Chapter 9 Avery
Avery
“Got a minute?”
Bel hugged the frame of the bedroom door. She was already dressed for the day but barefooted, her cheeks glowing from the slick of face cream Avery knew, if she stepped closer, would smell of peaches.
“For sure.” Avery tied a knot in the front of her oversize tee and reached up to pull back her hair.
Bel came further into the room. “Your face looks awful.”
Avery glanced over at a mirror on the wall as she wound a hairband around her ponytail. The swelling on her cheekbone was tight and hot, the bruising around the cut on her forehead darkening. “Thanks. It feels worse,” she quipped. Especially since she kept prodding it. “What’s up?”
Bel sat down heavily on the edge of Gemma’s bed.
She rolled her full lips and sucked her teeth.
“Here’s the thing. Drew and I found something we weren’t looking for when we were doing the scavenger hunt last night.
” There was watchful concern on her face.
“We found Johnnie and Mia. Near Mia’s cabin. They were . . . very close together.”
“How close?” Avery raised an eyebrow.
Bel picked at a thread on the patchwork comforter. “‘Lip locked’ close. ‘Jump apart when you’re spotted’ close.”
“OK.” Avery opened a tube of sunscreen and dotted it over the bridge of her nose.
Standing up, Bel wrapped her arms around Avery’s waist. Her chin only slotted neatly onto Avery’s shoulder because she stood on tiptoe. “I know you’re not seeing each other anymore but I didn’t want it to catch you unprepared.”
Avery gave herself up to Bel’s hug even though she genuinely didn’t need it. “I don’t have feelings for Johnnie—he can lip-lock whoever he likes and I wish Mia good luck with his hideous shift pattern. You know I choose not to date because I’m happier this way.”
“One day, you’ll meet someone who makes you want to take a chance.”
“Unlikely.” Never would she let herself be broken the way her mom had been shattered by her dad. No one was worth that. Not even a ridiculously toned hockey player with a dimple to drown in. “I’m not willing to give up a part of myself to someone else who won’t take care of it.”
“Not all guys are like that,” said Bel without heat.
“No.” Drew seemed to be one of the good ones. For now. “Not all guys, maybe.”
Bel knew her well enough to read Avery’s thoughts. “This isn’t the time for me to reassure you, Tessie Trust-Issues. But my wisdom will become crystal-clear in the future.”
“What are you being wise about this time?” Gemma swept into the room, ducking down to fish her sneakers out from under the bed.
“It’s hard to narrow it down.” Bel nudged Gemma’s butt with the ball of her foot. “But right now we’re talking about the true joys of a good relationship.”
“No, we aren’t,” said Avery. “Bel put forward the proposal and I was countering on the grounds that solitude and fulfillment are not mutually exclusive.”
“They say being in a healthy relationship increases your life expectancy,” Gemma grunted as she pulled on her shoes.
“They also say that the benefits of being able to sleep like a starfish in your own bed make you less likely to kill someone for snoring.” Avery dug in her pocket for a ChapStick.
“Not sure I caught that TED Talk,” murmured Bel.
When Drew interrupted to ask if anyone had seen his glasses, Avery took a walk to the jetty before breakfast and sat down, legs dangling over the edge, and called her mom.
She’d had four texts from her already—two requests for help with an online order for a doormat, and two complaining about the weather.
“Hey, it’s me. Thought I’d catch up quickly while I had the chance.”
“Thank you, darling.” Her mother’s voice lacked color and Avery found herself, as always, trying to evaluate her mood from those initial three words.
“I’ve ordered the doormat for you. You should have it Tuesday. How’s your weekend going?” she asked, even though she was the one who was away and her mom’s Saturday had likely followed exactly the same pattern as most other days.
“Fine. Quiet. I decided not to use the shower until you’re back.”
Avery hid a sigh. “Probably best. I’ll pop in sometime tomorrow.”
“You’ll stay for dinner?”
“Sure.” Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Avery stared out over the lake. “Did you give any more thought to the meet-up group I found? It would be worth finding out what activities they offer. You might make some new friends.”
Please lean on someone else, Mom. I’m getting so tired . . .
“Maybe I’ll call next week,” her mom said. They both heard the lie. “Have you spoken to your father?”
“Not this week. I’ll catch up with him soon.
” Avery knew her dad was in Italy on holiday but it would take physical torture before she’d spill that nugget of information to her mother.
“Look, I only have a few minutes before things get busy again here so I’m going to have to cut this short. But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her mother was unwilling to let her go so it took a little longer to tie up the call. When they finally said goodbye, Avery had dug half-moons into her palm with the nails on her free hand.
“And how’s your weekend, sweetie?” she murmured to herself. “Oh, running smoothly, Mom. Thanks for asking. It’s just your average Bach Bash—nowhere near as exciting as your shower problems.”
“I don’t know about ‘average,’ Stretch. For all we know, Savannah’s planned a dance-off in fancy dress tonight.”
Raising one hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Avery looked over her shoulder.
A glow surrounded Tanner as he loomed on the jetty in the morning light.
From her position on the wooden planks, he took on the proportions of a golden god—at once improbably muscular, smoothly at ease, and achingly appealing.
Like someone who had it all and took it for granted.
She swung back to the water. “Bel will be in her element if she does.”
There was a shuffle of shoes behind her and then Tanner lowered himself onto the edge at her side. His hand lay between them, palm down on the jetty. When his little finger brushed Avery’s thigh, she was achingly aware of the contact.
He said nothing more and they sat for another few minutes.
He wasn’t still. She’d never known Tanner to be still.
One of his ankles swung back and forth above the water as he flicked a stone off the jetty.
Every part of him was animated, from his eyebrows to his fidgety feet, and somehow his solid presence added an extra sparkle to the beautiful surroundings.
He made her feel things she didn’t want to feel and it was dangerous.
“I suppose we should go see how they’re planning to abuse us this morning.” Avery swept a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, sucking in a breath when she caught the bruise on her cheekbone and Tanner’s brow pinched.
“It’s an obstacle course. With blindfolds. I read my itinerary like a good sheep.”
“And sheep are famous for their reading,” she snickered despite herself.
“It figures they’d need some way to get off to sleep. Counting themselves jumping over a fence is just weird.”
“Pretty sure the whole counting-sheep thing is a fallacy. I’ve tried and I get hung up on how there are so many different shapes and sizes of sheep. I can never make mine identical enough to be restful. It ends up keeping me awake.”
The light in Tanner’s eyes sparkled like polished bronze and a rueful smile spread over his lips. “Trust you to tackle it with that level of commitment.”
Avery climbed reluctantly to her feet. Tanner was slow to follow, his eyes fixed on the cut at her temple.
“That still looks pretty sore.”
She lifted a hand to touch it. “It’s not so bad.”
“Yeah, I think it is.”
“No, it’s—”
“I’d imagine it would really hurt to put a blindfold over it. It’s probably way too tender for that.” Tanner’s grin was calculating. “I’m guessing it wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to sit this activity out and find someone who’s willing to help you play hooky instead.”
Last night’s uncovered truth hung between them in the cool morning air.
The group had continued to chew over Tanner’s revelation until people drifted off to bed.
Avery wasn’t looking forward to it being brought up again today—with all the painful buttons it pressed.
She’d already considered bailing on the morning but had given herself a firm lecture about being a coward.
Escaping . . . now, that was tempting. With Tanner? Risky.
Avery seesawed between the options for several long moments, and just the fact that he gave her the time she needed helped her come to a decision.
Raising her fingers to her temple again, she faked an exaggerated wince. “Ow.”
Tanner’s grin widened. “Yeah, I thought so. Let’s go make our excuses.”