“Anything?” Avery raised an eyebrow.
Morgan took a deep breath. “Anything.”
She put her hand on her hip. “The real deal, no-holds-barred, not some PG-rated rhetoric filled with euphemisms and sprinkled with rainbows and unicorns?”
“Yes. The unadulterated truth about love
and
s-e-x as I know it. The whole thing should take about
ten minutes.”
“I doubt that. Somebody with four kids and a hot husband should know a thing or two, but I’ll hold you to that.”
“Avery!”
“What? It’s your fault. Uncle Seth was my first crush. He makes a lasting impression.”
Morgan laughed. “He does have a way of raising the bar. I’ll keep my promise.”
“Thanks, Aunt Morgan.” She hugged her aunt.
“Anytime.” Morgan
hugged her back. “Wyatt has a lot on his plate. Taking into account the growing pressures of choosing a career and the new direction your relationship is headed, the poor young man must be going crazy. Try to be patient with him. The two of you will talk when the time is right.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Morgan patted her cheek. “Friendship is the cornerstone of a good relationship. It’s
the little moments that make it worth it in the long run.”
Like helping a friend research her aunt’s illness online to put her at ease. Getting drenched in the rain helping her find the owner of a lost dog. And taking care of her when she caught a cold from reuniting the pup with his family. All the things that Wyatt had done for her without complaint, even if he took a ribbing from his
friends. He’d always been there for her when she needed him…and that was why the distance felt so disjointed.
Avery looked at her little cousin. “Mackenzie, that look really does it for you. Aunt Morgan, do you think I can borrow that necklace sometime? You always find the best costume jewelry. It almost looks real.”
“That’s because it is. You have your cousin decked out in about fifty
thousand dollars in baubles.”
“Oh my gosh.” Avery panicked. “I didn’t know.”
“No worries. You notice she isn’t pulling on it or trying to put it in her mouth? She knows its value.”
She hesitated…wanting to broach another subject but not quite sure how to do it. Then she decided to simply go for it. “Aunt Morgan, did Uncle Seth give Riley a hard time over that photo in the newsletter?
I don’t know why it got cropped, but Parker and I were both in that picture.”
“He got to the bottom of it. The photographer showed him the original photo and told him Riley asked to crop Parker out. Riley probably did it to get a rise out of Seth.”
“Good.” She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to be responsible for Riley losing his job.
“Not so good. Seth made Riley
practice for three more hours after everyone else was done for the day. Logan had to stop him and J.J. from dangling Riley from the cheap seats at the stadium.”
“I guess that’s not so bad.”
“Seth also made Riley practice with
him
.”
“Oh.” She winced.
“You definitely made an impression on Riley. It’s sheer suicide, but he doesn’t mind messing with your uncle Seth.”
“The funny thing is, I don’t think he’s like that at all. He’s still obnoxious, but he turns it down a bit when we talk.”
“Sounds like Riley is still smitten with you.”
“Not as much as he is with himself.” Avery giggled.
Avery continued to try on clothes while catching up on the family gossip. Maybe her aunt was right about Wyatt. He needed some space, and as much as she’d like
to help him through it, it was something he had to do alone.
* * *
Wyatt came back from his run drenched with sweat. He thought a jog would help him clear his mind, but he had ulterior motives. The running path the joggers in the complex used ran right past Avery’s apartment. He’d started running as a way to keep up with her. She’d run track in high school and it usually
was a daily ritual of hers, but she hadn’t been running lately. The simpler, mature thing would be to just go to her place, but he wasn’t ready to do that. Despite saying they’d talk when he returned, he’d turned chicken and went back to being scarce. But that photo of her and Riley kept gnawing at him…
His thoughts jumped to his brother and Courtney as he headed for the shower. So much
had changed. The animosity about Bo coming back into their lives had lessened. Bo asserted many times he wasn’t trying to overshadow Corbett’s life, he just wanted to be in it. He’d told them both that he had the Blakes, but they were just as important to him. The Blake family reinforced that by welcoming them with open arms. But now Courtney was gone and the wedding was off. People could lose each
other and what they had together so easily. He only hoped Corbett didn’t do anything too stupid and reckless, but then again, it was Corbett he was talking about. He and Bo had the market cornered on conservative behavior. So yeah, being with Bo and the Blakes had changed their lives. For Wyatt, the icing on the cake was meeting Avery. And now that joker Riley was putting what Wyatt had with Avery
in danger.
He stripped and got into the shower. He had an hour to get to the Bright Star for his shift. He normally thought about Avery when he bathed, but he was too pissed to pleasure himself while thinking of her. Ever since Corbett showed him that picture of Avery and that idiot Riley Sloane, he’d been in a bad mood. Did she go to see him or just randomly run into him while she was visiting
Seth? She had lunch with her uncle all the time, it would be logical she was there to see her uncle, but the picture with Riley made no sense. The Blake men weren’t happy about the quarterback’s interest in her. Would that jerk risk his position to go out with her? Maybe he felt it was worth going head-to-head with Seth in order to date her. More importantly, would she be receptive to it?
He got out of the shower and dressed in jeans and T-shirt. The dress code was hardly demanding at the bar. It was a part-time gig, but he took the job seriously and he liked working there. Cal had already entrusted him with closing a few nights and helping him keep inventory. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He was getting into his SUV when he saw Avery’s car blow past. He knew he was
in a time crunch, but he didn’t care. He wanted answers about that photo.
He jumped into his vehicle and drove in the direction of her apartment unit and parked next to her. She was unloading her car. She had on a pair of jean shorts and T-shirt and her hair was pulled back into a braid. Suddenly, his blind anger had subsided against his will, and he was happy to see her. But she didn’t
look happy to see him. The sparkle in her eyes had turned to daggers and they were pointed right at him.
“Princess.” He took the bags out of her hands. “I got it.”
“Wyatt, nice to see you made it back from New Mexico alive.” She rolled her eyes.
He smiled. “Is that your way of saying you miss me?”
“No.” She paused and bit her lip. “Sorry to hear about Corbett and Courtney
breaking up. How’s he doing?”
“I don’t think it’s really hit him yet.”
“I wish I could give him a hug or something. It must be a nightmare after all those wedding plans.”
“Yeah, it’s messy, but they’ve contacted the wedding guests and canceled the venues. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this. I don’t understand, he admitted they weren’t suited for each other.”
“Whether
they were right for each other or not, it still must be devastating.”
“You’re right.” He peeked into the bags as he followed her up the walkway. In addition to yogurt and veggies, there was a ton of junk food. “Looks like you have enough food for an army. You having a party?”
“It’s Tuesday.” She gave him a knowing look. “My study night with my friends.”
“Oh. I forgot you meet
with the nerd squad on Tuesdays. I thought you had an easy schedule this semester. What are you studying for now? Aren’t all of your classes electives or something?”
“No. I don’t have any electives and my classes are challenging.”
“Nothing is challenging to you. Like what?”
“A psych class on the social disorders that have been accentuated by the onset of the Internet and a forensic
science course.” She opened the door to her apartment.
He stuck out his tongue. “Sounds like work.”
Her place was neat and tidy as usual. She loved order, not the chaotic mosaic his place usually resembled. He had a rule. He only cleaned when a family member was visiting, otherwise all bets were off. He followed her into the kitchen and helped her unpack the groceries.
“I thought
I taught you that a challenging class can be fun if you think of it that way.”
Man she looked pretty today. “You did teach me about fun.” He instinctively leaned in for a kiss, but she moved away.
She folded her arms over her chest. “No more kisses for you until you mean it.”
“I always mean it when I kiss you.” He smirked.
“You know what I’m talking about. I know you have
some career stuff on your mind and you have some things going on with your family. But I will not be the quick fix to cheer you up when your day sucks. Next time you want to plant a kiss on me, know why you’re doing it and be prepared to talk,
really
talk afterward.”
He folded his arms across his chest too. Since she was setting the rules, he’d throw in a few of his own. “As long as you
don’t go locking lips with every quarterback that crosses your path.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That photo of you and Sloane at the stadium.”
“Can’t you tell a cropped photo when you see one? Your friend Pete posts enough memes on his social media page for you to figure out it’s been doctored. Parker was in the picture too. She was cut out.”
“Oh.”
“And you should
be worrying about yourself, not Riley Sloane.”
The doorbell rang. From the chattering on the other side, he could tell it was her study group. “The nerd squad is here.”
“Stop calling them that.” Avery glared at him. “Open the door, please, and be nice.”
Wyatt opened the door and the ladies poured into the apartment carrying books and more snacks.
“Hey, Wyatt,” they called
to him.
“Ladies.” He flashed a smile, but stopped when he saw Avery squinting at him. “Princess, I’ll be touch.”
She sauntered over to him. “You will be seeing me, but you won’t be touching anything any time soon.” She pushed him out and slammed the door in his face.
Wyatt smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. Funny how that declaration made him want to be with her more than
ever. He shook his head when his body started doing that stirring thing it did when he saw her. He had a shift to do and he hoped Cal wouldn’t kill him for being so late.
* * *
Avery picked up the bowling ball and eyed the lane. She didn’t think she’d have a typical day out with Parker. Nothing with her ever was typical. For two people to be so different, they meshed
well together. Parker was helping her toughen up, while she was helping Parker turn down the intensity a few notches. Today they were bowling at the alley on the ranch.
She sent the ball rolling and knocked down all of the pins for a strike. “Yes!”
“Not bad.” Parker smiled.
“You know when you said you wanted to hang out, I thought you meant grab some lunch and maybe catch a movie.”
“Did you really?” Parker picked up a ball and aimed.
Avery giggled. “How was your date?”
“Awful. I’m going to kill my friend Cynda.”
Avery suspected there was another reason for the bowling. Parker had been set up on a blind date by one of her friends the other night. “What did he do?”
“He was laying on the Prince Charming routine a little thick. He opened doors for
me, held out my chair when we were seated at the table in the restaurant and he tried to be funny, telling these lame jokes about a camping trip he took with some friends.” Parker blasted the pins.
“Things could’ve been a lot more awful than that. Was he cute?”
“Well.” Parker huffed. “There’s that. He was too handsome. He was one of those muscle-bound types like Riley Sloane who think
they’re god’s gift to women. And he tried to impress me by telling me he has great outdoor survival skills. Splashing around in the river with your friends kayaking isn’t exactly going to be a warranted trade if there was some kind of apocalypse.”
“I think you should have given your date a second chance. He was probably nervous. You can be a little intimidating.”
“Me?”
“Yes,
you. I’m pretty sure you reminded him you were a cop. Coupled with what you call one of your patented
Carson stares
, it can be off-putting.”
“I don’t like men who are easily intimidated.”
“
You’re
the one intimidating them. A Riley type is exactly what you need.”
“Oh really.” Parker raised an eyebrow. “Since you have my love life all straightened out, how are things with Wyatt?”
“I told him no more fooling around unless he’s ready to talk or grow up, whichever comes first,” Avery replied.
“You’ll be old and gray before any man acts mature. At least you know he didn’t do anything with that neighbor skank Kelly.”
“I guess.” She sighed. “I don’t understand guys. Wyatt won’t talk to me, but Riley’s willing to risk his career to say hello, despite warnings
from Uncle Seth.”
“Seth is a smart man.”
“But Riley’s at least putting in the effort, even if it was mostly to push my uncle’s buttons.”
“So, this is exciting? You told me Riley tried too hard when you first met him.”
“I don’t know. I guess I just like that he doesn’t run away.”
“You and Wyatt will figure things out. You’re both in your final year of school. You’ve
made your life plan, but from what you told me, he’s struggling. I think he just needs time.”
“I wish everyone would stop saying I have it all together. I don’t.”
“You don’t want to be a doctor?”
“I do.” She shook her head, frustrated. “I just feel like everyone has these grand expectations of me. I’m not allowed to do anything. When Wyatt isn’t babysitting me, I have a Regency
tail on me. Everyone thinks I’m some helpless doll. It’s stifling.”