Page 33 of Where Roads Lead

He didn’t respond at first, but the twitch in his jaw told me he wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed.

“I’m kidding,” I told him. “It’s a joke.”

Not everyone gets your humor, Elsie. Tone it down.

I wasn’t sure when Andrew’s words had become my inner voice, but I was irritated to find that his little tidbits of ‘advice’ he’d given over the years kept popping up in my head.

“Will doesn’t do the humor thing very well,” Ava commented from her place behind him.

I didn’t think that was true necessarily. After all, dry humor still counted, even if he was technically the only one aware of the jokes he made.

But the sound of Ava’s voice made him stiffen, and any lightheartedness that he’d slipped into was gone just as quickly.

I smiled at her, not wanting to get involved in whatever tension was simmering between them. Especially when my latte was in the war zone.

I quickly passed over my card, but Will shook his head, reminding me that he’d offered it on the house.

“You’re going to go out of business if you keep giving out free coffee,” I told him.

He snorted, looking around the bustling café. “I think we’ll manage.”

“Well,” I said, shifting under the weight of Ava’s stare. “I should be going.”

That hadn’t been the plan. In fact, I’d very much wanted to take up residency in the corner by the window and get back to work on my writing. I was sick of being alone. And there was only so much wandering around the town I could do.

But something about the atmosphere between Ava and Will made me want to be anywhere but. It was better to leave them alone to sort whatever family drama they were currently engaged in, which I had already been witness to more times than was comfortable.

I turned to go, making it only a few steps before Will’s voice called out, “Are you going to be home later?”

I spun, staring at him incredulously.

“Um…”

“For the carbon monoxide detector,” he was quick to supply. “You really shouldn’t be living in a house without one.”

Ava snorted in the background, and I suddenly felt humiliated that he thought me so helpless that I wasn’t capable of doing it myself.

“I already told you, I’ll handle it.”

“Will you?” he asked sarcastically. “When?”

“When I get to it.”

“I’ll be by later.”

“Fine. Now! I’ll go now. Gosh.” I huffed. “You’re kind of bossy.”

“Do you know where the hardware store is?”

“No, but—”

“I’ll take her.”

I felt my jaw drop at Ava’s offer, shocked she’d willingly help with anything after her less than enthusiastic greeting.

And apparently, it shocked Will as well.

“You’re going to take her to the hardware store?”