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Yes, I’m still stuck in pity-party mode. Is it ironic that I’m more torn up about Avery than I was about Aaron, the guy I gave three years of my life to? Ironic or pathetic; one of the two.
Deciding against calling in sick, I begrudgingly roll out of bed and stalk off to the bathroom, stepping into a warm shower. Part of me thinks it would be more fitting to just go stand on my balcony and let the rain do the job.
While I’m toweling off, my phone vibrates on the bathroom counter.
Avery: Morning. Can I give you a ride to work? It’s raining pretty hard out there and I know you normally walk.
I honestly don’t think he’s ever sent me a normal text message without some sort of hidden—or in plain sight—innuendo. This is a first. It’s a sweet gesture, but I can’t. I should also get rid of those stupid emojis from his name, but I can’t bring myself to do that, either. I click my screen off and get ready for work.
Forty minutes later, I’m sliding into an Uber out front after successfully avoiding any happenstance run-ins with a certain someone, like a stealthy little ninja. I close my umbrella and say good morning to my driver, looking up just in time to catch Avery watching me from under the condo awning after he steps outside. There isn’t a single trace of a smile on his face. He knows I’m ignoring him. Avery climbs into the back of his car after one last glance at my fading ride.
I’m a little bit late today and am relieved to see that Charlee’s already gone off to visit some vendors this morning, so I’m safe from questions for the next few hours. That means I have the morning to work uninterrupted on Andre’s contract, so I do, and an hour-and-a-half later, I take it to Dex.
He looks up from his desk when I knock on his door, his bright smile lighting up his face. “Wasn’t sure you’d be in today. How you feeling?”
I lift a shoulder. “A little tired and a lot hungover.” It’s the opposite, actually, because I didn’t drink that much, and I had a terribly unrewarding sleep. I’d prefer not to disclose that I flopped around restlessly thinking about a certain man and his dog. “It was a great party, Dex. You must be thrilled with the turnout.”
The publicity the brewery received last night was incredible, and we’ve been tagged in over five hundred pictures on social media so far. People are excited about our new ventures, and that’s always promising.
“You and Charlee know how to plan a great party,” Dex says.
I grin, lifting one brow. “You know as well as I do that it was all Charlee. I’m just here to reel her in when she gets out of control.”
“Which she always does, so you have your work cut out for you.” He winks. “You deserve a raise. Remind me to talk to the owner for you.”
Laughing, I take a seat across from him, placing the contract down on his desk. “This is fantastic. I can’t believe it.”
Dex takes the papers, flipping through them. “Avery always has the best connections. Don’t know how he does it.”
I clear my throat, crossing one leg over the other. That man can talk himself into and out of anything, so I assume that’s where his connections come from, among other things.
Dex’s gaze lifts, studying me curiously above the papers. He sighs, setting the contract down. “Look, Claire—”
I hold up a hand, cutting him off. “Let’s not go down that road.”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “I’m older and bigger than you. If I want to go down that road, we will.” He chuckles at the way I huff and roll my eyes toward the ceiling. “Avery didn’t mean to hurt you last night.”
“He didn’t hurt me,” I lie.
“Right,” he says slowly. “So you saw him kissing another woman and took off five minutes later with him hot on your tail because…?”
“He can kiss whomever he likes. We aren’t dating.”
“But he makes you happy,” he murmurs. “I can tell. And you make him happy, too.”
“Yeah, well, once upon a time Aaron and I were happy, too.” I don’t really mean to say it out loud. I don’t want to go here, to have this conversation. Not today, and not with Dex. It’s not as if he doesn’t know how badly Aaron wrecked me. He was the one that held me when it all went down, after all.
“Avery’s not Aaron,” Dex replies quietly. “I had my reservations about his interest in you, but I’ve known him a long time. I can tell it’s different with you.”
“Did he say that?” I’m being saucy, and the way my leg bounces, slung on top of my other one, my arms pinned over my chest, says as much.
“Well, no, but—”
“Exactly.” I stand, straightening my skirt. “Avery’s never been about settling down, and I’m not about to believe that I’m the person who has made him want to change that when I couldn’t even get my long-term boyfriend to settle down.” I catch the flicker of Dex’s eyes before I turn toward the door. “I’m gonna get back to work. Just wanted to drop off the contract.”
I make it all of five steps before his fingers wrap around my arm, stopping me.
“I didn’t mean to make you upset, Claire. I would just hate to see you let Aaron ruin any future relationships.”
