CHAPTER NINE
At the stroke of midnight, Avery got the ever-faithful birthday call from her parents. They were having a great time on their cruise, which made her feel both happy and guilty at the same time. Next was the expected call from Uncle Seth and Aunt Morgan. Parker sent her a text and reminded her about their planned wild girls’
night out. By morning the electronic well wishes continued, and she spoke to her grandparents, Great-Grandma Reed, and a few cousins. Morgan had the kids call before they left for soccer practice. It was delightful to hear them singing happy birthday into the phone, and they’d promised a repeat performance for her party with the family on Sunday.
By mid-morning, she’d all but given up on
Wyatt. He hadn’t attempted to call or text. But Riley did. He’d wished her a happy birthday and mentioned that he’d enjoyed their time together that night at his apartment. Her cheeks still flushed when she’d thought about going to his place. It had been thrilling to do something exciting and out of character, too bad she felt like a fool for doing it.
Avery put on some music and bounced
around the house getting dressed for her yoga class. Today was going to be a great day. She wouldn’t let anything spoil it. She’d been looking forward to this day since forever. She brushed her teeth and put her hair into a ponytail, ready to take on the world. She got an apple and a water and grabbed her gym bag. Then she opened the door to find a huge, wrapped box with her name on it.
At first she thought it was from Riley, but the card read “To Princess” on it. It could have only come from Wyatt. She stepped back inside, put her stuff down on the coffee table, and sat on the couch, her heart racing. She loved getting presents from him. They were usually whimsical and fun. Once he sent her on a treasure hunt, and for the entire day she collected clues which culminated in a very
romantic candlelight dinner at her favorite spot on the ranch down by the creek. Now that she’d thought about it, they’d been dating since they’d met.
But now she didn’t know what to expect from him.
She played with the bow for a few minutes, then realized how ridiculous she was being. She opened the box to find an engraved stethoscope. It said
Princess, M.D
. She draped it around her
neck and took a look at herself in the mirror. She was sure she’d get a lot of these for gifts, but she’d treasure this one. Grinning to herself, she put it back in the box and placed it on the table. It was time to get on with the day so she could party with Parker tonight. Before, she’d hoped Wyatt wasn’t bartending at the Bright Star tonight. But now she’d changed her mind. They needed to talk.
Her cell phone rang. It was Parker. She hit the speaker button. “Hey, Parker.”
“Happy birthday!”
“Thanks. Don’t tell me you’re canceling tonight?” Avery said, suddenly worried.
“No. We’re still on. I may be a little late.”
“Oh. I can live with that!”
“How about we meet at the Bright Star? Grab a cab or get someone from Regency to drop you off. I’ll be the designated
driver tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Good. I’ll see you there around eight.”
“OK. See you then.”
* * *
Wyatt couldn’t help grinning at his reflection in the bar back mirror as he polished beer mugs. He hoped Avery liked her present, but he was confident she would. He was sure it would go a long way toward fixing what had been broken between them
recently. He had to thank the ladies in his life for that idea. Mom and Teri-Lyn had told him to get her a keepsake that would have special meaning to her. What better gift for the budding doctor than an instrument to inspect the heart?
Aside from finding the perfect birthday gift for her, shadowing the family was going well. He’d had a blast at NuWave like he’d expected, but he’d also gained
a new appreciation for what Summer and Autumn did, placating tech-whiz egos and hitting high profile release dates. The next thing on his list was to visit Seth at the Tomcats Stadium, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. He’d probably run into Riley, and that wasn’t a good thing. He’d regretted not punching him out as soon as he’d opened the door that night, but he knew what he’d had to
say was too important. And he needed Riley to listen. Avery was special, and Riley was too experienced for her. He knew she had a good head on her shoulders; he’d hoped she wouldn’t do anything stupid like sleep with the guy. He’d wanted her to have a sweet, passionate, memorable first time, which was why he’d stopped that night.
He set the perfectly polished glass down and grabbed another,
glancing over the small crowd at the Bright Star. Cal had the night off, so that meant he’d be in charge. Cal was kind of crusty around the edges, but he too was giving him an internship of sorts. More responsibility meant he’d had to treat the job seriously. He’d have to be even more stringent about his performance and make sure everything went smoothly on the floor and in the kitchen. Luckily
the staff had all been there for years, except for Rusty, the new guy he was still training. Things were going great. The tip jar was filling up fast. There were plenty of beautiful country girls and some citified women looking to taste the simpler, classic honky-tonk lifestyle coming through the place. But there was only one woman who gave him that special feeling and her birthday was today.
He’d been thinking about her so hard at first he’d thought he’d imagined she’d just walked into the place. As the Doppelganger got closer to the bar, dressed in a pretty red peasant top, a jean skirt, straw cowboy hat, and red cowboy boots, he knew that could only be her.
“Hi, Wyatt.” She took a seat on the bar stool. “Before you and Cal start on some tirade, as you know I am legally
allowed to be in here now.” She stuck out her tongue.
He grinned. “Cal has the night off, and you’re right. You do have the right to drink on your twenty-first birthday. Happy birthday, Princess.”
“Thanks for the stethoscope. I love it.” She nervously played with the brim of her hat.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, relieved that she’d loved her gift. “So. What’s the plan, Princess?”
“Nothing set in stone yet,” Avery said, still both happy and nervous to see that Wyatt was working tonight. It was the perfect time to chat before Parker arrived. Now all she had to do was think of what to say. She’d expected to fight with him for a half hour just to get him to serve her, but he’d conceded rather quickly. Which probably meant the family had some big meeting
on the protocol in case she showed up here to celebrate her birthday. It wasn’t that she’d really wanted to drink. She’d had a sip of wine and champagne at family functions before. One time her Uncle Seth let her sip his scotch. It wasn’t the liquor that was appealing. It was being able to have more freedom in the things she did.
Wyatt leaned on the edge of the bar and held her gaze. “What
are you doing here alone? Do you have a date?” He looked over her shoulder at the door.
“Yes. As a matter of fact I do.” She grinned. “Parker and I are having a girl’s night out. She should be here in a little bit. She’s running late from work.”
“In that case, let me school on the libations. Beer is a good, slow starter. You’d probably like a light beer.”
“Do you have any wine?”
“White or red?”
“Um.” She bit her lip. She knew there was a difference and wished she’d paid attention to the times her aunts had talked about it. Cassidy loved California and she and Channing went to Napa Valley often.
“Lurline,” Wyatt called to the waitress. “Avery is celebrating her twenty-first birthday. Can you suggest a wine for her?”
“Let’s see.” Lurline tapped her
chin with her finger. “We have a Riesling in stock that’s divine. It’s even a good pairing with the pretzels.”
Avery beamed. “That sounds great.”
“Two is your limit.” Lurline loaded bottles onto her tray to deliver to seated customers.
“Come on,” Avery replied.
“Is Wyatt taking you home? Because I don’t want you driving after your first drink.”
“Parker is meeting
me.”
“Then have a seat and enjoy.”
Avery sipped on her wine while Wyatt tended to customers. She balked at the sign on the bar,
tip the bartender if you think he’s cute
. But then she noticed the female patrons coming over to tip him, even though he didn’t serve them. A half hour later, a few people she recognized from their college came in, waved at him, and took a seat at a table.
Wyatt excused himself to go over and chat with them.
He’d stopped a few times to smile and chat with some woman who just had to talk to him. The ladies certainly liked him. Perhaps that’s why he always had so much cash on him. She wanted another drink. Hopefully it wouldn’t be her last. She was reaching Lurline’s two-limit cutoff. Wyatt was still making his rounds, so she asked the newbie
Rusty for help.
“Rusty? Can I have another?” She held up her glass.
“Sure thing.” He turned to get the wine bottle.
“You know what? I’ve changed my mind. I’m twenty-one today. How about a shot of tequila?”
“Happy birthday.” Rusty rocked to the music as he pulled down the tequila bottle and poured.
“Thanks.” Avery took a swig of the tequila and winced. It was hard
to get down.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Rusty said. “It goes like this.”
She watched as Rusty licked the back of his hand and poured some salt on the wet spot. He licked the salt, slammed back the shot, then bit into a lemon wedge. He then screamed as she watched him, wide-eyed.
“Now you try,” he said.
“Is howling optional?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
She drank the second
shot, and the liquid seared through her body again but faster. She looked up and saw Kelly Burton and her bitchy friends strolling over to the same table where Wyatt was. Kelly immediately put her arm around Wyatt’s waist and kissed him on the cheek so quickly he didn’t have time to move back. What the hell? She didn’t want to see Wyatt get pawed by every woman in the room, especially that
thot
Kelly.
“Rusty. Another one please.”
Avery checked her phone for the incoming text message. Parker was running late, but she’d said she’d be there and not to party too hard without her. This wild night was getting off to another tame start. She motioned for Rusty to hit her with a third shot. The room felt as if it was spinning a little. Wyatt was still over there blabbing with his
friends. She was getting pissed now. The nerve of him not inviting her over! Come to think of it, he never hung out with her with his group of friends. It was just as well. She’d probably square-up the cool kids table. She was on her fourth shot of tequila by the time Wyatt made it back to the bar.
“Now I see why you like working here,” she said, struggling to get the words precisely right.
“I think every woman in here has touched your ass.” She spoke loudly to be heard over the music. She got a few curious looks, but she didn’t care.
Wyatt held up the shot glass and frowned. “How many of these did you have?”
“Enough to know you’re a jerk,” she slurred.
“You’ve had enough. How about we talk later when the buzz wears off?” He grimaced at Rusty.
“What?” Rusty
said.
“Wyatt. This is for you.” Kelly reached over the bar and stuck his tip in his front jean’s pocket then turned to Avery. “Oh, it’s you, Avery. Didn’t think you liked to slum it in here. Isn’t there a scientific symposium some where you should be attending?”
“Shouldn’t you be somewhere getting tested for a full spectrum of STDs?” Avery fired back.
“You’re just mad because
you’re a geeky hermit. Get lonely up in that tower watching everyone have fun but you? It must be such a drag being a consummate virgin.” Kelly slurred a little bit too.
“Fun is fine, but respect is even better. Half of your conquests don’t even remember your name after they slink out of your apartment.”
“Well, at least my place wouldn’t double as a convent, Sister Avery. You and your
nerdy friends have been dulling up the campus for years with your do-gooder crap. I’m so glad you’re graduating.”
Wyatt held up his hands, trying to calm them. “Ladies, let’s not let our tempers flare.”
“Can it, Wyatt.” Avery shot him a dirty look then returned her gaze to Kelly. “You’ve been nasty to me since the day we met, and for the life of me I don’t know why. But I don’t care
anymore. People like you are such hot stuff in school, but when the real world comes calling, you get bit in the ass. Being cliquish and catty won’t help you excel at a profession or be a better person.”
“What are you? The school counselor now? I don’t need advice from you, and whatever I do, I will make more money and be more successful. Suckers like you think working hard will get you
somewhere. I’m way too pretty for that.” Kelly put her hand on her hip.
“You’re right, I’ve never seen you crack a book this whole time.” Avery put her finger to her lips like she was thinking hard. “Rumor is you won’t be graduating this year unless there’s some kind of divine intervention involved. If you’d planned on sleeping with one of your professors to get a pass, I’d get on it immediately.
But I’ll still say a prayer for you at the convent.”
“Whatever. I have better things to do.” Kelly bumped her hard with her shoulder.
Avery stumbled and grabbed onto the edge of the bar for balance. “Like what? Drool all over Wyatt for the rest of the night? You sure don’t know how to take a hint. He clearly doesn’t want you, but that doesn’t stop you from stalking him at his apartment.
Get a clue. He wouldn’t want you if you were covered in chocolate and whipped cream.”
“You bitch!”
Avery saw Kelly winding up out of the corner of her eye so she was able to block the slap and pushed her away. That didn’t deter Kelly though. She lunged at her and grabbed her hair. Wyatt hustled from around the bar and tried to put some distance between them, but Kelly refused to calm
down. She jumped out of his reach and grabbed at Avery again, but this time Avery was ready for her. She balled up her fist and caught Kelly right in the eye.