The woman must have heard Avery’s words because she approached the desk, giving Avery a questioning smile. Her nametag read Haley. “Can I help you?”
“Hi. Sorry. You maybe don’t remember me. I’m Avery? David’s—I mean, Dr. Daniels’s—friend?”
“Ohh, right. How I could forget?” the woman said, her tone a little less friendly than Avery would have preferred. But it wasn’t like she could blame the woman.
“I know you probably don’t have a lot of reason to want to help me, but can you tell me if David is working right now? I really, really need to talk to him.”
“Talk to him in a ‘I’m going to make him even more miserable than he is now’ kind of way? Or in a ‘maybe I can snap him out of this funk he’s been in for the past month’ kind of way?”
Avery’s heart jumped. “That one. The last one. At least, I hope.”
Haley took a deep breath. “Give me a minute. He’s here. Let me just see if he can talk to you.”
Avery walked back to the lobby and perched on the edge of a chair, too anxious to really sit and relax. Everything—all of her emotions—made such perfect sense now, she couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to figure things out. Now that she had, she felt ready to explode.
Fifteen minutes later, a woman in scrubs and a lab coat came through the large double doors that led into the ER. She looked right at Avery. “Hi. Are you Avery?”
Avery nodded.
“I’m Lucy, David’s friend. Come with me.”
Avery followed Lucy back through the double doors and through a number of confusing turns she hoped she didn’t have to repeat on her own before they finally stopped in a curtained exam area. Lucy pulled the curtain all the way closed around them and turned to look at Avery, her arms folded across her chest.
“I’ve known David a long time,” Lucy said. “Since residency. I care about him a lot and I don’t like to see him hurting.”
“Okay,” Avery said with a nod, unable to manage much else. The woman was intimidating as all get out.
“He’s been hurting a lot the past few weeks.”
Avery dropped her gaze to the floor. “I know.”
“I get that his feelings can be a little intense sometimes,” Lucy said. “There’s not a lot of middle ground with David which sometimes makes it hard for him to navigate relationships.”
Avery offered a wobbly smile. “I get that, too.”
“But Avery, he’s the best there is. He is loyal and trustworthy and good all the way to his core. There’s no one in this world that will treat you better or love you more.”
At that, Avery smile again, wide and true, the stupid tears that had kept her company off and on all morning, filling her eyes again. “I know. That’s why I’m here.”
Lucy finally smiled. “You know, I told him he should give up on you.”
Avery sniffed. “I probably would have given up on me. But I’m really glad he didn’t.”
Lucy nodded, apparently satisfied with Avery’s answers. “Let me go get him. He’s with a patient now so you might have to wait a few minutes, but no one should bother you in here.”
Avery nodded. “Thanks, Lucy.”
Avery kept herself busy, playing mindless games on her phone, too preoccupied to do anything that required brain power. When she heard David’s voice coming toward her, her heart lurched, and she dropped her phone into her bag before clenching her trembling hands into fists. When the curtain slid back and David stepped into view, her heart nearly fell to the floor.
He wasn’t wearing the typical scrubs she’d grown used to seeing him in. He wore dress pants, a shirt and tie, and a lab coat, a stethoscope draped over his neck. He looked so achingly handsome, Avery almost couldn’t breathe. “Hi,” she said, her voice catching in her throat.
David smiled. “Hi.” He stepped more fully into the room, pulling the curtain closed behind him. “I was told I was seeing a woman with a heart condition?”
Avery laughed. “I guess you could say that.”
David pushed his hands into his pockets and looked up at her through his lashes, his expression sheepish and adorable. “I’m really nervous right now, Avery.”
She smiled and laughed, then walked toward him, reaching out both her hands for his. “Don’t be nervous. I came here with something very important to say. I just need you to listen.”
He nodded. “Okay,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
Giving his hands a squeeze, Avery moved them to the small of her back, so she stood in the circle of his arms, her hands pressed gently against his chest. He felt warm and solid and real under her palms. She kept her eyes down, certain that if she looked at David directly, she’d probably start to cry. “I came here thinking I was going to tell you that it was time for you to just jump in the pool already, but then I realized you already did. You jumped when you sent me that letter.”
“That letter felt a lot bigger than jumping in a pool,” David said.
Avery laughed softly. “Just go with the analogy, all right?” She slid her hands up to David’s shoulders, finally looking into his eyes. “It isn’t you that needs to jump in the pool, it’s me. I was scared, David. Scared of feeling too much, too fast. Scared of forever, which I’m pretty sure this thing between us has the potential to be.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You said it was now or never, so I choose now. I mean, if you’ll still—”
In one swift movement, David pulled her against him and lifted her chin, cutting off her words with a kiss. Avery gave in completely, letting him lead, opening herself up as he deepened the kiss, his arms wrapping fully around her. Several moments later when he pulled away, she had to lean against him for how dizzy she felt, for how intensely her blood pounded through her veins.
“I think this definitely qualifies as a heart condition,” she said softly.
David pressed a kiss against her temple. “Want to get out of here?”
Avery looked up. “You don’t have to work?”
He shook his head. “I only came in for a meeting with the hospital board.”
“Which is why you’re so dressed up,” Avery said.
He nodded. “There’s a new initiative they want to implement in the ER to improve response time and overall patient care. They’ve asked if I’ll head it up.”
Avery smiled. “That’s amazing.”
“It comes with a little bit of a pay raise, so I’ll take it. Though at first it will mean less time with patients, and I don’t love that. Hopefully that will just be temporary. It was Dr. Stevenson who recommended me for the job,” David said. “I didn’t expect it at all.”
Avery thought back to her conversation with Tucker when she’d threatened to go public with his raunchy behavior. Was it possible her threat had something to do with David getting a promotion at work? Maybe. But she’d never say as much out loud.
“Let’s go celebrate,” Avery said. “I’ve got a gift card to the Darling Oyster bar that I still haven’t used.”
David threaded his fingers through hers and led her out of the ER. “Oysters, huh?” They stepped into the parking lot and he turned, pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around the small of her back.
“They do say oysters are an aphrodisiac,” Avery said with a knowing grin. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed David with all the longing she possessed.
“Actually,” David said, breaking the kiss, “that’s a myth. There’s not anything in oysters that would make someone more inclined to romance. Research indicates it might be the slurping motion of eating raw oysters that turns people . . .” His words trailed off and he cleared his throat. “I should stop talking and just kiss you again, shouldn’t I?”
“Yep,” Avery said, her tone matter of fact. “That’d be good.”
And it was good.
That time, and the next, and every time after.
Epilogue
Avery stopped at the end of the wooden walkway that led to the beach behind her house and took off
her shoes before stepping onto the sand. She didn’t see David, but she’d find him soon enough. They often met out on the beach after work, and his text had told her he’d be there. The sun had long set, but the moon and stars were bright enough overhead, it was easy to find her way without a flashlight.
Someone had built a fire in the distance, and Avery could see groups of people gathered around the dancing flames. The closer she got, the more she thought she recognized someone standing around the fire. But it didn’t make sense. The person she thought she recognized was her brother. And she’d know if he was in town. Another few feet closer, and someone broke from the group and ran toward her. A very tiny someone.
Seconds later, her three-year-old nephew jumped into her arms. “Aunt Avery!” he said, burying his head into her shoulder.
“Charlie! What are you doing here?”
“I came wif Mommy and Daddy,” he said. “And Gwa-ma and Gwan-pa.”
Avery looked back to the bonfire. “They’re all with you? Right now?” She lowered Charlie back to the ground.
“Hmm-mmm.” He tugged on her hand. “Come on.”
Avery let her nephew lead her to the bonfire, immediately seeing her brother standing off from the rest of the group, watching their approach.
“Daddy, I found her,” Charlie said.
“Good job, man,” Shawn said. “I knew you could do it.”
Avery gave her brother a hug. “What are you doing here?” she said. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Come on. Everyone’s here.”
Shawn really had meant everyone. Shawn. His wife, Ellie. Charlie. Mom. Dad. Melba. Shelley. Avery’s boss, Nancy. Avery’s two best friends from high school. Her college roommate. Lucy and John. Even Haley from the ER was there. The only person missing was David.
Avery made her way around the group, greeting the people she hadn’t seen in a while, growing more and more puzzled when no one would answer why they were all gathered together, or where her boyfriend was. She spoke to Melba last. “You know what’s going on here, don’t you?”
Melba only grinned. “Of course I do. We all do.”
“Is anyone going to tell me?” Avery wasn’t exactly frustrated, but she hated being the only one in the dark.
Melba motioned over Avery’s shoulder. “I’m guessing he might.”
Avery turned around, finally seeing David as he approached the group. He wore dark jeans and a white t-shirt, a button-down shirt over top, untucked and open at the front. It was a relaxed look that suited him.
When they’d officially started dating six months before, it hadn’t taken long for Avery to realize she was desperately in love with David. She would have claimed early on that it was impossible for her to ever love him more. But every day, their love seemed to grow, eclipsing anything she’d ever experienced before.
David stopped in front of her, a smile on his face. “Hi,” he said, before leaning in for a kiss. “I hope you don’t mind that I invited a few people over.”
“How did you find my college roommate?” Avery asked. “This is crazy.”
“That took some work,” David said, “though it wasn’t quite as tough as fresh hushpuppies from the Darling at eight in the morning.”
Avery shook her head. David still hadn’t told her how he’d managed that one.
“I don’t understand,” Avery said. “What is everyone doing here?”
“You know I’m not very good at getting my words out. Not when I’m nervous.”
“I know,” Avery said. “You know I don’t care about that.”
“I know. But tonight, I wanted you to be surrounded by perfect words. No . . .” he swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment before starting again. His hands trembled slightly and Avery squeezed encouragement into his fingers. She was pretty sure where this was going, and knowing David like she did, he needed all the encouragement he could get. “No hesitations,” he said. “No false starts. Just all the reasons why everyone loves you. So I asked for some help.”
David dropped her hands and turned her around so she faced her family and friends, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.
One by one, everyone in the group stepped forward, saying a few things that they loved about Avery. Her mom told a story about when she was a little girl and guarded a nest of sea turtle eggs night and day for a solid week; her dad said that he’d never known anyone to live with as much passion and find as much joy in the ordinary things as Avery; Charlie stated that no one on the whole planet gave better hugs.
By the time it was Melba’s turn, Avery was already in tears. She sniffed. “Oh man, now I’m really going to fall apart.”
David gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.
“Avery, child, I’ve loved you like you were my own since you were a tiny little thing, running around this island in nothing but a swimsuit, a rash of freckles across your cheeks. I’ve seen you at your best, and I’m rightly sure I’ve also seen you at your worst. Which means I can speak on good authority when I say that the man behind you? He brings out the very best version of you. I’ve seen that kind of love one time before, when your grandma fell so hard for your grandpa.” Melba smiled wide. “She’s proud of you, child. I’m sure of it.”
Avery crossed the sand and gave Melba a big hug. “Thanks, Melba.”
She turned back to David, heart-full and happy.
Their eyes met and he took a steadying breath. “Avery, If I say too much, I’ll probably screw something up. So I’ll just say this. I love you. Completely.” He dropped to one knee and looked to John, who tossed him a tiny, black jewelry box. He caught it smoothly with his long, capable fingers and opened it up. Looking at Avery, the firelight dancing across his face, he smiled wide. “Marry me?”
Avery dropped into the sand in front of him and kissed him, the cheers of all the people she loved erupting behind them. “Yes,” she said, tears flowing freely now. “Absolutely yes.”
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for release info on her new series,
The ABCs of Love
Released titles include:
A is for Author
B is for Barista
C is for Cowboy
D is for Doctor
Did you miss the first book in the ABCs of Love Series? Read on for the first Chapter of A is for Author.
Available Exclusively on Amazon
CHAPTER ONE
Emerson Lindsor did not like berets, but she always tucked one into her bag on Author Days. The bag itself was also toted out only on Author Days, a leather satchel that was designed to communicate that Emerson was a Serious Author. They’d both been gifts from Maggie, her best friend, on the day her first book debuted.
First and only book.
Five years ago.
Emerson squeezed her eyes closed and pushed that distracting fact from her mind, then opened them again, pulled the beret out, settled it on her head, and checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. She repeated the affirmation Maggie had forced her to memorize when she’d presented her with the Serious Author bag and beret.
“I am super good at this and people will listen to me.”
Then, still following Maggie’s instructions, she removed the beret and tucked it into her bag again. The beret was a joke. “Never actually wear the beret,” Maggie had told her. “That’s pretentious. You just need to believe you have the right to the beret, as much as your mom or anyone else. This is more like a soul beret.”
Emma leaned forward, checked her lipstick—a tasteful neutral tone that didn’t compete with her dark brown hair—and her eye makeup, still smudge-free even after spending the morning grading final essays from her Modern American literature students.
She was as ready as she would ever be. She didn’t love public appearances. The audience rarely knew who she was, but if they did, it meant she would get the Dreaded Question. When is your next book coming out?
Normally she would have declined, but this invit
ation had come from Beverly, her favorite librarian at the Coupeville Library. She’d wanted Emma to appear on a panel of local authors, and because Emma was forever indebted to her for the many deep dives Beverly had done for her on book research, Emma had agreed.
She forced herself out of the car and found Beverly in the library reading room. Even though she’d made a point of arriving a half hour early, half of the chairs were already full.
“Wow,” she said, after returning Beverly’s hug. “I knew we had a lot of readers on Whidbey Island, but I honestly didn’t think there would be this much interest in an author panel.”
“That’s because of the programming change,” Beverly said, “You got my email, didn’t you?”
Emma wrinkled her forehead. “I don’t think so. When did you send it?”
“Three days ago.”
Emma shook her head. “That explains it, then. I’ve been buried in grading. End of semester and all that.”
“We had to make a change in the author line up. Kelly LaFell couldn’t make it, so I switched in another local, and now we’ve got this,” she said as three more women came in, laughing and arguing about which seats would give them the best view of the panelists.
Emma had a feeling she knew who it was. “You got Aidan Maxwell?” she guessed, as another group of four women walked in.
“You know him?” Beverly said, relieved. “I was going to track down a revised copy of the author bios I sent in that email. I guess you won’t need it?”
“Not necessary,” Emma said. She didn’t actually know Aidan Maxwell, but it was hard to not know of him. If he sneezed and someone published the tissue, it would hit the New York Times bestseller list, probably with a cover showing the hot blonde actress who played the lead character in the TV series based on his police detective novels. Not that Emma had an issue with beautiful actresses, but she resented male authors who wrote them busty and smoldering as part of their wish fulfillment.
D is for Doctor (ABCs of Love Sweet Romance Book 4) Page 16