“Give it to me, Rayburn,” she growled, reaching for it.
I was being obtuse, but I snarled at her regardless. “I said no.”
“You’re being a dick.”
I yanked back a little too hard and she stumbled forward, her long waves falling forward. In the blink of an eye, the flame caught her hair.
“Fuck!” I yelled, jumping up quickly. “Firefighter!”
Mateo rushed across the room in a blur and lifted the bucket. He threw the water straight on her, drenching her completely.
Avery squealed, her eyes clamping shut as the flame was snuffed out.
Everyone fell silent and stared as she sputtered, her cheeks blooming bright red. Her eyes flew open and burned with fury.
If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man.
“Levi fucking Rayburn,” she hissed. “What thefuckis wrong with you?”
All my defenses rose up. “It’s not my fault you didn’t listen to me,” I snapped.
Which was maybe not the best response I could have given to her.
“You didn’t listen tome,” she said. “I’ve been working with this art style for years. That’s whyI’mthe teacher.”
“I told you, I’m no artist.”
“And as my dad used to say, everyone is.”
Everything iced over. My eyes widened at the implication as her cheeks turned even redder.
Surely, she didn’t mean her dad was gone. Surely not. Austin would have told me. We talked every month. We’d been talkingevery monthfor years. I would have known. Right?
“Used to . . . ?” I croaked.
Mateo winced, telling me what I needed to know without a word.
Avery’s throat worked as she swallowed hard. She crossed her arms, her wet hair sticking to her face and neck. “Yeah. Sorry. Dad passed away two years ago. Heart attack. He’s gone.”
Two years.
All my bones were cold. I opened my mouth to apologize for putting my foot in it, but Avery was already moving to one of the other tables, completely ignoring me. Everyone’s attention slid back to her, and even though she was drenched, blue, and on the verge of tears—she kept going.
Fuck me.
I needed to get the hell out of here.
Mateo pressed his lips together as he studied me. “You didn’t know?”
I shook my head. “Austin didn’t tell me. And I’m not very good at keeping up with people on social media anymore because of my job. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Avery doesn’t really talk about it,” Mateo said, keeping his voice low. “Out of the three of them, she’s more of a vault than Austin.”
“Apparently not.” Now the truth was staring me dead in the eye, and I didn’t like it.
I was alone. Maybe more than I’d ever realized.
“Do you want to get brunch after this?” Mateo asked. “Since you’re back in town, but also sort of new? We can grab tacos and go harass Austin. I like the idea of showing up with his best friend at my hip.”
