Accidentally Hers (Sterling Canyon #1) (11 page)

By the time Grey finished therapy two days later, Avery’s stomach acids had practically stripped her stomach of its lining. Previously, he’d asked that they not discuss his legal issues. With the exception of the one time she’d asked him about Andy’s insurance settlement, they’d worked together without discussing the lawsuit. Today, however, she’d break that streak.

She had to risk it. Had to persuade him to investigate the claim against the OS. Long shot or not, the outcome
could
be a win-win for both of them. Yet the fact that she’d never previously taken an “ends justify the means” approach pinched her conscience.

He sauntered toward her wearing his impish grin, towel wrapped around his neck, looking relaxed and happy. His trusting manner intensified the hideous brew churning in her stomach. She could barely look him in the eye.

After swiping a handful of Jolly Ranchers from reception, he threw one into his mouth and pocketed the rest.

“Have time for a quick lunch, or do you survive on Jolly Ranchers alone?” She shook her head at his sugar addiction.

“Lunch?” He flashed a crooked smile then snapped her thigh with his towel. “Think we can manage a friendly lunch without breaking all the rules?”

She slapped his shoulder, wishing his boyishness weren’t so attractive. He stood so close she could smell the potently sensual combination of sweat and musk-scented soap. She stepped back, feeling off-balance.

Sexual tension gripped her body. The thin sheen of perspiration highlighting his rippling muscles did nothing to weaken the sensations. With each small movement, his deltoids and traps flexed, sending her body temperature through the roof.

Honestly, she’d always had more control over her hormones. Maybe she shouldn’t be his therapist any more. Richard Donner had returned last week, so Grey could switch now. But she would miss him. And, despite this schoolgirl nonsense in her head, she knew she hadn’t compromised his physical therapy. She’d given Grey the best, most aggressive therapy possible.

“A simple yes or no, please,” she said, and forced a smile. While she couldn’t deny wanting to spend time with him outside the clinic, today she had an ulterior motive.

The lawsuit. Hopefully he’d realize the benefit to both of them and be grateful she’d decided to ignore his request.

“Where to?” he asked, and once more she was struck by the sudden softness those gray eyes could display.

“Coyote Deli? We can take sandwiches to the park.”

“Okay. Sounds great.” He held the door open for her and then followed her to the deli wearing a heart-melting grin. In that moment, she suppressed a sudden urge to kiss him. The way he easily broke through her defenses surprised her—discomfited her, too.

Twenty minutes later they were sharing the same park bench where they’d held hands weeks ago, finishing their subs and learning more about each other. Unlike a lot of guys she knew who liked to boast and tell stories, Grey proved to be an attentive listener.

Avery’d just finished telling a story about the time Emma had dragged her to the eldercare center where she volunteered on Sundays. While visiting residents, they’d found Mrs. Cooper crying on her deceased husband’s birthday. Intense emotional upheaval always made Avery uncomfortable, but Emma had gently handled Mrs. Cooper’s grief by getting a cupcake from the café, singing “Happy Birthday,” and saying a group prayer in her husband’s honor. By the time they’d left her room, Mrs. Cooper was smiling.

“Emma sounds like a real sweet girl. A true friend, too.” Grey smiled.

“She’s both, unlike me.” Avery grimaced.

“Why do you say that?” Grey’s expression grew more serious.

“
Sweet
isn’t a word I’d use to describe myself. I’m too blunt, too . . . driven, maybe?” Avery shrugged. “
I don
’t know; I’m just not soft and approachable like Emma.”

“I think you’re probably a very good friend.
Blunt
is just a harsh word for honest, and honesty takes courage. Honesty and courage are important in any relationship, friendly or otherwise.” He crumpled up the tissue sandwich wrapping and stuffed it into the paper bag. “And you don’t have to be soft to be sweet. It was sweet when you drove me home in the rain, and when you bought me those skis. It was sweet when you asked me to join you for lunch despite the whole ‘ethics’ situation.”

Avery’s guilty conscience must’ve shown all over her face, because Grey’s expression transformed from hopeful to concerned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She knotted her fingers.

“Avery.” He reached over to untie her fingers, his typically friendly expression turning anxious. The instant he touched her hands, her body reacted with a flash of heat. “You look like you’re about to give me bad news. Is this about my knee? Did you ask me to lunch to soften the blow?”

Avery inhaled slowly. “No bad news. In fact, I think it’s good news. But in the spirit of courageous honesty, I need to discuss something you’ve declared off-limits.”

He held up his hand, shaking his head. “Not the lawsuit, Bambi.”

“Wait, it’s not what you think. It’s not about you and Andy, at least not directly.” She watched Grey’s shoulders tense as he folded his arms in front of his chest. The warmth in his eyes was replaced by an impatient stare—one brow cocked—issuing a “proceed with caution” warning.

She drew another deep breath before plunging ahead. “I’ll just get right to the point. Have you and your lawyer discussed suing the Outpost Saloon?”

Grey’s brows gathered. “No.”

“No, you haven’t discussed it, or no, you won’t talk to me about it.”

“No, we haven’t discussed it.”

“Oh.” The bloom of renewed hope unfolded. “That’s probably because he doesn’t have all the facts about what happened before Andy got behind the wheel. I just learned some details that might give you grounds to sue the bar.”

Optimism continued to blossom when he didn’t cut her off. Maybe once she told him the story, her suggestion would resolve everything. And maybe then something more than friendship could develop between them. The unbidden thought temporarily distracted her until Grey cleared his throat.

When he remained silent, she relayed the story about the bachelorette party, Andy’s friends, the delinquent bartender, and then explained the laws against knowingly serving intoxicated people more alcohol.

Grey stared at her, saying nothing. She met his silence with an exasperated flailing of her arms. “Grey, this gives you another source of recovery—one I assume has adequate insurance.”

Her heart raced as she awaited his response. But Grey didn’t smile with relief. In fact, she detected no reaction whatsoever. The flowering hope she’d embraced withered. The chirping birds and buzz of insects grew louder as she felt his physical and emotional withdrawal.

Grey’s eyes narrowed. “You surprised me today, A-ver-ee.”

Apparently not in a good way, according to his tone. “How so?”

“Seems this friendly lunch was just a ruse to butter me up so you could break our agreement about not discussing legal matters.”

His distrust stung, even if he was at least partly correct. However, his opinion had to take a backseat to saving her house and her parents’
retirement fund.

Then Grey frowned and glanced at his feet, speaking softly. “I’m disappointed you let me believe this lunch was about friendship instead of just being straight with me or, better yet, having your brother contact me. Makes me wonder if you really want to help me or are just trying to save yourself and your family.”

Her throat ached when she swallowed. “Why can’t it be both—helping my family and you at the same time?”

Grey studied her, holding her gaze. “Do you believe the bar is more responsible for my injuries than Andy?”

“Not
more
responsible. But it seems to me it might be
equally
responsible. The law might agree, too. And now you have
two
potential sources of recovery. Isn’t that what’s most important to you?”

Grey should be thrilled about the possibility of recouping his losses without forcing her out of her home. Yet her whole approach sat like a jagged stone in his gut. For the past thirty minutes, he’d been riding a high, believing they were taking a step away from a professional relationship and toward something personal. Then reality smashed his hopes. Nothing caused his brain to shut down as fast as wounded pride.

“Did your brother send you to talk to me?”

“No.” Avery wrinkled her nose. “To be honest, Andy didn’t even tell me the story.”

Grey tilted his head. Something was off. “Then how’d you find out?”

“His friend Matt.”

Andy’s friend, my ass.
When Avery blinked at him with those pale eyes, a hot streak of misplaced anger scorched him. “You mean
your ex,
Matt, don
’t you?”

At least she had the grace to blush when busted for her continued attempt to share only what she wanted him to know to suit her own agenda.

So Matt was playing her white knight, using whatever he could to get back in her good graces. This whole suggestion was really his chess move, not hers.

He rubbed his hand along his jaw. “So your brother was going to leave you twisting in the wind?”

She glared at him, the gold streaks in her blue eyes flaring to life. “He wouldn’t have let it go indefinitely. He’s just terrified that ‘bachelorette party boy’ won’t play sympathetically to a judge handing out a sentence. And he’s not eager to make more enemies in town by dragging others into his mess.”

“But
you
don
’t mind that second part.” Grey tipped his chin.

Avery pushed off the bench, thrusting her index finger toward him. “You know what, you can drop the attitude. I’m giving you important information that can help you. And no, I don’t feel bad about looking out for myself and protecting what’s mine, especially since
I
didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not suggesting anything illegal or unethical, either.”

She took a step closer and pointed in the general direction of the OS. “That bar owes a duty to the public. Its bartenders shouldn’t be overserving wasted patrons to increase their chances of getting laid, and then letting those same customers go home without calling a cab. If a judge concludes the OS has some liability here, that’s not my problem, and honestly, its not Andy’s either. And I’ll gladly defend my position to anyone who thinks otherwise.”

Grey glanced at the ground again. Everything she said was true. No doubt he’d call Adler and discuss it with him. He had no wish to hurt Avery, but he wouldn’t go after someone else just to spare her.

And what if Andy cooked up this story to throw the blame elsewhere and she simply bought into his lies? What if Grey ran down this rabbit hole and ended up with nothing except a whole bunch of enemies in town?

Then again, as a business owner, Grey carried liability insurance and was prepared to deal with lawsuits by injured skiers despite all the waivers and assumption-of-risk notices his clients signed. The OS should be equally prepared to face the consequences of its negligence, assuming the bartender was negligent.

All Grey knew for sure was that he had a lot of questions and no answers. Best thing to do was say as little as possible until he had all the facts.

He studied her—that prideful streak on full display, from her tipped chin to the fists on her hips. Of course, she had as much right to protect her future as he did his, the realization of which dulled the sharp edge of his anger.

All along she’d reminded him of the boundaries between them, but he’d kept hoping for more. Not very fair to hold it against her when she’d only been honest, but his mixed-up feelings sucked. He wasn’t sure what to do about any of it, but knew he had to get away from her to figure it out.

“
Well, I
’d better get going.” He stood to leave. When Avery grabbed hold of his wrist, he felt the heat travel all the way down . . . there. Clearly, even when she made him angry, throwing her to the ground and kissing her seemed like a good idea.

“Wait. Are you going to talk to your lawyer?” Although her subterfuge today had hurt, her hopeful eyes tugged at his heart, weakening his resolve to maintain objectivity.

“I’ve repeatedly asked you to stay out of the middle, Avery.” Grey placed his hand over hers, allowing himself to savor the satiny texture of her skin. “Please.”

“I can’t!” She yanked her hand away from his. Tiny lines etched around her eyes and mouth revealed her frustration. “Just because you refuse to discuss it doesn’t mean I’m not still in the middle.”

“What do you want from me?” Grey’s arms reached upward then slapped against his sides.

“I want you to acknowledge my point. I want you to promise you’re going to look into what I’ve told you.” She fell back against the bench, deflated, tapping her toe against the ground. “I want you to act like a friend.”

“Well, which is it then, Avery? Friend or patient?” Grey stared at her, thinking about all the times she’d suddenly withdrawn from their flirtations just when he thought he’d made progress. “Or is it that when you need something from me, I’m your friend. Otherwise, I’
m just a patient.
”

“That’s not fair, Grey.” She frowned. Her voice grew soft. “You
are
my patient. It’s complicated.”

Complicated.

“Exactly!” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “
I don
’t want you to suffer for something you didn’t do, but I’m in a tight spot. I can’t afford to make my decisions based on how they affect you, Avery. I’ve got to follow my
lawyer’s
advice, not yours, especially when our needs don’t necessarily align. What happens if I don’t sue the OS? Will your anger compromise our work together?”

Her misty eyes made him feel like a prize ass. But he didn’t have much income right now, and his dwindling bank balance put him at risk of missing a business loan payment in the near future. He had to secure his finances, no matter what.

“If you don’t trust me, maybe you should be working with a different PT.” Avery’s voice faltered just a bit before she regained control of her emotions.