“What, and ruin the surprise? That’s kinda the whole point here, Aves.”
“Alex,lookat me. I’m like a cross between a drowned rat and the poster child for Losers Anonymous.”
“You’re not a loser.” Alex chuckled.
Avery wished there was a mirror close by because she was certain there was smoke shooting out of her ears. “Never said Iwasone…just that Ilookedlike one. But thanks for that.”
“Honey, listen to me.” Alex’s tone softened. “That man out there couldn’t give two shits about what you’re wearing or whether or not your hair’s done. He just wants to seeyou.”
“How do you know?”
Her sister crossed her arms and raised a pointed brow. “Because I know misery when I see it. And believe me, that man out there? He’s as miserable as you are.”
“Really?” With a quick glance at the door, Avery bit her lip and tried not to feel happy about that fact. She didn’t want Garrett to be miserable. She just wanted…
Him.
“That’s what I thought.” Alex went to the door. She opened that door, and then she said, “Now that my work here is done, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to figure all your shit out.” To Garrett she turned her tone serious long enough to give him a parting, “Hurt her, and I’ll rip your balls off and shove them down your throat.”
“Understood.”
“Good.” Her sister shot her a parting smile. “Call me later.”
Avery was still trying to figure out what the hell just happened when Alex hollered a belated, “I expect details!”
Mortified, she closed her eyes and hung her head. “Yeah.” She glanced back up at him. “So that’s Alex.”
“We’ve met.” His eyes twinkled with humor. “She seems…”
“Certifiable?”
Garrett chuckled. “I was going to say very protective of you.”
“Overprotective you mean.” She stepped to the side and held out her free hand. “Would you like to come in?”
He motioned toward the now-melting ice cream. “Only if you plan on sharing some of that.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “I’ll get another spoon.”
One empty quart later, and they’d made it through the awkward stage of their reunion. The whole ‘How ya been?’ BS that people used to procrastinate saying what really needed to be said.
Like a band-aid Aves. Just get it over with, already.
“Garrett, I—”
“I wanted to—”
Avery smiled when they both started talking at the same time. “You go.”
“Nope. You.”
“Fine.” She filled her lungs, releasing the air slowly to buy herself even a second more. “I’m sorry.”
Confusion and shock filled Garrett’s blue eyes. “For what?”
With a chuckle, Avery stood and grabbed the empty ice cream container. “Where do I begin?” Filled with nervous energy, she walked to the kitchen to throw it away. “For starters, I shouldn’t have jumped at you about the whole job thing. I also shouldn’t have pushed you away like I did.” She returned to the living room but remained standing. “And I should’ve called you before now.”
Garrett’s expression was impossible to decipher as he made his way across the room to her. She’d been so busy worrying about her appearance she hadn’t taken the time to notice howhelooked.