Inconvenient Attraction

by Zuri Day

  The two entered the club. For the remainder of the cocktail hour, Avery and Cayden separated to work the room. Avery distributed several of her newly designed business cards offering her freelance services. Dinner was sublime. Halfway through it, the ceremony began. The mayor welcomed everyone. A local teenager sang the national anthem. Last year, the talented girl tagged as “the small body with a big voice” had taken third place on a national reality-TV talent competition show. When Cayden was recognized as one of five businesspersons of the year and named Shining Star of Point du Sable, Avery couldn’t have been prouder. That he included her in his brief acceptance speech as a critical key to his fundraiser’s success made her heart swell.

  “Did you have a good time?” Cayden asked as they said their goodbyes to friends and peers and prepared to leave.

  “It was a wonderful evening. Great for networking. I enjoyed myself.”

  “Any potential new clients?”

  “I gave out a lot of cards. We’ll see. What about you?”

  “Honestly, I’ve had better evenings.”

  “What happened?”

  Cayden’s eyes shifted. “Tell you later.”

  Avery followed his line up sight and almost lost her dinner. The last person in the world she needed to see that night came toward her with arms outstretched.

  “Avery!”

  “Hello, Brittany.”

  Avery endured rather than returned the hug. There was enough saccharin in that fake greeting to cause diabetes. So as not to ruin what had been a nice evening, she was cordial.

  Brittany turned to Cayden. “Hey, stranger.”

  “Britt.” Cayden didn’t get the cordial memo. “Excuse us. We’re on our way out.”

  “I know. I almost missed you. I wanted to congratulate you on the award and tell you how impressed I am that your heart is big enough to forgive those who’ve wronged you.”

  “I forgave you, Brittany, for my own peace of mind. Forgiving isn’t forgetting. Point is a small town but if you’re back here to stay I hope it’s one large enough for us to have very limited interaction. Excuse us.”

  “I wasn’t talking about me,” Brittany said as Cayden began to walk past her. “I’m talking about Avery.”

  A sense of foreboding slowly crawled up Avery’s spine. She gently prodded Cayden. “Let’s just go.”

  He’d already turned around. “What about Avery?”

  “Oh, you don’t know?” Brittany’s smug look shifted from Cayden to Avery. “Don’t worry, sistah. Once upon a time, you had my back. Tonight—” she winked “—I’ve got yours.”

  “What’s this? A minireunion?” Lawrence Kincaid sidled over and slid an arm around Brittany’s waist. “Wish we could stay and shoot the breeze, but we have an early flight.”

  “The Seychelles,” Brittany added, then looked pointedly at Avery. “That’s near Africa.”

  “Aren’t search engines wonderful?” Avery replied. She felt Cayden reach for her hand. “Safe travels.”

  Avery imagined a scenario where Cayden let pass what Brittany had said. But the way he was holding—almost crushing—her hand suggested otherwise.

  Twenty-One

  “What in the hell was that about?” Cayden’s low tone and casual expression belied the anger that emanated from his body as he walked beside her.

  She understood. There were eyes on them, some no doubt who’d witnessed the tense exchange. For one of the night’s honorees to get into an all-out brouhaha would not be a good look.

  “Brittany is being her usual messy self.” She tried to sound unaffected and was almost successful. “Cayden, my hand.”

  He loosened his grip. She relaxed her face into a small smile and made sure to look at and acknowledge those they passed outside.

  “Is it too late for a drive into Chicago to see the lights?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  Avery swallowed, and hoped he was only answering the question she’d asked.

  They reached the valet booth. While waiting for his Porsche to be pulled around, after getting into the car and during the short drive from the country club to a residence just outside the Estates that Avery assumed was Cayden’s house, he didn’t say a word.

  “You live here?”

  “No. I thought it would be a good idea to park in a stranger’s drive.”

  She noticed he wouldn’t look at her. Not a good sign. Avery began to get a bad feeling. Shoulda, woulda and coulda rushed by for a chat.

  He’ll believe me. After I explain that I didn’t know the envelope’s contents, he’ll understand.

  “Earlier, you asked if everything was all right.”

  This was about Bob, not Brittany. Wasn’t it? Avery took a breath. “Yes, I was worried about you.”

  “Bob hit me with some pretty tough news,” he continued, staring straight ahead. “Said the review board had hit a snag in my vetting process.”

  Avery worked to swallow past the rapidly expanding lump in her throat. “They did?”

  “They want to look deeper into the embezzlement allegations from my youth, into the lies Brittany told as revenge for my leaving her. He doesn’t know if I’ll be confirmed.”

  “Cayden, I’m so sorry.” Avery had no other words.

  Finally, he looked at Avery, lifted a brow in a scowl that was as Oscar-worthy as it was hot. “You and Brittany were friends back then. Were you involved?”

  He seemed not to breathe as he awaited her answer.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “That’s a yes or no question.”

  “It’s yes and no. Cayden, please, can’t we go inside to have this conversation?”

  “No.” She imagined Lawrence’s words from the First Friday spat taunted him. “What did Brittany mean back there?”

  Avery sighed, swallowed hard. “One day Brittany called and asked for a favor; said she wasn’t feeling good and needed something delivered to her job.”

  His eyes widened ever so slightly. “So, she wasn’t lying.”

  She turned to him. “Technically, no, but she didn’t tell the whole truth, either.”

  His hands gripped the steering wheel. “Did you or did you not give the reports she’d doctored to her manager?”

  “I did, but—”

  “That’s all I needed to know.”

  “I had no idea what the report was about!”

  His snort and side glance suggested he didn’t buy it.

  “Did you believe what the papers reported? That I was guilty of theft?”

  “She was my friend. Lisa’s, too. I barely knew you, and believed what she told me.”

  “I’ve heard enough.” He started the car.

  “Cayden, no.” She placed a hand on his forearm. “Not before I have a chance to explain.”

  He shook off her hand. “What part of ‘I’ve heard enough’ don’t you understand?” He jerked the car into gear and roared down the drive.

  Avery’s spirit fell. She knew he was angry and had a temper. She’d witnessed it before, the night of the ball. That didn’t mean he had the right to treat her with such disregard. If he didn’t think enough of her to hear her side of the story, then she’d gladly leave him to stew alone. The silence howled from his driveway back to the country club. Through the glass she could see a few stragglers but thankfully no sign of Brittany, who Avery was sure would like nothing more than to rub more dirt in her face. Cayden pulled up to the valet and stared straight ahead.

  “Cayden,” she began softly, her hand on the handle.

  He abruptly got out of the car, walked around to her door and opened it. She raised her hand toward him, silently forcing him to assist her. Once out of the car, with another couple nearby, she placed an affectionate hand on his arm, produced a smile she didn’t feel and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Cayden. I shoul
d have told you sooner. I meant to, several times.”

  He matched her act with his own, put a hand on her shoulder and with cold eyes and a warm smile responded.

  “Goodbye.”

  Avery used the act of fishing out her valet ticket to bat away tears. He didn’t actually add “and good riddance,” but from his tone he might as well have.

  Twenty-Two

  On the way home and all day Sunday, the act of Avery’s betrayal replayed in his head. On Sunday night, he accepted Jake’s invite to meet up with the guys for a game of basketball, the perfect outlet for the energy pent up inside him. On Monday, he placed the hurt, disappointment, anger and, yes, heartbreak into a nice, tight mental compartment and locked it up. He forced away all thoughts of Avery. Though the pace of interest and orders for AI Interface had slowed due to Labor Day weekend, he worked ten-hour days, worked out in the club gym until exhaustion claimed him, grabbed a bite to eat before going to bed, then got up and repeated the schedule. The following Saturday, his phone rang early. Roused out of sleep, his first thought was uncensored.

  Avery?

  No, his mother. “Yes, my name is Tami. I’m wondering if you can help me locate my son?”

  Cayden flopped on his back. “Hi, Mom.”

  “He lives!”

  “Sorry about not getting back with you. I’ve been busy.”

  “We’re nearing Labor Day weekend. I thought work would slow down.”

  “It will, in a couple more weeks. How are you doing?”

  “Busy, as well, thanks largely to the donation from your fundraiser. We’ve had a steady stream of new patients from other hospitals referred to our specialists. That they have access to previously unavailable treatment...it makes me very proud.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I know you’re this award-winning superstar and all—”

  “Stop it.”

  “When am I going to get to see you?”

  “What are you doing today?”

  “Working until five.”

  “How about you Uber to work and I’ll pick you up there for dinner.”

  “You’ve got a date.”

  “See you then.”

  Cayden slept in, surfed the TV and web and ran errands. At forty thirty, he pulled into PDS Medical’s emergency parking lot. He’d purposely come early to see his mom in action, maybe get introduced to someone benefiting from the program. He waved to a couple people he recognized before reaching the nurse’s station.

  “I know you,” the cute redhead chirped.

  “Anyone would,” said the older woman standing behind the redhead reading a chart through bifocaled glasses. “He looks just like his mom.”

  Redhead stayed focused on Cayden. “Maybe, but haven’t I seen you in the paper a few times?”

  “It’s possible,” Cayden said.

  “Cayden!” Tami checked her watch as she rounded the corner. “You’re early.”

  “I know. Thought I’d make a round or two with you.”

  “That’s nice but not possible. You can, however, come to the office. I have some paperwork to wrap up.”

  “I was hoping to speak with someone who’s benefited from our program.”

  “We’d have to get their permission beforehand. Patient confidentiality and all that jazz.”

  A pretty woman with short black hair and warm brown eyes smiled when she saw Tami.

  “Leaving so soon?” Tami teased.

  “Not soon enough!”

  “Lisa, this is my son—”

  “Cayden. He knows me from high school. I’m Avery’s sister.”

  “Who’s Avery?” Tami asked, looking from Cayden to Lisa.

  “Lisa’s sister,” Cayden responded. He saw a dare in Lisa’s eyes as he extended his hand. “Nice to see you again, Lisa. It’s been a long time.”

  “Since the two of you obviously know each other why don’t you catch up while I finish up work? Son, I’ll meet you in the lobby. Lisa, you look radiant. I’m so happy you’re better.”

  “Me, too.” They hugged. Tami disappeared down the hall. Lisa eyed Cayden. “Can we sit for a chat?”

  “Do I want to?”

  “Probably not but that would probably be easier than me making a scene.”

  He smirked but fell in step as she walked to a nearby set of chairs.

  “Avery told me what happened,” Lisa began before sitting down.

  Cayden sat one chair over. “Then what’s left to say?”

  “Look, it’s not my business but you’re way off course here. Brittany lied to me the same as Avery. She was very convincing, even produced tears while lamenting how she’d put in a good word to get you hired, only to have you not only break up with her but steal from the bank. She was like a best friend to me. I had no idea she could be that vengeful and manipulative. Avery trusted her because she was my friend. She used my sister because she could. Again, it’s not my business. But if the look on my sister’s face after returning from California is any indication, the two of you were on your way to something special. You’re old enough to know that doesn’t happen every day. Again, it’s not my business and I know I’m biased, but if you’re going to pronounce a woman guilty and kick her to the curb, you should at least do so after hearing her defense.”

  “Are you an attorney?”

  “Close. A big sister.”

  Cayden saw where Avery got some of her feistiness and couldn’t help but smile. “How do you know my mom?”

  “During chemotherapy, she was my nurse.”

  “Ah, yes. Avery told me you were a patient here.”

  “Through the initial diagnosis and six weeks of treatment. Now I’m only back every two weeks for checkups. Once a month if the next exam comes back okay.”

  “I never thought to ask my mom if she knew you. The world is even smaller than I thought.”

  Lisa’s phone rang. She stood. “Gotta take this. It’s my daughter. Hello, baby, hang on.” She muted the call and looked at Cayden, who’d stood, as well. “Avery isn’t perfect. But she’s honest, kind and a little too trusting. There are two sides to every story. If you ever cared anything about her at all, she’ll get the chance to tell you hers.”

  Without so much as a wave or a goodbye, Lisa waltzed down the hall and out of Emergency’s double doors. Cayden was still standing when Tami came up behind him.

  “All right, son, ready? I hope so. I’m starved.”

  Cayden walked out of the hospital with Tami, still spinning from Hurricane Lisa. For the past week he’d been able to not think about Avery. Big sis had put her smack-dab back on his mind.

  * * *

  It wasn’t her first breakup. They hadn’t dated long. Could what they’d experienced be called a relationship at all? The more Avery thought about the past several weeks, the more she realized that they’d both engaged in a whirlwind fantasy of unrealistic and unsustainable euphoria that was bound to come crashing down at some point. Wasn’t that what had happened every other time she’d taken a chance on love? Scenes from their nonstop good times played like a video in her mind. Visiting the Charles H. Wright and Motown museums in Detroit. Messily eating ribs slathered in sauce with their fingers while enjoying traditional jazz on KC’s 18th and Vine. Front row seats and backstage passes to Rihanna in Atlanta. Making love on a Malibu beach under a full moon. Lots of extravagant dinners and decadent sex. Sharing dreams and celebrating victories. Avery had floated through these amazing experiences high on love. A week or two more of that life and she would have believed in happily-ever-after.

  But the night they went public with their romance, confirming the gossipy whispers blowing over the Point, reality had made an ugly appearance. In less than five minutes, Brittany Moore-Wellington had erased two months of ecstasy by opening her big mouth. With one sentence she’d stomped her feet all over
Avery’s sandcastle. It was foolish to think Cayden could ever forget what he perceived as her betrayal. Especially since it involved another woman who’d done him wrong. She’d hoped that after calming down he would at least take her calls. It had been two weeks since the banquet and still Cayden was radio silent. Not talking to him was tearing her up inside. If she couldn’t have his forever, she’d settle for forgiveness. In order for her to move on, Avery at least needed that.

  Feeling a modicum of control for the first time since the big reveal, Avery walked over to where her phone lay on the bar counter. She plugged “Eddington Enterprise” into the search engine, then tapped the phone icon to place a call.

  “Good morning, Eddington Enterprise. How may I direct your call?”

  “Jake Eddington.”

  “Who may I say is calling?”

  Avery considered shielding her identity. But only for a nanosecond. If Cayden’s friends were also not talking, best to know now. Not being truthful is how she got here.

  “Avery Gray.”

  “One moment!”

  The receptionist’s cheery voice did little to quell her nervousness. What if he chose not to take her call? Like Cayden, Jake was a grown man. She couldn’t force him to talk. Avery paced the room. After her third time around the living space, she decided to end the call. Just as her thumb hovered over the phone’s face, he answered.

  “Eddington.”

  “Jake?”

  “Yes, this is Jake. Hi, Avery.”

  “Hi. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t take my call.”

  “I was on the other line.”

  “Oh, okay. I’m sure you know why I’m calling.”

  “I wouldn’t want to assume. Why don’t you tell me.”

  “It’s about Cayden. He won’t return my calls.”

  “And you’re calling me because...?”

  “Because I believe the two of you are close, he’s being an insensitive jerk and I thought if you hit him upside the head hard enough during one of those pickup basketball games, you just might be able to knock some sense into him!”