Chapter 11
11
“Miss Sunshine,” Dad greeted me when he answered after the third ring. Strings of knots tightening my stomach loosened. Just the sound of his voice sent moisture to my eyes. I sealed my lids, breathing through my mouth to calm my jittery heart. “Are you okay?” I could hear the concern in my father’s voice.
I cleared my throat, trying hard to keep my composure and not give in to my overwhelming emotions. My bottom lip trembled, and I bit it as I regained some control over myself. “Yeah.” My voice sounded weaker than intended. I blew out a long breath. I reminded myself I was mad at them. And they shouldn’t get away with sending me here against my will so fast. “I am. I’m sorry for leaving like I did. For skipping our last dinner together.” More tears pooled in my eyes. My voice cracked as I added, “I hate being upset with you, but you left me no choice. You had no right to uproot me without my consent. I’m not five anymore. I have a voice, and I should be able to use it.”
Was all the bantering with Ryder giving me some spikes?
I usually wasn’t the teen arguing with my parents and holding her end.
This time I wanted to be heard.
Guess Ryder was useful at something after all.
“Your mother and I never meant to send you away against your will. The last thing we wished for was to hurt you. We have a matter to deal with, and the opportunity presented itself. And we thought it’d be a great experience for you. It’s just for three months, not a lifetime.”
“Iris and I had plans. There are no excuses. It wasn’t fair you didn’t tell me sooner.”
My father sighed. “Think you’ll forgive us by the end of summer?”
I shrugged even though he couldn’t see me. “Maybe.” I breathed in some air filled with a hefty dose of courage. “If you want updates, just text me. For now.”
“Huh, okay. Wanna talk to your mother? I’m sure she’d be delighted to hear your voice.”
I shut my lids, firmed my back, and exhaled. “No. Not tonight. Some other time. I just called to let you know I was fine and to not worry about me.”
Wow, I was holding my position. My heart hit the wall of my ribcage. It hurt like hell to upset my parents, though. But they had to hear me loud and clear. I was not kidding when I argued that their decision sucked and should have been discussed beforehand with the one person it concerned, aka me.
“Night,” I said when my dad turned silent.
“Take care, Ava. We love you. Never doubt it.”
“Yeah. Love you too.”
I hung up and blew out a long breath, twisting my bracelet around my wrist to soothe the discomfort swirling in me.
After I showered to flush away the last traces of my uneasiness, I slipped my tired self under the covers and grabbed my phone to set the alarm. The low battery notification flashed on the screen. Before I plugged it by the side of the bed, I shot Joseph a text.
Me
Hope Scarlett is doing better. Night, bestie.
I hit send and shook my head at the screen. A side of me loved the idea that Joseph and I could become friends this summer. He had a way of bringing sunshine into my cloudy days with his bottomless happiness.
He answered seconds later.
Joseph
Ah, I knew I was irresistible. Bestie, huh? See, not hard being honest with yourself. Glad you can admit I am your best friend.
This guy. Could he ever have bad days? Everything he said always sounded cheerful. Even his text messages displayed his happy demeanor.
Me
It was a test. To see if you were already deep asleep or buried under a mountain of dirty diapers.
Joseph
Nice try, Avalon. Lie to yourself all you want, but I know the truth.
I gotta wake up early. Need my beauty sleep. Can we talk tomorrow?
Me
Sure. I’ll be free after work. Night.
And holding on to the hope I wasn’t alone on my summer journey, I fell into a deep slumber.
The next morning, I was busy classifying invoices when Ryder walked by the reception desk and dropped a go-to coffee cup on the desk. I turned to look at him with a raised brow, not sure why he would address me after the disastrous encounter of the previous night.
“I heard you like caffeine. Peace offering. Yesterday, I went to visit my mom. It always puts me in a sour mood. It had nothing to do with you. Poor timing on your part when you walked in without being invited.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable.
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to. Not sure we’ll ever become friends anyway. You made it pretty clear.”
“Don’t get used to it. It’s a one-time thing. And perhaps Mason said I wasn’t making an effort to welcome you.”
Not touching the cup, I swiveled my chair, returning to my task and ignoring him.
He didn’t budge and gave me a look hard to interpret when I watched him over my shoulder because I could still feel his stare on me. I huffed my annoyance.
Ryder said nothing, his face expressionless and his eyes boring into mine with a heaviness that propelled shivers down my back, swallowing me whole.
Uncle Mason walked by before Ryder could leave, our staring contest still fully on.
“Hey guys. How is it going this morning? Do I sense a truce between you two?”
I snorted and rolled my eyes.
Ryder’s jaw clenched. His gaze stayed locked on mine.
Heat enveloped me, and I felt like I’d melt in my seat.
Using his most syrupy voice, he said, “Was bringing your niece her morning coffee. Thought she’d appreciate the gesture. Turns out she’s giving me attitude instead of a thank you.”
He shrugged and hung his head. As if I’d hurt his feelings. Then brought his eyes back to mine with a challenge glinting in them, all traces of friendliness gone.
Wrath boiled in my veins.
Such a hypocrite. The audacity of Ryder. Portraying me as the bad guy. I wouldn’t let him walk all over me without a fight. Two could play this game.
Faking a smile, I returned his poised attitude and rolled my shoulders back, playing unaffected. “I’m just waiting for it to cool down a bit. Wouldn’t want to burn my tongue. Don’t be so quick to judge my actions.”
Uncle Mason lifted both hands before him. “Fine. No truce. Keep up the good work, though. Ava, this afternoon, we’ll go through more complicated functions in the accounting software. I have a meeting at lunchtime, but we’ll get to it once I’m back. How does it sound? Ready for the next step?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
“Awesome. Okay, you two, just remember if you keep fighting, be civilized about it.” He let out a chuckle and left us.
Before I could add anything else, both Ryder and Uncle Mason had retreated to the back of the garage, leaving me alone with my murderous thoughts about the guy who reveled in screwing with my existence daily.
Unable to resist the aroma of caffeine infiltrating my nostrils, I grabbed the go-to cup and relished the scorching liquid as it went down my throat.
How could Ryder know things about me that I hadn’t spoken out loud, including my weakness for caffeine?
I feared the idea he could read me and that he could find out what made me tick.
Earlier, Aunt Melinda had asked me to invite Joseph for dinner the next day. She said she’d like to meet him before agreeing to let me spend my Friday night and Saturday in his company.
“Well, Mason and I talked. We’d like to officially meet him before letting you hang out with a stranger. Your safety is important to us,” she had said.
I should be thankful she cared. Even though it felt awkward to have them approve of my friendship with a boy.
I saved my work and gathered my phone and purse. It was a beautiful sunny day, and on my first drive to work, I had spotted a small Thai eatery I was dying to try. The garage was mostly empty at lunchtime, except for a few mechanics finishing their work orders due in the afternoon.
As I walked away from the building, with music in my ears, an odd sensation prickled at me, and my stomach knotted. Like I was being observed. A quick perusal around the parking lot confirmed I was being paranoid. No none was there.
Until I turned my head a one-eighty and caught the dark eyes on me belonging to a broody silhouette. My heart thundered in its cage as we both engaged in one of our staring duels.
My breaths quickened. Why did we always end up in the same dance? It was getting old. Despite it all, neither of us seemed to be able to stop.
From the short distance, I took in the scowl and hard set of his jaw and tried to come up with a decent explanation as to why Ryder would be mad at me today.
What appeared like disappointment flashed on his face, but he reeled it in as fast.
Except for the coffee encounter this morning, nothing exceptional happened between us. We didn’t even cross paths all morning.
I scanned the length of him. Even with a scowl and dressed down in a navy coveralls tied at the waist over a white T-shirt molding the planes and ridges of his chest, he looked hot. More than he was allowed to. If I wasn’t careful, my clothes would burn under his heated stare. Feeling self-conscious and not wanting him to imagine things that didn’t exist between us, I stopped ogling him and noticed he held two wrapped sandwiches and bottles of soda. Too engrossed in the puzzling sight of him, I had missed it at first.
Did he bring me one? Did Ryder really think we were cordial enough that I would agree to have lunch with him?
I was reading the situation wrong. I had to be. Ryder told me many times to stay away from him. Why would he want us to share lunch and spend time together? With a shake of my head, I erased the images of him and walked away, each foot I put between us releasing the uneasiness swirling in my abdomen.
That night, I stayed back at work to finish the day’s paperwork after I promised my uncle I’d lock the place up.
Too focused on my task, I hadn’t even noticed the blue sky and warm sunrays had been taken over by angry gray clouds and hail pellets. With my purse, I covered my head as I rushed to my truck, my only goal being to escape the attack from the gods above.
I slammed the door shut and settled in my seat, hypnotized by the thud, thud, thud of the bouncing pearls of ice hitting my windshield.
I turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. I tried again. Still nothing.
“No. No. Not tonight. Please, Felicity. I’m not in the mood. I am tired and hungry. Just start. I’ll get you checked tomorrow.” I turned the key and pressed the gas pedal. “Please, please, please.” Nothing. I hit the steering wheel in frustration. I was desperate to reach home. I looked around, trying to find an explanation as to why my battery could be dead when I noticed the position of my headlight switch. It was ON. Ohmygod. Did I really forget to turn them off earlier? Damn it. These old trucks were tricky since the lights had to be turned on and off manually, and I wasn’t used to doing so in Dad’s car.
I’d seen my father boosting his car battery with cables before. I was sure I could manage it with a little help before having to call Uncle Mason to my rescue. After all, I was still in the garage’s parking lot, so I had every tool I might need right under my nose.
On my phone, I searched How to jump a car battery on the internet. Plenty of step-by-step tutorials and videos appeared on the screen. I checked a few before concluding that, I was a resourceful woman and I could indeed do it myself. I recalled seeing those portable battery packs on a shelf at the back of the garage.
The hail outside had decreased, but the dark clouds were still lingering above, more threatening than before. A clap of thunder startled me just as I neared the building, and the first droplets of rain hit my face.
Within a few minutes, I had gathered the cables and battery pack and was making my way back to my truck. The downpour had increased, soaking me in seconds. Under the lifted hood of my pickup truck, I found partial shelter from Mother Nature’s onslaught.
Once again, I studied the photos on the tutorial carefully before positioning the clamps on each pole of the battery as instructed. A tiny flutter of pride ran through me. The version of me I’d been in Michigan would have never attempted to fix a car herself. I usually relied on my parents when I faced challenges.
Present-Ava was trying very hard to be more assertive, thanks to Ryder always getting a rise out of me. And to own her independence. Right now, I concluded I had the situation under control. That I could deal with the battery by myself.
My finger hovered over the on/off switch of the battery pack once I finished setting up the cables as instructed. I took a deep breath in, ready to test if the lesson from the internet was any good when a rough voice spoke up from behind me. One that sent a flock of butterflies swirling in my chest. And goosebumps to blossom all over my body.
“What do you think you’re doing? Do you have a death wish?”
I jumped back in surprise.
In the slowest motion possible, I turned around and folded my arms, ready for the face-off with Ryder that I had no way of running away from.
He stood there, drenched in the rain, his usual frown bunching his dark brows together. His hair was plastered to his skull, giving the devil his due. His eyes were ready to singe me. In anger or something else. I didn't know.
My hormones woke up. How could he look hot even wet? Ryder was the biggest contradiction in this world.
A pulse started in my body, a rhythm that responded to his. I was helpless to do anything but hide it. Nonchalance painted my face as I strove to keep it as blank as possible, not wanting him to read me. It was raining. I should have been shivering. But the trembles that started in my core were anything but that. I refused to answer him, lest my voice should reveal its secrets.
“I asked you a question, baby girl.” His usual disdain flooded me like thick poison every time he directed his attention to me.
I scrunched up my face as I tried to make sense of his sudden appearance. My hand moved to my forehead, shielding my eyes from the rain assault.
“Not your problem,” I snarled. In the few days I’d been in Feather Lake, I had turned into a version of myself I barely recognized when Ryder lurked in my peripheral vision. And getting worse as soon as our eyes connected. Never before had I relished a verbal fight like I did with him.
He shook his head, and I used the interlude to memorize every detail of his, from his angular jaw to the stiff position of his shoulders, his now-transparent white T-shirt molded to each ridge of his abdomen, and down to the jeans now glued to his thighs that displayed the lean muscles of his long legs.
“Having your death on my conscience isn’t a thing I’m excited about.” His words snapped me out of my careful perusal of his toned body.
“Unlike the preconceived notions you made about me—which are false, by the way—I can do this.” I waved my phone in front of his face. “Thank you, but I should be able to jump a dead car battery on my own. I’m following the steps. Thank you for worrying, but you can leave now.”
He folded his arms over his chest, not budging.
I mimicked his stance. “Told you to go. I’m not some circus monkey, and entertaining you isn’t on my to-do list.”
No move. He just stayed there with his gaze fixated on me. No visible traces of threat aimed at me.
I groaned. “Get the fuck away. Are you deaf? Let me do my own thing.”
“Keep going, baby girl. I love it when you spit your venom at me. It’s kinda hot when you get mad. You’re all flustered and bothered, and it suits you. Who knew you could bite?”
My gaze should have skewered him on the spot. God, how infuriating could he be?
His voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard when he said, “You sure you know what you’re doing?” He lifted one of his eyebrows.
I rested my fists on my hips and nodded. “Yep. Leave.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Don’t mind me then. And don’t electrocute yourself.”
My eyes sprang wider. “Electro-what? This is you messing with me, right? Please tell me it’s not an issue, that it’s safe to boost a battery.”
Turning on his heels, he sauntered away without another look at me.
“Ryder?” I hollered, running after him. “What did you mean by that?”