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“Something like that. I should add that by high school, my motivation did pick up. I actually became fairly studious.” He took a sip of his coffee, waiting for her to fill the silence. When she didn’t, he filled it himself. Why not? “I moved around a lot, growing up. Attended four different elementary schools and three different middle schools. Seemed like by the time I got things figured out at one place, it was time to move on again.”
“Seven different schools? Was your dad in the military?”
He chuckled. The idea of his dad being anything that noble was literally a laughing matter. “Definitely not. Holding down a job of any kind wasn’t high on his list of objectives. He wasn’t a very honorable person.”
“I’m sorry. That sounds like a difficult way to grow up.” She tilted her head as she studied him. “I wonder... how did the apple fall so far from the tree?”
“The apple rolled as far from that tree as it could get.”
“You spoke of him in past tense...”
“Shortly after I graduated high school, his lifestyle finally caught up to him and he was sent to prison. He died there five years ago.” Wes had visited him monthly. He hadn’t been much of a man or a father, but he’d never left Wes. That counted for something, he supposed.
“I’m sorry. Do you have any other family?”
“I had a great-aunt—Cordelia—my dad’s aunt. She was like a mom to me. We ended up crashing with her when we were between places, which was often. She used to beg Dad to let me stay with her. I would’ve loved that.” He’d always planned to move in with her when he turned eighteen, but she’d passed away before that. Until Landon’s death, that had been his greatest loss. He’d cried until his dad grew frustrated and gave him chores to keep him busy.
“That’s good you had someone like her in your life. I’m thankful for my stepmom, Lisa. She really filled the gap in my life.”
“You’re lucky to have family close by.” He regarded her as he took a sip of coffee. She looked adorable, sitting pretzel-style in the corner of the overstuffed sofa.
“And most of the time I appreciated it.” She pursed her lips. “So you wanted to talk flooring? I’ve been doing some research online.”
“Show me.”
She retrieved her laptop and settled beside him, then pulled up a website and showed him some of the flooring she liked. She wanted a wood-plank design, and he advised her on the pros and cons of different material types. She settled on planks of laminate flooring in gray tones.
Wes leaned back against the sofa. “If it’s raining tomorrow, I’ll head back to Asheville and pick up some flooring samples. What color paint were you thinking of for the walls? I’ll bring back some color swatches too.”
“I was thinking of using the same color I used in here—Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams.”
“I’ll pick up what we need.”
His gaze connected with hers, and he felt that pull tightening between them. It had been there from the start. But now that he was well and thinking clearly, he couldn’t deny the magnitude of his attraction. She was a beautiful woman, with her arresting green eyes and soft features. But it was more than that. For all her intelligence and independence, there was something inherently vulnerable about her. And it drew him like a magnet.
Why was that? She didn’t need someone to solve her problems or take care of her—she was perfectly capable. He just desired to know her in a deeper way. He was suddenly aware of her knee, pressed against his thigh. Her elbow, touching his arm.
“So... ,” she said softly, breaking the silence but not the eye contact. “After all that moving around you must have a strong urge to settle down. Why Albany?”
He blinked at the topic that had been far—too far—from his thoughts. He cleared his throat, a prick of guilt poking his insides. “I have a friend there. And yes, I’m definitely longing to get a steady job and put down some roots.”
“Albany’s a nice-size city. You should have decent job opportunities there.”
“That’s the hope.” He needed to get out of here—but he wanted to stay. The contradictory options played tug-of-war in his head.
Avery snapped her laptop closed and bounced to her feet. “You want to play cards? I’m a master of rummy, but I’m also passable at poker, euchre, and hearts.”
He couldn’t resist her hopeful expression. And let’s face it, he didn’t even want to. “Poker, huh? What are the stakes?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Something cheap.”
“Dinner? Loser cooks.”
“Are you any good?”
He followed her to the dining room. “At cooking or poker?”
“Both.”
