Stay (Healing Springs, Book 2) Read online

  “Hold up right there—you dated that scorching piece of flesh? And you never thought to tell me?”

  “It was before you moved here. I don’t know. I was with Kevin by then, so it made no sense to revisit the past.”

  “Please tell me he’s great in bed. Please. I beg of you.”

  Ava pushed her hair out of her face and took a deep breath.

  “The best.”

  Karly growled and bit the strap of her purse.

  “But he’s a jerk.”

  Karly slung her arm around Ava’s shoulders and led her to the wrought iron table and chair set outside of Miss Molly’s shop. Ava stretched her legs out in front of her as she prepared for the inquisition.

  “Alright. Why’d you run out of there?”

  “Too many bad memories.”

  “Did you love him?”

  “No!” Ava cursed herself for answering so quickly. She dropped her hands to her lap and studied her unpainted fingernails. “It was purely physical.”

  “Then why the unwillingness to welcome him to your bed again? Clearly he hurt you. Doesn’t that mean you had to have loved him?”

  “Since when are you the relationship guru?” Ava pursed her lips and refused to meet Karly’s eyes.

  “How did things end?”

  “He left. His career was more important than me. I wasn’t even worthy of a goodbye.”

  “That ass.”

  “Finally we can agree.” A smile worked its way onto Ava’s tense face, but the pressure of it threatened to crack her cheeks. “Can we go watch a movie now?”

  “Of course.” Karly leapt from her seat and extended a helping hand toward Ava. Ava accepted the offer and allowed Karly to pull her to a stand. “But I have to tell you. That man didn’t look like he was hard up, eager for sex. He wanted you. Bad.”

  “Yeah, right. Probably just figured I had fallen into bed with him the first time, why not hit replay?”

  Karly shook her head. “He looked like a lost puppy after you left. I’m not kidding.”

  “That’s why he’s out searching for me, right?”

  “Probably figured you needed time to chill, given the situation.”

  Ava snorted.

  The only mutual thing between them was a physical attraction. She could understand her part of it—she had never seen a better built man in her life—but why would he be attracted to her?

  She had to admit, their chemistry was undeniable. The earth-shattering, bone-rattling, set-every-nerve-in-your-body-on-fire kiss had not been planned, but damn, was it good!

  Ava lifted her free hand to her lips. They still tingled from the passionate assault.

  “You’re thinking of the kiss, aren’t you?”

  “Guilty.”

  “I’m gonna walk you home and leave you alone for the rest of the night. No need to interfere with your, ahem, unfinished business.”

  “Karly!”

  “Don’t be a prude. You’ve gone without sex for so long, you’re probably a virgin again.”

  “I’ve only been single for six months.”

  “Yeah, and how hot was that relationship?”

  Ava grimaced.

  “Good point.”

  After Kevin’s betrayal, maybe she had needed to feel desirable for a moment. Wanted.

  Maybe her expectations were way too high, just like Kevin always told her.

  Ava and Karly parted ways at the end of Ava’s dead end road. Karly planned to return downtown to meet up with some other friends, since Ava was pooping out so early.

  True, the night was young. Bars and partying didn’t interest Ava, but maybe she’d take her dog for a walk before the heavy heat of the summer set in. Spring was her favorite season, after all. Might as well enjoy the fresh air.

  Ava fiddled with her keys, frustrated that she kept forgetting to replace the light on the front porch.

  “Hey.”

  Ava jumped, terror putting her on the alert.

  “You scared the poopy out of me!”

  Cole stood and moved toward her, away from the Adirondack chair he had been sitting in.

  “The poopy?”

  She tossed her hair over her shoulder and straightened her shoulders.

  “Yeah. The poopy.” She wasn’t ashamed that her vocabulary matched the speech patterns of a young child sometimes. Let him judge all he wanted. “What are you doing here? Are you lost?”

  “I’ve lived in Healing Springs all my life. How could I get lost?”

  “I don’t know—you’re gone a lot.”

  “True.”

  He stepped closer to her. She quelled the urge to lift her keys in a threatening manner toward him. No need to get aggressive…

  “I wanted to check to make sure you were okay. You ran out of Jake’s pretty fast.”

  It had been so easy to stand up to him in the loud, crowded bar. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wishing for the bravado to return. Alone with him on her porch, with nothing but the crickets singing and the street lights flickering, was dangerous. Not dangerous in the real sense, but treacherous to her willpower.

  “So are you okay?”

  Why did he have to look like he actually cared? Why did his eyes have to look so warm and gray and as cozy as a loving boyfriend’s sweater?

  Okay, so eyes couldn’t be cozy. But everything about this man defied reality.

  “I’m fine.” She turned to unlock her door. Bear rushed to her as soon as the door swung open. She greeted him enthusiastically, bending to give him the affection he wanted.

  “You know, I would have thought you’d have been happier to see me tonight. Maybe even half as happy as you are to see your dog. It’s been a long time.”

  She ignored him.

  He bent down and extended his arm to Bear, who jumped forward and began licking his face.

  No fair.

  “Your kisses told me you were happy.”

  “Kisses lie.”

  He laughed. He should have been insulted.

  Nothing was going her way.

  They stood at the same time, nearly bumping heads on the way up. He scorched her arm with his touch, steadying her when she fell backward trying to avoid contact with him.

  “I want to take you out. Is tomorrow good for you?”

  Did he just ask her out?

  She cocked her head to the side and studied his face. He looked so confident. So sure that she would jump at the opportunity. Maybe when she was a naïve college student. But now? No way. She was a teacher. A respectable member of this community. She did not need to follow her baser needs.

  He stroked her arm as he waited for an answer.

  She yanked it away.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Of course. Maybe dinner? Lunch if you prefer.”

  “No, really.” She studied his face carefully, with the same attention to detail she used when trying to figure out which child was telling the truth during a classroom battle. “Are you serious?”

  Could she help it if her voice rose to a near-squeal?

  “Is something wrong?” His tongue poked into his cheek and he rubbed his normally smooth, but now wrinkled, forehead.

  “Is something wrong.” She rephrased his words as a statement, not a question. How the heck could he be asking her something so stupid? She closed her eyes. “Ha.”

  “Did I do something?”

  How could he look so puzzled? Did he completely forget everything?

  “Let me see if I can refresh your memory, and then you can go. You made it clear to me four years ago where I stood in your life. I assume nothing has changed.”

  “Care to clarify? If I remember correctly, we had a damned good time together.”

  That was it.

  No sane person would stand here discussing this with a virtual stranger.

  “I have to go. Goodbye.”

  She tried to slam the door on him, but his arm shot up and prevented the closure.

  “Ava. What’s this
about?”

  “You didn’t even care to try to make plans to see each other again! You just left. Like our relationship meant nothing. Like I meant nothing.”

  He pushed his way into the room, taking up more than his fair share of space. She held her ground, refusing to step back.

  “Wait one minute. You knew that was a summer thing. You had school and I had work. We discussed that in the beginning of the summer, before things went too far.”

  “That was before—”

  She covered her mouth just in time.

  He stepped even closer, until their toes could kiss.

  Her mouth watered.

  “Before what?” His eyes darkened and his voice became deeper, more menacing.

  How could he sound so threatening and seductive simultaneously?

  “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

  “I wouldn’t be asking you if I knew.”

  She had sent him a letter, delivered by his sister—her friend—to be given to him before she returned to town after a few days away. She poured her heart out to him, told him exactly how she felt, and offered to transfer schools to be with him in Virginia, where he had just landed a huge building contract.

  He turned her down. Told her no.

  He had seemed so surprised by her offer, but when she asked if he read her letter, he said he had.

  “I have to go to bed.”

  “Is that an invitation?”

  “No! Of course not!”

  He stepped closer—completely oblivious to the idea of personal space.

  “Before what, Ava?”

  Before I fell in love with you.

  She bit her tongue and vowed that even if he tried to torture the answer out of her, she wouldn’t relive that humiliating moment of expressing love to someone incapable of loving her back.

  “Goodbye, Cole.”

  He leaned toward her until his lips hovered inches from hers. She kept her head up, though her impulse was to look away. She wouldn’t show any signs of weakness.

  His breath fanned her face as he whispered his warning.

  “I’ll leave for now, but I’m not going anywhere. You can’t scare me off.”

  The urge to close the space between them was strong, but she fought it off. Sure, her chest may have been heaving more than normal and her muscles may be fighting to keep her upright, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him.

  With one last sweeping glance, he turned and left.

  She fell to the couch in relief, scattering her magazines and half-eaten box of chocolate to the floor.

  ***

  Ava bit into another piece of chocolate, concentrating on the thick chocolate swirling around her tongue instead of the object of her infatuation. She had already lost an entire night’s sleep thanks to Cole’s eyes, Cole’s shoulders, Cole’s…

  She tossed the uneaten half of candy back into the box, carefully selecting another. Something had to satisfy her.

  A loud crash and Bear’s sudden howling had her rushing to the door. Her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Reynolds, shouted for help.

  Not taking time to slip on her shoes, Ava ran to assist. Mrs. Reynolds struggled to get up, but her walker had tumbled onto the grass, just out of reach. The shattered remains of a ceramic pot surrounded Mrs. Reynolds.

  Ava tiptoed around the pieces.

  “Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance?”

  “Oh, no. No need. Just help me up and I’ll be on my way.”

  Ava visually examined Mrs. Reynolds, checking for bleeding or any obvious bone problems.

  “I shouldn’t move you until you’re checked by a professional.”

  “Nonsense. If you don’t help me up, I’ll get up myself.”

  Mrs. Reynolds struggled to right herself. Ava jumped in, not willing to let the sweet woman hurt herself more.

  “Where are your shoes? It’s cold out here this morning.” Mrs. Reynolds may have been down, but apparently nothing could keep her from chastising.

  “I’m fine. Here, give me your hand.”

  Ava kicked some of the shards of ceramic out of the way so Mrs. Reynolds wouldn’t roll onto them.

  After a few attempts at lifting the woman, Ava realized there was no way she was managing this on her own. Mrs. Reynolds didn’t have the strength to help, and Ava wasn’t built for this.

  “Mrs. Reynolds, please let me call for help. I can’t get you up on my own without hurting you more.”

  “Then ask that gentleman over there.”

  Ava lifted her head hopefully, then rolled her eyes when the jogger got closer and she could see that it was Cole.

  She mumbled under her breath.

  “What? Speak up, honey.”

  “Nothing, Mrs. Reynolds.”

  When Cole noticed the two women on the ground, he picked up speed.

  “What happened?” The jerk wasn’t even out of breath. If she tried to run to the end of the street she’d be huffing and puffing. But no, not the amazingly in-shape god of, um, in-shape-ness.

  “She fell.”

  Ava’s face grew hot as her ridiculous words reached her own ears. She could have spontaneously ignited as his eyes began to crinkle at the edges, and his dimples deepened. She had such a weakness for those dimples. There had been many a night when she had leisurely explored all of his dimples, including the ones now hidden in his jogging pants.

  Hell became even hotter when Mrs. Reynolds spoke up.

  “Yes, dear, I think he can see that I fell. The man wants to know what happened, which only I can answer. If you two bozos would stop staring at each other and actually help me up, I will regale you with the tale.” Her eyes twinkled, taking the sting out of the words.

  Leave it to her to have fun with what could have been a terrifying experience.

  Ava pretended to help, though she knew Cole did all the work. Mrs. Reynolds leaned on Cole as he walked her to the front door of her apartment building, then led her to her dining room chair.

  Ava followed behind, carrying the walker.

  She was not watching the way Cole’s butt filled out his jogging pants.

  Once inside, Ava filled a glass of water and brought it to Mrs. Reynolds as Cole cleaned out a wound on her knee.

  “You can be as fresh as you want to, young man.”

  Cole smiled up at the old woman as she pulled her housedress over her knee.

  Unsettled by his gentlemanliness and his way-too-captivating smile, Ava cleared her throat.

  “What were you doing trying to carry that flower pot out by yourself? You know I would have helped you.”

  “I know, dear.” The elderly woman looked down at her still-shaking hands. “I thought if I did a little landscaping, the new owner would find me useful and not raise my rent too high. I can barely afford the current rent on my fixed income and what little I make down at the bookstore.”

  Ava frowned. All of the elderly residents of this four-family apartment building were stressed since the death of their previous landlord, as he had treated them like family and had always kept the rents down. The children of the prior landlord had decided to sell the building, so rent increases were inevitable.

  Ava’s heart cracked under the pressure of the old woman’s fear.

  “Don’t you worry. We’ll figure something out!” Tears gathered in Ava’s eyes as she watched the normally-cheerful woman wipe a tear from her eye as Cole continued cleaning her knee with tenderness she wouldn’t have given him credit for.

  True to her resilient nature, Mrs. Reynolds bounced back quickly, settling her dress over her knees as Cole stood up and discarded the wet napkins into the trash.

  “Since I’m so good on my back, maybe I could make some extra money on the side as a prostitute.”

  “Mrs. Reynolds—you are a naughty lady.”

  “My kind of girl.” Cole made his voice all deep and husky, flirting with the elderly woman from across the room.

  “Dearie, what is your name? We should get acquainted now tha
t we’ve been intimate.” Mrs. Reynolds winked at Cole.

  He took it all in stride, winking back and making Ava’s knees weaken.

  “Mr. Poopyhead,” Ava mumbled under her breath. She had the distinct impression that he may have heard, but the twinkle in his eye never faded and he didn’t miss a step in his charming of Mrs. Reynolds.

  “Cole. But I know you from way back.”

  “Nonsense, I don’t forget anyone.” She studied his face. “Oh, I do remember you. You’re Greg Stanton’s boy.”

  Cole nodded.

  “How’s he doing? I heard he had a terrible heart attack. Your poor mother has been telling him for years he needed to stop going at the pace he was going.”

  “Guess he’ll have to listen now.”

  “Are you a friend of my sweet Ava’s?”

  “No!” Ava quickly interjected.

  “Yes, indeed. A very close friend.”

  She wanted to rip off his eyelashes when he had the nerve to wink at her.

  “Oh, good. I sure hope you’re here to whisk the poor dear away from her lonely life next door.”

  “Mrs. Reynolds, I do not have a lonely life!”

  As her face fired up with enough heat to melt an arctic snowcap, Cole stood in the small dining room, smiling like he had front row seats to the best comedy routine in town.

  If he didn’t stop exploiting those dimples of his…

  “I do plan to help her out with that.” He didn’t take his eyes off Ava’s.

  “Oh, good. Good.” Mrs. Reynolds clapped her hands together to punctuate her happiness.

  Cole leaned toward Mrs. Reynolds’ ear, still staring at Ava as he whispered conspiratorially, “Perhaps I can rectify this dreadful situation of hers.”

  Ava narrowed her eyes at the man she wished to make her victim. If only the spatula on the counter were within easy reach. Or better yet, the cast iron skillet hanging on the wall would make the perfect tool for bashing against the cave man’s head.

  Never one to refrain from meddling, Mrs. Reynolds piped up. “Oh, Ava, dearie. Look at this nice young man.”

  Cole puffed himself up as if on display.

  “If I were forty years younger, I’d steal him from you before you knew what hit you. Do yourself a favor and let him take you out.”

  “Forty years younger? Then you’d be just a baby, and way too young for me.”