by Remy Blake
“I’m going to go grab a coffee, want anything Ave?” Lucy asks.
“No thanks,” I call out.
Turning to look back at mom, I’m at a loss of words of what to say and what to do.
There’s so much flooding my mind. So many apologies that need to be said and more promises that need to be made. Mom might be alive, but this is just the beginning of a long and hard road ahead of her. Rehab will be both exhausting and rewarding, and I can’t leave that responsibility on mom and Lucy alone. Especially when Jeremiah is so young and needs so much attention.
“Are you okay?” Luce’s sympathetic and curious voice floats through the silent room.
I shrug, “I can’t shake the guilt, you know?”
“You shouldn’t be feeling guilty at all.”
“How do you not resent me for never being here? Not helping you, mom and Jeremiah out?”
I hear footsteps come closer and the scraping of the seat along the vinyl floor behind me. “It’s hard to resent you when there was nothing you could’ve done for me anyway,” she says. “Would I have loved to have my sister closer? Of course. But mom was living her life and I was living mine. With or without you I’m always going to be a single mom. That was my choice and having people around is a bonus, but I never expect it or feel like it’s owed to me.” A loud exhausted sigh fills the room. “And mom was on my watch, I was here to take care of her and she still had the stroke. So please explain how being here would’ve made any difference?” There’s no animosity or disappointment in her voice. As usual my sister is a realist and she’s just stating the facts.
“Maybe you’re right,” I tell her. “But I still think I should stay.”
“Just stay for the right reasons, okay? Because you would be giving up a lot to live here, and while Mom, Jer and I are great, the excitement may wear off.”
“Well there’s no end date just yet, so we’ll take every day as it comes, right?”
“Right.”
“Gosh you two talk a lot.” Mom’s gravelly voice interrupts our conversation and three smiles light up the room.
“Hey Mom,” Lucy and I say in unison. Lucy moves her chair from behind me to the other side of the bed. “How you feeling?” I ask.
“Like a million bucks,” she jokes.
“Did the doctors say anymore than what they told us last night?”
“Not that I can remember. The medicine keeps me asleep longer than it keeps me awake.” She stops mid sentence catching her breath, “but I’m sure they’ll tell me soon. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
After a long pause, mom starts up again. “Ave, honey. You don’t need to stay here.”
“I see your ears are working just fine,” I say sarcastically
“I’m serious,” she says, sternly. “I haven’t forgotten how adamant you were to leave this place, and I will not be responsible for you staying.”
“I don’t hate it that much.”
“Ah, yeah you do.” Lucy chimes in. I think back to how eager I was to get out of Piney View, and I guess I didn’t hide how much I hated this place back then. Looking back, I’m disgusted at my whiny selfish self. There’s a difference between chasing your dreams and being a selfish brat - I think eighteen year old me missed the memo.
“You two been driving each other crazy spending all this time together?” Mom asks.
“Ave’s job with Wes keeps her busy.”
“Wes, Wes?”
“How many Wes’ do we know mom?”
I push the chair back and rise from my seat, “I’m going to get a shitty sandwich from the cafeteria and see if there’s a doctor around to give us an update.”
“You don’t want to tell mom about Wes?” Lucy teases.
“Nothing to tell,” I call over my shoulder as I walk out the room.
Out into the corridor, I walk toward the nurses station to see if I can find anyone to give me an update. I stop and stare when I see a familiar figure in front of me. Leaning against the desk, looking perplexed as he scrolls through his phone, is Wes. I guess the age old saying is true, speak of the devil and the devil shall appear.
What is he doing here? And why am I so fucking happy to see him?
16
Wes
“Can I help you?”
My head raises from my never ending stream of messages on my phone to glance at the nurse speaking to me. I smile sheepishly. I didn’t realize anyone was sitting here. “No, sorry. I’m here to visit a family friend. I didn’t mean to stand right in front of you.”
“No problem.” She flashes me a flirtatious smile. “I’ve had much worse views.”
I chuckle and then as I back away I catch sight of Avery coming toward me. The smile on her face fades as she notices the nurse. Is she jealous? If she is then that would mean she cares about me in some way. I hope that’s the case.
Turning around, I head straight for Avery and I can’t keep the smile off my face. I’m happy to see her. After last night, it feels like things have somehow shifted between us, like we’re more friends than adversaries. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
She stops walking, pausing in place until I’m right in front of her. “Hi,” she says, averting her eyes. Is she embarrassed about confiding in me last night?
“Hey, how’s your mom doing today?”
“She’s great. She’s speaking clearly and her mind seems to be unaffected by the stroke. I don’t really know any more than what I’ve observed with my own eyes. I was just on my way to find the doctor to see if I could get some answers.”
“I’ll come with you,” I say longing to be in her company for as long as possible. I missed not seeing her this morning. I like seeing her sitting at her desk whenever I walk into the office.
“Thank you for listening last night and not running the other way.” We start down the corridor.
“I’m always here for you, Avery. You can talk to me anytime you want.”
“I appreciate that. I didn’t mean to crash on you. I think I was just emotionally exhausted.”
“Don’t apologize. It was the highlight of my day.”
She giggles. “Sure it was. You must have had a boring day.”
“Really. I’m glad that you trust me enough to fall asleep in my arms.” I turn my head and glance in her direction as we make our way down the long hallway. Her cheeks are flushed an attractive shade of pink. “You can sleep on me anytime you want.”
Her head whips in my direction and I wink when our eyes connect. She bites on her lip to stop the smile that’s fighting to appear.
The doctor steps out of a room as we approach and Avery flags him down to talk. I take the opportunity to hang back and study her appearance. She’s wearing worn, cutoff shorts and a t-shirt that says California Girl on it. Those words are a great reminder that any time I have with her is limited. I need to take what I can get because if I let this opportunity slip through my grasp, I’ll never know what being with her is like. Some time with Avery beats none at all. I need to get my ass in gear and go for it. When did I lose my ladykiller mojo? I’ve never had a problem going for what I want. I’ve never been someone who second guesses themselves. That’s only since Avery came back. I set my sights on a goal, I make it happen and she needs to be no different. I’ve already got her on the hook, now I just need to reel her in.
She shakes the doctor’s hand, heading in my direction. She smiles and I can tell she got good news. “My mom’s going to make a full recovery.” Crashing into my chest, she wraps her arms around me and breaths out a loud sigh of relief. “I was so worried.”
My arms surround her, pulling her close. “I’m so glad to hear that. Now you have nothing to be concerned about.”
She glances up at me, her chin resting on my chest. “They’re going to send her to rehab for a week or so to regain her strength and then she can go home.”
Her eyes sparkle with happiness. I’m happy for her family, but I can’t help wonder what kind of
timeline her mom’s speedy recovery will mean for us. Will she be returning to California sooner than I anticipated? Fuck. I need to put the full court press on her, whatever that entails. There’s no time like the present to start.
“Hey, what d’ya say you let me take you out to dinner to celebrate?”
“You want to take me to dinner?”
“Of course I do. This surprises you why?”
“I don’t know. I guess because half the time I drive you crazy.”
“Avery, you drive me crazy in the best of ways.”
“Oh,” she says then presses her lips together.
“So what d’ya say? Can I take you out for dinner tonight? We can go wherever you want.”
She doesn’t answer me at first. I can practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she works through her answer. “Okay, I’ll go to dinner with you on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“I want to go someplace I’ve never been before and the food is out this world.”
I smile. “I know just the place.”
“I wasn’t sure what to wear. You didn’t give me any clues,” she says as I open the passenger door to my truck for her. Placing my hands on her hips, I help her climb inside, enjoying the feel of her curves under my palms way too much.”
“You look great. Shorts are actually perfect for where we’re going. It’s casual and I’m pretty sure you’ve never been there before since they just built it last year. I don’t think they have a location in California.”
“Hmm, well now my interest is piqued,” she says as I slide in the driver’s side. Flashing her a quick grin, I start the engine and we’re on our way. “The place I’m taking you is about fifteen miles away. I’ve only been there once and it was for a bachelor party. It’s entertaining and the food is great.”
“You better not be taking me to a strip club. I know you’re a caveman, but you can’t be that out of touch.”
I bark out a laugh. “I’m not taking you to a strip club. At least not for dinner. If you want to go later we can.”
“Gee, can we?” She rolls her eyes.
“Tonight is all about you. I want you to have a good time and let loose a little.”
“Hmm,” she hums through lips that are pressed together.
“That’s not very convincing. Trust me when I say you’re going to have a great time.”
“Which one are you rooting for?”
“The one in red. His horse is gorgeous and he’s not bad either.”
My eyes take in the beauty of his black horse before moving up to look him over. He’s a medium build guy with longish, curly brown hair. “You’re rooting for Orlando Bloom?” I question with a chuckle. She doesn’t laugh, just hits me in the chest with the back of her hand, never taking her eyes off the dude.
“Get him, get him,” she yells, bouncing in her seat when both horsemen begin riding full speed at each other for the jousting match. She gasps at the sound of their lances clashing against their metal shields. The riders immediately head back to their starting points, preparing to do it all over again. Her hands rub her thighs, a nervous tell of hers. I grab her hand, wrapping mine around it and resting it on her thigh.
She holds her breath as the two horses begin galloping and she doesn’t seem to inhale again until after the match is over. The Orlando look alike wins when the other guy’s lance breaks in two.
“I can’t believe you brought me here.” Her eyes are wide as she glances around Medieval Way. Is she disappointed? I can’t gauge her mood.
“Why?”
“This is the coolest place I’ve ever been. It’s awesome. I can’t believe this is a restaurant. What else do they have besides jousting?”
“They have hand to hand combat and sword fights. One of those should be next.” Picking up my beer bottle, I sip the cool liquid and silently celebrate my decision to bring her here. She’s having fun and that’s the most important thing.
17
Avery
I need another drink. More alcohol probably isn’t going to help, but I need some space from Wes and going to the bar is a great excuse. With our hands wrapped up together, I do my very best to appear unaffected. But between being this close to him and the adrenaline from watching these hot guys jousting; the blood rushing through my body has me feeling like I’m about to combust.
I stand up, and our hands remain linked. He squeezes my fingers in between his, and his eyes are full of unspoken longing and confusion.
“Where you going?”
“I’m just going to get a drink, I’ll be right back,” I tell him.
He stands, and gestures for me to sit down. “If you need a drink, let me get it for you.”
“I don’t mind,” I stammer. “I’ve got to call Lucy anyway. Do you want anything on my way back?”
“Here,” he says, trying to hand me some money.
“Seriously, Wes? Were having a good time, don’t fuck it up with some archaic tradition.”
He shakes his head, and puts the money back in his pocket, and picks up his beer, “in that case, another one of these would do.”
“Gotcha, I’ll be back soon.” I bend down and grab my wallet and phone out of my bag and walk toward the bar.
After putting in the drink order and paying, I lean on the bar and send a quick text to Lucy asking how mom is and what her and Jeremiah are doing tonight. And just for an extra distraction I open the Timber app and fire off a text to BigBadWolf. I really do need to ask him his name, because everytime I think BigBadWolf I think I’m on Tumblr and not Timber.
Me: Hey, how are you? I hope you’ve had a good day.
My phone beeps and vibrates with a response quicker than I thought.
BigBadWolf: Hey, It started off rocky, but it’s really looking up. You?
Me: It’s been really great actually. I’m just out with my boss.
BigBadWolf: The guy you hate? On a date?
Me: I don’t hate him. And it’s more like friends out to dinner
BigBadWolf: You were singing a different tune yesterday. What changed?
Me: I don’t know, he’s been extra nice?
BigBadWolf: Maybe he is actually nice?
Me: Whatever.
BigBadWolf: Are you having a good time at least?
Me: Maybe too good
BigBadWolf: Is there such thing?
Me: I’ve got to get back to the table, break time is over.
Looking up a bottle of beer and my glass of wine are sitting there waiting on their lonesome. Putting my phone and wallet under my arm, I grab both drinks and make my way back to Wes. Once the path clears, I have a direct line of sight to him staring at his phone while drinking his beer. I’m about ten steps away when he lifts his head and our eyes lock on one another. Something is changing between us and I need to make the choice of where to take it. Putting my head down, I walk the rest of the way, I can’t have him looking at me like that.
Being here alone, away from everyone and everything; the past slips away and we’re just two people fighting an undeniable attraction. Well, I’m fighting it, but Wes is taking any chance he can, to tell me he wants this to happen.
I place the drinks in the middle of the table and slowly take my seat. Sitting in silence I let the cool liquid slide down my throat. This whole celebratory dinner feels like it’s moving too fast. My mind has gone from ‘oh, what a great place’ to ‘How long do I gotta wait till he kisses me?’
“So, how was work today?” I ask Wes. Hoping to change the direction of my thoughts and focus on something else.
“We survived,” he says with a smirk.
“I’m impressed.”
“You would be. You know we’re going to be just fine when you go,” he taunts.
“You act like I care what happens to you or your business.”
“Oh, I know you do. That’s why you had to veto all the applicants.” His voice laced with sarcasm. I can feel the familiar tension building between us. Th
is is our foreplay.
“You don’t want a dud.”
“No, I would rather you stay,” he says honestly.
“Because seeing you everyday is on my list of things to do,” I retort.
“You know I can read you like an open book.” He smirks.
“You can’t read shit.” He leans forward and instinctively I lean and meet him in the middle.
“You mean you think I can’t tell that you’re trying to pretend you’re not having a good time?”
“I told you I was having a good time,” I argue.
“You forgot to add the part where you say you were having a good time, with me.” He says, as he points to his chest.
“You wish.”
“Actually, I do. Would it be so hard to admit you like me?”
“Like you?” I echo.
“Want me, maybe?”
“That’s a stretch,” I scoff. Our faces are so close, our breaths mingling with one another.
“Like I said I can read you and your body language, just fine.” His voice is low and gravelly, pushing on every single button. He knows when he antagonizes me, I automatically have to have the upper hand. The ball has to be in my court and I need to have the last say.
I lightly tug on his beard and pull him closer to me, I lick my lips and decide to give in to the heady intoxication of the alcohol and the high I’ve felt all night from being around him. Catching him off guard and doing something he leasts expects.
“Wait.”
“What,” I say in shock
“Get up and walk to the car.”
“What the fuck, Wes?”
“Just for once Avery, do what I fucking say,” he demands.
I stand up and take a deep breath. Grabbing my bag, I walk to the car, the cool breeze soothing the heat radiating off my skin. Leaning my back against his car, I close my eyes and wait for Wes.
I feel him before I see him, and my breathing picks up. I try and keep my eyes closed, hoping I can hold on to my control for a little bit longer. When his body is directly in front of mine, I open my eyes. His stare is blazing; lust and desire unable to be hidden. With his hands on either side of me, he lowers his head to my ear and whispers, “When I finally get you into my bed, I’m going to have a great time teaching you how to follow my instructions.”
