Canvas

by Jacob Chance

  “Yeah, I can tell.” She rolls her eyes. “Humble and Wesley Steele are synonymous,” she says, dryly.

  Once we’re on the road, my truck eats up the highway miles as we drive further away from the city and closer to our hometown of Piney View, West Virginia, population nine-hundred-eighty-three. It’s where I still reside and the place Avery couldn’t get away from fast enough. I haven’t seen her since she left for college eight years ago and the time has been extremely kind to her. She’s matured into a sexy as hell woman, one I’d like to see naked as soon as possible.

  She sighs loudly and rests her head against the passenger window. “Is it really that bad being back here?” I ask, my eyes flick in her direction.

  “The circumstances are horrible. I’m worried about my mom and no one seems to know what her prognosis is.”

  “I get that, but how do you feel about returning to Piney View? If I remember correctly, you couldn’t wait to move away.”

  She shrugs. “Obviously, I didn’t want to come back or I would have done it before now. But now that I’m here, I’m going to make the most of it and enjoy this time with my family.”

  “I know Lucy’s excited to see you. She texted three times while I was waiting for you at the airport.”

  She smiles. “Yeah, she texted me too. It’ll be great to spend some time with her and Jeremiah.”

  “He’s a handful. She’s a great mom though and does better than most in her situation.”

  “Are you guys a...couple?” she asks cautiously.

  I smirk. “No, Lucy and I have always just been friends. She’s like a little sister to me. Would it bother you if we were together?” I ask, cocking my brow.

  “No. God no,” she laughs nervously. “Why would you think that?”

  It took me about two point two seconds at the airport to recognize the attraction between us and it goes both ways. She can pretend she wouldn’t mind if I dated Lucy, but I know better. I’m not going to call her on it today, though. I’ll let her think she’s in the clear for now. “Just a hunch.”

  “Well, your hunch is way off base.” She glances at her watch. “How much longer until we’re there?”

  We’re barely out of my truck before Lucy comes barreling out the front door of her house. She lets out a shriek of excitement that could give some of the wild animals in this area a run for their money.

  Avery laughs and hurries to meet her halfway. The two of them crash into each other with a hug and then the smiles turn to tears. I shake my head. Women. I might consider myself an expert when it comes to their bodies and what buttons to push to make them go off like a rocket launched into outer space, but I have no fucking idea what goes on inside their heads. The women’s psyche is truly one of life’s greatest mysteries - one, I’m not prepared to solve. I’m a lumberjack, not a detective.

  Which is why I don’t get involved beyond a physical release.

  Grabbing Avery’s suitcases from the truck, I walk past the two crying women and set them down inside the entryway. The two of them follow through the door right behind me.

  “Thank you for picking Avery up for me,” Lucy says, with a smile.

  “No problem, Luce. I’m glad to help out and it was great to be there waiting to greet Avery.” My eyes flick in her direction just in time to see hers narrow in a glare. I smirk and wait for her to rat me out about the sign, but she says nothing.

  “I hate to leave you ladies, but I have to get to work now.”

  “No problem, thanks again, Wes,” Lucy says, before giving me a quick hug.

  I study Avery’s face as her sister squeezes me. The wrinkle between her eyebrows tells me she’s definitely not happy about it.

  “Give me a shout if you need anything. Avery, don’t be a stranger while you’re here. I live right across the street and I like company.” I wink at her and she scowls back. Pushing her buttons is easier than I imagined and more fun too. I can’t wait until I see her again.

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  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to all the readers, bloggers and authors who’ve supported me. Whether you’ve purchased one of my books, shared my teasers or even just liked one of my posts, I’m grateful.

  Diane Hamilton, my amazing PA, I can never thank you enough for all that you do for me. Your guidance has been invaluable to me from the start and I couldn’t do this without you.

  Sybill from Popkitty Design, you did such an amazing job on my cover. It’s perfect for Josh and Elle’s story. Thank you for all the extra work you put in on this one.

  Vivian Freeman, thank you for doing such a great job editing Canvas. You always know just what the rough draft is missing and working with you is great.

  Hawkeye’s Proofreading, thank you for reading Canvas more times than anyone should have to. I appreciate all the time you put into making sure my books can be as error free as possible.

  I have great beta readers. Viv, Laura, Dawn Nicole, Angela and Jodi, thank you for all the suggestions for Canvas. You all had a hand in making the final product the best it could be.