by Marina Adair
“People go BASE jumping all the time and live perfectly normal lives.”
“I wasn’t talking about you, I was talking about me. Every time you have an idea I’m sure it will give me a heart attack.”
“You’re sweet.”
“God, that’s almost as bad as noble.”
She fisted her hands in his jacket collar. “Even though you think noble sounds like a horse, I think it’s one of the sexiest qualities about you.”
He let his gaze run the length of her, taking in the cleavage-hugging top, to the pink-tipped toes peeking out from under the billows of fabric. “My thoughts after seeing you in that dress are far from noble, princess.”
“Good thing I turn back into an adventure guide at midnight.” She looked at the clock, which read eight fifteen. “Well, I’m sure it’s midnight somewhere.”
“The clock in my bedroom is set to midnight,” he offered.
“Well then,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, “what are we waiting for?”
Ty didn’t know. He felt as if he’d been waiting his whole life for that next big thing. The next climb or adventure that would finally fill the void in his chest. But right then, looking into the eyes of an angel, he wondered if he’d finally found it.
CHAPTER 15
Avery clutched the lapels of her coat tightly as she walked toward the Bear Claw Bakery for a sticky bun and a little gossip. Liv had texted last night asking if they could meet after her shift ended. Since Liv rarely asked for anything, Avery left work early to find herself in the middle of a spring storm.
A bitter wind blasted her the second she got to Lake Street, rattling the branches of the trees that lined the slick sidewalks, but it didn’t ruin her mood—which was blissful with a side of best-sex-ever thrown in.
The storm had hit late last night, right around the time Ty was coaxing her into staying a little longer—not that there was much coaxing to be done. It was well past pumpkin time when he’d walked her to her car, and the storm had dumped more than three inches of rain in the mountains and rivers. It was supposed to add another two inches today, but thankfully the rain had slowed to a drizzle and was expected to clear up completely before her hike tomorrow.
Not that a little rain would stop Senior X-Treme, but Avery was thankful that she wouldn’t have to lead her first semi-solo trek in a downpour.
Holding her cap in place, she pushed open the door to the shop, and a warm blast of cinnamon and melted chocolate greeted her.
The bakery was already overflowing with locals looking for a welcome-the-weekend sugar fix. A line of customers clustered three deep by the display case waving pink tickets, while others waited for their number to be called. The air was alive with chatter, and there wasn’t a spare seat in the joint.
With its clapboard siding, blue-and-white checked tablecloths, and vintage baking utensils hanging from the exposed wood rafters, the Bear Claw Bakery looked like an old mercantile store from the mining days.
A sticky bun sat on the top rack, catching Avery’s eye and whispering her name.
“Avery,” the whisper said, only Avery looked over to find Liv waving to her from a table in the corner. She was dressed in her work scrubs, white tennies, and—bless her—had ordered two sticky buns and a round of coffees.
Promising the lonely bun on the rack that she’d be back to save him too, she worked her way through the crowd.
Avery set her jacket on the back of the chair and took a seat. She put her hands around the still-hot mug and started the defrosting process, then smelled the rich chocolate rising from the steam. “Sticky bun and chocolate mocha? What are we celebrating?”
“Pax made a friend,” Liv said with tears in her eyes. “A real friend, a boy who lives on our block who also collects comic books.”
“Liv, that is amazing.” Avery felt her own eyes prick with emotion.
Paxton had always been on the quieter side, but after his dad passed he stopped talking to anyone other than his mother. Even then, if someone else walked in he’d abruptly go silent. The doctors said it was an anxiety disorder brought on from living through a traumatic experience, and that he would outgrow it with time and healing.
But no one could tell Liv how much time it would take for a boy to heal after being stuck in a car while his dad was dying. It had been a long, hard year for both of them, and Avery was beyond thankful that Paxton was starting to branch out.
“I know,” Liv said, the emotion shaking in her voice. “He didn’t talk, but the other boy, Tommy, didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he talked the entire hour they sat on the porch flipping through Paxton’s collection. His mom said Tommy is the youngest of four sisters, so he never gets a word in at home.”
Avery reached across the table to put her hand on Liv’s. “Sounds like a perfect pair.”
“I’m trying not to get my hopes up, and I don’t know why I’m crying—it was one hour.”
Avery handed her a napkin. “Because you and I both know that a lot can happen in one hour. And for Paxton that one hour was a sign we’ve been waiting for.”
“Yeah.” Liv wiped her eyes, then gave a little blow. “I don’t know how they managed to communicate, but I heard Tommy asking Paxton his name over and over until Paxton just shut down.”
“That must have been so hard for him.” Paxton’s anxiety wasn’t just triggered by people asking him questions, it was also affected by being the center of attention. So most people’s desire to calm him down only worked to further agitate him until he spiraled into a panic attack.
“I knew he was about to have an attack, so I walked out and gently explained that Paxton hasn’t found his voice yet. The boy just shrugged and said, ‘That’s okay, I haven’t found my taste buds for cauliflower yet either, but my mom said I’m not old enough.’” Liv covered her mouth. “Can you believe it? He couldn’t have said a more perfect thing.”
“I bet it put Paxton at ease.”
Liv sat forward. “It was even better than that. Paxton looked him in the eyes when he said cauliflower and made a funny face and the boy laughed. Like really laughed, and the next thing I know they’re sitting on the top step, communicating through boy gestures or whatever, and Tommy is freaking out that Paxton has the Batman comics with Ace the Bathound in them.”
“Paxton loves anything with a dog in it,” Avery said with a smile. That boy was obsessed with dogs.
“The best part is that Tommy already asked if he could come back this weekend and bring his collection.” Liv reached across the table and took Avery’s hands into her trembling ones. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
Avery started. “Thank me?”
Liv nodded. “I don’t know how you knew that he would be into comic books, but it was what he needed to open up, and now he has a friend. My little guy has his first real friend since Sam passed.”
As touched as she was confused, Avery struggled to put together what Liv was trying to say. With no luck.
“I am so happy for Paxton, and for you, but Liv, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Liv rolled her eyes. “Your Christmas present.”
“I gave Paxton a book on dog breeds that he wanted. Remember, I gave it to him at the tree lighting in town.”
“Yes, you gave him the ‘book.’” Liv threw up air quotes around the last word. “But then you put the mystery Santa gift on the front porch Christmas morning. Even made little reindeer prints in the snow.”
Avery opened her mouth to say she didn’t know the first thing about making reindeer feet, when Liv silenced her with a finger, then studied Avery as if looking for a tell, like she was some kind of human lie detector. The survey went on for so long Avery was beginning to wonder exactly what her friend was looking for.
Did she have just been laid stamped across her forehead? Or was the warm, yummy afterglow she felt so potent it was visible?
Thankful she hadn’t taken her scarf off, Avery crossed her arms and casually sat b
ack. After a few moments, Liv leaned close—so close Avery could see the whites of her eyes—then sat back with a frown.
“Look, I don’t know if you put Pax and me in your memory journal, or if giving him those comics was you being sweet and wonderful you, but reading about superheroes has really been a comfort to him. The nightmares are going away, and he’s smiling more.” Liv lowered her voice. “I didn’t say anything before because Paxton loved finding the gifts from his mystery friend, and I didn’t want to ruin the fun for you, but this time you outdid yourself, and I had to let you know how special you are to us.”
“You guys mean the world to me, and I want nothing more than to see Paxton being a happy, chatty kid,” Avery said. “But I didn’t leave those comic books on your front porch.”
Liv sat there shaking her head in confusion. “It has to be you.”
“It’s not.”
Her friend forked off a bite of sticky bun, eating it as if she were at a complete loss. Then she licked her fork, pointed it across the table, and around a mouthful of pastry, said, “It was left on the porch bench in the same exact place you left me the stargazers for my and Sam’s anniversary. You’re the only one who knows how hard that day is and that stargazers are my favorite flower.”
Avery looked Liv in the eye, so she could see the truth. “I didn’t do any of those things, although now that you tell me about it, I wish I had. But whoever did must love you and Paxton a bunch.” Avery took a big bite of sticky bun, closing her eyes in sheer ecstasy as the gooey sweetness melted in her mouth. “Maybe it’s Grace.”
Liv bit her lip while she considered that possibility, then shrugged in acceptance. “Maybe. Now,” she said as she leaned in, “are you going to tell me about the handsome stranger you’re spending your evenings with?”
Avery froze. They’d been so careful last night not to rouse suspicion at the lodge. Even going so far as to sneak out before anyone was awake. Not that she was ashamed—it was quite the opposite.
Ty was such a great guy, and when he left Avery didn’t want to field a million and one questions like she had about Carson.
“Who told you I slept with Ty?” Avery whispered.
“Um, you just did,” Liv said, obviously not following the girls’ guide to discussing affairs in a public place. “You slept with Ty?”
“We didn’t do much sleeping, but can you speak up, I don’t think his mom heard you from her house across town.”
Another reason Avery had been hesitant to go public. Irene was a romantic, but when it came to seeing her son happily married, she was downright mischievous. The last thing Avery wanted to be for Ty was another person he felt he’d let down. Another problem to fix.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that you had sex with Tyson Donovan?” This time a couple from three tables away turned to stare.
“Yes,” Avery hissed. “And I’d like to sleep with him again, which won’t happen if his mom catches wind.”
“Inside voices, got it. I just can’t believe it, Ty Donovan.” She tipped her head down. “Is his butt as tight as it looks?”
Avery smiled. “Could bounce a quarter off it.”
“Wow.” Liv shook her head in a daze. “A quarter, huh? What about the rest of him?”
“Perfect,” Avery sighed. “And I’m not just talking about his body. He is perfect. Smart, funny, and so sweet.” Avery remembered the way he’d kissed her scar, cradled her while they made love. “My scar didn’t bother him, and when I told him about my surgery he didn’t even flinch.”
“Oh, honey, of course he didn’t,” Liv said. “Only rat bastards would flinch, not a real man.”
Ty was as real as they came. He was capable, comfortable in his own skin, and had this way of looking at Avery as if he saw her truth and admired her even more because of it. The guy didn’t seem to scare easily either. He approached things with a confidence that was as impressive as it was sexy. In fact, the more she got to know him the more she liked him.
Last night, there’d been a moment when she’d watched him sip from a plastic teacup, and she realized that if she weren’t careful she might fall in love with him.
“He went with me to see Caroline and give her the crown. He even made this big to-do about the coronation of Caroline as a real princess. The nurses said she wouldn’t let go of the crown, even insisted on wearing it into surgery. Said it was her good luck charm.”
“I heard from one of the nurses that her surgery went great.”
“Her body is taking well to the transplant.” Avery took a deep breath and felt her chest expand with emotion. “You should have seen him with her, Liv. Beneath that big, bad survivalist exterior is a guy with a lot to give and a huge heart. After the visit, he took me to get hot cocoa down at the lodge, then gave me a kiss that said the idea of waking up next to me was as exciting as it was terrifying.”
“A kiss can say all of that?”
Avery closed her eyes. “Oh, his kisses say everything.”
Like how even though he’d tried to keep things light, their connection ran too deep to be anything fleeting. And although he thought leaving was the only solution, she knew he didn’t want to go.
“You like him.” It wasn’t worded as a question, but she knew Liv was hoping for a specific answer. Too bad it wasn’t the answer she was going to hear.
“A lot.”
“You know he’s leaving.”
“In a few days, I know. But I don’t want to walk away from something amazing because I’m afraid of getting hurt. Loss is a natural part of life, and I want to live, which means experiencing the good with the bad. And I really don’t think that anything bad can come out of this since we are both being open about things.”
Liv patted her hand. “I want you to experience everything. You deserve that. I just want to make sure you don’t get hurt.”
Avery had spent her life taking zero risk and being in a world of hurt. She was ready to enjoy some of the perks of living for a change.
“I’d rather take the leap and fall than spend the rest of my life looking out windows.”
CHAPTER 16
The next day, Avery’s alarm went off before the sun awoke, much to her annoyance. She was right in the middle of a steamy dream starring one hot mountain man and s’mores. She was pretty sure if she closed her eyes she could pick up where she left off, but she was expected to be at the lodge by six, ready to head out.
Tossing the sheets back with a sigh, she padded to the kitchen, her body aching from yesterday’s hikes. She and Ty had scouted out nearly every staging area for SAREX, including where they were going to have the cadaver training for the K-9 team. There had been lots of hiking, lots of touching, and the right amount of stolen kisses. And had she not had this big hike today, there would have been a whole lot more than a steamy dream last night.
Pouring herself the first cup of cocoa of the day, she took a sip and was savoring the hot goodness when she heard a honk. Startled by the noise at such an early hour, she walked to the window and peered out at the white Day Adventure van parked in her driveway.
“Oh boy.” Stepping into her boots and grabbing a puffy parka, she raced down the driveway right as the side door slid open and exposed the entire Senior X-Treme gang. And the ringleader of this illegal adventure was none other than unlicensed driver Dale Donovan.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in a low reprimand.
“If we want a good catch, then we have to get there when the fish are waking up,” the Captain said, lifting his hat. “So hop in so we can get this party bus rolling.”
“You can scoot in next to me,” Mr. Fitz offered. “My bench has got seat heaters.”
“It’s called gas,” Prudence Tuttman said from the backseat. “Now can someone turn up the radio? Neil Diamond is playing.”
Dale, who had remained silent up until this point, reached for the radio knob.
“Don’t even think about it,” she hissed, then walked around the van to the driver’s s
ide window. When Dale kept his vision forward and didn’t move to roll down the window, Avery tapped it—loudly. With a temperamental sigh, he finally rolled it down.
“What are you doing, Dale?” she asked.
“Some of the guys showed up early,” Dale said loud enough for the whole van to hear. “Didn’t see the need to wait, so when they suggested we save time by picking everyone else up, I grabbed the keys.”
“You might be the last in the pickup, but you were the first on my list,” Mr. Fitz hollered from the back.
Avery lowered her voice so only Dale could hear. “You promised Irene and Ty. And I promised that this wouldn’t happen.”
“It’s only an hour early.”
“It’s more than that and you know it.”
The shame in his expression said he did know it, and he hated dragging her into his lie.
“Time’s a-wasting,” Prudence said.
“Please, honey.” Dale’s eyes were pleading. He was stuck between wanting his old life back and accepting his new one. He didn’t want to upset Irene, but he also couldn’t stand the idea of people finding out he was slipping.
Dale was a proud man, and an independent one, so admitting to his friends about his state would mean admitting to himself that there was something wrong.
“Fine, give me ten minutes to get dressed,” she said to the group.
“Five,” the Captain argued. “We’ve got to go through the drive-through. It’s Senior Saturday. Fifty-five-cent drip.”
“Ten.”
Everyone in the car grinned.
Unfortunately, three minutes in, someone thought it would be funny to rev the engine, so Avery skipped a quick shower, threw on some clothes, tossed her hair in a ponytail, and made it back out to the van before the five-minute mark.
“Scoot over, I’m driving,” she said.
Dale moved into the passenger seat, while Mr. Fitz mumbled about his heated seats, and Avery buckled herself in. “What are we listening to?”
“Jimmy Buffett,” Mr. Fitz said as Dale cranked up the radio and “Let’s Get Drunk and Screw” blared all the way down her street and through the drive-through. But by the time they’d made it up the mountain the only sound coming from the car was Prudence snoring.