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“Oh, you poor thing. What did you do?”
He lifted his shoulders. “Dropped the takeout on her desk and walked out.”
“You left the food? I would’ve... I don’t know what I would’ve done, but I wouldn’t have left the food!”
“I guess I was in shock. The real anger didn’t hit till later—all those ‘late nights’ at work—and then I wished I’d slugged the guy. But really... she was the one in the relationship. She was the one who’d cheated on me.”
“What did she have to say for herself? Not that there was any excuse.”
“She showed up at my door that night—swore it would never happen again. That she’d been attracted to the guy, but it hadn’t meant anything. She didn’t want to end things between us. But how could I trust her after that? I basically told her tohave a nice life and closed the door. In the coming days she tried to get me to meet with her but . . . I didn’t see the point. There was no future for us.”
“I’ve never had anyone cheat on me. It must be hard to move on after a betrayal like that. How do you trust someone again? How do you let down your guard long enough to fall in love?”
“I was definitely jaded for a while. And yes, afraid to trust anyone else, or even myself—I really had been clueless. I just wanted to get away. My dad had died recently, so I started searching for a job outside of Indy. A few weeks later I came across information about ESI and their humanitarian work in Colombia. I’d always wanted to travel abroad, so I decided to go for it. I don’t regret it. Building homes for refugees was rewarding work.”
“I guess you’d know all about how it feels to want a home.”
He smiled. “You’re very perceptive, Avery. Someday I’d like to do some volunteer work with them. Take a week or two from my life and just go build a home for someone. Unfortunately, I’m not at a place where I can work for free. I had some debt to pay off, but I’m almost done with that. I’m glad I went to Colombia. I learned a lot about myself. I made some really good friends, especially Landon.”
His face softened at the mention of his friend, and Avery’s heart broke for him. “What was he like? What was it that connected the two of you?”
“Good question.” His brows puckered in thought. “He had a rough upbringing like I did, so I think that was a point of connection. He had a sister though, and they were close. Landon had a strong sense of duty, was loyal to a fault. I’m making him sound like a bore but he wasn’t. He knew how to have a good time.”
Wes glanced out the window, then checked the time. “I didn’t realize how long we’ve been sitting here. I didn’t mean to take up your whole evening.”
“Not at all. Supper was delicious and it’s nice having someone to talk to.”
He stood, gathered his dinnerware, and headed to the kitchen.
She followed him with her own dishes and stopped a foot shy of him. “Just leave them in the sink. I’ll load them later.”
He started to argue.
“I insist.”
His features relaxed as he set his dishes in the sink. “All right, then.”
The time had flown, and she felt as if she knew Wes much better after their conversation. He was good company—and suddenly she didn’t want to see him go.
“Know what sounds good right now?” she blurted.
He’d turned midway between the kitchen and front door.
Avery paused. He’d only come to pay off a silly debt, and he’d been working hard all day. He was probably anticipating a nice, quiet evening alone. The risk of rejection made her heart thud heavily.
“Let me guess.” He gave a wry smile, his blue eyes twinkling. “Brownies.”
Her pulse settled into a normal rhythm at his positive response. Maybe he wasn’t eager to be rid of her after all. Maybe he enjoyed her company too.
She gave him a playful look. “And here you claimed not to know a thing about women.”
Chapter15
Wes couldn’t believe his luck. He’d been having such a good time with Avery that he’d been dreading his return to the quiet little cottage. Oh, it was comfortable enough, but after months on the trail, he was lonely for company.
That’s what he told himself anyway. That the conversation between Avery and him flowed so naturally didn’t factor in. Nor did the fact that she was so beautiful under the golden glow of the chandelier. Stimulating conversation aside, it was a treat just to look at her.
“Can you grab two eggs from the fridge?” Avery asked.
