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She doesn’t sound sorry. I wait for my grandmother to destroy her.
“That’s fine. You told me you might get a cat or two.”
Or two? What the actual fuck?
I step into what my grandmother calls the grand drawing room. I take in the scene. Nancy and Travis are cuddling on the couch, making me sick. Okay, not sick. I’m happy my cousin, the only cousin I can stand, found her true love. Or rather, Travis got his shit together and realized she was his soulmate. They work together every day on their home improvement show, so it’s insane it took him that long.
My grandmother is sitting on her padded throne, something antique that is probably worth more than my car.
Then, there’s my nemesis, sitting to my grandmother’s right. I will say one thing for Avery O’Bryan. She cleans up good, as my mother would say.
Her dark hair is a riot of curls, out of control like the woman herself. She definitely didn’t get dressed up for dinner. I would have never shown up to dinner with my grandmother in jeans and a Nerdvana shirt. And…no shoes. Her socks don’t even match. One is pink with purple cats on them. The other is yellow with white polka dots. I inwardly twitch.
“Jon,” my grandmother says, drawing my attention away from Avery.
“Grandmother,” I say, walking over to her to kiss her on her cheek.
My grandmother is a force of nature. She rules the family with a steel grip, but she’s tiny. In fact, she and Avery are about the same height.
“You were on the phone.”
I slant a look at Nancy, who tries to look innocent, but she fails.
“Yes. My friend Trev.”
Avery snorts as she strokes her cat. Yes, she brought her cat with her.
“Do you have something to add to the conversation, Avery?” my grandmother asks.
Ha. You do not talk under your breath or snort when Estella is around. She will cut you down.
I look at Avery, who is now smirking at me. She keeps stroking that cat like a Bond villain. And just like last night, it aggravates and arouses me simultaneously. This is not acceptable.
“No. Just thinking that Jon seems like the kind of guy who would have a friend named Trev.”
I stuff down my initial response, which would have beenWhat the actual fuck would you know about Trev,but I know better. My grandmother doesn’t like outbursts.
“Okay.”
Instead of getting irritated, her smirk turns into an outright grin. She knows I’m barely keeping it together. Before I can respond, Bessie comes in to announce dinner’s ready.
We make our way into the dining room, like cast members of Downton Abbey. I take my grandmother by the arm and lead the way. Nancy and Travis follow us, and Avery…well, she brings up the rear with her cat, who is on a leash.
I kid you not.
The table is set for five, and I realize I will be sitting by Avery. I lead my grandmother to her chair at the head of the table. Nancy and Travis go to the right, sitting beside each other. Avery, for her part, is standing behind the chair to my grandmother’s left.
“Do you want to sit next to your grandma?”
I blink because I didn’t expect her to ask. I nod, and she smiles, pulling out the chair furthest to the left.
“Sit down, Howard. I’m so hungry I would eat an armadillo,” Travis says.
I glance at my grandmother, waiting for her to tell Travis to watch how he speaks. Nothing, she just smiles.
I take my seat and realize I have entered the Bizzaro version of Juniper Springs, and it might be harder to get rid of Avery than I thought.
ChapterSeven
