The Magnolia Sisters (Magnolia Sisters #1) - Michelle Major Page 0,60
texted her. She knew Malcolm wanted her at the fireworks. Her sisters expected her to show. Gray would be there with Violet, and Avery couldn’t force herself to join any of them.
Violet had knocked on her door Monday morning, and she’d braided the girl’s hair. She’d taken more time than she needed, a secret part of her hoping Gray might stop by, even though she couldn’t bring herself to seek him out.
The kindergartner hadn’t come over before school today, and Avery wondered if Gray had purposely kept her away.
“You don’t need to hide out. I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want.”
Avery whirled, dropping her keys on the ground.
Gray moved forward and then bent to retrieve them. He handed them to her, and she couldn’t help but notice that he was careful not to touch her.
Disappointment filled her, followed closely by irritation at herself. She didn’t get to have it both ways, and she’d made up her mind that being with Gray was a mistake.
Anything that felt so good had to be bad for her.
“I’m not hiding,” she lied. “I’ve been busy.”
He breathed out a laugh. “Your nose is growing.”
Without thinking, she touched a finger to the tip of it, then shook her head. “That’s silly.”
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked. The flash of vulnerability in his eyes made her heart clench. It had never been her intention to hurt him.
“I think we both know you did everything right. Several times.”
“And yet...”
She sighed. “I’m not good at casual, Gray. I’m tightly strung and too intense for it.”
He arched a brow. “Does that mean you want more?”
Yes, she wanted to answer. Even now the thought of being with him again made her weak in the knees. She could imagine pressing against him or better yet—taking his hand and leading him to her bed in the small cottage.
That would be a far more enjoyable use of her time than what she had planned for the morning.
“We’ve already agreed there can’t be more.”
“You also said we were friends.” He glanced over his shoulder toward his house, then back to her. “Friends don’t spend days ghosting each other.”
“I didn’t ghost you,” she argued. “You could have reached out to me.”
“Avery.” He took a step closer and she caught the scent of laundry soap and mint. Heat pooled low in her belly. Spearmint gum was an aphrodisiac. A testament to how much this man affected her. He was dangerous to her control, but she wasn’t about to admit that. “Don’t play games.”
“I’m not trying to,” she said, hating the catch in her voice. She offered him a smile. “I don’t know what I’m doing. No part of my life is stable and I’m not sure I can take on one more thing.”
“I’m something you’d have to take on?”
“You know what I mean.”
“It’s quickly becoming clear.”
“We can be friends,” she offered. “But anything else is a mistake.”
“I don’t like it when you use that word.”
“Yeah.” She swallowed. “I’m sorry, Gray. You’re great and so is Violet. I don’t want to mess things up any more than I have already. Obviously, some fundamental part of me is broken.”
He gave her the little half smile that drove her wild. “I hope I’m around to see what happens when you put yourself back together.”
She sucked in a shuddery breath. The fact that he could still be so kind in this moment was too much.
“Thanks.” She moved around him and down the driveway.
He didn’t follow, not that she’d expected him to.
Her car was parked on the street, and she unlocked the door with shaking fingers. She drove the already familiar route toward downtown, pulling into an angled space around the corner from the bakery where she and the Realtor she’d contacted were meeting.
She’d asked both Meredith and Carrie to join her but saw neither of them as she walked into the quiet shop. She didn’t understand