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“Okay, well, my first real relationship was shortly after high school. Allison and I were together for a tumultuous year and a half. It was a real roller coaster.”
“What made it tumultuous?”
He shook his head. “I still couldn’t tell you. But the ups were way up, and the downs were way down. What I did learn from that relationship was that I still had a lot to learn about relationships.”
“A valuable takeaway.”
“I don’t know. I guess, having no mother or sisters in my life, I was probably at a disadvantage from the get-go.”
“What about your great-aunt? Wasn’t she a good role model?”
“She was. She was nurturing and intelligent—she’s the one who got me hooked on books. She was a self-made woman, worked her way up at the newspaper and was managing editor when she retired. Never married. A very stable woman—and I needed all the stability I could get.”
“She sounds amazing.” No wonder this man appreciated a strong woman. Avery filed that information away, then gave him a slow smile. “Okay, back to your ex. It was just getting good.”
His lips twitched. “You’re really enjoying the misery of my youth.”
“Relationships are fascinating, don’t you think?”
He let out a dry laugh. “Mainly I’ve found them confusing. But looking back, I think Allison and I were just too different.”
“Opposites do attract.”
“That’s true—and she was definitely my polar opposite. Outgoing, excitable, a little flighty. During the time we were together, she was, at turns, a barista, a flower-delivery person, and a server at a local café. But nothing I did seemed to makeher happy. I always bought the wrong gift, took her to the wrong restaurant, said the wrong thing. I was forever disappointing her.”
“Sounds as if she was hard to please.”
“She was young—we both were. I’m sure by now she’s probably found some guy who knows, better than I ever did, how to make her happy.”
Avery sipped from her glass, thinking his assessment of Allison was very generous. “Tell me about the other one. What was her name?”
He stared down at his empty plate, his brow furrowing. “Kendra came along after I moved to Indianapolis, so I was older—and presumably wiser. I met her through a mutual friend, and we clicked right away.”
“What was she like?”
“Steady and driven and hardworking. She was a paralegal for a big firm downtown, but she had aspirations of becoming an attorney. She’d already passed the LSAT and was applying to law schools.”
“Sounds as if she was Allison’s opposite.”
He smirked. “Never let it be said I’m a slow learner.”
“How long were you together?”
“Two and a half years.” He took a drink and his eyes glazed over, indicating he was somewhere in the past.
He seemed to think he didn’t know much about women, but from her perspective, he knew plenty. He treated Avery with respect, and it didn’t escape her that in telling her his dating history, he hadn’t once mentioned his exes’ physical appearance. It revealed what he valued most.
“Were you in love with Kendra?”
“Oh, I definitely was. After Allison I was afraid I was destined to drive women over the edge, so I avoided anything serious for years. But when I started going out with Kendra, I was relieved to discover I could maintain an even-keeled relationship.”
Allison sounded like a piece of work, but it was nice that he didn’t fault her for the demise of their relationship. “What went wrong with Kendra?”
“What went wrong... ,” he mused aloud. “Well, one day she had to work late, which was pretty typical. I decided to stop by with her favorite takeout—and found her engaged in the lip-lock of the century with one of the firm’s lawyers.”
Avery winced. “Oh no. That’s terrible.”
“There may have been a few undone buttons as well. I honestly had no clue. Her expression when she saw me would’ve been comical if I hadn’t been so devastated.”
