it was fine, that she was over Josh. Which meant Allie could really use her advice. How did someone get over the love of her life?
But did she want to be over Gavin? That was where things got tricky again and Allie forced her thoughts back to Devon. It wasn’t like she was going to win any Best Friend of The Year awards, but thinking about her screwed-up relationship with Devon was easier than thinking about her whatever-the-hell-it-was relationship with Gavin.
Okay. Devon.
Devon was awesome. Devon was beautiful and smart and fun and…the perfect woman for Josh, frankly.
Maybe when she got back to the harbor, she’d invite Devon out for a chai latte and she could nudge them together. They probably wouldn’t go out unless Allie told them it was okay. Sure, she’d gone off with Gavin, but Josh and Devon were better people than she was.
She’d be sure to tell them that she wouldn’t mind a bit if they dated again.
That might even help Josh forgive her.
Allie frowned at that. Would Josh forgive her? Did she deserve to be forgiven?
Allie tossed her brush back into her bag and headed downstairs.
She was really getting into this whole I-don’t-like-this-topic-so-I-just-won’t-think-about-it thing.
Not sure where else to start looking for Gavin, she headed for the kitchen. Lydia was there, of course, and her back was to Allie as she stirred something in a big pot on the stove.
But Allie had no more stepped onto the ceramic tile and the girl said, “Don’t even think about it.”
“Geez, you have eyes in the back of your head?” Allie groused.
“I know all,” Lydia said, not even turning.
“Where’s Gavin?”
“Out.”
“Out working?”
“Yeah.” Lydia leaned to grab a bowl of what looked like chopped onions.
“For how long?”
“A while.”
“I suppose you packed his schedule full in an attempt to keep him away from the house and drive me crazy.”
“Pretty much.”
Allie sighed. Loudly. “You’re clearly a natural, but I’ve had more practice being annoying than you have.” She guessed Lydia to be nineteen or twenty at the most. “I can do this all day. I’ve got nowhere to go and nothing to do.”
Lydia finally glared at her over her shoulder. “What do you want?”
What did she want? She could not stay here while Gavin was out most of the day. If it was just her and that Wii in the other room, one of them was going to get hurt. And it might well be her. She was more out of shape than she’d realized. “I need something to do.”
“So?”
“So, I figure either you tell me how to get to town, or you move over.”
“Move over?”
“I was thinking about making cornbread.”
Lydia turned to face her fully. “You’re not making cornbread.”
“It goes great with soup.”
“Stew,” Lydia said flatly.
“That too.”
“My sourdough rolls are better.”
Dang, that sounded good.
“My mom’s cornbread was award winning,” Allie said. Lily had won the Promise Harbor bake-off five years straight. “I know the recipe by heart.”
Lydia crossed to the door that led in the opposite direction from the one that went to the clinic. She pulled a set of keys from a hook by the door. “Gavin bought the work truck when he got here, but kept his car.” She tossed the keys to Allie and pulled the door open.
Allie caught the keys. Okay, she was going to town. Big surprise. “I need directions too. And,” she pointed a finger at Lydia, “no getting me lost on purpose. I will make you regret that.”
“Take a left at the end of the driveway. Go three miles. Take a right and drive until you hit town. If you get lost, you’re stupid.”
Wow, Lydia really didn’t want her around. At the moment, that was a good thing.
Allie started for the door, but Lydia didn’t move. She was watching Allie contemplatively. Which made Allie nervous.
She stopped a good five feet away. “What?”
“There’s something you need to hear.”
Crap, what was this going to be? How happy Gavin was here in Alaska? How she was just using him to feel better but deep down she knew she had to go back to Massachusetts eventually? Yeah, she knew all of that.
She was also doing a really good job at ignoring it and would not appreciate Lydia bringing it all to the forefront of her consciousness, where she’d have to deal with it.
Allie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Maybe she could intimidate Lydia into not telling her. “Oh, really?”
“Your mom wasn’t perfect.”
Okay, then. Definitely not intimidated. Allie dropped her defensive stance and drew up straight, staring at Lydia.