Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Avery
Wednesdays were adult art class days.
The class was usually full of seniors, and occasionally a wine mom or two.
Sometimes, June would stop in if business was slow at her flower shop and drape herself over one of my stools while she drank coffee and complained about the heat.
Other times, Evie would bring me a piece of her famous pie for breakfast. On the rare occasion, I got both of them yapping up a storm.
This morning, however, I hoped I didn’t find either of them there. I loved them so, so much, but I was still quite literally blue, and their snickers would send me over the edge.
Plus, the mystery neighbor was still . . . a mystery.
The tires screeched as I slammed on the brakes, and the truck tilted as I pulled halfway onto the curb behind the studio. I hopped out, keys jangling, and jogged to the back door of the studio, using my full bodyweight to barge it open.
Another alarm went off in my pocket. I threw all my things on a chair against the wall and swiped to turn it off as I headed through the hallway to the front of the studio.
Whynot Paint was split into three spaces. The front was the gallery and shop with my art for sale, along with some pieces from other local artists, and a showcase shelf for up-and-coming students in my youth classes.
Then, there was the classroom space: a large room with countless shelves of art supplies, huge windows letting in loads of natural light, and tables and stools for anyone coming in.
The last space was mine and mine alone. I’d painted the door bright blue and it remained locked. Everyone in my life knew that space was completely off-limits and to even think about stepping foot inside was against the rules.
Behind that blue door was a place that was full of magic. Skylights filled it with natural light. Stacks of canvases leaned against the walls. Half of them were landscapes or still-life studies, and the other half?
All my kinky paintings I needed to keep hidden from prying eyes. The last thing I needed was for Whynot to discover their small town darling was a thirsty, depraved harlot.
My studio was my safe-haven. Hopefully, I’d get to lock myself in there later tonight.
A knock echoed through the studio.
“Fuck. Of course they’re here already.” I plastered on a smile as I rushed to the front door.
Ugh. My favorite student.
Ms. Carlson’s wrinkly face glowered on the other side of the glass. She radiated that scary math teacher energy like it was nuclear waste. “Oh there she is. She made it, everyone,” she announced.
Great. I unlocked the door and smiled bigger. “Good morning. Ready for class?”
The little old bat pinched her lips. “You’re late, little lady.”
I glanced at my phone. “Only by two minutes, Ms. Carlson.”
“And you’re blue.”
“I am, thank you. How about you go inside and grab your favorite seat before anyone else? Would hate for you to end up at a different table this week.”
I held the door open for her as she grumbled past me, beelining for the classroom.
A few other familiar faces followed. Chuck and Grace, an older couple who argued like it was their love language.
Whynot’s version of the Golden Girls—Caroline, Betty, Lola, and Esmeralda.
Tex, an eighty-four-year-old retired cowboy who liked to paint bluebonnets, even if that wasn’t the subject we were working on.
One more figure loomed at the back of the little crowd that was unlike the others.
Holy shit.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” I planted my hands on my hips. “If it isn’t Levi Rayburn.”
It’d been at least a decade since I’d seen him, but I’d know that handsome face anywhere.
Levi stood on the sidewalk looking completely out of place in my world.
He was a solid foot taller than me with shoulders wider than a linebacker, biceps for days, and a slightly softer belly.
His flaxen hair was pushed back, his beard glinting in the sunlight against his sharp jaw.
He wore dark jeans, sunglasses, cowboy boots, and a shirt that was doing the lord’s work.
Levi was my first crush. It was embarrassing, especially now. But, living between here and Minnesota worked in his favor in more ways than one. He’d gone off to be a big shot in the hockey world, and had come back looking like a rugged sports model.
Levi raised a thick brow and regarded me with a coolness that made my heart skip a beat.
I had the right guy, right? I knew that face anywhere. Hell, I’d dreamed about kissing that face.
“Do I know you?”
Jesus, there went every shred of my ego. Someone needed to run me over.
“Oh. Uh . . . I’m Avery. Avery Whynot.”
“Oh.” His posture relaxed slightly, but his muscles were still rigid. “Right. Austin’s little sister.”
Of course. That’s the only thing anyone ever knew me by. Every guy in this damn town treated me like a rattlesnake out of fear of looking at Austin’s little sister the wrong way.
“I’m more than that,” I said tightly.
“Right. You’re . . . blue.”
I crossed my arms. My temper flared. “And you look like you got your tan from a salon. Did running off to the big league knock your fucking manners from you?”
The corner of his mouth tugged. “Did this town dry up yours?”
I glowered until he held up his hands in surrender. His very strong, very sexy, very big hockey man hands.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to offend you. I’m still getting my footing here.”
He sounded genuine. I studied him for a beat longer, but then relaxed my shoulders. “It's fine. Are you coming to art class or not?” Please say yes. It’d be refreshing to have someone under the age of fifty in my class during the week.
“Well, I was actually looking for your dad. I haven’t seen him in a while and wanted to pay a visit.”
His words were a gut punch. My heart dropped out of my chest, my mind going blank.
God, I’d never get used to this. Ever.
I opened my mouth to tell Levi the truth, but another voice interrupted.
“Little Miss Whynot, why in the hell are you the color of a blueberry?”
Dammit. Had someone cursed me today? What had I done to deserve this?
With a sigh, I turned right as Mateo hopped out of his truck looking like a damn model.
Seriously, he should have been in one of those firefighter calendars.
Mateo had golden brown skin, dark brown curls on top of his head, a thick mustache begging for a ride, and a smile that made my entire body light up like the Fourth of July.
He wasn’t dressed up like a firefighter right now. He wore faded jeans, a navy T-shirt with the Whynot Fire Department logo that showed off those heroic muscles, and as always, those damn slutty little glasses. They always magnified the crinkles at the corner of his eyes when he smiled at me.
I swallowed hard as he came up beside me with a broad grin and slid his arm around my shoulders in the totally platonic side hug that was actually going to be the death of me.
Ever since I’d moved back to Whynot two years ago, the two of us had become best friends.
And nothing more.
“Jimenez,” I grumbled.
“Pff.” He ruffled my hair playfully. It took every ounce of control not to lean into his firm hand like a cat. “What the hell did you do?”
I smirked. There’d been a missed opportunity to text him a picture of the messy sink earlier, which was too bad.
That was the thing about Mateo. I wanted him so much more than just a friend, but I just settled for having what I could.
Which was a really sexy, really good friend.
“I was going to dye my hair blue. Don’t tell anyone I look like this.”
Mateo twirled me toward him, his hands settling on my hips in an all-too-familiar, playful way.
Platonic.
Completely fucking platonic, even though I’d thought about his hands more than once at night.
“I’m texting the group chat immediately,” he teased.
Dammit. Why did he have to be so cute when he smiled like that? Why the fuck did my brothers have to have hot friends?
“Why are you here, Mateo?” I asked. “Aren’t you on the clock? You’re wearing your shirt. You know I have class to run. Ms. Carlson is probably firing up the pitchforks now since I’m running behind.”
Mateo’s hands fell away and he crossed his arms. “Well, I may have taken a look at your art class schedule after someone mentioned in passing you were going to be teaching fumage.”
Damn. That meant Angie had tattled on me.
Angie ran local dispatch and just loved to be up in everyone’s business. She’d had it out for me ever since I stuck bubblegum in her hair in fourth grade. To be fair, it was warranted. She’d poured chocolate milk all over my art the day before.
Mateo’s mustache moved as the corner of his mouth twisted with amusement. “And Avery, really? You’re going to let them handle fire in a closed space?”
I stiffened. Fumage was an art technique I loved and wanted to share with more people.
I’d learned about it in college and had been experimenting with it recently.
To make a piece of art, you lit a candle and used the smoke to create impressions on paper or canvas.
It was challenging and exciting, and you’re damn right I was going to be teaching it.
“It’s a beautiful art form and this class is for adults, hotshot. Some of the people in there wiped our asses when we were babies,” I argued.
“Not mine. And now we all get to wipe theirs.”
My expression pinched.
Levi cleared his throat and we looked up. He was staring at us awkwardly, his sunglasses reflecting the two of us. I saw how close we stood and immediately stepped away, my heart lurching.
Mateo offered a smile as he balanced his elbow on my shoulder. “Hi. Don’t think we’ve met. I’m Mateo.”
“This is Levi,” I said as they shook hands. “He’s also one of Austin’s friends.”
“Oh,” Mateo said. “Wait, you’re Levi? Sport Levi?”
Levi didn’t smile. “I’m assuming so. Haven’t seen him in person in years, though. Um, Avery—”
The door to the Whynot Paint swung open and I moved back before I got bumped.
“Miss Whynot! Some of us have bingo to get to in an hour.” Sure enough, Ms. Carlson poked her head out.
She looked like a snake about to bite me, but then her expression changed when she laid eyes on Levi and Mateo.
“Oh, I see. We have new students. Of course, of course. Well, don’t leave them in the heat, child, or else they’ll get hot and sweaty. ”
Before I could run interference, she grabbed hold of Levi’s bulky forearm and tugged him through the front door.
His head turned and he looked like he was about to flee, but there was no escaping the Carlson claws once she had them on you, even if you were a buff hockey player.
God help him now, Levi was going to be in this class, whether he wanted to or not.
Mateo hummed under his breath. His gaze landed on me and my skin prickled beneath the warmth of it.
“So that’s the sports star friend?”
“Yeah.” I put my hands behind my back, grabbing hold of my wrist out of sight and squeezing it. The motion had always grounded me. “He and Austin go way back. Looks like you got competition in town.”
Mateo winked at me. “No competition, Blue. You know I’m good at sharing.”
My cheeks turned hotter than asphalt at noon from the implication. “You cannot call me Blue.”
His gaze lingered for a moment, and then he smirked as he slid past me. “I gotta after seeing you like this. Also, I definitely just texted the group chat.”
I groaned and followed him inside.
At least I’d have two new students today. That was something good, right?