The Magnolia Sisters (Magnolia Sisters #1) - Michelle Major Page 0,79
turned to leave, then paused and reached into her oversized purse, drawing out a plastic container and fork. “I almost forgot. Here’s lunch for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He didn’t bother to mention that he’d been managing his own meals for the whole of his adult life and he hadn’t starved yet.
“I also dropped off a casserole to your house.” She handed him the container of food. “Tuna noodle. It was your favorite as a kid.”
“You’re the best.”
She beamed at that. “Someone left a bag with a vibrating massager on your back porch. It looked more like some kind of kinky sex toy.”
Gray choked and tried to keep his expression neutral.
His mother sniffed delicately. “I threw it in the trash before Violet got ahold of it.”
He wasn’t going to begin to explain Avery’s trail of random and thoughtful gifts. How could the woman have known that his shoulders had ached with stiffness all week long?
“The wives of some of the guys at the station have been dropping by get-well gifts,” he lied. “I’m sure it was just a massager.”
“Either way.” She sniffed. “Enjoy the casserole.”
He lowered himself back into the chair as she walked out of the office. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at the state of his life. Battling his ex-wife on one side and avoiding his mother’s well-intentioned interference on the other. Yet the one woman he wanted to be a part of his life was still dodging him.
Gray might not know how to handle the first two, but he wasn’t going to let Avery ignore him much longer. That would be the smart thing, of course, but there was one benefit to believing his brother had gotten the brains in the family.
Gray could take impulsive action without feeling guilty. It was past time to test that theory with regards to Avery.
* * *
“I HAVE AN IDEA.” Avery looked between Carrie and Malcolm, both of whom she’d arranged to meet at the gallery later that afternoon.
The mayor’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “Should we be scared?”
“I’m not selling,” Carrie said immediately.
“Just hear me out,” Avery pleaded. “We need to do something, Carrie. You might not want to let go of your dad’s properties, but none of us will benefit if the bank repossesses them.”
“Our dad.” Carrie crossed her arms over her chest. “He was our dad.”
“I have a dad,” Meredith chimed in from where she was sprawled on the floor of the gallery, legs propped up on the wall. “I also have twenty minutes left on my lunch break so let’s get on with things.”
“We have chairs,” Carrie said, her tone clipped. “You don’t need to be on the floor.”
“I’m stretching,” Meredith explained. “It relieves tension. You might want to try it. Could loosen that stick lodged in your—”
“Ladies.” Malcolm held up his hands. “We’re all on the same team here.”
Meredith bit off a laugh. “What’s it called? Team Dysfunction?”
“We’re not having enough fun for that,” Carrie added.
Oil and water would mix better than those two, Avery thought. She wasn’t sure what had happened to the Meredith who’d been both vulnerable and supportive earlier that morning. Maybe she should have requested the meeting out at the beach. The property seemed to soften her youngest sister’s sharp edges in a way nothing else did. But the downtown location made more sense for everyone.
Carrie was spending the morning at the gallery cataloging Niall’s art. The mayor’s office was only a few blocks away and Meredith had a shift at the vet clinic in town where she worked part-time.
“We need a plan to revitalize downtown.” She cleared her throat and tried to ignore her tingling fingers. What if they thought her ideas were stupid? This type of plan wasn’t exactly in her wheelhouse, but she truly believed she could make a difference. “Magnolia is just as historic as some other destinations along the coast. I’ve been researching online, and this place rivals Savannah as far as architecture and charm. Plus the beach is close enough to be a draw.”