The Magnolia Sisters (Magnolia Sisters #1) - Michelle Major Page 0,71
which was to say not at all. She’d done nothing wrong. Gray and his wife had divorced long before Avery’d entered the picture. Not that she was really part of the picture. She’d spent the night in the guest room and woke early this morning, tiptoeing downstairs to prepare a quick breakfast for Gray and his daughter.
Instead she’d found Violet on the couch, watching television. Spot had spied the girl and scampered to her, bounding up on the couch for a few morning licks. Violet had giggled, hugging Spot to her chest before turning a serious gaze to Avery again.
“Daddy never sleeps late,” the girl had told her, not questioning Avery’s presence. “But he’s not awake yet. I went in his room and he’s breathing.”
“Of course he’s breathing,” Avery answered. The poor girl was clearly more worried than she’d let on the previous evening when Avery had tucked her into bed. Avery had glanced up the stairs, then offered Violet a reassuring smile. “I told him to sleep in today,” she lied. “What would you like for breakfast?”
“Donuts.”
Avery continued down the stairs. “Does your daddy let you have donuts for breakfast?” She pointed a finger at Violet when the girl opened her mouth to answer. “If you lie, I’ll know and no braids for a week.”
“Only on weekends,” the girl mumbled. “I have to eat fruit with it. Like that matters.”
“So what about school days?”
“Healthy junk,” Violet said. “Can I have toast with peanut butter?”
“What’s the magic word?”
That question earned an eye roll. “Try abracadabra.”
“Try make your own toast.”
“Please, can I have toast?” the girl amended.
Avery smiled, ignoring the fact that she sounded like someone’s mother, a fact that was comical in and of itself.
“Would you please turn off the TV and take Spot out to do her business? I’ll get started on toast.”
“I’m resting,” Violet argued. “Thinking about school makes me tired.”
Avery shrugged. “Fine but you’ll wake up real quick if that dog has an accident on your leg.”
“Gross.” Violet hopped off the couch and headed for the back door. “You aren’t fun.”
“Never claimed to be,” Avery had answered.
Now she wished she’d thrown good sense to the wind and taken the girl for donuts. At least they would have missed Stacy’s angry arrival and the confrontation that felt inevitable with the air inside the house sparking with tension. Violet continued to stare at the countertop as if it held every bit of her attention. Yet Avery had no doubt Violet was aware of what was about to go down.
The girl might not think Avery was fun, but anything had to be better than watching her mom and dad tear into each other. Gray sent her a pleading look across the room. Yesterday he might have seemed vulnerable but no more. Despite the bandage on his forehead and the scrapes to his arm, he’d returned to the alpha male who elicited all sorts of unwanted reactions in her.
“Do you hear Spot whining?” Avery asked softly, cupping a hand over her ear.
Violet gave a sharp shake of her head.
“I do,” Avery continued. “I bet she’s gotten into something and made a huge mess in the carriage house. You want to check it out with me?”
Another head shake.
“I’ll give you ten dollars,” Avery whispered, desperate to be gone before Stacy let Gray have it.
“Violet should have been with me last night,” Stacy said, her voice pitched low. Out of the corner of her eye, Avery saw the woman jab a finger into Gray’s chest. “You should have called me.”
“Twenty,” Violet mumbled.
Avery released a breath. “Done.”
She grabbed the girl’s hand and tugged her off the stool. Stacy didn’t turn around, and Gray kept his attention fixed on his ex-wife like he was staring down a cobra.
“It’s not a big deal,” she heard him say as she ushered Violet toward the back door.