“Tell me.”
A blush he was becoming familiar with filled her cheeks. “You’ll think it’s stupid.”
“Sweetheart, I can promise you there isn’t a single thing about you that I’d think was stupid.”
Biting her bottom lip—Good God, the woman was killing him—Avery thought for a moment before letting him in on her little secret.
“Do you remember when I told you my sister dared me to take this trip?”
“I do.”
“Well, our first day on the ship Alex texted me. Alex is my sister,” she clarified. “Anyway, she told me about this list she made and how she’d snuck it into my purse when we were at the airport that morning.”
Doing his best not to sound judgmental, Garrett had to ask, “Why did your sister make a list of things for you to do onyourvacation and then sneak it into your purse?”
She rolled her pretty eyes. “To help nudge me out of my shell.”
“Sounds like she and Colt could be related.”
With a smile, Avery relaxed into her cushioned chair. “Alex means well. But ever since our parents died and her fiancé cheated on her with her best friend, I’ve become her pet project.”
Garrett’s chest tightened. “I’m sorry you lost your parents. I know how hard that is.”
“I meant to tell you earlier, I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Thanks.” He offered her a tight smile. “My dad, as you know, is still alive and kicking.”
“And screaming for grandkids, apparently.” Avery grinned.
“Apparently.” Garrett rolledhiseyes. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened with your parents?”
Instant sadness poured over her in waves. “Car accident. It was the middle of January, and the roads were slick with ice. There was a winter storm forecasted for the next day, so Mom and Dad decided to make a grocery run to stock up so they wouldn’t have to get out in the bad weather. But the storm moved in much faster than the weather center predicted, and a group of teenagers took a curve too fast. They crossed the center line and hit Mom and Dad’s car head on at a high rate of speed.”
“Jesus.”
Avery’s throat worked as she swallowed a pain he was intimately familiar with. “Dad was driving. He died instantly, but Mom held on for about an hour and a half after the crash. At least that’s what the doctor who treated her told Alex and I when we got to the hospital.”
Ah, baby.
“Alex lives in Charlotte, too, and with the inclement weather, it took us a lot longer than normal to get to Lillington. Mom was already gone by the time we got there.”
Damn. Losing one parent was hard enough. He couldn’t imagine losing them both in one fell swoop.
Burying his mom was the hardest thing Garrett had ever lived through. But at least he’d known what was coming. He and his dad both had time to prepare and had been blessed with the opportunity to say everything they needed to before she passed.
“I’m so sorry,” he said again.
“Thanks.” She rewarded him with a small smile. “Most days, I do okay. But it was really hard at first.”
Several seconds passed with neither saying a word. Needing to salvage the evening and return to a more upbeat topic of conversation, Garrett finally said, “Tell me about your sister.”
“Alex?” Avery barked out a laugh. “Well, let’s see. She’s pretty much the exact opposite of me.”
“In what way?”
“Uh…every way.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. Scrolling through her pictures, Avery apparently found the one she wanted and held the screen up for him to see.
“That’s me and Alex last Christmas.”