7. Avery
Avery
T here was something healing about taking yourself out for lunch. It was something I could have never imagined doing before now, but I was starting to embrace my independence.
It was nice.
After I left the guys at the bar to finish up their afternoon, I went home and grabbed my own laptop, phone, and a pair of headphones before heading back to town.
Mama was already in her garden with music blaring. That was her happy place, so I left her a note and told her to text me her order before heading for the diner.
Starlight Diner had always seemed so cheesy when I was a kid. It was retro and a bit over-the-top. Now all I felt was nostalgia as I walked through the door.
They still had the same fake leather booths and barstools. The tables were made of wood with a clear covering over them, under which they had stuck various memorabilia.
Some of it had faded with time, while others looked like they’d been added recently. It was a mix of random event tickets, pamphlets, postcards, newspaper clippings—whatever they could find.
The walls were covered in random things from license plates to sports team memorabilia to vintage farm tools.
There was really no rhyme or reason to any of it. The entire mix was chaotic at best. I loved it.
“Welcome in… wait a minute,” the waitress greeted me. I recognized her immediately as another omega I went to school with. “Is that you, Avery Whitaker? Here I thought you flew the coop for good.”
“Hey, Kelly,” I greeted, giving her a bright smile, though it didn’t feel genuine. Kelly had always been part of the popular crowd. She didn’t exactly bully me, but there had been enough judgmental looks and commentary leading up to high school that I didn’t want to be friends with her.
Then, of course, everyone wanted to be my friend as my brothers got older and presented as alphas.
“Is it just you today, hun?” she asked, glancing behind me, her expression almost hopeful. I bit back a laugh but nodded.
“Yeah, I just need to get some work done,” I said, gesturing to the bag in my hand.
“All right, I’ll set you up in one of the corners so nobody bothers you,” she promised, turning on her heels and heading for a table tucked away in the corner just like she promised.
At least I had a window, and I wasn’t by the bathrooms. I’d count that as a win.
“Can I get anything started for you or do you need a minute?” she asked, waving a menu in the air to see if I needed it or not.
“I’ll need a minute,” I confirmed, plucking the menu out of her hands and dropping my bag on the table.
She flounced away to help somebody else while I got settled. I sat so I was facing the room, unwilling to put headphones in and leave myself vulnerable for long. It was something I started while in the city, but after everything, I still needed to be in control.
The menu looked about the same as it did years ago. It didn’t take me long to make a quick selection. I just went for a classic grilled cheese and French fries, and of course, some caffeine.
I had a feeling I was going to be here a while. At least I’d come late enough that it was between the lunch and dinner crowds, so I hopefully wouldn’t be chased away.
Kelly was less exuberant this time as she approached, taking my order quickly and then handing it over to the kitchen staff.
After that, she left me alone, simply sliding my drink over and giving me a quick smile before moving on. I was kind of glad the act was dropping. She was less insufferable when she was being normal.
I put in my headphones and started up one of my favorite work playlists, a mix of indie folk bands. It had never been my first choice before, but after being in the city for so long, it was like my own guilty pleasure. A taste of home.
The next two hours were a mix of me swapping between my playlists and PackVlog videos. I loved that it was a mix of short videos and profiles where you could post pictures. The mix would make it a whole lot easier to draw in followers.
My notebook was quickly filling with video ideas, all of it tailored to Rockwood Valley and the artisans here. I wanted to showcase the good we had, and I fully intended to propose this to the mayor once I had a plan in place.
The second list was tailored to the bar and my brothers. Objectively, they were handsome, and I knew handsome single alphas would sell. Silly dances wouldn’t happen with Maverick, but Nash wouldn’t hesitate to make a fool of himself. Maverick could be broody and mysterious, and Cameron would be the blunt one.
Even setting up a live to chat between customers would go a long way. They could talk up Rockwood Valley and entice in even more of the college crowds.
Thanks to the templates available, I had one picked out and started the Whitaker Brews account.
Our bio was a quick story about us, including that we were trying to keep our fathers’ legacy going. I wasn’t going for the sympathy vote, but I wanted people who were familiar with it to understand that things had changed a bit.
The news of the tragedy had spread across the artisan community, but that didn’t mean it was well known to all of the tourists who attended as well.
A loud, booming voice cut through the room. I glanced up and grinned. It seemed fate was looking out for me.
Mayor Adams had just walked in. He was our old principal but had taken over as mayor a few years ago.
Nobody really ran against him these days, and he’d done a pretty good job from what I’d seen on social media and heard from my family.
When he glanced my way, I gave him a winning smile and a small wave. His eyes widened, and so did his grin before he was sauntering over my way, stopping and greeting a few people as he passed.
To most, it would seem like a shady political move. To him, the entire town was his family, and he was simply saying hello. He would ask about someone’s kids, see how someone was feeling—it was like he knew something about everyone he met.
The more I watched him interact with the group, the better I felt about what I was about to propose. It was a bold move, and I was hardly prepared, but I wasn’t going to let a lack of confidence creep in.
Instead, I stuck to my guns, let my brothers’ encouragement bolster me, and knew that I had a good pitch, impromptu as it was now.
“Avery Whitaker, it’s about time you came back to us. I hear you’re back in town to stay.”
“Hello, Mayor Adams. It’s good to see you. Yes, I am in town to stay.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, giving my shoulder a pat. “Those brothers of yours have been working hard.”
“They have,” I agreed. “I was just working on some ideas to build us up a PackVlog page and bring in more customers, not just the seasonal college crowd.”
His eyes lit up like I had just dangled his favorite present in front of him. I had a feeling I was going to win him over.
“You know, I was just talking to a few people the other day about that. I want to get our presence out there, to rebuild this town. It was a real damn shame what happened to your fathers and the Artisan Fair. It affected us all, and this town took a big hit. We haven’t seen anywhere near the business we used to, and I’m sure you’ve seen we’ve lost a lot of small businesses in the aftermath.”
“We have, and I agree that there’s a lot of potential in Rockwood Valley, we just need the rest of the world to see it. Speaking of which, I’ve got a few proposals if you’ve got a minute to sit down with me?”
He let out a small chuckle as I cleared a spot for him. “Well, I didn’t expect to come in for a business lunch, but if you’ve got ideas, I’m more than willing to hear them.”
“If you’re looking to hire someone to manage the town’s image, I believe I would be a very good fit. Not only have I done my research on the matter, but I really think that I could show the rest of the world the heart that Rockwood Valley has.”
“What are your qualifications for this role? Not to be rude, but you have just come home.”
He was eager, but understandably a bit skeptical. I didn’t hesitate to reassure him, rattling off the work and degrees I’d managed while gone.
“I have been gone,” I concluded. “But the experiences I’ve made at bigger companies and learned in school, will only help me reach our visibility goals.”
He nodded slowly, not quite sold yet.
“I am thinking it would be best to start with showcasing the individual businesses in town. I’d shoot video tours, take pictures of their business and edit them to perfection, create individualized profiles with links, and do interviews. We could give everyone notice and they can make sure their business is looking its best. Each video would lead them to the town website with the promise of the full interview videos and more. I can even help you rebuild and rebrand the website.”
His eyebrows furrowed, and he ran a hand across his chin back and forth as if he was deep in thought. “It has been quite a few years since we’ve updated that website,” he said, nodding his head slowly as he did.
“It has, and not to be rude, but it shows. In this day and age, we have to use a mix of nostalgic, rustic, and modern. If we do it just right, then we can show off the Southern charm this place has.”
He let out a whistle and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he studied me. “Avery, I always knew you were a bright student, and I am very impressed with the lady that you’ve turned into. I’ve already been discussing this with the board in some capacity. I wanted to allocate a budget to hire out a management team, but using one of our locals, especially someone who has fresh eyes to see our town with and knows its potential, I think this could convince them. Could you start small, maybe make us up a mock website so we could see a few videos, and then present them at our next council meeting? That’s next Tuesday, so you don’t have a lot of time to work, but if you do a good job it’ll be far easier to convince the others.”
“I won’t let you down, I promise,” I said, having to force myself not to do a dance in my chair.
Excitement was bubbling up in me. He was pulled to another table and I managed a goodbye before it truly hit me.
I had less than a week to come up with a proposal, but if I did well, then I could have a permanent job—one I didn’t expect, but knew I would be amazing at.
Needing to tell someone, I packed up, paid my bill, and tipped Kelly. I practically ran to my truck, cranking my music as I drove home.
Mama was still in her garden, but she must have heard the rumble of the old engine. She stood and was dusting off her knees when I rushed back.
Her eyes widened as I practically ran to her, but she didn’t hesitate to meet my enthusiasm as I explained everything in a huge rush.
“Oh my God, Avery, that’s genius! You’re going to do such a good job,” she said excitedly, dancing in a circle with me as I let out another squeal.
She wrapped me in a hug before stepping back and wrinkling her nose.
“Sorry, I’m all covered in sweat. I need to go clean up, but we are going to have a celebration dinner tonight,” she said, giving me a look that was so full of emotion it nearly made me cry. “I’m so proud of you, Avery. So fucking proud and your dads would be, too.”
She turned and rushed inside, and I swear I saw her wipe away a tear. Maybe it was seeing the drastic change in my mood when I arrived and the excitement I had now.
It was funny how fast things could change in life. A few days ago, I was heartbroken and angry; now I was forging a life for myself and so excited about the changes coming my way.
Walking in on my exes was the best thing that ever happened to me.