Page 10 of Where Roads Lead

“What are you doing here?”

And there went my happy place.

I turned in the direction of the voice, already recognizing the owner before I even saw his face.

Just like yesterday, he was wearing the same backward baseball cap and the same infuriating scowl.

“Am I not allowed to be here?” I asked lightly, trying not to let him know how off-kilter he made me.

He was handsome, which made him even more irritating. He probably had gotten away with being a jerk his whole life based on that fact alone. I’m sure some girls even thought his whole attitude was charming.

I rolled my eyes at the very sight of him.

If I were being honest with myself, I’d admit that this rage I felt toward him could probably be pinned down to some psychology term I wasn’t familiar with—something about misplaced anger or deflection or something?—because after all, hadn’t I been with a handsome asshole myself in the not-so-distant past? Hadn’t I blinded myself to his faults and condescension and the belittling way he spoke to me?

I’d be damned before I let another man do it again.

“I never said you weren’t allowed to be here,” he said through gritted teeth, apparently as irritated by me as I was by him.

“You implied it. What with the ‘lose my number’ speech you threw out at me yesterday.”

“Will—” the woman tried to cut in, but Will kept going, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You told me you were making it your mission in life to avoid me.”

“After you basically bit my head off for having the nerve to have been forcibly given your phone number!”

“Which you didn’t hesitate to use,” he countered with a head tilt.

“Will—” she said again, but it was a futile attempt.

“A mistake I won’t be making again.” I huffed, blind to anything except the man in front of me.

The one whose hazel eyes I was locked in a stare-down with.

“I won’t hold my breath,” he said, “since it took you less than a day to change your mind about showing up here.”

I let out a noise of affrontment before turning to the blonde woman in apology.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” I told her. “Sorry for bothering you.”

“No, don’t go,” she said, face falling.

“Let her go.” He looked over at the blonde, as if finally realizing she was standing there with us. “She’s just passing through town, anyway.”

“Will.” She frowned in shock. “You really are being an ass. Can you give the poor girl a break? She just wanted a cup of coffee.”

She said it as if she hadn’t believed me, and I snorted, amused that I was the sole recipient for this man and his attitude problem.

“It’s okay,” I told her, holding a hand up to stop her pleas. I had a feeling buying coffee from him would be like making a bargain with the devil. “It was nice to meet you…” I trailed off, realizing I hadn’t gotten her name.

“I’m Ava.” She held out a hand for me to shake. The left one, with the sparkling engagement ring that sort of made me want to die when I looked at it too long. “Ava Hughes.”

I shook it carefully and then watched the hand of the first normal person I’d met in this town move out of my grip and directly onto the chest of the man I’d spent the last twenty-four hours fantasizing about hitting over the head with a cartoon baton.

Fantastic.

Chapter Four