from the crowd that had gathered around the horseshoes. Although he didn’t think the assembled crowd was all that interested in his raging hormones, you couldn’t be too sure in Indigo. “I don’t know.”
“She’s entitled to live her life. And she’s done more than enough waiting around for you.”
“Has she?”
Jack screwed up his face, lines forming on his forehead as he scratched at his cheek. “Waiting’s not necessarily the right word, but she’s been in some weird holding pattern. Her mom took a lot out of her and then the grief afterward. It’s like it’s finally her turn, you know?”
“Is this your professional opinion, Dr. Rafferty?”
Jack did grin at that. “Molly had her thoughts and now Jess does, too. Maybe I’ve just gotten more vocal about sharing my opinions. Especially the ones that matter.”
“Do you think they’re right?”
“Look. What do I know? I spent so much time, almost too much time, ignoring the wonderful opportunity right in front of me.”
“So you’re saying Avery shouldn’t waste any more time.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Avery’s a great girl. She deserves better than to be stuck here if she’d like something else.”
“Stuck here?”
The assessment caught Roman up short. Of all the things he’d ever imagined, he’d never thought of Avery as stuck in Indigo. She was a part of things.
In his mind, despite his family being here, Indigo was defined by Avery.
Did she really want something else?
• • •
Roman was still fuming on the idea of Avery going anywhere as he walked back into the hotel to get ready for his poker night. He’d picked up a bouquet at Tasty’s as a peace offering to Jess. The fact the man carried flowers in a bait shop was almost too strange for Roman to wrap his head around, but he was glad there was someplace in town to get flowers, and the yellow roses were surprisingly fresh-looking.
“Well, well, who are those for?”
