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“Right. Yes, Cooper said we could use his truck but...” Something flickered in her eyes. “I can’t go with you to Asheville. I’m on call.”
“I was hoping to start installing the windows in the morning.”
“You may as well go by yourself; I’m always on call.”
A forty-five-minute drive didn’t seem very far, but maybe something else was behind her refusal. Maybe she didn’t feel comfortable being alone with him. He was a virtual stranger after all. “Don’t you want to pick out the window and shingles? Asheville seems to be the closest town that carries what we’ll need.”
“No, you’re right, it is. But you can pick out everything.”
“Is your brother okay with me driving his truck? I can charge the supplies to my credit card and give you the receipt.”
“Cooper’s fine with that. And yes, I’ll reimburse you as we go. And as far as the product, just try and match it to the house as much as possible.”
“White double-hung windows and a three-dimensional roof shingle. What about quality?”
“I’ll trust that to your expertise. I don’t want cheap but I don’t need extravagant either.”
“Got it. I can text you pictures if I’m unsure.”
“Sounds good.” She shifted on her feet and her gaze dipped to the floor before returning to his face. “I should get back to the clinic. I’ll take you over to get Cooper’s truck.” She checked her watch. “Say, five thirty?”
“All right.”
With one last smile Avery exited the apartment and Wes jotted a couple more notes on his phone. He pushed aside the disappointment that she wouldn’t be joining him tonight. He was only lonely from the solitude of the trail. He’d call Lillian on his way to Asheville and check in.
***
The baby’s wails filled the exam room as Avery exited. Katie had just given the sweet infant her first vaccination, and the poor thing was furious.
It was barely ten in the morning, but the waiting room was half filled with patients. However, the other exam rooms were empty. She went to the front desk, but Patti was nowhere to be found—and neither, come to think of it, was Sharise. Avery headed down the hall and found the two women in the office, peeking through the French doors into the backyard.
Avery cleared her throat and the women whipped around, the remnants of their laughter hanging in the air and lingering on their flushed faces.
Now that they’d shifted, Avery had a clear view of Wes lifting a window into an opening in the carriage house. His white T-shirt clung to the broad expanse of his shoulders, and his sun-bronzed skin stretched taut over the rippling muscles of his arms as they shifted under the weight of the window.
Avery regarded the women. “This isn’t a peep show, ladies.”
Patti glanced longingly out the window. “But did you see—?”
“That there are five patients in the lobby and none in the exam rooms?”
“Right, Boss.” Sharise headed toward the door. “On it.”
Patti followed in her wake. “But did you see—?”
“Back to work, Patti.” Avery’s lips twitched as she watched the women leave.
Avery took a water bottle from the mini fridge and chugged it down, making a point of not peering out the window.Notseeing what had captured the women’s attention. But the mental picture was already stuck in her brain, and she couldn’t seem to eradicate it.
***
Wes dashed through the pummeling rain and headed up the outdoor staircase to Avery’s apartment. Daylight had faded but the weather had sidelined him hours ago. Even though the fatigue made him feel as if he were moving through molasses, he busted his butt to get the windows in before the rainstorm arrived.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he ran a hand through his damp hair and knocked.
A moment later Avery appeared in the doorway, wearing a loose, pale-green T-shirt that draped on one side, revealing anivory shoulder. As usual her hair was swept back into a ponytail. “You got rained out today, huh?”
“I got all the windows in before it started. But yeah, the roof’ll have to wait till tomorrow.”
