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“Hey, Josh.”
“Howard,” he says with a smile. “How’s the head?”
“Eh. Not too bad. Isn’t it kind of early for you?”
“I just got off work. I have the night shift this week.”
“Right.”
“Did you and Avery figure things out?”
“Yeah. Have you had any problems with her before now?”
“Well, not really. She’s well-liked by most of Juniper, although she just officially moved here when she moved into your grandmother’s rental.
“That’smyhouse,” I say with too much gusto.
“Uh, okay.Anyway, she stayed with her sister for a bit after moving to town.”
“Her sister?”
“Liv works for your cousin and Travis. She’s a single mother, so I figured she was helping her out with the kids.”
“Avery? In charge of kids?”
Josh’s mouth curved. “If you were a kid, can you think of anyone you’d want to hang with? I mean, kids probably get away with all kinds of shit.”
A strange quiver hits my stomach at Josh’s smile. He has always been known to date just about any woman in town or those visiting, or he did at one point. He has a good reputation with them, and I know the LOLs think he’s the bee’s knees. That was Mrs. Vincent’s term, not mine, and she used it on the JSE. But I don’t understand why I would be bothered by Josh’s interest in Avery.
“You okay, Howard?”
I blow out a breath. “Yeah. Not enough sleep.”
“Ah. I can understand that. Well, I’m going to throw together my dinner, then go to bed.”
“Dinner?”
“It’s the end of the night for me. I do better with eating meals like I normally would, so dinner at the end of the day. Let me know if there is anything you need.”
“Thanks,” I say, watching him saunter down the aisle, stopping to talk to another LOL. Jesus, they’re coming out of the woodwork. I decide to get everything I need as fast as I can to avoid them at all costs.
By the time I arrive at my house, it’s after eight. I grab my suitcase out of the backseat, along with a bag of groceries, then hurry up to the door. Why hurry? I’ve already had too many interactions with people this morning. I want to avoid dealing with them anymore—especially with any LOLs.
With the altercation the other night, we’re now the subject of gossip. After discovering it had been reported on the JSE, I checked the postings. The truth is I tend to ignore the JSE. I could care less about what is going on. But after reading over the posts, I feel a little out of sorts. There are all kinds of ideas about what happened. One insane theory was that Avery, Josh, and I were involved in a love triangle, and it came to blows the other night. I mean, why would anyone think Avery would be interested in Josh? I know from the comments the LOLs believe he would be perfect for her, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
I take the last step up onto the porch and pause. What the hell is going on in my mind? Why am I so aggravated by the fact that Avery might be interested in Josh? I like him. He was one of the few jocks who didn’t give me a hard time. And from what I understand, he’s a great sheriff. Still, the idea that he and Avery could be dating has my stomach churning. I shove that feeling aside and move to get in the house. I am standing out here exposed to any and all LOL entanglements.
I step into the house and shut the door. I expect it to be loud because that’s Avery. She’s loud and out of control, and everything I don’t like. But it’s silent. In fact, if I hadn’t seen her car in the driveway, I would have thought she wasn’t there.
“Meow.”
I stop in my tracks and look at the cat on the stairs. She’s definitely seen better days, with her ear partially missing.
What was that cat’s name? Why is it important? It’s not. I don’t care about some random feline my unwanted housemate owns.
“Meow.”
I’m just standing here looking at her, feeling judged. It’s stupid, I know, but I’m frozen in place. I shake my head to clear it and head to the kitchen, leaving my suitcase by the front door.
