Always & Forever: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (ABCs of Love Collection, Books 1 - 4)

by Brenna Jacobs

  David had never been a violent man, but Tucker was making him think that maybe he could be.

  After a few months of personal training.

  And some classes on boxing.

  And maybe also a personality transplant.

  So fine. Maybe he wouldn’t actually hit the guy. But he for sure liked thinking about it.

  Outside the window of David’s car, a boy on a skateboard flew by, going way too fast for the narrow sidewalk. What’s worse, the kid wasn’t wearing a helmet or any kind of protective gear on his knees or elbows. David tensed, feeling in his bones he was about to witness an accident. Sure enough, the kid clipped the curb with his board, flying up and backwards before landing on his side, his wrist taking most of the impact.

  David glanced at his phone, noting the time, and swore. If he got out and helped the kid, he’d be right in front of Jessica’s condo exactly when he expected the couple to leave for the yacht club. He watched a second longer as the kid struggled to push himself up.

  Instinct and training took over and he was out of the car without another thought. At least he was still wearing his scrubs. It might make the kid more likely to trust him. He crouched over the boy, already scanning his limbs for scrapes or other signs of injury.

  “That was quite a fall,” he said softly.

  The boy sniffed and nodded.

  “I’m Dr. Daniels,” David said. “I just happened to see you go down. Is it okay if I take a quick look at your wrist?”

  The boy nodded.

  “What’s your name?” David asked as he examined the boy’s arm.

  “DeShawn,” the boy said, sniffing again. “Please don’t tell my mom I fell.”

  David shook his head. “Sorry, man. Pretty sure you’ve got a trip to the hospital in your future. I think your arm is broken.”

  Tears welled in the boy’s eyes. “She’s going to be so mad. She told me to get my helmet, but I didn’t listen.”

  “Did you hit your head?” David asked. He ran his fingers over the back of DeShawn’s head but didn’t feel anything alarming.

  DeShawn shook his head. “I don’t think so.” His lip quivered and he shuddered through a breath. “My arm really hurts.”

  “DeShawn?!”

  David looked up to see a black woman running toward them, her hand pressed against her chest. She stopped beside DeShawn and bent down. “DeShawn, baby? What happened?”

  The tears flew freely now. “I’m sorry, Mama. I should have listened.” He looked up at David. “The doctor thinks I broke my arm.”

  The woman’s eyes widened, and she followed DeShawn’s gaze to David. “The doctor?” she questioned.

  “Sorry,” David said. “I’m Dr. Daniels. I was sitting in my car and just happened to see him fall. I work in the ER at MUSC.”

  “Thank you for helping him,” she said cautiously. “You really think he needs to go to the hospital?”

  David nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. His right arm took most of the impact. The way it’s already starting to swell, I’m guessing it’s a distal radius fracture. That’s the bone just above the joint of the wrist.”

  She reached down and wiped the tears off of DeShawn’s face. “How many times have I told you not to ride that thing without your helmet on? And without your wrist guards? I love you, baby. And I’ll take you to the hospital and we’ll do whatever we have to do to fix you up.” She took a deep breath. “But you had this one coming.”

  David smiled. The woman reminded him of his own mom, the way she managed to both love and scold her child in the same breath.

  “Are you parked close by?” David asked.

  “Just right around the corner,” the woman said. “Come here, baby,” she said, reaching for DeShawn. “Let’s get you up.”

  David picked up the skateboard, planning to carry it to the woman’s car, when someone behind him called his name. “Dr. Daniels?”

  He froze. It was inevitable, really. He’d known if he got out of his car, Jessica and Tucker would see him. He slowly turned around, meeting Jessica’s eyes. She was the one who had called his name. Tucker stood beside her, a question in the set of his brow, and the firm line of his mouth.

  “I thought that was you,” Jessica said. She closed the distance between them. “Do you remember us? We came to the ER a few weeks ago when Tucker sprained his wrist.”

  “Right. I do remember you,” David said. He ran a hand across his face and willed his nerves to settle.

  David still held the skateboard in front of him. He glanced over his shoulder to see DeShawn’s mom coming back for it.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Excuse me just for a minute.” He turned and walked toward her, holding out the skateboard. “Go to MUSC Children’s,” he told her. “They’ll take good care of you there.”

  The woman nodded. “Thank you for your help.”

  David waved at DeShawn then walked back toward Jessica and Tucker, who still watched him from the sidewalk.

  “Someone you know?” Tucker asked, his tone pointed.

  “Ah, no,” David said. “I was just sitting in my car and I saw the boy fall.” David swallowed. “I’m pretty sure he broke his arm.”

  “Oh, no!” Jessica said. “I’m so glad you were here and could help him.”

  “Yeah,” Tucker said, nodding his head. “That sure is convenient. What, exactly, are you doing here?”

  “Oh.” David wiped his palms on his scrubs. Had it gotten hotter in the last thirty seconds? It suddenly felt hotter. “I was, um, just visiting a friend. A date. A date . . . friend. Do, um, you live here too?”

  “I do,” Jessica said, all sweetness. “Who’s your friend? Maybe I know her.”

  “Oh. No, she, she just moved in. Way on the . . .” David motioned with his hand toward the back side of the complex. “Back there. She doesn’t know anyone yet.”

  “I bet she doesn’t,” Tucker said.

  David took a step backward. “I guess I should, um, get back to the hospital.”

  “I thought you were going on a date,” Jessica said. She frowned, as if she felt genuine sadness he was going to work instead.

  “Nope, nope. Got to work tonight.” Man, he was spinning lies fast. “I’m on call, so I thought I might be able to go out, but I just got called in. So. Life of a doctor, right? It was great seeing you though.” He clicked his key fob to unlock his car then moved to the driver side door.

  David pulled out of the parking lot, his heart hammering in his chest. He breathed in through his nose then out through his mouth wondering if he might need to pull over so he could throw up. What had he been thinking? How on earth had he ever thought himself capable of actually setting up some sort of entrapment? He wasn’t James Bond. He didn’t know how to be stealthy or secretive. And he lied about as well as he talked to women.

  He pulled back into the Velvet Undergrounds parking lot and parked, dropping his head onto the steering wheel. He was an idiot.

  He liked Avery.

  He really liked Avery.

  But he was pretty sure she knew that. And she was still choosing to be with Tucker. Whether he was able to ruin Avery’s relationship or not, would it actually matter? Maybe he’d prove Tucker was a jerk and then Avery still wouldn’t want to date David. There were no guarantees.

  And if history was an indication, no matter how much Lucy insisted it was possible, women like Avery never dated men like him.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he muttered, banging his forehead against the wheel.

  David drove home in silence, shame coursing through him hot and thick. It was time to move on. He couldn’t keep acting like this, couldn’t keep spending so many hours thinking about Avery.

  He pulled into his driveway and sighed. How could he not think about Avery when she lived right next door? He watched as she walked up the pathway from the beach in a swimsuit and a pair of cutoffs, a paddle board under her arm. When she saw him climbing out of his car, she dropped her board onto the grass and changed her
course, crossing to where he stood.

  “Hey,” she said, dusting sand from her palms.

  David looked toward the beach. “How was the water?”

  “Warm,” Avery said. “And calm.” She pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “There was a school of dolphins just off the shore and they let me get really close.” She held out her phone. “Look.”

  David scrolled through several pictures Avery had taken of the dolphins swimming around her paddle board. “That’s amazing.”

  “Have you ever done it?”

  “No, not yet. I’d like to try though. My friend Lucy loves it.”

  Avery smiled. “It’s so fun. There’s a place over by the yacht club where it’s easier to launch because you don’t have to deal with the waves. Tucker and I used to go all the time, but we haven’t . . .” She shook her head, her words trailing off.

  “You haven’t what?” He handed her phone back.

  “It’s nothing. You and I should go sometime.”

  David’s stomach tightened. He’d love to go with her sometime. But, maybe that wasn’t the best choice if he truly wanted to stop thinking about Avery so much. If he was going to get over her, spending more time with her was the worst thing he could do.

  “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you for some ideas about things I could do around town.” He cleared his throat. “Um, date ideas.”

  Avery stilled. “Oh.” She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear, a trace of hesitation in her voice. “Sure. I can help with that.”

  Had he made her uncomfortable by asking? David suddenly wanted to backpedal, tell her he’d love to go paddle boarding with her. He’d love to do all the things, everywhere, with only her.

  But Lucy was right. Dating someone else might be the best thing to do to get Avery—and Tucker—out of his mind. “I just figure it’s time. I’m settled at work, I’m mostly unpacked. Why not try dating?”

  Avery nodded. “It’s a good idea.”

  Neither of them said anything for a long moment. “So I guess I’ll text you a list of ideas,” Avery finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

  “That would be great,” David said. “Really great.”

  Avery said goodbye and David watched as she walked across the yard to her house, stopping on the way to grab her paddle board from the grass at the edge of his driveway. He watched the muscles tighten along her back as she hoisted the board, carrying it over her head to her back porch where she stored her beach things.

  He could tell himself he’d date other people. He could even pretend he wanted to. But how was any other woman ever going to compare when Avery was the standard?

  Chapter 11

  Avery stared at her phone, unsure how to respond. She’d known David was thinking about dating, but this felt so . . . proactive.

  You mentioned a friend at work once a few weeks back. Someone you thought I could possibly take out on a date? Could that still happen?

  She and David texted a lot. Not every day. But several times a week. He’d asked questions about his house and where to get the best sushi. She’d asked him weird medical questions and texted him random pictures of baby sea animals. And they’d talked about life stuff. About his relationship with his sisters, or how much her parents wished she’d leave the island and move upstate to be closer to them.

  It was the kind of chatter that made it easy for her to keep David strictly in the friend zone, even as she grew more and more certain that he had feelings for her. Subtlety wasn’t exactly his strong suit, but as long as they kept their conversation topics light, and veered away from anything that got too personal, she didn’t feel like she needed to stop texting him. She was always completely transparent about Tucker, and they were adults. There was no reason why they weren’t perfectly capable of being friends, without any kind of romantic attachment.

  For all those reasons, it shouldn’t have annoyed her that David had asked her to set him up on a date. And yet, the idea made her feel . . . unhappy? Unhappy wasn’t the right word. Unsettled, maybe?

  Why shouldn’t he date, though? She certainly didn’t have the right to tell him he shouldn’t. And Shelley had asked more than once about Avery’s “cute doctor neighbor.”

  She picked up her phone, chewing on her lip as she keyed out a response.

  Sure, she texted. I can send you Shelley’s number. I’ll let her know to expect your call.

  There. Sent. Why had that felt so hard?

  David’s response popped onto her screen. You never did send over any dating ideas. Can you tell me where to take her? Dinner? A movie? I don’t have a lot of practice dating.

  Avery smiled, despite her earlier hesitation. She’d meant to send dating ideas to David and half-wondered if her subconscious brain was trying to tell her something about why she didn’t. But there was no way she could put him off now. He’d asked for specific help.

  No movie. Not on the first date, Avery responded. Dinner is good. Pick a place downtown, then if it goes well, you can walk to the pineapple fountain in Waterfront Park. You might pick a seafood place. Shelley likes good seafood.

  Avery sent the text, then reread it, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. A thought suddenly occurred to her and she keyed out another message. Seafood . . . but no oysters. Avery didn’t actually know if Shelley liked oysters or not. But she’d had oysters with David. And he’d loved them. She kind of liked the idea of oysters being their thing.

  Got it, David replied. Thanks for the help.

  Avery was home three days later when she saw David leaving for his date. She’d heard enough about it at work that day from Shelley, she was certain that’s where he was headed. Without thinking, she pushed open her screen door and stepped onto her front porch. “Hey,” she called.

  He looked up and smiled.

  Avery padded barefoot down her steps and across the drive, instantly wishing she’d slipped on the flip flops she’d left by the front door. The ground was hot, the crushed shells in the driveway sharp against her skin. She crossed all the way to the grass that separated her property from David’s, just for a cooler place to stand.

  “You look nice,” Avery said. “You excited?”

  “Yes. No. I mean, yes, I think.” David pinched the space between his eyes. “Just nervous, I guess. I’m not very good at this.”

  “You’re going to do great,” Avery said. And he would. He’d been nervous around her when they first got to know each other, but he’d relaxed soon enough and was always great company. Shelley was going to love him.

  David studied his reflection in the window of his car. “What do you think? Leave the button undone on this one, too?”

  Avery nodded. He wore a polo shirt this time. “Leave it undone,” Avery said. “This is Charleston. It’s not really a buttoned-up kind of city.” It was one of the things she’d always loved about the place. Everything just moved a little slower.

  “Right. Got it.” He took a deep, intentional breath. “Any last-minute pointers?”

  Avery shrugged. “Don’t try too hard? Just relax and be yourself?”

  “Challenging when myself isn’t very relaxed and tends to always try too hard.”

  “It’ll be fine.” Avery took a step closer and reached up to smooth a piece of David’s hair back into place. “You’ve got a lot more going for you than you think you do.” She held his gaze for an extra-long moment, until her heart twitched and she bit her lip, looking away. What was wrong with her?

  “What are you up to tonight?” David asked, his voice softer, gentler than before.

  “I, um, I don’t know yet. Tucker’s coming over, I think. He said something about going up to the food truck festival in Summerville.”

  Avery saw David’s jaw tighten and her defenses immediately went up. But then David relaxed his features and he smiled. “Sounds fun.”

  “Yeah, it should be.”

  In truth, Avery wasn’t super thrilled by the idea of driving all the way up to Summerville.
At first, she’d loved this new, more relaxed version of Tucker. No more traditional yacht club Tuesday night dinners or fancy charity events that demanded she wear dresses she couldn’t actually afford and wouldn’t ever wear again. It was the only bright spot in the months following their break-up—the morning she’d taken all those fancy dresses to consignment. What she didn’t understand was why Tucker resisted going to any of the places they’d loved going before.

  “I just want a fresh start,” he’d told her when she brought it up the last time they were together. “Let’s find new favorite places to eat. Make new memories.”

  It was a nice thought, but good sushi was good sushi. Why find a new place when you already knew where to get the best super crunch roll?

  “Well, wish me luck,” David said.

  “You won’t need it,” Avery said. “If I’m up when you get home, come over and tell me about it?”

  David nodded. “Okay.”

  Avery only just resisted the impulse to reach out and give him a hug, but that hardly felt like the right thing to do, especially when sending him off on a date with a friend. But she did spend more than a minute thinking, as she walked back to the cool relief of her air conditioning, what it might feel like to have David’s arms wrapped around her. It was a surprising thought, but those little surprising thoughts seemed to be springing into her mind with greater and greater frequency, with a particular surge right around the time she’d set David up with Shelley.

  Which was totally ridiculous. Because she didn’t have feelings for David.

  When Avery got back into the house, there was a text from Tucker. Sorry, babe. Something came up and I’m not free until later. Can I come by around 11?

  Avery heaved a sigh. No dinner, no time together, but he still wanted to come by at eleven? It was a Thursday night. She had to work in the morning. I’ve got an early start tomorrow. Rain check? she typed out.