Once We Met, page 12
part #1 of A Brandywood Small Town Romance Series
She wanted to have sex.
Except, when his hand smoothed down the flat of her belly and brushed against the wetness of her panties, she stiffened. She couldn’t lose her head. She couldn’t do this yet.
“I’m not—”
Dan pulled his hand away immediately and pulled his mouth back again. “It’s fine, Avery.” He breathed hard as he sat up. “You never have to worry about me forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
She grinned, his words making her happier than she’d felt in a long time. “Now take me to that damn rope swing you promised me.”
Setting both hands on the log, Dan stayed sitting. “Just give me a second.” After a few moments, he stood.
He clasped his hand with hers, then led her through the woods without a word. The moon was full, making the forest seem lit up now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark. “Are you sure you can only stay in Brandywood for a week?” Dan finally asked.
“Five days, actually. I’ve already been here three.” The thought was suddenly depressing. “I don’t want to think about that, though. And I want to spend every second you’re not working with you, so you better not make plans for anything else.”
His fingers tightened. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
They stopped at last beside the lake. A large oak hung out over the water, a rope swing on a low branch.
The water glistened in the moonlight, rippling in the breeze. She’d never been swimming at nighttime before, even though she’d always wanted to. Her mom had been strict about bedtime for most of her life, but now that she was eighteen, she could stay up later.
And Mom wasn’t here right now. For once, Mom didn’t get a say.
Avery stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Dan, then he slipped his arm around her shoulder. She leaned against him, sagging her weight into him.
“Thanks for not making a thing about my mom slapping me earlier,” she whispered in a soft voice.
“Whenever you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
“I want to make her proud. But I’m not sure I’m growing up to be a person she likes very much. And that’s really hard.”
“She should be worthy of that approval you’re seeking, Avery. You’re amazing.”
Amazing? Avery stood there for a moment longer, and Dan pressed a kiss to her temple. Her heart fluttered. It was hard to be sad when she was standing beside him.
A wild, adventurous feeling rose in her. She pulled away, then tugged her shirt off. How’s that for a low-cut top, Mom?
Wiggling out of her shorts, she threw a laughing grin at Dan as she stood in her bra and underwear. “See you in the water!” Then she grabbed the rope swing, took a flying leap, and plunged in.
Chapter Fifteen
Avery
10 Months Ago
* * *
Avery leaned across the seat and held out a pack of gum. “Here, take one. Please.” Bryan still looked sick, his features drawn and serious. The plane was getting ready to descend, and the air pressure change was likely to affect him.
Bryan shook his head. “I should have just taken that decongestant.” He gripped the sides of his armrests, his knuckles white. “Did you know that eighty percent of plane crashes take place in the last eight minutes of a flight?”
Before Avery could respond, Bryan realized what he’d done and released the armrests. He ignored the gum and reached into his pocket for hand wipes. “You have no idea how many people catch viruses on these things.”
Avery rolled her eyes. He’d told her, like, twenty times. “We’ll be fine, Bry. You come into contact with viruses every day, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but you don’t. You should use this.” Bryan held the hand wipes out to her.
She shook her head. “I’m fine. I hate the way they dry out my hands. And I just want to relax. I finally have a week off work for the first time in ages, and I’m with the cutest guy I know.”
He grinned. “Well, thank you. But I still think you should have finished up that big project you have due next week. You’re going to have a hard time actually relaxing with it hanging over your head.”
This time, she did roll her eyes. “It’s fine. I’m not stressed about it. I only have, like, another day or so of work to put into it, and I’ll be finished. I’ll take care of it first thing next week.” He seriously needs to learn how to procrastinate happily.
Once they’d landed, Avery’s focus shifted to her own nerves, which she’d ignored while Bryan’s fears had dominated the conversation. Her mom was going to meet them by the baggage claim. Avery still couldn’t believe Mom had been cool with Bryan coming to lake week, and her request that Bryan stay in a separate room was an easy compromise, considering how little Mom had protested.
She released a slow puff of air from her cheeks and glanced at Bryan as they made their way down the escalator. “Feeling any better?”
“Just happy to be back on land.” Bryan blinked hard, like he was trying to wake up.
“Nervous about meeting my mother?” Avery reached for his hand to steady herself.
Bryan drew his hand back. “We should probably stop in a bathroom so you can wash your hands after being in that plane.” He gave a smile, then nodded toward a fluorescent restroom sign they approached. “But no, I’m not nervous. Why should I be?” He shrugged. “I’m sure she’s great.”
Yeah, because I haven’t told you the horror stories. Avery headed toward the bathroom, glad Bryan had suggested the stop. It would give her a moment to collect herself, make sure her hair was perfectly in place, her teeth brushed. Mom had a way of zeroing in on those details.
Not that she’d shared the more complicated aspect of her relationship with her mom with Bryan. And she wouldn’t either. Loyalty didn’t work that way. Throughout the years, she learned even if things got complex with Mom, she’d always be there for Avery, through thick and thin. Her mom might be disappointed in Avery, but she’d still be there. Unlike Dad.
Speaking disparagingly about Mom to a guy she’d barely been dating for four months would only make him hate Mom. And Avery really, really wanted him to get along well with Mom, as things were going better with Bryan than she’d expected them to.
Avery washed her hands, then looked in the mirror. “Definitely need a touch-up,” she said to herself. Bryan had told her he liked a more natural look, which had the bonus of helping her reduce her makeup routine. It was sweet, too, that he thought she was naturally beautiful like that.
She pulled out her phone to check the messages from her mom and then froze at the email notification on the lock screen. “URGENT: Update required.” From the client she had a project due to next week.
Shrinking back against the wall beside a hand dryer, she clicked on the message. The art director for one of the publishing companies she worked with was asking for an update . . . and why the final book cover hadn’t been delivered yet.
A cold sweat broke out on Avery’s neck, nausea roiling her stomach. What the hell?
She checked her calendar. The project was definitely due next week, wasn’t it? She wasn’t the best at organizing herself, but she always put delivery dates in her calendar the moment she was given a firm deadline.
The calendar said next week.
Combing through the email threads with the art director, she looked for the email with the delivery date. She pulled it up and then gripped the object nearest to her, which turned out to be the hand dryer. It started with a roar, and Avery dropped the phone on the tile floor with a clatter.
Shit. Shit.
She’d written the wrong date.
How in the hell had she written the wrong date?
Grabbing the phone from the floor, Avery hurried out of the bathroom, head spinning. Bryan might even be wondering what the hell had happened to her by now.
Bryan stood just outside the door, staring at his cell phone. He glanced up and met her eyes, a cute grin on his lips. Then his brow furrowed and he straightened. “What’s wrong?”
“I . . . ” Avery tried to keep herself from panicking, feeling as though she was failing miserably. No wonder he’d sensed her distress immediately. In as calm a voice as she could, she explained the situation to him, then said, “I-I’m so screwed. Even if I go back to the lodge and work for the rest of the day, this is still going to be late and I’m going to lose my contract with this publisher and . . . ”
She couldn’t even finish, with all the horrible possibilities of what might happen as a result of this spiraling in her brain. In the back of her mind, all she could think of was how Bryan had been right. She should have just gotten this project finished before vacation.
And why didn’t I, really?
There had been time. She’d just spent it on other things. Gone to lunch with friends and on dates with Bryan.
Bryan set his hands on her shoulders. “Relax. Take a breath. Have you called the art director yet?”
She shook her head, fighting back tears.
Bryan stroked her shoulders with his thumbs. “Okay. This is what we’re going to do. Call her. Tell her you had a family emergency and you’re going to get it to her tonight—can you get it done by tonight?”
Avery nodded and sniffled. It was a stretch, but if she went straight to her room and didn’t take any breaks, she could do it.
“Then do it. And then, when we get back from vacation, we’re going to go through your upcoming deadlines, make sure you have everything written down correctly. Would you be willing to give that software I mentioned a try? The one that has all your client information organized and sends invoices and tracks your projects?”
Avery gulped down a breath and nodded again.
Bryan leaned forward and kissed her gently. “And if the art director gives you problems, put her on the phone with me.” He winked. “I am a cardiologist, by the way. I might be able to help buy you a little excuse.”
By the time they met Mom by the baggage claim, Avery had managed to calm herself down—and talked to the art director. With Bryan’s skillful help at defusing situations, Avery bought herself the extra time, even if she still felt sick to her stomach about messing up. A surge of pride welled in Avery as she glanced at Bryan. Thank God things could be different with a guy like him, different from Mom and Dad’s relationship. He could help her be a better version of herself.
Strangely, Mom was on her best behavior. She embraced Avery and Bryan, and by the time they’d rented a car to leave the airport at Pittsburgh, Bryan and Mom were talking as if they’d known each other for years. Mom especially seemed touched by the box of saltwater taffy Bryan had given her.
For the first time, Mom looked at a boyfriend of Avery’s with approval in her eyes—something Avery had always dreamed about.
Chapter Sixteen
Now
* * *
The doorbell woke Dan before his alarm went off, and he blinked groggily, feeling around the floorboards for his cell phone. The floor was a lot closer than it’d been when he’d gone to sleep and he sat up. The air mattress he’d filled the night before lifted on the floor on the opposite side.
You need to get a bed.
He threw some clothes on—he wasn’t about to be caught running around in his boxers again—and hurried to the door.
His brother-in-law, Jason, stood there, holding Jen’s food delivery. “Morning, sunshine,” Jason said, breezing through the open door. He came in, then frowned. “Where the hell do you want me to put this?”
Dan rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Kitchen counter?”
“Lead the way.” Jason gestured with a lift of his chin. “You know you have someone sleeping on your front porch swing?”
“Yeah, Peyton. He gets here early and then chills out there until we’re ready to start. But I’ll probably call him in for breakfast in a few.”
“Okay. That’s weird.” Jason followed him into the kitchen, then set the plastic tray and paper bags on the old butcher block. He stepped back, wiping his hands on his jeans. “How’s the place coming along?”
“Slowly. And now I’m on a time crunch to make it at least usable.”
“Yeah, Jen told me about the wedding.” Jason crossed his arms, and his crystal blue eyes clouded over. “You really have people staying here right now?”
“The bride and her best friend. Apparently, there’s nowhere else available in a thirty-mile radius. Brandywood can’t take this sort of traffic for too much longer.”
“Well, it’ll be good for you when you’re done with the reno.” Jason set his hand down on the counter, then swiped with his fingertips, noticing the thick layer of dust. “But you’re going to need all hands on deck to get this place in shape for a wedding so soon. Did you call Garrett yet?”
“He’s booked for the next couple of months.” And calling in favors wasn’t Dan’s preference, particularly with Garrett. They got along well enough now, but after a lifetime of butting heads, Dan didn’t feel comfortable enough just texting him to ask for anything.
Speaking of favors . . .
“Hey, so.” Dan felt heat crawling up the back of his neck. “I may need a few days to get the money together for this month’s loan interest payment. I had to make a large purchase for furniture yesterday.” With all his expenses recently, he needed to wait until the end of next week, when the check Avery gave him for the wedding cleared. “I can get it, but it’ll take a couple of weeks.”
Dan squirmed under the weight of Jason’s sharp gaze. Jason was a businessman, and a good one, and borrowing money from Jason had been Jen’s idea. Jason had been investing in a lot of properties around town, to the point that now even he and Garrett were working together to flip homes and buildings, with Jason as the primary investor.
“I don’t mind you paying me back a few days late, Dan, but I have to ask—why are you doing all this? Making business decisions driven by emotion is rarely a good idea.”
Dammit, Jen. Trust his baby sister to have told Jason about Avery. She’d given him a gentle warning herself, but knowing her, she was probably worried.
“It’s not that.” He chuckled awkwardly. The last thing he needed was a dressing-down by his brother-in-law.
“I’m not accusing you of anything, by the way—God knows I’m not in any position to judge. But Jen was worried. She wanted me to talk to you.”
At least Jason was honest.
“I appreciate it, Jason, but you know Jen. She gets a little overly worried about everything. I’m doing this because I should have found that reservation in Mr. Harrison’s logbook. It was scribbled in the back, but it was there. And knowing the bride means I know how much this place means to her. Look around—anyone still determined to hold an event here has to be dead-set on it.”
Jason nodded, then stepped back. “All right. Listen, this week is crammed for me, but I can come help on the weekend. What do you need? And don’t say no. In fact, make it a point to ask Garrett, Warren, Mark, your dad—anyone you can think of. I’d say ask the women, too, but with the number of kids in the family, it’d only slow things down. Unless your mom can watch all of them. You have the benefit of having a family who will jump at the opportunity to help you, Dan. That’s not something to be squandered.”
Dan shifted, wishing he’d had a cup of coffee before this conversation. His brain felt foggy. But Jason wasn’t one to take something like family lightly. After years of facing things mostly alone, he’d finally found family when he’d come here to Brandywood—including Dan, who viewed him as a close friend. Dan was grateful for Jason, and one thing he’d always liked about Jason was the fact that he was down-to-earth and easy to talk to. They’d had a strange bond because they were both older brothers, and it made him approachable. And he was right—his family would help him, if he just asked.
“That’s not a bad idea. Maybe Saturday. I’m supposed to have that furniture moved in here, and it might not be a bad thing to spend the morning and early afternoon getting as much done around here as possible before next week. But I invited Colby to come over that day. So maybe we can grill and take the boat out afterward, too.”
“I’ll skip the boat, but it sounds good to me.” Jason took a step toward the door, then paused. “Do we need to bring a grill?”
Dan gave him a wry smile, then poured himself a cup of coffee from the dispenser Jason had brought over. “Nah, there are those in-ground types over by the picnic tables next to the lake.”
“This really is an impressive property, Dan. In case anyone else hasn’t told you, it’s a good idea you’ve got here. And I’m always happy to help in any way I can.”
Dan appreciated Jason’s praise. Interestingly, Jason had been the one person in his family who hadn’t been shocked when he’d bought the lodge. Dan didn’t really love people all that much—his family aside—and operating a lodge meant a lot of interaction with outsiders. He really wouldn’t know if he’d make it work until a year passed, but with Jason’s endorsement, he felt more confident in his decision.
Dan walked Jason back out to the front door and then popped his head out once he’d gone. Peyton was propped up on the front porch swing, a sweatshirt under his head. He jerked up when Dan gave a low whistle.
“You sleeping there a while, Peyton?” Dan asked. He sipped his coffee. Damn, Jen did everything amazingly. Even her coffee was a thousand times better than anything he could brew himself.
Peyton sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Not long. I just wanted to get an early start.”
Dan stared at him over the rim of the paper cup and then walked over to him. The coming early, staying late, asking to shower before he left for the day. The nagging in the back of Dan’s mind had been telling him to pay attention.
As he sat, the porch swing gave a tremulous groan, and Dan winced. “We may have to work on this next.” Not that either he or Peyton probably knew anything about fixing this swing.
Peyton grunted, folding his sweatshirt into his backpack.
