“Is that what’s happening at Gates Corp? Image work?”
Shilah shrugged, his expression hinting that she could be on to something.
“Where are you from originally?” She took in his stunning features and tried to appear nonchalant.
“I was born in Navajoland. My parents are divorced, and my mother raised me in Flagstaff.”
“So you’re Navajo. I will admit I am going to have to look up Navajoland on the internet.” Shilah’s friendly laugh and white smile dazzled her. Avery took another large sip of her drink, needing the burn of hard liquor for courage. She couldn’t recall ever feeling so intimidated by a man. He was striking and competent—a deadly combination.
“Half Navajo. My mother is Welsh, French, and German. I’m a mutt. I don’t fit in anywhere.” He laughed. If he truly believed what he’d said about not fitting in, he didn’t seem too concerned about it.
“How the hell did you end up living in Jefferson Point, Shilah?”
“Work. Mr. Gates brought me in for a couple of consultations and I just couldn’t shake this place. I love the land, the seasons. When he offered me a permanent position, I jumped on it. As a matter of fact, I have considered buying some land a few miles up the river from you. I’m still living out of a hotel until I decide on my house plans. It’s getting a little old.”
Avery pictured him in a hotel bed and blushed.
“Should we go get something to eat?” His eyes shifted to the buffet. “Unless you think Jason would object to us dining together.”
“Jason and I aren’t an item.” Her response was quick and firm. He raised an eyebrow and studied her face.
“Good.” He gestured to the buffet line and she joined him.
“So you work at Stone Valley?” He perused the bounty. Lauren had outdone herself. Avery had no appetite; she was overcome with nerves, being so close to Shilah. She had to force herself to take some food, knowing whatever she took would taste fantastic.
“I’m the Operations Manager. Between the banquet rooms and the restaurant, it’s a year-round job. My father is the owner of the property and manages the homeowner’s association.”
“A family business. Seems like a challenge...”
“It doesn’t work for everyone, but my father and I can pull it off.”
“And your mother?” Shilah looked at her from across the buffet.
“She spends whatever my Dad makes.” Avery regretted the harsh comment as soon as it passed her lips. Shilah wore a surprised expression and stopped in his tracks. “Actually, she chairs several committees in the area and does a lot of volunteering. She’s running for mayor, God help Jefferson Point.”
“You don’t approve?” Shilah continued down the line, but he seemed to watch her reaction carefully. Avery hated to sound negative, but she was a frank person by nature.
“My mother with power is a frightening proposition.”
“No, I mean you don’t seem to approve of her, in general.”
“She went to college and found a husband. Being someone’s missus isn’t my style. I love to earn money. We’re really different and it causes drama.”
“I can see that.” He was unreadable and it was driving her to distraction. As Avery looked for a place to sit, she saw Jason hovering around Nicole and wanted no part of that action, so she led Shilah to the other end of the barn and found an empty table.
“What about your family?” She couldn’t wait to turn the tables and find out more about this enigmatic man.
“I haven’t seen my father in a year. That relationship isn’t the best. My mother’s a teacher. She’s still in Arizona. I’m an only child and it’s rather boring. I’ve always wished I had a large family. I’m jealous of people with tons of siblings and cousins.”
“It can get pretty messy, but I do love my big family. It’s never dull,” she admitted.
“How many siblings do you have?’
“I have a brother and a sister. I had two brothers. Ryan, Nicole’s husband, died a couple of years ago.”
“I’m sorry, Avery. I had no idea.” He winced, obviously embarrassed.
“Of course you didn’t.” She waved it off. When Shilah reluctantly began to pick at his food again, she continued.
“He didn’t just … die. He was taken from us. Gunned down at work.” Saying it out loud, Avery felt uncharacteristically calm. The memory of her father breaking down when the officer told them the details usually made her sob. The detective had revealed that the shooter was in the middle of a custody battle with his wife, a pharmacy tech on the third floor. He’d been carrying enough ammunition to reload at least four times. When Ryan tackled him, the shooter hit his head on a gurney and was knocked out cold. Ryan had been heralded as a hero in the news, having selflessly taken him down before he could harm anyone else.
“I’m not sure my family will ever recover.” She managed to say, after giving Shilah the Reader’s Digest version of the events. Avery stopped and looked up at him. Shocked by what she’d shared with a virtual stranger, it was unthinkable that she’d allowed herself to be so vulnerable. Shilah wore an empathetic expression as he silently locked eyes with her, unflinching. His reaction was a huge weight off of her shoulders. Avery wasn’t sure what she had expected, but she found him bold and likable. As if he’d read her mind, he reached out and placed his hand on hers.
“You seem pretty fearless, Avery. If the rest of your family is half as tough as you are, you all will find your way through this.”
Avery sat speechless for a moment, as clashing emotions overcame her. The subject of Ryan was still an exposed nerve, but Shilah hadn’t run from it like so many other people did. As ferocious as her physical attraction to him was, the combination of that attraction and their compatibility seemed dangerous. She was afraid to say anything; sure it would taint the moment. Fortunately for her, Joy and Aaron appeared with their plates. Aaron was gulping down a second beer.
“Hey, you two!” Joy’s sugary sweet voice instantly got on Avery’s nerves. She was friendly enough and Aaron seemed into her, so she’d suffered her presence along with everyone else. “Can we join you? Aaron wanted a change of scenery.”
Avery looked down at the far side of the barn at the table they’d come from, where Jack and Lauren sat with Nic and Jason. Jason was sitting sideways on the picnic bench, giving Nicole his full court press. Lauren made eye contact with Avery and crossed her eyes. With a curious glance at Aaron, Avery gestured for them to sit.
“So, Jack says you haven’t gone hunting yet. What gives?” Aaron took the seat next to Shilah.
“He’s been too busy getting ready for this. We’re going next weekend. Wanna come?” Shilah replied, and Avery could tell the two men were familiar with each other by their casual demeanor. It seemed everyone else in town already knew Shilah.
“Maybe. This is my busy season. But what fun is it to be your own boss if you can’t delegate?” Aaron shrugged.
“That’s right, sugar.” Joy chimed in and turned her attention to Avery.
As the men continued to discuss archery and bow hunting, Avery stuffed food in her mouth and attempted to nod at appropriate times as Joy blathered on about her cute new purse. She saw Nicole look in her direction several times. It seemed she was contemplating an escape from Jason, but she looked conflicted. After several more minutes of Jason invading her personal space, it appeared that Nicole had finally decided Joy and Aaron were the lesser of two evils. She headed in their direction with her nearly untouched plate.
“Hey.” Avery nodded to her as Nicole took the empty seat next to Aaron.
“Hi,” Aaron quietly greeted Nicole. Avery sensed it as Joy bristled next to her. She couldn’t blame Joy, and actually felt sympathy for her, given that the chemistry between Aaron and Nicole was palpable. As if confirming her interpretation, Shilah’s eyes shifted to Joy. When he made eye contact with Avery, she could tell he was entertained.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,” J
oy said to Nicole. Her saccharine sweet voice had an edge to it, and the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“Nicole Harper.” Nic smiled and they shook hands across the table. Somehow Nicole always seemed able to be nice, which astounded Avery. She’d never noticed the resemblance before, but seeing them together, the two women looked enough alike they could have been related.
“Joy La Rue. I’m Aaron’s girlfriend.”
“So you’re the one with the excellent taste. You have a great eye—I love what you’ve done at the cottage.”
It was an innocent comment which Avery knew she meant as a genuine compliment, but Aaron and Joy’s reactions nearly made her choke on her potato salad. Aaron’s eyes flew wide with surprise and Joy shot him a fuming look. Obviously, Joy hadn’t known he’d had another woman in his cottage. Fortunately, before another word was spoken, the loud sound of an electric guitar interrupted the conversation.
“Looks like the band’s finally here,” Avery half-shouted over the monotonous sounds of each note being played over and over again as the guitarists tuned. Joy proceeded to politely grill Nicole with a barrage of questions, such as how she’d ended up in Jefferson Point. As Nicole answered all of her questions, Aaron seemed to become more and more uncomfortable. He virtually squirmed in his seat. She and Shilah exchanged knowing smirks, as Joy continued for several minutes with the ferocity of a Nazi interrogator, but with the demeanor of a southern belle. Avery saw Jason approaching and did her best not to react, as he swooped in and wrapped an arm around Nicole, who had finally managed to take a bite of her food. Jason leaned in and whispered something in Nicole’s ear and her eyes widened. She covered her mouth and gave him a surprised sideways glance.
The afternoon continued with a variety of activities and an endless supply of booze. Nicole actively avoided Aaron after Avery pointed out Joy’s outrage on a trip to the restroom. It hadn’t occurred to Nicole that a woman as confident as Joy would be threatened by her brief visit to Aaron’s cottage. She was equally surprised that Aaron would have kept her visit a secret. Feeling embarrassed and stupid, she kept her distance from the couple, not wanting to make any more waves.
Jason kept her pretty busy. His extreme efforts to make Avery jealous were embarrassing; the more he drank, the more physically bold he became. The more Nicole drank and watched Joy hang all over Aaron, the more bummed out she was and the less she demurred at Jason’s advances. During a brief respite from his groping when the guys assembled a touch football game, she sat with Lauren and reflected about her brief past with Jason.
The only thing Nicole and Jason had ever had in common was physical attraction. The short time she’d dated him in high school had been her lame attempt to lash out at Ryan for saying they should see other people after he’d been at college for a couple of months. Their version of dating had been four months of making out whenever possible and she’d actually been careless enough to have sex with Jason a few times before they finally broke up at the junior prom. She and Avery were double dating that night and they got ready at Harper Manor. Nicole went downstairs for a drink and she overheard a conversation between Avery’s mom and Jason’s mom.
“She’s attractive in a vulgar way,” Jason’s mother said. “You should be grateful Ryan broke up with her. Now I just need to keep my Jason from knocking her up.”
She heard Ryan’s mom laugh and the ice cubes of her drink rattled against one another.
“Yes. The last thing either one of our sons needs is to be trapped by a tawdry piece of ass from the wrong side of the tracks.”
Nicole broke it off with Jason that night and he moved on to the next girl without much fanfare. It wasn’t until college that Avery and Jason became an item, and by that time their little high school fling was old news.
Avery and Shilah had been joined at the hip. They seemed to be hitting it off, and not wanting to cramp Aves’ style as a third wheel, Nicole reluctantly hung out with Jason. Aaron obviously wasn’t an option. With the exception of a couple of conversations with old acquaintances and a couple of welcome saves from Lauren, she’d been with Jason all day and was thankful for the much needed break the football game provided.
Once dusk fell and the band began to play, Jason hadn’t let her out of his sight. The moment the music started, he pulled her out on the dance floor. The band played a mix of southern classic rock and country. Jason was a skilled dancer and took advantage of his abilities to let his hands wander. Nicole became more uncomfortable by the minute and was ready to escape.
At this point in the night, only adults remained at the party. The band invited the ever-popular Aaron Foster up on stage to sing with them. Jason had gone to get them refills, and Nicole was poised for an escape to hide in Lauren’s house, but she had to hear Aaron sing. She took a seat near the door by Jules. The band began to play “You and Me” by Lifehouse. The moment Aaron opened his mouth to sing, she practically fell over; his voice was exceptional and sent chills up and down her spine. Hearing him sing took her back. Aaron often sang overly dramatic love songs to lighten the mood when she was fighting with Ryan. Nicole closed her eyes and let the sound of his magnificent talent wash over her. Moments later, she felt someone nudge her and cracked an eye open. Jules smirked at her and nodded her head in Aaron’s direction. He was staring directly at her as he sang. Nicole tried to look away from him and failed miserably. She could feel many eyes on her, but Aaron was all she could focus on. Thankfully the song ended and with a dimpled smile toward the crowd, he left the stage.
With barely a moment’s pause, the familiar chords of “Raise Your Glass” got the crowd riled up and much cheering ensued. Lauren and Avery were up dancing on the bar like Jefferson Point’s version of Coyote Ugly. Jason, still at the bar, appeared distracted by Avery’s display. Nicole used this welcome diversion to flee into the night.
She wandered away from the noisy barn into the darkness. She looked up at the clear sky and was floored at the sight of the stars. Having been in the city as long as she had, she’d nearly forgotten that it was possible to spot the constellations with the naked eye. She and Ryan used to stargaze when they snuck out together, and he’d tell her how he was going to give her the world. A chill overcame her, and she felt her eyes start to well up with tears when she heard voices approaching. In a last-ditch effort to avoid Jason, she darted between two bushes and waited for the approaching partiers to pass by.
“Can’t you just drop it? We’re here to have a good time.” It was Aaron heading her way and he sounded annoyed.
“I will if you’ll just talk to me, Aaron. Sugar, you’ve been acting strange. I don’t understand what’s changed. Two weeks ago we were talking about moving in together.” Joy’s voice wasn’t quite as sappy when she was angry, but it was still recognizable.
“I wouldn’t call you taking a key off my ring a discussion on moving in together.”
“You certainly didn’t argue.” As Joy said this, they came into her line of sight and stopped right next to the bushes she was hiding behind. Nicole pressed herself against the house. If they spotted her, she would die of embarrassment.
“But then you rarely object to anything I say when I have my hands here.” Joy’s voice took on an entirely different quality and Nicole immediately looked away as she saw where Joy’s hands had traveled. There was a flurry of movement in her peripheral vision and Nicole turned back to see that Aaron had Joy by the wrists.
“This isn’t the time or the place.” Aaron seemed irritated. By the lights from the nearby shop, Nicole could see Joy’s expression of shock turn to disdain.
“It’s that Nicole, isn’t it? She turns up and suddenly I don’t exist!”
“Leave her out of this, Joy.”
“Ever since she was at your place you haven’t wanted to touch me. I don’t get it. What does she have that I don’t, besides a squalling brat and dead husband?”
Nicole could feel her cheeks burning as she felt like she’d been stabbed in the chest. She watche
d silently as Aaron’s face went expressionless, which she knew was a bad sign. He let go of Joy’s wrists as if she were a leper.
“Well, for one thing, she has class.” His tone was calm but firm, and Joy looked as if he’d slapped her. She turned and attempted to stalk away in the direction of the party, but due to her obnoxiously high heels, she twisted her ankle and let out a string of unladylike swear words. Aaron turned the opposite direction and stormed away deeper into the darkness. Nicole waited against the house for a few minutes, her mind racing. Could it be true that she was the cause of Aaron’s sudden attitude change? She felt all tingly and bit her lip to keep from smiling. Thinking it through for a few minutes, Nicole dismissed this idea. If he truly were interested in her, he wouldn’t have brought Joy in the first place. This sobering realization soured her mood and she sighed, relaxing back against the house. Feeling blue, she remained in her hiding spot until she was sure enough time had passed so that she could come out into the open.
Avery danced suggestively as she and Lauren played off of each other, whipping the largely male crowd into frenzy. To Avery’s astonishment, Lauren stopped dancing and chucked her aluminum beer bottle at some girl that had cozied up to Jack, her hand on his chest. Jack held Lauren back with one arm, as she jumped down off the bar and went after the girl who had the good sense to scamper off like a cockroach when the lights come on.
Avery ended her dance and the crowd and even the band applauded wildly. Shilah watched her with rapt attention. He offered his hand to help her down from the bar and when she took it, he swiftly pulled her into his arms and placed her on her feet as if she were light as a feather. She was ashamed for a minute at how much she loved being handled like a delicate flower.
When did I become such a girly girl?
“Wanna get a breath of fresh air?” he murmured in her ear and she shivered as his hot breath made her hair stand on end. She nodded. They passed Jack and Lauren, who were making out by the bar. As Shilah and Avery made their way to the door, they saw Joy shuffle into the barn, limping. She looked furious and she bumped into Jason, who paused to look at her curiously before he stumbled out of the barn. Avery slowed her approach to the door to give Jason a head start so she could be alone with Shilah.
The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life Page 7
