Did I not send you money to renovate these buildings?
I wait for Aiden’s reply while looking at the building.
Aiden
Yeah, and I sent it to someone I hired down there.
Did you get any proof of progress or something?
Aiden
I’ll look for the pictures.
The door to the coffee shop swings open, and Avery turns to lock it. When she turns and sees me there, she freezes. “Were you coming in? We just closed.”
“No, I, uh, just got the details about an assignment from my company to check on the progress upstairs in this building. You wouldn’t happen to have the key to get to the second floor, would you?” I ask, pointing to the door six feet to the right of her main door.
She gives me a strange frown and says, “I do, actually. But there isn’t much to see up there. Only one apartment is finished, and another is only partially done.”
Avery doesn’t move toward the door and only stares at me.
“Are you thinking I’m a stalker?” I ask with a smile. Her eyes go wide, and I say, “You do!”
She tries to avoid my gaze. “I live upstairs, and I don’t have proof that you’re supposed to be up there.”
“You trust me in your car but not near your apartment?” After I say it, I understand what she’s probably feeling. “Understandable. Let me find the email where it gives me the information.”
I’m not sure what to do, though, because it was through the text message Aiden sent.
“That’s a great idea. I’d let you in for that.”
I tap at the screen a few times and pretend like it’s not working. “My email isn’t currently working. How about I get a copy of it and bring it tomorrow?”
She looks hesitant but then says, “That will work.”
I wave, only then realizing my shirt is still in my hand. Avery makes eye contact and then her gaze drifts lower before she starts digging for something in her purse.
“See you then,” I say. I’m not sure what’s wrong. Maybe she doesn’t like people covered in sweat. I throw my shirt back on and start walking along the sidewalk toward the B&B.
“Yeah,” she says, looking flustered, before she walks away from the building.
Avery is my tenant in the coffee shop. Something about that makes me smile. Paying it forward can also help her, but I’ll have to make it discreet.
Glancing over, I take a deep breath of ocean air. The marina and the diner frame it nicely.
It’s Thursday, only three days into my “retreat,” and I realize I should’ve arrived much, much sooner. I’ve got a letter to draft,just to give Avery some comfort about me being in the building, and some keys to hunt down. I don’t know what I’m most excited for: another encounter with Avery, or a chance to see what I have to work with on the renovations. Both, probably.
One is going to take a lot longer to fix than I’ll likely have time for while I’m here, and the other is off-limits, or should be, depending on my decision with Victoria. Maybe that’s why I’m so intrigued.
9
AVERY
I’m a mess.
Not only physically, because jam dripped from a piece of toast I took a bite of, but mentally as well, because my brain has a visual of Max without his shirt on quick recall. It’s been almost a full day since that moment, which tells me I’m struggling in the mental attention area.
He might not have completely defined abs, but he is definitely fit. And the sweat seemed to accentuate his lean physique.
