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“Hey, half of them are for Lola,” the guy said, bringing the plate over to the table, setting it in front of an adorable baby with strawberry-blond hair pulled into two tiny pigtails. He sat down next to a striking young woman with long red hair who was smiling at her.
“And I’m Avery, Conner’s fiancé,” the redhead said before Kim could get there. “And this little girl is Lola.”
“She’s adorable,” Waverley said as Lola grabbed a strawberry and took a bite, her large green eyes wide with curiosity as she stared. “How old is she?”
“Twenty-one months,” Avery said.
“That’s nearly two in regular human talk,” Reynolds said, whispering loudly.
Avery didn’t mind, as she laughed. “Yes, sorry. I’m used to every milestone being measured by how many months she is, according to all the books.”
“Poppy’s the only one who isn’t here,” Kim said. “But she mentioned she already stopped in to say hello.” A round of cheering cut through the room again. Kim smiled. “I’m sorry. We’re not usually so rude when we have guests over, but it’s opening weekend for the Rockies, and ever since Poppy started dating their newest pitcher, we’ve all become big fans.”
Poppy was dating a Major League Baseball player? Wow. That was kind of cool.
“You two must be hungry. Since it’s game day,” Kim continued, “we’re keeping things casual. So fix yourself a plate and join us at the table or in front of the TV if you prefer.”
Following Reynolds’s lead, Waverley went to the long island, where a feast of chicken wings, grilled burgers and hot dogs and all the fixings, along with three different salads and chips was spread out. Her stomach growled at the enticing food, and she realized that other than downing a mimosa and a bite or two of a melon at the brunch, she hadn’t really eaten.
Still, she felt a little shy eating in front of strangers. A glance at Reynolds’s plate showed he felt no similar compunction as he piled on wings, macaroni salad, both a hot dog and a hamburger, and a handful of potato chips.
Where did he put it all?
Her gaze went to his arms where he’d unbuttoned his white shirt and rolled the sleeves up, giving her a glimpse of strong forearms that led up to beefy biceps. Immediately she remembered what it had felt like to have that arm wrapped around her earlier today and how she’d nearly yelped in surprise at the intimacy that he’d made seem so casual and normal, like he put his arm around her all the time.
Standing there without showing her surprise had taken remarkable effort as she luxuriated in the strength his arm provided and the almost possessiveness as if to tell everyone she belonged to him.
Just the thought of having that arm around her now had her face and body flushing hot all over again.
Not the time, Waverley.
Not when you’re surrounded by his entire family, who you need to make a good impression on. She looked across the room to see if anyone had noticed her ogling her boss and froze when she saw Avery smiling knowingly at her.
Busted.
She smiled nervously back before busying herself with fixing her plate. She debated over the choice of the hot dog or hamburger but decided that a hamburger would offer her the most dignity in this room of strangers before adding a spoonful of potato, macaroni, and the fresh fruit salad.
Reynolds was already at the long kitchen table that separated the kitchen from the family room, his mouth full of hamburger by the time she took a seat.
“Reynolds mentioned that you’re from Denver,” Avery said to her just as she took a delicate bite of her burger. “What brings you to Blue Haven?”
Waverley was glad she had a few seconds to think as she chewed and swallowed her food, enough time to be ready with an answer. “I recently went through a rough divorce and decided it was time for a change in scenery.”
An answer that was simple and, when she thought about it, absolutely true. No need to mention the whole escaping the media attention because said ex-husband was a notorious criminal fleeing prosecution with all their money.
“You know, you look really familiar,” Conner said as he studied her face. “Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so,” she said quickly. “But people think that all the time. I guess I just have one of those faces.”
Conner’s forehead was still furrowed. “Did you go to UC Boulder?”
“Northwestern, actually.”
That caught Avery’s attention immediately. “Wait. Really? I went to school at Northwestern,” she said as the baby started to fuss and repeated, “Down.” Grabbing a washcloth that was next to her, Avery wiped the little girl’s hands.
“Small world,” Waverley said. “How did you come to move here to Blue Haven then?”
Avery paused as she finished with Lola’s hands. “My sister and her husband died in a car accident last year, and I came here to assume guardianship of this little one.” She leaned down to kiss the top of the baby’s head.
