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“Yes, I would love to have dinner with you,” I tell him, trying to sound as soft as I can, given the knot forming in my throat. “Is everything okay?”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” he says. “What time will you be done with the Freemans’ place?”
“Eight-ish.”
“Alright, I’ll text you the address to the restaurant, okay?”
“Okay.” So much for going home to the girls and getting to bed early.
I finish around seven and in an honorable fashion. The third bedroom and the hallways are done, with the second coats left to dry overnight. To my relief, I find a couple of blouses, clean jeans, and boots in the trunk of my car. The universe is smiling down upon me, so I take advantage of the Freemans’ place being empty and use their shower for a quick refresh.
Once I’m showered, I dress in jeans and a turquoise blue top matched with a pair of simple black boots. I bring my bag back to the car and give myself a minute to mentally prepare for the date night ahead. I’m nervous. It’s dark outside, and snow covers every single inch of the street. The townhouses are capped white on their slated rooftops, and the hedges look as though they’re adorned with powdered sugar under the warm glow of the streetlamps.
It’s nice and quiet. It’s the kind of town I’d like to settle in, if only I could have some peace of mind. As long as Daniel is still a free man, I can’t even dream about finding a home anywhere in the world where I wouldn’t be looking over my shoulder all the damn time. I take a deep breath, the cold winter air filling my lungs and clearing my mind for a few seconds.
A car rolls by. It’s an old sedan, but it’s the man in the driver’s seat that has my attention. I can only see the profile, but my mind is already ablaze and my blood rushes downward. He looks strangely familiar. Blonde-bleached hair, glasses, the nose. But the clothes don’t make sense. The plaid shirt, the unkempt stubble. No, it can’t be him. It’s not him. It’s not his car, either.
“Sally, get back here!” a woman calls out.
I turn my head to see a young mother running after her toddler down the sidewalk. The little one is wrapped in winter clothes, the thick kind of jacket filled with goose-down, making Sally look like a small, plush ball as she tries to run through the snow. She coos and giggles then slips, inadvertently falling face first into the white, icy blanket. Her cheeks are red, and she’s laughing hysterically by the time her mother reaches her. Thankfully, she appears to be unharmed from the fall.
I’m tempted to smile, but then I see the sedan rolling farther ahead.
It couldn’t have been Daniel. No, it wasn’t him. It’s my mind playing tricks again, just like it did back at the pub. I see him everywhere because I’m terrified of him. If only the authorities could find him and rid me of this constant uneasiness. Shaking the thoughts away, I get behind the wheel and brace myself for the evening ahead.
13
Avery
Chez Robert is a lovely French-American diner close to the North Platte City Hall building. It’s wedged between a coffee shop and a fashion boutique, but it stands out with its swirling letters hung above the striped awnings. I imagine they have cute, cafe-style tables and chairs ready in the summer for people to enjoy their food and drinks on the sidewalk, just like they would in Paris. It’s not that crowded at this hour surprisingly, then again, Christmas is just around the corner, and most folks are trying to get as much work done as they can before the holidays.
I enter the restaurant and scan the place, quickly spotting Kellan, Fallon, and Luke.
The three of them look so handsome, it’s got my engines roaring in all the wrong ways. Clad in smart, dark-colored shirts and finely tailored black pants, they seem brilliantly prepared for me in ways I wasn’t expecting. All I can do is smile softly and walk over to their table, my heart wedged in my throat and thumping like a furious drum.
“Hey, guys,” I manage upon reaching them and sitting down.
Luke gives me a wink. He doesn’t seem angry or upset. If anything, he leans into the back of his chair, seeming downright relaxed and at ease. It does make me feel better, but it doesn’t do anything to wash away the guilt I’ve been dealing with over the past couple of days. Fallon’s eyes never leave me, his expression dark and firm. I’m hoping desperately to get through this dinner.
The waiter brings menus over, and I try to focus on the laminated pages to the best of my abilities, but the way Kellan keeps smiling at me has my temperature spiking. It’s getting harder for me to breathe, so I take a sip of water and exhale sharply. “So… what’s up?” I ask.
“Maybe it’s best if we address the elephant in the room, first,” Kellan chuckles. “Avery, you need to stop worrying about us, stop feeling guilty.”
“What do you mean?” I reply, though I think it’s obvious my cheeks are burning red with shame.
“We know about you and Luke,” he says. “And I just wanna say—”
“I am so sorry!” I blurt out, but he raises a hand to politely silence me.
“Hold on, let me finish,” he says. “Avery, it’s okay. It’s absolutely okay, and it’s actually a really good thing that you and Luke hit it off the way you did. I’m glad, and so is Fallon.”
I’m speechless. I stare at them with a mixture of confusion and disbelief while they exchange knowing glances and half-smiles. I feel like I’m on the outside looking in, unable to make a lick of sense of this whole thing.
“We’ve shared women before,” Kellan says while Fallon and Luke watch me closely. “Never a woman like you, but my brother and my best friend have always been a part of my life. Of every aspect of my life. We’re not like other guys, Avery. We’ve shared a deep bond since we were teenagers, and that bond only strengthened when we served together. The military and our experiences abroad have brought us closer and tighter. We each have our own lives and careers, but we also share a house, a lucrative business, and any woman who is bold enough to welcome the three of us.”
“Whoa,” I murmur, feeling my eyes widen with shock.
Luke smiles warmly. “We didn’t want to approach you this way from the beginning because we didn’t know what your limits were. On top of that, you’re coming out of a traumatic relationship and you’re still healing from the damage caused by that. We didn’t want to overwhelm you in any way, so we agreed to let everything happen naturally. You can’t deny the attraction that exists between us, can you, Avery?”
