Once We Met Read online

  She pulled down the mirror and grabbed a compact from her bag. Erika was right—Avery’s face was getting even redder from the sun. “And don’t worry, Dan, you don’t have to take us anywhere. We’ve already completely blown up your plans for the next couple of weeks.”

  Dan gave a light chuckle. “Ah, it’s good. All I would be doing right now is swinging a sledgehammer and eating pizza or mac and cheese. I can take you all out. If you’re interested.”

  Am I interested? She felt that knot of tension around her heart again and studied her own face in the mirror as she continued applying makeup. She was intrigued by how much easier it was to be around Dan than she’d imagined it would. If she’d known they’d still get along so well, she would have looked him up years ago. And now it was too late for—

  Stop, just stop. She could control any attraction she had to him, after all. And what he was offering was friendship, nothing more. She’d never been very good at navigating friendships with guys. They either turned into something more, or the friendship just ended because she didn’t want it to turn into something more.

  Tad had been a comfortable friendship, precisely because that wasn’t an issue—but even his friendship had turned out too complex for her to handle, because of Bryan.

  Realizing she’d let too much time pass without answering, Avery said, “Oh—um. Yeah, that would be good.”

  Erika laughed, slugging her softly on the shoulder. “You’re such a freaking space cadet. The only person I know that can totally stop paying attention and then randomly realize someone asked her a question—and answer it—five minutes after everyone in the conversation has moved on.”

  Avery finished applying lip gloss and blew her a kiss. “What can I say? My brain works at a delay.”

  They turned onto Main Street a few minutes later, and Dan pulled into a parking spot in front of a cute shop among three-story stone row houses. As he stopped, his gaze transfixed on the front steps of the storefront, where a leggy blonde stood in front of the door. “Ah, fuck,” he muttered in a low voice.

  Avery felt her stomach drop as she unbuckled her seat belt. “What’s wrong?”

  “My ex-girlfriend. Melissa Rosner.” The muscles in Dan’s forearms were taut as he gripped the steering wheel. “She owns the catering company. I didn’t want to say anything—figured I’d just slip away and let you handle things. But she’s obviously seen me now.”

  The blonde had stiffened at the sight of the truck, and she set her hands on her hips, glaring at them. Ex-girlfriend? Avery felt the urge to flee, but she took a breath, trying to talk sense into her own flight instinct. Just because this woman had a history with Dan, didn’t mean she’d take it out on Avery. After all, Avery was just an unconnected stranger.

  Dan didn’t look all right, though, and that concerned her. She gave him the most reassuring look she could. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. You don’t have to talk to her. We won’t be long. Thanks so much for bringing us.”

  But as Avery closed the door to the truck, Erika behind her, she could practically feel the frosty chill Melissa directed their way. Avery held her breath, wishing she’d had more time to blow-dry her hair rather than throw it in a wet bun. “Hi, Ms. Rosner? Avery Moretti.” Avery approached with her hand outstretched.

  Melissa stared at Avery’s hand but didn’t shake it. Her eyes narrowed further. “Oh, my God.” Melissa covered her mouth. “I get it now. You’re that Avery. The bitch that ruined him.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dan didn’t have to hear Melissa’s comments to know it wasn’t going well. For one, Avery and Erika hadn’t made any further progress into the catering shop. And then there was that look on Melissa’s face, which he knew well. Much as he didn’t want to face Melissa right here, he gritted his teeth and unbuckled his seat belt. Swinging open the door to his truck, he stepped out. “Everything okay?”

  Melissa’s gaze snapped to him. “You get back in your truck.”

  Avery’s lips had parted, a stunned expression on her face as she looked back and forth from Melissa to Dan. “Just checking to make sure you’re not displacing your feelings about me on someone who has nothing to do with what happened to us,” Dan said smoothly to Melissa, setting his hand on the door.

  “Nothing to do with us? Are you kidding me?” Melissa gawked at him. “She’s Avery. The Avery? If it hadn’t been for her, you wouldn’t have such horrible trust issues with women. No matter what I did, I lived in the shadow of that selfish little bitch.”

  “I think we should go.” Avery stepped back, closer to Erika. “I am so sorry for missing our appointment, but clearly this isn’t the best time.”

  Melissa now directed all the anger in her posture toward Avery. “Yeah, you should be sorry. Because it turns out I won’t be able to cater your wedding now. Without the tasting, you’re technically in breach of contract, so tough.”

  Feeling his anger roiling, Dan slammed the door and stepped onto the sidewalk beside Avery. “She’s got nothing to do with us, Melissa. Don’t take your anger with me out on her.”

  “She’s got everything to do with it.” Melissa crossed her arms. “And you stay right there, Dan. I don’t want to get another restraining order.”

  “Well, considering the judge didn’t grant you one last time, I wouldn’t call it another one.” Dan glared, and he felt Avery shift uncomfortably beside him. He really shouldn’t take her bait, but he couldn’t help himself, wanting to offer a defense for himself before Avery and her friend got the wrong impression. “Considering that I let you get away with stealing my dog just to be rid of you, you’re lucky I didn’t take you to court. And speaking of the law, you can’t legally cancel Avery’s wedding. You told her it was okay to show up late for the tasting.”

  Melissa dipped her chin. “Prove it.” She took another step up, opening the door to the shop. “And you know what, it’s fine. Because I’ll just refund her deposit, less an administrative fee for the tasting. If I had known who she was, I never would have booked her wedding. Now fuck off.” Melissa turned and walked inside, and the bolt clicked shut.

  Stunned silence hung between Dan and the women. Erika stepped shoulder-to-shoulder with Dan. “Wow, she’s a piece of work.”

  “That’s an understatement.” Dan snuck a glance at Avery, trying to gauge her reaction. She was still staring at the door, blinking. “Avery, I’m so sorry—”

  “You told her about me?” Avery turned toward him, confusion in her eyes. “Just what did you say?”

  Surprised that Avery seemed more concerned about that than just having lost her wedding caterer, Dan rubbed the back of his neck. “I-I didn’t say that much. She was always trying to play an armchair psychologist. Figure out what was wrong with me.” He’d told Melissa about that brief summer romance as a teenager and what it had led to because she’d demanded to know about his dating history, but she’d always made a bigger deal of it than he’d imagined she would, blaming it as the start of his “inability to be in a mature relationship.”

  “You’ve had so much toxicity in your life, baby. That’s why you can’t commit. Why you’re so attached to whatever family you feel you can cling to—even though they treat you like you’re the one to shit on. I get it, I really do. What your dad did to you all—dumping your mom and leaving her while she was pregnant with you—that leaves a permanent mark. Because deep down inside, you know you’re not a Klein, no matter what. And we need to talk about that, get to the root of all of this shit so we can forge forward together.”

  Dan hadn’t seen at the time how much damage Melissa was doing to his relationship with his family. Whatever reason she had to feel threatened by them and by past relationships like Avery, that was on her. And even though his family had his back when he’d finally found his way out of Melissa’s life, he’d lost the other family he’d built in the police force.

  His thoughts were broken by Erika, who watched both him and Avery with a curious expression. “Well, as the only person here who apparently isn’t grappling with something that is clearly a lot deeper than cold canapes, can I suggest we reconvene somewhere else? Literally anywhere other than in front of this psycho’s shop. Preferably somewhere with alcohol?”

  “Maybe just some carry-out?” Avery sounded strangely tired. “We can stop by a liquor store, too. I’m just feeling a little spent.” She didn’t wait for Dan and Erika and hurried back to Dan’s truck.

  Dan exchanged a look with Erika. “What’d I do?”

  “I don’t think you did anything.” Erika shrugged. “I mean, other than be someone she once had feelings for. And yes, she told me about you two—we’ve been best friends since kindergarten—so I’m not sure why she’s making a deal about you telling your ex about her. She’s probably just upset about the catering thing.” Erika tossed her jet black hair over her shoulder. “What’s good for carry-out?”

  “Bunny’s.” He got her signal loud and clear—she didn’t want to talk about Avery with him. That’s fair. And it was a relief, too, knowing Avery had someone like Erika in her life. The few interactions he’d witnessed between Avery and her fiancé on the phone had planted a strange worry in the back of his mind. The guy had been yelling at her this morning when he’d called, and it had been clear Avery tried to turn the phone volume down so Dan wouldn’t hear. He’d watched her whole body shrink when talking to the douche, something Dan had seen on occasion over the years on the force.

  He wasn’t in any position to meddle or question Avery about it, but Erika would. And she seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders.

  Dan climbed back into the truck and glanced at Avery, who was staring at her cell phone. “You okay?” She had to be feeling like she was going to crumble under the strain of the last few days. Noth
ing she’d planned seemed to be working out.

  “I haven’t figured that out yet.” Avery was strangely quiet as they left. In the cab of Dan’s truck once again, she asked, “What happened to your dog?”

  The last thing Dan wanted to discuss was Milo, but he didn’t want to tell her that either.

  “Um, when Melissa and I broke up, I came over to get him, and she’d changed the locks.” And then Melissa had recorded him on her doorbell camera when he’d gotten angry and pounded on the door and kicked over a planter.

  As though stealing Milo hadn’t been enough.

  “That’s horrible.” Avery had paled. “Isn’t that illegal? Can’t you petition the court or something?”

  “Unfortunately, she bought him for me when we moved in together. I was the one who took care of him and spent time with him, but that’s a lot harder to prove in court.” Dan stared at his hands, surprised to see them steady. Losing Milo had been the hardest part of all he’d gone through in the spring, and talking about it—to anyone—hadn’t been easy. That he could say anything at all to Avery was strangely comforting.

  “So awful. What type of dog is he?” Erika asked from behind them.

  “Boxer. Fawn-colored with a black face.” Thinking about Milo with Melissa made him want to punch something, and his fingers curled into a fist. “Sweetest damn dog. He was the best thing about that relationship.” Milo had made life better whenever he came home from a hard day of work. Especially with the line of work Dan had been in. Dogs had a way of balancing the scales when humanity got especially ugly.

  “I have a little Maltipoo at home. Cutest little fluff ball. Her name is Pixie,” Erika said, then pulled out her phone to pull up a picture. A smile spread through her face. “I would be devastated if I lost her. But it sounds like you need to do something legally, Dan. Melissa’s clearly a bully, and she shouldn’t be allowed to get away with stealing your dog.”

  Dan grimaced. “Unfortunately, not everyone else sees that side of her. In fact, that Melissa you met back there? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her act that way in front of anyone, except me. So, really, I’m probably to blame for that. There are plenty of people in this community who love her.” And I’m the one who has the reputation as a bully.

  “Given that she clearly has a dark side, I think we should all breathe a gigantic sigh of relief that she won’t be catering the wedding.” Erika sat back and crossed her arms. “She seems like the type of person who wouldn’t think twice about spitting in your food.”

  “Not sure about that, but I can tell you she does a fair amount of microwaving.”

  Avery rubbed her eyes. “Don’t even remind me. I have no place for my guests to sleep, no wedding venue, and now no food. Remind me how any of this is going to be okay?”

  “Do you think your sister could help?” Erika asked Dan.

  Dan shook his head. “She has the skill set, but she’s pretty slammed right now. And she only does breakfasts because she’s more of a bakery than anything else. She didn’t want to set up too much competition with Bunny, who was her mentor. She might bake you a cake or do desserts if you need, though. I can ask. I’m sure she’ll be willing to make something like that work.”

  “Or you could rent a bunch of tents for people to sleep in and then do a sunrise ceremony and serve breakfast foods?” Erika said.

  Avery let out something that sounded like a mixture of a choked laugh and a sniffle. “I have to admit that’s sounding like a more appealing option by the minute.” She covered her face with her hands.

  Four hours later, they were on the back patio of the Serendipity, watching the sunset, a few empty wine and beer bottles scattered among the trash of the carry-out containers they’d brought back from Bunny’s. Dan couldn’t help feeling like they’d accomplished little as he looked out at the lawn and the half-dug garden beds and too-long grass, but Erika was right. Alcohol had helped.

  He felt practically cheerful.

  Avery had let her hair down, and it cascaded over her shoulders as she stretched bare feet out in front of her into the grass, her red cheeks looking brighter with the ruby tone of the sky. Dan had brought out a speaker to play a local country radio station, and Avery swayed, closing her eyes, looking relaxed for once.

  She looks beautiful.

  “Ugh, I’m going to wake up tomorrow with the worst headache in the history of headaches,” Erika said, upending the bottle in front of her. Only a couple of drops dripped out, and she wrinkled her nose. “Remind me again why we drank straight from the bottle?”

  “Because we didn’t have cups,” Avery said cheerily, her eyes still closed.

  Beer had been a much better choice. Dan still couldn’t stomach red wine too well, and a couple of glasses had the tendency to make him fall asleep. He’d never been much of a drinker, even when he was younger. He didn’t like the loss of control that came with getting drunk.

  Erika stood. “Three cheers for not missing wine night.” She gave Dan a slight bow. “And congratulations to you, Dan, for being the first non-member of our club to attend one of our wine nights. I may have to keep this one from Royce when we talk. He’s still mad that I won’t let him join me. Even though you technically drank the wrong type of fermented plant, so it might not count.” She winked at them both. “Goodnight. I’m going to call Royce, then go snuggle up with an air mattress. Don’t stay up too late, bride-to-be. We have lots of destroying of your wedding to do tomorrow.”

  Avery cackled, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes as Erika slipped inside. “I shouldn’t be laughing at that, because it really wouldn’t be funny if I weren’t tipsy, but it’s sort of true, isn’t it?”

  Dan sipped his beer and sat on the edge of the patio beside her. He’d have to get patio furniture out here, stat. That he hadn’t enjoyed many nights like this since owning the place was a damned crime, really. “I’m glad you’re able to laugh about it at all.”

  She gestured with her palms up, shrugging. “What else am I going to do about it? Clearly, something is trying to intervene to ruin my wedding.” Her expression grew more serious. “Maybe even stop me from getting married at all.”

  The cautious part of his brain threw up a few flares, and he set his beer bottle beside him. “You think so?”

  “I don’t know.” She sighed, then took another pull from her wine bottle. “Do you ever wonder if stuff like fate and destiny and all—if it’s real? What if there’s some larger cosmic force at play here, systematically dismantling everything I planned until there’s nothing left?”

  He was the last person who should offer advice on this, but he cleared his throat. “If, at the end of this, even if there is no lodge and there are no guests and there’s no food, or flowers, or music, as long as there’s a man who loves you and wants to marry you standing there, waiting to spend the rest of his life with you, what difference does it make?”

  Avery turned toward him, and her eyes met his. If they hadn’t been this close, he might not have noticed the almost imperceptible widening of her eyes, the way her gaze lingered. Dan felt his breath catch in the back of his throat, and his heart gave a giant thump in his chest, painful and strong.

  You still have feelings for this woman.

  You dumb lug.

  He’d thought he could get this close, listen to her like he’d done years before, yet stay impartial and unaffected. “Do you have worries about getting married?” he asked in the most neutral tone he could muster. Their gazes were still locked, making him feel uncomfortably exposed, as if she had read his thoughts just moments ago.

  Her shoulders bunched. “I don’t know. It just . . . it all happened so fast, you know? We got engaged after dating four months, and everyone keeps asking me what the rush is, and it’s not . . . it’s not that there’s a rush. Bryan is . . . he’s just intense sometimes. And when we started dating, that was one thing that drew me to him—his passion for things. Ironically, he has a way of tempering my impulsiveness. I finally feel like I’m in an adult relationship with someone who has all his ducks in a row. And anyway, if you find the person you’re meant to be with, then why not get married? When you know, you know.”