Accidentally Hers (Sterling Canyon #1) (9 page)

She entered her house thinking her mood couldn’t slip any lower.

She’d been wrong.

“Hey, sis, look who dropped by.” Andy stepped aside to reveal Matt, who was sitting on her kitchen stool as if he’d never left.

Unfortunately Avery’s knees softened, but she managed to steady herself by gripping the back of a chair. Unbelievable! Matt was here, in her house, hanging out like he had one hundred times before, yet nothing was the same.

He hopped off the seat, approaching her with open arms. When she glowered, his arms fell to his sides, but he kept smiling. “Avery. You look great.”

Despite her irritation, she couldn’t deny how handsome he was, standing there all long legged, broad shouldered, with his mop of curly blond hair.

Avery dropped her purse on the floor beside the sofa and stared at Andy, who conveniently had become absorbed by cleaning the kitchen. She heaved a bitter sigh and glanced at Matt. “I’d have expected you to have a darker tan, or at least be that fake-tan orange color to match your girlfriend.”

Matt glanced at Andy for help. “Maybe I should go.”

“Yes, I recall you being quite good at that.” Avery waltzed into the kitchen with all the poise she could muster. Resentment simmered for allowing Matt to make her uncomfortable in her own home. “Actually, I’m shocked to see you, considering how eager you were to escape this ‘backwater’ town.”

“Avery,” Andy began, but Matt held up one hand
.

“No, it’s okay. I deserve it.” He looked at Avery. “I’m sorry for how I treated you last year. You deserved better. I had my head up my ass—uh, sorry—I acted like a jerk. I never meant to hurt you.”

“Actually, you did me a favor by showing me your true colors before we made any real commitments.” Avery smiled her sweetest smile. “In fact, I should thank you.”

Matt tipped his head sideways. “Andy, can I talk to your sister alone?”

Andy looked at Avery. “Sis?”

“What?
Now
you care how I feel about having him in our house?” At least Andy had the decency to look chagrined. “Oh, just stop. It’s done now. I can talk to Matt for five minutes. You don’t have to hide the knives.”

Andy kissed her cheek and shot Matt a warning glance before shuffling off to his bedroom.

“What’s so important you needed privacy?” she asked.

“Can we sit and talk like civilized people for a few minutes?” He nodded toward the couch and grinned his charming but futile grin. “Put down your weapons, Ave. I’ve already apologized.”

Avery inhaled slowly. She
had
put him behind her last year. She
didn’t
miss him. And she
didn’t
want him to misinterpret her annoyance for a pang of regret. Whatever was causing her insides to explode, it was most certainly not the familiar scent of his cologne or the rasp of his voice.

“Is this the part where I act sophisticated and ask you about your new life with Sasha?” Crud. Not exactly exuding indifference.

“This is the part where I tell you I’m fairly miserable in LA.” Matt shifted slightly closer, lowering his voice. “This is the part where you get to gloat because I’ve realized I walked away from a warm, intelligent woman for the worship of a spoiled, young nitwit. This is the part where I grovel for forgiveness.”

Matt searched her eyes as if seeking some response other than her stillness.

Truly, his confession should have her doing backflips. No spurned woman’s revenge fantasy topped the “I made a huge mistake when I left you” speech. Well, it would be a tad better if she had also already moved on with someone new. But, little details could be overlooked.

This was huge.

And yet, curiously, Avery felt only a minor flutter in her chest. Maybe she was really over him. Maybe she didn’t really care. Maybe she hadn’t merely been fooling herself all these months.

“I appreciate the admission, but it’s too little, too late.”

Matt didn’t look surprised by her lack of enthusiasm. “I hope not. In fact, I was hoping we could spend some time together.”

“Ha!” Avery laughed out loud. When he didn’t smile, her eyes widened. “You’re not joking, are you?”

“No. I want to rebuild my friendship with Andy, and with you.” He smiled. “Who knows what could happen?”

He looked sincere, but her ability to believe in him had long ago crumbled.

“Why would I ever trust you again, Matt?”

“I know it’ll take time, but let me earn it back. We could start as friends, like before.”

“‘Like before’ isn’t a good argument, considering how it ended.” She crossed her arms, raising one brow.

“You know, a big part of what happened had more to do with wanting to try a different kind of life in a bigger town than with choosing between her and you.” He leaned closer to Avery, reaching toward her but resting his hand on the cushion near her thigh. “Now I know the other pasture isn’t greener. It’s out of my system. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

“Me either.” She could recite the litany of things that, looking back, were wrong with their relationship, but what was the point? She simply wanted to end the discussion.

“You don’t believe me?” He held her gaze.

“It doesn’t matter why you left or what you’ve learned. If a house is destroyed, what difference does it make if it happened by fire or tornado? It’s still gone. So, no, I don’t think there’s any hope for us.”

“You hate me that much?” He actually looked hurt.

Avery thought about it, admitting to herself some nonsensical chamber in her heart would always belong to him, for better or worse. She couldn’t risk allowing him to make inroads to that hidden place. “
I don
’t hate you. I just don’t see any good reason to let you back into my life.”

Matt hung his head and blew out a breath. “You always told me never say never.”

His hopeful eyes begged for a crumb of mercy.

“Well, that’
s true.
” Avery stood, restraining her fingers from tousling his hair. She’d always loved his hair. “But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.”

“
You can
’t stop me from trying.”

“I promise, you’ll be wasting your time.” She sighed and shook her head.

Resentment served no one, especially not her. Life was too darn short to hold grudges, especially when she had picked herself up and moved on. By letting go of the hurt, she’d finally be freed from the past.

“I can accept you and Andy rekindling your friendship, because he needs all the support he can get. But don’t mistake my courtesy for more than that, okay? We didn’t work out before, and we wouldn’t work out now.”

She picked up her purse and stood to go.

“Andy says you’re working with Grey Lowell.”

“Is that a question?” She cocked her head.

Matt hesitated. “Is he the reason you won’t consider giving me another chance?”

“You know I can’t date patients.” Avery hoped the truth wasn’t too obvious.

“That’s not a real answer.”

“Well, it’s the best you’re going to get.” With that, she strode to her brother’s door, giving it a sharp knock before going into her own room, and closing her door gently behind her.

She belly flopped onto her bed and closed her eyes. In a few short months, her entire life had run off the rails. Her ex-almost-fiancé had returned to win her back, her brother faced bankruptcy and jail, and her heart couldn’t suppress its increasing infatuation with the most unsuitable man in town.

What else could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Eight

Grey tucked his finger inside the collar of his shirt. It had been forever since he’d worn a button-down shirt and slacks. Heck, he was surprised he even owned a pair. “I wish I hadn’t let you drag me out tonight.”

“If anyone needs a night out, it’s you—my treat. Besides, you should hobnob with the locals and other business owners.” Trip waved his hand toward the businesses lining the street. “According to folks I’ve gotten to know, Mamacitas is
the
place to go on Cinco de Mayo. It won’t kill you to try to schmooze a few of these guys.”

“Schmoozing’s your area of expertise.” Grey opened the door to the restaurant, letting the sound of dueling guitars playing flamenco spill onto the pavement. “Why can’t that be your job?”

“Because I’ll be too busy schmoozing all the women.” Trip winked and strode in front of Grey, hips swaying to the music.

When they entered Mamacitas, Grey’s mouth began to salivate at the array of churros, flan, and chocolate-pecan pudding thingies on display.

“I know it’s been a while, but you do still remember sex gives you a better orgasm than sugar, right?” Trip remarked before tipping his cowboy hat at the hostess.

Grey chuckled, although how he found any humor in his sorry sex life, he couldn’
t quite say.

As they followed the hostess through the restaurant, Grey noticed the upscale surroundings. Each table was topped with flickering candles inside glass-and-iron hurricane lanterns. Deep reds and golds on the walls and tables complemented the antique wood floors, exposed brick wall, and wavy glass windows. Flamenco music enhanced the festive environment.

Baskets of chips and salsa and guacamole, along with pitchers of margaritas of varied flavors and colors, were scattered among the tables, too. Although a lot of single people crowded the joint, there were several families there too.

One little girl in particular—with a devilish glint in her eye—caught Grey’s attention. She’d tugged the fancy bows out of her hair and pulled at the collar of her embroidered cotton Mexican dress. The kind of spunky daughter he’d enjoy having one day.

He twisted his bracelet, letting the leather softly abrade his tattoo.

Years ago, he and Juliette had been in love and making plans. They’d even picked out kids’ names and daydreamed about what kind of house they’d have. It had been perfect, until it had been cruelly stolen. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of love he’d been convinced he’d never feel again, or at least he had been convinced until recently. But the complications surrounding a relationship with Avery increased the risk of failure. Could he survive another slam to the heart?

“Where’d you go, Grey?” Trip set his menu down. “You look morose.”

“Just an old ghost.” Grey picked up the menu. Pricier than he ought to be considering, but he’d grown pretty sick of PB&Js and egg salad these past several weeks.

“Uh-oh. Boomerang at eight o’clock.” Trip held up the menu like a shield before peering over its top. “Oh, but she’s not alone. Looks like a double date with her friend Avery and two guys.”

Luckily the waitress appeared before Trip picked up on Grey’s bothered expression. “Can I get you gentlemen a drink?”

“Black currant margarita, extra strong, and extra sugar on the rim.” Grey leaned back in his chair and tried to peek around the waitress to get another look at Avery without Trip noticing.

“I’ll stick with a classic margarita, thanks,” Trip said.

Grey recognized Andy, but who was the other guy? The athletic-looking blond with a too-broad smile pulled out Avery’s chair. The guy stared at her like she was a special on the menu, for chrissakes.

Who the hell was the man drooling all over Bambi?

Whatever appetite Grey brought with him fled. Why couldn’t he get past this infatuation? His hopeless fascination with his off-limits PT.

“Ghosts again, or is that scowl because your pretty PT might be on a date?” Trip pinned Grey with a knowing gaze. “This is going to be a long meal, isn’t it?”

“Nope.” Grey drummed his hands on the table, determined to move past his obsession. After the waitress dropped off their drinks, he said, “It’s May. We need to book more climbing tours in the pipeline or things will be very lean this summer.”

“You should update the website. Maybe start a blog or do some of that other social media stuff.” Trip hesitated, as if waiting for Grey to shoot down his idea. “We need
buzz.
”

“How much does it cost?”

“Don’t know, but the payoff could be well worth it. And as long as you’re grounded, you’ve got the free time to post blogs and tweet shit.”

“Yeah, have the dyslexic guy write every day. Sounds like a great plan.” Grey slammed back a swig of the sweet yet tart drink.

“Blogs and tweets are short and sweet. You’ve got spellcheck to help.” Trip stretched one leg out from under the table. “It’ll get the message out. Get people interested.”

When the waitress delivered their meals, Grey and Trip temporarily dropped all discussion of work. Grey swirled one shrimp in the habanero-lemon cucumber salsa before stuffing it into his mouth.

“Oh yeah, that’s outstanding.” Grey savored the explosion of flavor.

Grey happened to glance across the room at the same time Avery noticed him in the restaurant. She blinked just like the first time he’d seen her. Too damn cute. Before he could stop himself, he grinned and waved his fork.

She smiled and waved back, which caught Kelsey’s attention. When Kelsey turned toward him, her face lit up like the North Star. He noticed Andy peering at him as Kelsey excused herself from their group and made her way across the room.

“Now look what you’ve done.” Trip failed to conceal his laughter.

“Hi, guys!” Kelsey stood by Grey, wearing some kind of ruffled wrap dress. Her long blond curls hung low, drawing further attention to her cleavage. “What are you two over here conspiring about?”

“I’m trying to convince Grey to invest in a new website and some social media.” Trip wiped his mouth with his napkin and took another swig of his margarita.

Kelsey
’s face nearly broke apart. “Ohmigod. Yes! I did that with my real estate business and it really helped. Maybe I can help you get started.”

Trip’s look of surprise mirrored Grey’s, but Grey couldn’t imagine a worse-case scenario than working closely with Boomerang. Too many land mines.

“Maybe once I settle things with the accident we’ll have extra money to invest.” Grey cleared his throat, uncomfortably aware of her friendship with Andy. “Unfortunately, it’s all moving at a glacial pace.”

Kelsey
’s eyes darted toward Andy then she leaned toward Grey conspiratorially. “
Well, I don
’t mind helping you out in exchange for your promoting me to wealthy clients interested in buying vacation homes.”

“Well, that’s mighty nice of you, Boo—er,
Kelsey.
” Trip coughed to cover his near miss.

Grey couldn’t help but smile at Kelsey’s confused expression. The stiff drink had begun to loosen him up. Maybe working with her wouldn’t be so terrible. It would give him a chance to prove they didn’t have a future.

“That’s a nice offer.” Grey noticed Avery watching them with interest, which boosted his ego. “I’ll think about it.”

“So, Kelsey, who are you here with?” Trip asked.

“Oh, Avery and Andy, and Matt.” She smiled, clasping her hands by her heart.

“Why the saucy look?” Trip flashed her one of his patented smiles. “Is Matt someone special?”

Grey felt grateful Trip’s fishing expedition would ferret out the answers he wanted. Sometimes Trip’s social skills really came in handy. Thankfully they were friends, because the guy would be a dangerous enemy.

Kelsey leaned forward again, this time in a secret-sharing manner. “Matt and Avery were almost engaged, but then he left her for one of his rich, young clients. Now he’s returned to try and win her back.” Her eyes glittered. “Isn’t it romantic?”

Grey stared at her wistful expression, trying not to let his disgust show. Romantic? The guy was a selfish dick.

“What the hell’s romantic about a guy cheating on his girlfriend and then trying to dupe her again?” Shit. He’d actually said it aloud.

Kelsey
’s brows lifted. “Who says he’s here to dupe her? Can’t someone realize his mistake and try to make it right? True love wins in the end.”

“That’s a bunch of horseshit, Kelsey.” Grey pushed his empty glass across the table. “True love doesn’
t cheat.
”

“You sound just like Avery.” Kelsey frowned and glanced at Trip. “Aren’t there any romantics left?”

“Just you and me, it seems.” Trip raised his glass toward her.

Kelsey graced him with an appreciative smile. “Well, my offer stands. I’m happy to donate a few free hours if you decide to work on those social media plans. You can check out my firm’s site, Callihan’s Peak Properties dot com, which also contains a blog and links to Facebook and Twitter.”

“Thanks, Kelsey.” Things would be so simple if only Grey were attracted to her.

“My pleasure.” She beamed at him. “Bye!”

Grey watched her strut back to her table. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Trip assessing her, too.
Huh.

“Who knew the girl had useful skills?” Trip finished his drink.

Grey didn’t respond because he’d become distracted by Matt’s fawning over Avery. The only thing keeping Grey from punching something was the fact Avery didn’t seem to be thrilled by the guy’s attention. If anything, her fidgety hands and stiff posture suggested she had little interest in reconnecting with Matt. At least not yet, anyway.

Trip glanced at Grey then Avery and back again. “Tick tock, my friend. Tick tock.”