She laughed as he put sugar in his coffee.
They drank coffee together for a few minutes, while she checked her emails and texts that had come in overnight. She’d gotten a few texts from Sydney. She hadn’t told her, yet, about what had happened with Luke the other night. She’d almost told her the day before, but she’d held off. She’d wanted to wait, until she knew what this was, until she knew if it was just a second one-night stand or something else.
Luke set his mug down on the counter.
“I hate that I have to go now.”
He stood up and bent down to kiss her. She twined her arms around his neck and held on.
“I wondered, you know,” he said, his mouth just inches from hers, “if that first night, that night at my apartment, was as good as it could get. If maybe I’d built up this thing between us so big in my mind that I’d invariably be disappointed if it ever happened again.” He kissed her, so hard it made her breathless. “But the opposite is true. It only keeps getting better.”
It felt almost absurd to her that she felt the same way. That the hunger she’d had for him hadn’t dissipated, but had increased. And that not only did he feel the same way, but he was saying this to her.
“I know,” she said. “It does.”
He kissed her again and then took a step back.
“Okay. Talk to you soon, then.”
She followed him to the door.
“Yeah. Talk to you soon.”
He flashed one more smile at her before he walked out her front door.
She poured more coffee into her mug and prepped a fresh pot. And then she picked up her phone.
MARGOT
Come over for coffee. Bring pastries.
Sydney texted back moments later.
SYDNEY
Have you been kidnapped? It’s 7:30 am. I don’t leave my home before ten unless it’s an emergency.
Margot grinned as she took a sip of her coffee.
MARGOT
Luke quit two days ago. Coincidentally, he just left my apartment for the second morning in a row.
She didn’t have long to wait.
SYDNEY
You fucking bitch. Ham and cheese croissant?
Margot laughed out loud.
MARGOT
Yes please! See you soon.
She put her coffee down in the kitchen on the way to the bathroom. She probably had just enough time to shower before Sydney got here.
* * *
FRIDAY, MIDMORNING, AVERY WALKED into the inn, two cups of iced coffee in her hands.
“What are you doing here?” Luke asked her.
She set one of the cups on the desk and grinned at him.
“I knew you had a weakness for the iced coffee from Eden’s and I had a meeting this morning, so I thought I’d drop by with a treat for you.”
He reached for the cup.
“Bless you. Especially since the air-conditioning in this place could use some tuning up. I’m dying here.” He took a sip and sighed. “Oh, man, I haven’t had one of these in years. They’re as good as they used to be.”
Avery gave him a wide smile.
“I thought you’d appreciate that. Now. Tell me all about your big date with Margot on Tuesday. I would have come by sooner, but I’ve been booked solid all week.”
He let out a long sigh.
“How did you know?”
Her grin got even wider.
“I believe the traditional answer in this instance is ‘You just told me.’?” She laughed at him. “Come on, Luke. You just happened to ask me for restaurant advice for a ‘hotel guest,’ the day after you quit your job at Noble, when Margot was no longer your boss? I know you far too well for that.”
Why did he even think he would be able to get away with that lie to Avery? She did know him too well for that.
“Just be quiet about this, okay? I was her employee as of just a few days ago, and no one else really knows that anything’s going on between us.” He glanced around the lobby. “Plus, my mom still thinks . . .”
Avery rolled her eyes.
“Yes, yes, your mom still thinks the two of us are dating, which is ridiculous. But I get it, I won’t tell the world about your scandalous affair with an older woman who was very recently your boss. But you didn’t answer the question. How was the date?”
He smiled. The date had been so good. And then the rest of the night had been— “Okay, that smile is quite enough, thank you,” Avery said. “I don’t need to know all of the gory details! But like . . . is this going to be a thing between the two of you?”
God, he hoped so.
“I think so.” He held up a hand. “Don’t get too excited—I don’t know how long it’s going to last, or really, anything else. We’re taking this day by day.”
Avery looked closely at him.
“You really like her. Don’t you? Like, this is more than just sex.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I really like her. She’s . . . gorgeous and smart and thoughtful and interesting and—” Avery was grinning at him, so he trailed off. “Anyway. Yes, I like her. But I’m not counting on anything. I’m just going to enjoy this for now, okay?”
Avery still had that smirk on her face.
“Okay. Sounds good.”
She turned to leave, but he stopped her.
“Wait. Avery. How are you doing? Really doing, I mean. No ‘I’m fine’ bullshit this time.”
The smile dropped from her face as she looked at him.
“I’m okay,” she said finally. “Really, I am. The past few weeks have been . . . hard. Not in the way I really expected, though.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
She let out a breath.
“The breakup itself obviously sucked. But after that . . . I thought I would miss him a lot. But I haven’t really, at all. And I’ve felt pretty bad about that.”
He didn’t understand.
“Why have you felt bad that you haven’t missed him? That’s great.”
She looked away from him.
“I mean yeah, it is great. Sort of. It’s felt so good, to be without him. And I’ve felt bad that it’s felt so good, that I’m not a good person, that I should have loved him more, cared about him more. And also, that I should have realized how I felt so much earlier, and that I’m so stupid for not seeing that, and after I did see it, I was so stupid for not doing something about it for so long.” She tried to smile. “I feel bad about one of those two things most of the time, they switch back and forth.”
“I’m really glad it’s felt good to be on your own,” he said. “I just wish you didn’t feel bad about it.” He felt especially guilty now about things he’d said to her about her ex. “I’m really sorry if I—”
She shook her head.
“It’s not your fault. But the good thing is that every day I feel a little less bad about both of those things, and a little—sometimes a lot—happier about being on my own now. So I really meant it when I said I’m okay.”
He looked closely at her. He could tell she was being honest with him.
“I’m glad,” he said. “You’ll let me know if you need anything at all, right?”
She smiled at him.
“You know it.” She let out a dramatic sigh. “And—look, you know I’m not one for mushy stuff, so I’m only going to say this once—it’s meant a lot to have you here. I know you moved up here only because you were worried about me, and you didn’t have to do that, but it’s been . . . really great to have you nearby. So. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, “but you know you would do the same for me.”
She laughed.
“I wouldn’t help you move, I’d just buy you an enormous amount of fried chicken and let you watch all the bad movies you wanted.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Just because you don’t like horror movies doesn’t mean they’re bad, you know.”
Avery opened her mouth to respond, when his mom came in through the front door.
“Luke! Oh, and Avery! So lovely to see you!” She looked from Luke to Avery and beamed.
Oof. It felt even weirder now for his mom to think he and Avery were together.
“Mom, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at home, resting.”
She looked around the lobby. He knew she was making sure it was as clean and well organized as she usually kept it.
“I know, I know, but I hadn’t left the house all week, so I got Pete to bring me along with him in the car today when he had to stop by a client’s, and it was nearby, so I just thought I’d come in and say hi!” She turned to Avery. “It’s so good to see you, Avery. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing really well, Ms. Williams—Lauren,” Avery said. “I was so sorry to hear about your accident, but I’m glad it looks like you’re healing okay. And thanks again, for sending that couple my way for the wedding—it’s been a real pleasure to work with them so far.”
His mom smiled at Avery and then raised her eyebrows at him. Was she expecting him to propose to Avery? Oh God.
“Of course, of course, I was glad to be able to do it. They seemed like such a nice couple,” she said to Avery.
Avery picked up her drink.
“I have to run—I was just driving by and stopped in to say hi, but I have a lunch meeting coming up. Talk to you soon, Luke.”
He nodded at her.
“Talk to you soon.”
His mom beamed at him when Avery walked out.