The Magnolia Sisters (Magnolia Sisters #1) - Michelle Major Page 0,81
toward Spot, panting softly where she was curled near Meredith. As if she could feel all eyes on her, the dog lifted her head, gaze trained adoringly toward her foster mom.
Avery’s heart skipped a beat, but she forced a casual laugh. “She’ll love whoever ends up feeding her on a permanent basis.”
Meredith reached out and scratched the dog’s floppy ears. “She’s bonded with you.”
“Then unbond her,” Avery snapped.
“That might be easier to accomplish with a dog than with people.” He gestured between the three women. “You’re sisters. That’s a tie that can’t be broken.”
The truth of those words felt like both a gift and a curse, but Avery rolled her eyes. “We didn’t even know we shared DNA a month ago, and plenty of siblings are close despite miles between them.”
“Yes,” Malcolm agreed slowly. “But who’s going to keep these two from sniping at each other if you leave?”
“You can,” Avery all but shouted.
“No, ma’am.” He shook his head. “My plate is already overflowing with general town craziness.”
“They’re adults who—”
“Can hear you talking about us,” Meredith said, straightening and placing her hands on her trim hips. “Of course we can manage on our own. I’ve hated her for decades and we’ve rubbed along just fine.”
Carrie drew in a sharp breath. “You hate me?”
Meredith blinked. “I mean, I used to hate you. Past tense. I don’t hate you anymore.”
“If you had a choice—” Carrie narrowed her eyes “—of spending time alone with me or getting punched in the face, which would you choose?”
“How hard of a punch are we talking about?” Meredith asked with a cheeky grin.
“You’re the worst,” Carrie muttered, then turned to Avery. “You can’t leave.”
“I can’t stay,” Avery protested weakly.
Meredith moved to stand next to Carrie. Once again, they were a study in contrasts. Carrie with her fine bone structure, loosely braided hair and flowing sundress while Meredith wore athletic tights and a ripped T-shirt that read Mother of Dogs. Her dark hair was held back in an array of colorful clips with short tendrils sticking out near her temples.
“Malcolm is right,” Meredith told her. “We need to do this together. The three of us. Princess and I won’t be able to agree on anything. We need you.”
“Besides,” Carrie added. “You’ve already said you need a fresh start. Why not in Magnolia?”
“I wasn’t built to be a Southern belle,” Avery argued. “I hated Gone with the Wind.”
“Frankly, my dear sister,” Meredith deadpanned. “I don’t give a—”
Carrie nudged Meredith to silence her. “It’s your plan. You have this amazing idea for turning things around in town. You can’t just throw it on the table, then cut and run.”
“I’m not going to...” Avery paused, an unfamiliar bolt of satisfaction rolling through her. “You think the idea is amazing?”
Carrie nodded, then nudged Meredith again.
“Stop touching me. Yeah, it’s good. Rough but good. I mean, more people coming through means more potential adopters for my babies.”
“And Niall wasn’t the only business owner suffering.” Malcolm ran a hand over his bald head. “If we can turn things around, everyone will benefit.”
“So you admit my endgame—” Avery mimicked his words, adding air quotes for good measure “—as you call it, isn’t just me being selfish and looking out for my own interests?” She had no idea why she even cared what these people or anyone in this town thought about her, but she couldn’t seem to turn off her emotions.
Malcolm shrugged. “Let’s make sure it works.”
“Does that mean you’ll stay?” Meredith asked.
“And that we can forget the idea of selling?”
Avery’s pulse pounded. She wanted to hate the way they looked at her expectantly but it felt good to be important to someone. “Nothing is off the table as far as I’m concerned, but we’re going to try to salvage this without selling to an outsider. If we’re successful, you two can buy me out.”
Meredith and Carrie gave her matching frowns. “I thought you were going to stay,” Meredith