Once We Met Page 11

  Yet somehow, it sounds like she doesn’t know.

  He couldn’t let the foolish notion of hope take root here. What was he going to do? Make a play for a woman who was engaged? He’d never be able to live with himself. No, their time had passed. The time had long since passed for unresolved feelings. Entertaining them would only end badly, especially if Avery had completely moved on. Which she probably had. But if Avery had concerns she wasn’t vocalizing, she might need a friend or a listening ear.

  Then he remembered the way Avery’s fiancé had yelled at her on the phone and the multiple apologies she’d offered him. “Do you feel respected?”

  Avery’s fingers tightened around the neck of the wine bottle. “Yeah.” Her voice was quiet.

  “That’s good.”

  And if she were being questioned at the precinct, he wouldn’t have believed her.

  He wasn’t an expert at relationships, but his parents had a pretty good marriage. He’d never even seen them argue—not that they didn’t, of course—but Mom and Dad decided a long time ago they wouldn’t ever do it in front of their kids. Which Mom had once later admitted weirdly led to most of their disagreements being resolved by the time they cooled off and talked about it later.

  But that was the thing about his Dad. He’d always treated Mom with respect.

  “That’s what led me to break up with Melissa. I gave myself a hard look in the mirror one day and asked, does this person respect me? And it wasn’t easy. Because the disrespect had come in degrees. Isolating me from my friends and my hobbies by telling me she wanted me to spend that time with her. Disrespecting my family by criticizing the way they did holidays and celebrations. I spent most of my sister’s wedding hearing Melissa complain she hadn’t gotten to spend enough time with me because I was busy with groomsman duties. So, I finally broke up with her.”

  Avery gulped down another swig of wine, then stood abruptly. She raked her fingers through her hair, staring at the waterline in the distance. “I miss the Adirondack chairs that used to be there.”

  He blinked at her, confused by her reaction. As though he’d stirred up some memory. Then Avery turned to face him again and she brushed a tear from her cheek. “I’m sorry about your dog, Dan. I didn’t say it before, but I’m really sorry. It sounds like things ended badly in that relationship.”

  “They did.” Dan stretched his arms out on the patio behind him and settled his weight on his palms, getting more comfortable. “She got stupid about things, vengeful. I got mad and kicked over a planter on her porch, pounding on the door so she’d let me get Milo back. She took that video to the local news and my chief at the station, then filed for a temporary restraining order, saying she felt threatened. It’s not the first time I’ve lost my temper in a big way before and had a reputation, so most people believed her. And . . . I resigned. But I never, ever did anything ever to threaten her. Not once.”

  “That’s a shame. You seem like you would have been a good cop.” She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean you had a reputation?”

  Admitting it wasn’t his favorite thing, but there was no use trying to hide it. “My sister—she’s always been pretty. Had boys chasing her from the time she was in middle school. Warren and I took it upon ourselves to tell them to get lost, so I got a reputation for being a bully.”

  Not so terrible to confess until he brought up what had happened with Garrett. He dipped his chin, the familiar humiliation burning like acid in his throat. “But then I got into a fistfight with a guy I’d hated my whole life who I thought was interested in Jen. He was a drunk who’d left his fiancée at the altar years before, so I felt justified in keeping him away from her. Especially because she’d just been abandoned to be a single mom by her drug-abusing boyfriend a few years earlier. But it turns out I was wrong about the guy I picked a fight with, and he actually got sober and ended up marrying my other half-sister.”

  Avery stared at him, her gaze thoughtful. She sat on the grass unsteadily, wrinkling her nose as she realized it was already damp with dew. “I’m sure it was worse living through that, but as an outsider, it doesn’t sound like you were so terrible. It sounds like you were trying to protect your sister. That’s admirable, even if maybe you took it a little too far.”

  “Oh, I deserved the reprimand I got for what happened with my brother-in-law. But I did nothing to threaten Melissa. And that’s what bothers me so much about what happened with her. I screwed myself, and I know that. But that people might believe her? I’ve never laid a hand on a woman. And I know she didn’t accuse me of that, but . . .” Dan shook his head, feeling sick.

  “Yet you took the risk of driving me to her place today when I needed to get there.” Avery tilted her head to the side. “You should have told me. Honestly, I’m glad I don’t have to work with her now, even if I don’t have a caterer. But you don’t have to self-sacrifice like that. I wouldn’t want you to.”

  Her words were strangely ironic, given what had happened between them years before.

  Yet he didn’t want to go there. Rehashing what had gone wrong between them was too much like peeling back the scab on a cut that hadn’t healed quite right.

  Avery scooted closer to him, then pulled out a blade of grass. She twirled it between her thumb and forefinger. “Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we’d talked after—”

  “Always.” Well, that came out fast. He was at an unfair advantage here. She’d had a bottle of wine to drink. And neither of them needed to say something they’d regret. “But we were kids, really. What the hell did we know about anything? And we’re both different people now. The Avery I knew was scared as hell but still finding her wings. You’ve flown the nest now, Ave.”

  She kept twirling the grass, her gaze focused on it. “I don’t know. I miss the Avery I found that summer.” Lying back on the grass, she said, “That Avery wore colorful clothes and didn’t care about getting dirt under her fingernails or jumping into a lake from a rope swing in the dark. That was the summer I felt like I came alive. Maybe I took it a little far afterward . . . I needed someone like Bryan to come along and keep me from being too crazy.” She propped herself up on her elbows suddenly. “Is that old rope swing still there?”

  The way she’s saying it sounds like she wants to go jump from it again.

  Dan cracked a smile. “Nah, they pulled it down years ago.”

  “Damn.” She flopped back down again.

  Dan felt the muscles in his shoulders getting tight, and he stood and held out a hand to her. “Well, whatever Avery you want to be, I’m sure you can be. Even one who gets tipsy on a random Monday before sunset and then wants to go jump in a cold lake at night. But consider getting some sleep before you make any other decisions, in case morning Avery doesn’t agree so much with nighttime drunk Avery.”

  “I’m not drunk.” She took his hand, and he helped her stand. She wobbled, balancing on his arm. “Okay, maybe a bit.”

  Dan chuckled. Slightly drunk Avery was cute. He missed that spirited and self-confident side she’d shown when they were younger. What had convinced her she’d had it so wrong?

  He helped her make her way to the French doors. “You know, as the owner of this fine establishment, I may have to charge you extra for all this five-star service you’re getting. No minibar here—nope, you get full bottles of wine. And assistance back to your accommodations.”

  Avery chortled. “Hilarious.”

  “Thanks. I’m here all week.” Dan smiled to himself. The truth was, Avery made him feel funnier than he often was—she could bring out that side of him that was normally reserved for only the very closest members of his family, like Warren.

  But the realization was a double-edged sword, one that cut deeply as he felt the warmth of her touch on his forearm. He’d let her get too close once before.

  He’d be a fool to let it happen again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Avery

  12 Years Ago

  * * *

  “You and I need to talk about your attitude, young lady.” Mom’s voice came through the open door of the attached bedroom as Avery finished swiping some mascara on her eyelashes and straightened.

  Avery’s eyes narrowed at Mom through the mirror. “What attitude?”

  “Don’t get smart with me. You think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been skipping out on family time and going off by yourself?”

  “Maybe I need some alone time, Mom.” Avery shrugged, then put her mascara wand away. She turned to face her mom as she drew closer. Her mom, an older-looking version of her, was already dressed for dinner tonight.

  “Well, it’s going to stop. We didn’t bring you here so you could spend the vacation avoiding us. Your behavior is incredibly disappointing.” Mom set her hands on her hips as she stopped in front of Avery. “And I thought I told you not to bring that blouse? It’s too low-cut. I don’t know how you convinced your father to let you buy it. And those shorts—for dinner? Seriously? Honestly, Avery, don’t you listen to anything?”

  Anger flared in Avery’s gut. “You know what, Mom, I’m pretty disappointed in you and Dad deciding to blow up my life in the middle of lake week, so maybe you can cut me some slack and lay off my clothes for once.”

  Mom’s eyes widened. Then she raised her hand and slapped Avery across the cheek.

  Avery reeled back, holding her stinging cheek. “You hit me!”

  “That’s enough sass out of you! Now go change. And wipe that gunk off your eyes—you look ridiculous.” Mom stepped closer still. “You think your teenage life is so hard? Ask Abuela what it was like to flee Cuba at fourteen with nothing but the clothes on her back. To come to a country with nothing and build the life you enjoy now from the ground up. You’re completely ungrateful,
kiddo. And you don’t know how good you’ve got it. I’ll be downstairs waiting.”

  Whirling around, Mom stormed out of the room, her high heels clicking down the hallway.

  Avery turned to look at her cheek, her eyes brimming with tears. I hate her.

  She sniffled, then reached for a hoodie, despite the heat. Yanking it down over her head, she left her room and went down the hallway to the room her father had moved into after their “big announcement.”

  She tapped on the door. “Daddy?”

  The floorboards squeaked, and her dad opened the door moments later. “Avery.” His brow furrowed with concern. “What’s wrong?”

  “Mom slapped me.” She swallowed back tears. “And if it’s okay with you, I really don’t feel like going to dinner again tonight.”

  Dad hesitated and looked down the hall toward Mom’s room. “Were you talking back?”

  She gave a meek nod. “But she still shouldn’t have slapped me.”

  “No, I know, sweetheart. I just was wondering what brought it about.” Dad frowned and sighed. “Of course you can sit it out. I’ll try to smooth things over with her. But you and Mom need to figure out how to work through this stuff. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but Mom’s having a hard time now, too. This isn’t easy on any of us. Maybe you can try to remember that, Ave.”

  “And when you’re not around to smooth things over? Do you have any idea what life is going to be like for me when it’s just Mom and me?” The idea freaked Avery out more than she could even process.

  “Mom loves you, Avery. She just wants the best for you.”

  Avery nodded, then left her father’s room, not really wanting to talk to him about it anymore. “This isn’t easy on any of us.” Forget that. They were the ones who had made this all difficult. Why am I the last to hear about their divorce? How did I not see this coming?

  She drew the hood over her head and then made her way down the back stairwell. She didn’t want Mom to see her on the way out.

  Bursting out the back door, she broke out into a run toward the Sports Shack. She liked Dan, but more than that seemed to push her toward him right now. She needed someone to look her in the eye and tell her she wasn’t crazy and it would be all right. Somehow, the world felt easier to face when she was talking to him.

  When Dan didn’t appear to be at the Sports Shack, the wave of disappointment that followed was tinged with fear. What if he didn’t want to see her? For all she knew, he kissed other girls who came around the Serendipity, or even worked there. And it wasn’t like she even knew how to kiss. She’d kissed exactly one other guy, and it had been the most chaste peck in the history of kisses.

  But with the way she’d been all over him, now he probably thought she was really experienced, and maybe even easy.

  Then she spotted him. He had a kayak hoisted over one shoulder and was carrying it up from the lake, a trail of water dripping down behind him.

  God, he’s so cute.

  His eyes locked with hers, and he set the kayak down near the boathouse. Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, he sauntered toward her. “It’s, like, a zillion degrees out. What are you doing in that sweatshirt?”

  “Hiding from my mom. Again.” She forced a tense smile, then stiffened as she saw his eyes zero in on her cheek.

  He pushed the hood back on that side, his fingertips grazing her skin. “What happened?”

  I will not cry. “My mom slapped me.” She shrugged it off like it didn’t matter. “Latina moms. They have tempers. She loves hard, too, though.” Why did she feel the need to defend her mom right now?

  “Not all of them, I’m sure. That’s not okay, Avery.” He set a hand on her shoulder. “What can I do?”

  “Nothing, it’s fine.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets.

  “Is it really, though? I know you said you’re close to your mom, but you all seem to not really get along. She shouldn’t be hitting you.”

  “I . . . ” If only it could be simple again. There had once been a time when everything she did made Mom so happy. So proud. But nowadays, no matter what Avery did, no matter how she tried to do her best, Mom always found a flaw with her. She never just smiled and said she was proud of Avery, the way she used to. She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’m not going to dinner with them tonight. Want to hang out?”

  Dan’s blue eyes were unreadable, and his lips twitched as though he was restraining himself from talking. Finally, he nodded. “Yeah, I got off ten minutes ago. And I’ve been wanting to hang out since you left me on that dock yesterday morning.”

  She resisted squirming, then stared at the lake. “I just wanted to say . . . about when I kissed you yesterday. I-I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.” She moistened her lips, then tried to find the right words. “I like you, Dan. But I’m not really the type of girl who fools around.”

  He laughed. “I didn’t think you were.”

  Relief crested in his words. “Okay. Because I’ve never slept with anyone. And I’m not sure that I’m ready for that. I’m leaving at the end of the week, and then what? We can’t date when you’re here, and I’m living in Tampa.” She halted. “And also, how old are you? Because I’m a senior, but I just had a birthday, and since I was born in August, my parents held me back from starting kindergarten until I was six. I’m actually already eighteen, and I know that could be illegal—”

  “I’m eighteen, too.” Dan’s smile widened. “You talk faster than I can keep up with sometimes, you know that?”

  She couldn’t help giggling. “I know. My dad always says my brain works faster than my mouth, and my mouth can’t keep up.” Then she met his gaze. “So you’re eighteen? But you’re a senior, too?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I got held back because I was a problem child in kindergarten.”

  She held her hand up. “High-five for being legal adults in senior year.”

  His hand met hers, but instead of a quick high-five, his fingertips interlaced with hers. The touch of his hand was dizzying, her skin tingling where their hands met.

  “Listen, we don’t have to do anything you’re not ready to do.” Dan squeezed her hand. “We can just be friends, if that’s what you want.”

  She nodded. It was probably for the best, but she would miss kissing him. Being around this guy made her want to do things she had never done before. She’d watched one too many of her friends get their hearts broken over guys. As the studious type, she’d never had to worry about that until now. “Friends is good. So where are we off to?”

  “Want to go for a hike? There’s a really cool trail along the lake that leads to a rope swing over the water. This time of day, I doubt anyone else would be there. And the water is pretty warm. For the lake, anyway.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  She was now glad she’d worn her flip-flops with her outfit. That would make it easy to keep up with Dan.

  Somewhere along the trail to the rope swing, Avery came up for air as Dan’s lips pulled away from hers. Her lips felt bruised. They’d been making out for so long, the sun had gone down. The sweatshirt had actually been a blessing in disguise—it gave them a place to lay their heads on the leaves as they tumbled on the ground.

  So much for being “just friends.”

  She tried to catch her breath, panting as Dan’s eyes searched hers. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Better than okay.” She pulled his lips down to hers once again, wanting so badly to tell him she wanted to be with him. But it was crazy. Sleep with a guy she didn’t know?

  People always talked about “wild and crazy teenage hormones,” and she’d laughed at that concept. No guy she’d ever met made her lose her head.

  But with Dan’s hands cupping her breasts, and his lips and tongue colliding with hers, she wanted to know what it felt like. To be with a guy like that.