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So, to protect myself, I get snotty. “You gossiping about me? Looking for info to try and get rid of me?”
He sighs, and this time I feel his breath on my neck like he’s looking down at me. “No. She was warning me to be nice to you. This is me being nice to you.”
I glance back, and yes, he’s standing right behind me. Again, I get the crazy urge to lean back and snuggle into his arms. I bet he would be good at snuggling if he tried it.
“I can’t leave Meredith.”
“I’m sure she’ll be okay.”
I glance at my cat, and then a shiver of unease washes over me. “I don’t leave her alone that often.”
“We won’t be long. Just a milkshake, O’Bryan. She was a stray a few days ago. I’m sure she’ll be fine for an hour.”
Another look at Meredith. She’s snuggled on a blanket I left on the couch. “Fine. You’re buying.”
“Of course.”
I glance down. I’m in my favorite Camos and Cupcakes shirt and PJ bottoms. “I’ll change.”
I slip away from him and hurry upstairs. As soon as I can draw in a deep breath, my hormones level out. I know it has something to do with the fact I haven’t had sex in a really long time, and Jon packs a potent punch. Smart. Hot. Smells good. All of those things are great. And his eyes…they are starting to get to me.
I draw in a deep breath. I just need to remember he’s trying to kick me out of my house. If I can remember that, I might be able to keep from doing something embarrassing.
ChapterSeventeen
Jon
Ithink that I may have lost my mind. That is the only explanation for why I am sitting in the Mystic Diner drinking shakes with a woman I need out of my house.
“You look constipated.”
Yeah, she’s been busting my balls the entire time.
“There’s a lot of people here.”
“It’s the diner. At lunchtime.”
I look around, irritated with all the chatter and noise from the regular operation of the diner. It gets under my skin, and I can’t do anything to eliminate the unease.
“Hey, Howard, pay attention. I was talking about me.”
I blink and look at Avery. She’s the entire reason I’m here. I want her out of my house, but after my talk with Estella, I realized something about Avery’s behavior. Some of it is due to the death of her grandmother.
I’ve never been hit like that. I was only two when my grandfather died, and according to everyone I talked to, he was just like my father. I doubt I would have mourned his death. Avery’s grandmother was like a second mother, from what Estella said. And that little catch in her voice and the sad look in her eyes made me do something irrational. I invited her for milkshakes—which I don’t particularly like.
There was also that irrational urge to kiss her. Just pull her into my arms, tell her everything would be alright. Then, I wanted to kiss the hell out of her.
Even now, I can still remember the heat of her body, the sugary sweet smell of her, and the way she looked into my eyes. Any guy would fall for that, right? She’s gorgeous in that quirky way, like that actress onNew Girl, and she’s intelligent. I know for many people, that’s just a regular compliment. But for me, a man who has always prided himself as one of the smartest—if not the smartest—person in the room, it’s a high compliment.
It also makes her a very savvy adversary.
“Here you go,” our waitress says. She’s a woman who looks somewhat familiar, but I can’t place her. I think she’s a couple years older than I am, but I didn’t attend school here for long. Once we moved away, I spent most of my time with my grandmother at her house. I hated coming into town.
Avery talked me into lunch also. The woman is crafty, especially since I planned on having a milkshake and getting out of here. Also, I’m apparently paying for lunch. She said we needed food in our stomachs before our shakes. When she spouts insane rules, it confuses me. She’s usually throwing out nonsense, so it confuses me when she says something that seems legit.
I got a salad, and Avery ordered a patty melt with tots. Seriously, I have no idea where she puts all the food she eats. Don’t get me wrong. I love greasy food, but I also have a father who has had a bypass and two grandfathers who died of heart disease. Avery apparently pays no attention to the idea of eating healthy. I don’t think seven-year-olds eat as much sugary cereal as she does. Still, she must have a fantastic metabolism.
Avery digs into her lunch just as she does life. Pure wild abandon.
