Accidentally Hers (Sterling Canyon #1) (27 page)

“Good news, Mom. Really?” Her mom winced at Avery’s sharp tone as Avery glanced around the room. Her father was suspiciously absent, but Matt’s gaze homed in on her. Had he heard about her and Grey’s falling out? “Not that anyone cares much about my feelings lately, but I’d rather not discuss family matters in front of Matt.”

“Avery.” Matt approached her. His sheepish expression only made her want to toss her purse at his head. “I heard about what happened at town hall. I swear, I was only trying to help your family.”

“If that were true, then you might’ve come to me before going to my dad. Your sneaking around makes it pretty clear you were just exploiting the situation to try to get between Grey and me.”

“No. I didn’t come to you because I thought you’d accuse me of using the situation for my own benefit. But that’s not the case. I told you before, I’ve always cared about you, and your family. I just wanted to help make sure you didn’t all suffer because of Andy’s accident.”

Avery looked away, unable to decipher the truth anymore. She’d been worn down, turned inside out, and depleted. “Well, whatever your motives, you’ve seriously interfered in my personal life. This is the second and last time you’ll ever hurt me. I won’t order you out of this house when everyone else seems happy for your company, but if you care about me at all, you’ll leave now.”

Matt sighed, cast a quick look at Andy, and then conceded. “We’ll talk later.”

“
We
won’t be talking later. If you want to stay in town, I can’t change that. If you and Andy have picked up where you left off before California called your name, so be it. I’ll even thank you for giving my parents and Andy some peace during this difficult time. But I do not want to hang out with you, confide in you, or do anything else with you. So please, quit provoking Grey with your comments about me, and stay out of my way, okay?”

“I’m sorry.” He set his glass down and turned to Andy. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

The minute Matt strolled out the door, Avery whirled around and asked her mom, “Where’s Dad?”

“
Upstairs, packing.
” Her mother was tugging at the cuff of her shirt, glancing between her two children.

“Packing?” Avery crossed her arms. “He’s buttoned up the finances, so now you’re leaving before Andy’s hearing?”

“Avery, don’t talk about your father that way. He’s a good man. He’s worked hard his whole life to take care of all of us. I know you’ve got issues with him, and with me, but enough is enough. I didn’t raise you to be so disrespectful to your parents.” She squared her shoulders in a brief show of strength, but her eyes darted to Andy. “As for Andy, there isn’t going to be a hearing. His lawyers finally negotiated a last-minute plea agreement with the prosecutor.”

“Really?” Avery’s head hurt from trying to keep up with the events of the day. “How did that happen?”

Andy stepped forward. “Apparently Grey spoke on my behalf. Told the prosecutor about how I’d been going to AA, talking to teens about drinking and driving, even mentioned the icy roads and stuff. His statement, combined with the pressure the DA has in terms of its schedule, and the fact that it’s my first offense, convinced the prosecutor to structure a felony plea that will be reduced to a misdemeanor after one year of parole, assuming I don’t screw up during that year. The judge will have to approve the recommended sentence and add fines and community service, but since they usually go with the prosecutor’
s recommendation, I probably won’t go to jail.
”

“Grey helped you even after I hurt him?” Her thin voice hung in the air.

“He did.” Andy grabbed her hand. “I called to thank him, but he didn’t answer, so I left a message. I guess you haven’t spoken with him?”

Avery shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes. “He won’t take my calls.” Her throat ached.

Andy hugged her tight. “I’m sorry, sis. Really, I am. I’ve done nothing but bring trouble your way for the past few months while worrying about myself.”

Her mother’s sniffle caught her attention. “Don’t cry, Mom.” Avery drew a deep breath. Who the hell had she been to judge her parents’ marriage, or her mom’s choices and happiness? Thirty-three years of marriage was a better record than Avery had when it came to love. “Listen, I’m sorry I snapped at you. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. And I’
m glad for Andy
’s news. I know eventually things will look brighter for me, too, but right now I’m wiped out. My head is pounding. I just need to be alone for a while.”

Her mother hugged her. “Go rest. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

Avery kissed her mom and then went directly to her room. The sun had lowered, casting amber light around the space. She lay across the bed, remembering being there with Grey only days ago. Wrapping her body around a pillow, she let the warm tears spill down her cheeks.

An hour later, she’d made a decision—one that required her brother’s consent.

She sat up, brushed the hair off her face, and steeled herself for another family meeting. This time she would do the right thing no matter what they had to say.

Four days later, Avery left Kelsey’s office. Tonight she had one last chance to make up with Grey.

When she parked her car, she could hear a somber classical piano tune drifting through his open window into the evening air. Clutching her bag and folder of papers, she kept her face lifted toward the window as she walked around the side of the building.

She nearly ran into Trip when he came through the side door with Shaman. He leveled her with a malevolent glare. “Haven’t you done enough damage yet?”

His anger pulled her up short, but she tipped up her chin. “I’m here to see Grey, not trade barbs with you.”

Shaman sniffed her legs and whimpered. She was grateful for the distraction, because she was too wiped out to argue with anyone. After scratching Shaman behind the ears, she stood and tried to sidestep Trip.

“I think you need an attitude adjustment.” Trip moved sideways to block her attempt to scoot by him. “Grey is a good guy with a big heart—one you tore to pieces. If you think I’m going to stand by and let you take a second stab at him, you’ve badly misjudged me.”

Avery’s shoulders slumped. “I’m here to fix things, Trip. I promise, I’m not going to hurt him again.”

“Fix things?” Trip’s voice kicked up a few decibels. “You think you can fix things now? It’s too late. Turn around and go home, back to your family and your white knight, Matt What’s-His-Face.”

“
You can
’t keep me from talking to Grey.” Avery placed her hands on her hips, now ticked off. “This is a silly standoff, especially out here on the sidewalk. It’s not up to you to decide whether or not Grey talks to me.”

Grey popped his head out the window. Apparently their argument had made its way inside. “
Trip, I don
’t need a mother hen.” He glanced at Avery, and her heart sank at the hollow look in his eyes. “Let her in.”

Her.
No Bambi. No Avery. No smile. Let
her
in, spoken in an abject tone. Avery drew a deep breath and met Trip’s stony gaze. “Excuse me.”

Trip shook his head and muttered, “You’d better be worth it.” Then he whistled at Shaman and walked toward the park.

Avery started up the steps when Grey opened the door at the top. He stared at her but said nothing. The muscles in his jaw and chin were drawn and clenched. The ice in his eyes practically froze her in place. Everything about him stood at odds with the casual stance he’d adopted by leaning against the open door.

When she got to the top of the stairwell, he stepped aside and waved her inside. After closing the door, he leaned his back against it and folded his arms, waiting.

“Can we sit?” She fumbled to push the words through her closed throat.

He gestured toward a chair, but didn’t follow her. She would’ve been completely without hope had she not noticed the slight glistening in his eyes. He remained glued to the door, gnawing at the inside of his cheek.

She cleared her throat. “First, I came to thank you for what you did to help my brother. It was unexpected, under the circumstances.”

“Unexpected?” he barked. “Even though I told you on several occasions that I wasn’t out to hurt anyone.”

“You did.” Avery glanced at her hands, which were tightly clasped in her lap. “But after what happened, I assumed you’d change your mind.”

Grey raised a hand in the air and let it slap against his thigh. “Proving how little you’ve ever understood about me. I don’t go for revenge. I just let go.”

Her hand clutched the spot on her stomach where his cutting remark had landed a solid punch. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I’m sorry about all of it, Grey. Truly, I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Betray me, you mean?” His narrowed gaze, so unlike most of the looks he’d ever cast her way, appeared to be closing the door on any hope of reconciliation.

“That’
s fair, I guess. I
had
to sign those papers because I owe my parents the money, but I should’ve called you first. My dad bullied me, and I was torn between loyalty to him and you. Either choice would hurt someone, so I chose my dad. But not because I didn’t care about you, Grey.” She looked at him, pleadingly. He, however, remained rigid and removed.

“That’s why I’m here—so you know how much I care. To prove it, I’ve made a decision.” Avery pulled the papers from her purse and set them on the table, her voice quaking slightly. “Andy and I are going to sell the house. Kelsey thinks we can list it at close to six hundred thousand, although it won’t sell at that price. Still, even once we pay back my parents, there should be roughly two hundred thousand dollars left. I don’t know if that will end up covering all your losses, but it’s the best I can offer.”

Grey’s cool demeanor shifted as he studied her. Neither of them spoke for a minute or two. He held her gaze as he pushed off the door. When he came within three feet of her, he stopped and rested his hands on his hips. “And where will you live, then? If you give me your money, you won’t have anything left to buy a new place.”

She shrugged. “I’ve got a little money saved.”

“Weren’t you saving that money to invest in your own business?”

“
So I
’ll put off those plans for a while longer. I’m not unhappy at the clinic. For now, I’ll have enough money for a first and last month’s deposit on a rental at least. It doesn’t matter. Like you said the other week, where I live isn’t as important as who is in my life.”

“But you love your house.” His eyes softened. “You’ve told me so more than once. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

She stood up, shaky from nervousness.
Now or never,
squeaked a little voice in her head. “But I love you more, Grey.” She noticed the muscles in his cheek twitch, but he didn’t move. She stepped closer. “I know I hurt you, and I hate that. Maybe you can’t forgive me or trust me, but I still don’t want you to lose everything, especially not because of my family. And I needed you to know that, even though I didn’t show it sooner, you meant—you mean so much to me.”

If she’d expected him to melt at her feet upon hearing her declaration, she’d be disappointed. The silence in the room suffocated her, but she couldn’t move or speak. Did her words really have no impact on his feelings?

“What are those papers?” He gestured toward the listing agreement she’d set on the table.

“The listing agreement.” Her mind had to work extra hard to process their conversation simultaneously with her own jumbled thoughts. “I just left Kelsey’s office. She’s probably adding the house to the MLS as we speak.”

She’d never admit it to him, but her heart sank a little at the thought.

“Call her now and pull the listing.” His brows lowered.

“No.” Avery stood firm, shaking her head. “I’ve made up my mind. This is the right thing to do. I wish I’d done it sooner. Maybe if I had, things would’ve turned out differently for us.”

“Is that what you want?” The hard edge faded from his voice. “For things to be different?”

She forced herself to risk rejection, to look him directly in the eye. “I want things to go back to how they were last week, before all this happened.”

“Call Kelsey and pull the listing, Avery.” He stepped closer, but didn’t touch her. Still, the heat of his body pulled at her like a magnet attracts nickel. “
I don
’t need the money.”

She tilted her head. “What?”

“I worked out a deal with Wade, and Trip’s buying a stake in the company, so I don’t need the money. Even if I did, I wouldn’t take it from you.”

Her head was swimming through unspoken questions as she tried to catch up, but all she really heard was that he didn’t want anything from her, not even her help.

“Oh.” She turned away to hide the tears collecting in her eyes. After retrieving the listing agreement from the table, she stuffed it back in her bag. “I’m glad everything has worked out for you. I guess,” she paused, “I guess I’ll go.”

His hands rested on her shoulders while her back was still to him. Her heart sped up as he ran his hands down her arms. He leaned close and whispered, “Thank you for being willing to give up your house for me. Tell me again why you did that.”