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“Can I help you?” Avery asked glancing at her.
“Margret said she’d have the check ready when I got back, for Dreamy Sweets Catering. My partner Colleen asked me to stop by for everything.”
“You’re business partners in the catering company?” Avery asked finding it strange that Colleen would partner up with a woman.
“She owns the business, but she’s my partner.” Meredith didn’t clarify the partner she was referring to was about the house they shared, the house that they rented the detached garage apartment to someone else to together.
Avery didn’t know what to take from that so he simply moved over to the desk and found the envelope that contained the payment. “If possible would you have Colleen let me know the coffee blend used? I’d like to see about getting it for the office.”
“Ican get you that information. Leen’s too busy baking to handle returning calls regarding the requests we get. I’ll ask her which blends she brought tonight when she gets home. Please feel free to refer us to your friends and business acquaintances. I’m sure you feel as I do that there’s no one quite like Leen.”
“I would be glad to refer her to others, and to see about the possibility of setting up recurring caterings for our board meetings withColleen.” Avery didn’t like her familiarity or casualness with his wife—ex-wife he corrected himself.
“I’m sure we both know why thatwon’tbe happening, Mr. Montgomery.” Meredith blatantly checked the amount, likely to ensure he didn’t try to jip them any.
“And why’s that Miss…” Avery crossed his arms over his chest waiting for the answer.
“Meredith Thomas,” she said giving him a scathing look. “Leen wants nothing to do with you and you know precisely why. Stay away from her, stay away from her business, and stay away from us.I’vetaken care of her for the last four years. She doesn’t need you stirring up anything. I will not sit around and watch someone hurt her. Keep the rest of your family away from her also. My god, do none of you have any shame? Why your mother would refer you to use Leen for today is beyond me, but I will not let any of you hurt her more knowing that you all were purposely inflicting it. Don’t come near her again, is that clear?”
Avery had no idea what to say or think but he saw the flash of a fiercely protective lover come out as she said it and stood rooted to the floor. Even after Meredith turned and walked out he still couldn’t move. It wasn’t possible that Colleen, his sensual and innocent wife, had turned to a woman. The idea of her willingly living a childless existence with a woman brought up a rage inside him that demanded release. He went into his office, gathering his things to go confront his mother while the rage burned.
It hadn’t cooled, only increased since leaving work and he slammed the door shut behind him startling his mother and sister Addison with the noise.
“Avery, what are you doing here?” Julia asked giving him a wary smile.
“What are you playing at Mother?” he demanded stopping his father from interrupting as he came in hearing the commotion. “Why would you suggest I use Dreamy Sweets Catering?Why?”
“Dreamy Swee…Mom are you crazy?” Addison asked.
“What is the big deal with Dreamy Sweets Catering?” Gabriel Montgomery asked looking between the three in the room.
“What’s the big deal with it? It just so happens to be owned by my ex-wife whom MomknowsI didn’t want to see again!” Avery shouted but it didn’t diminish his rage any.
“Ex…Colleen is here in New York?” Gabriel asked and Julia nodded. “Avery I’m sure seeing her wasn’t pleasant, not after she left you…”
“She didn’t leave Avery,” Julia said stopping him. “Heleft her.Hehurt her by meeting someone else, didn’t you Avery? The least you can do after four years is tell the truth, isn’t it?”
“You honestly left Colleen?” Addison asked him seeing the truth in their mother’s eyes. “Why?”
“That’s my business not yours.” He tightened his hands to try and release part of his pent-up anger through his screaming muscles.
“If you left her, why has seeing her affected you so much Avery?” Gabriel asked.
“Because Mom knows I didn’t want to see her again and she purposely put us into the same space, so tell me, why you did it? You not only knew I didn’t want to know anything about her but what about Colleen? Did you think she wouldn’t be hurt to see me? She figured out you referred her to us, which means she thinks you purposely tried to hurt her, so why?”
“Colleen knows I would never try to hurt her. She’s the one who told us thatyouleft her; little did we know that fact when we first saw her. She also told us that she refused your settlement. So yes, I referred your assistant to her company. The least you can do is ensure she can support herself after breaking her heart for a woman and a relationship that didn’t work out!”
“Except to Colleen she thinks you purposely shoved me in her face, why I don’t know.”
“She said that to you?” Julia asked.
“No, her…partnerdid.” He spit the word out and it was just as distasteful as it’d been to think it.
“She has a business partner?” Julia was entirely surprised and her heart ached that Colleen would think her that cruel. “I looked into the company and Colleen is listed as sole owner, granted it’s under Colleen Smith which makes me wonder if she’s remarried…”
“She’s not,” Avery answered furious that she’d change it. She was still his, no one—man or woman—could change that in his mind.
“You asked her?” Addison questioned in surprise. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset Avery. You left her. She’s the one who has the right to be upset.”
