The Magnolia Sisters (Magnolia Sisters #1) - Michelle Major Page 0,88
in her life because she’d been busy at work.
“Why the sudden wave of nausea? You’ve been getting more involved with the revitalization plan every day. It won’t be a surprise for people to see you out in the community.”
“That’s the problem.” Avery tugged one hand out of his grasp and pressed it to her stomach. “Now there are expectations.”
“Such as...”
“Like I’m supposed to care about this place,” she blurted, then wished she could take back the careless words as Gray took a step back.
“Ouch,” he whispered.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she quickly amended. “I do care. I care so much it scares me to pieces.”
“Is this about the running shoes?” he asked, his gaze gentling.
As embarrassing as it felt to admit how vulnerable her feelings made her, the alternative of him thinking she was coldhearted... Well, that was even worse.
“We’re making great progress on the plans for downtown. But I can see the way people look at me now. Like I’m some kind of small-town savior.”
“No one is going to put pressure on you in that way.”
“Carrie, Malcolm and I were meeting yesterday at the gallery to discuss a new online marketing campaign. Joe from the diner delivered lunch and homemade brownies that his eighty-year-old mom made. He’s also behind on his mortgage payments and told us that if he loses the business, his wife will leave him and his oldest son will have to drop out of college.” She drew in a shaky breath. “How’s that for pressure?”
“Wow.”
“Right? I want to see Violet dance. That little ankle biter has wound her sassy self around my heart. But I’m afraid for people to depend on me. I’ll let them down. I’ll let her down.” And you, she added silently. Most of all, she didn’t want to hurt Gray.
“You’re complicating this,” he told her, taking several steps toward the alley’s entrance and holding out a hand. “Just watch the recital today, and you can deal with saving Magnolia tomorrow.”
She studied him, looking for a reason to argue. It couldn’t possibly be as simple as he made it sound. She’d never done that. She analyzed risk and then made the most prudent decision she could.
Magnolia challenged everything she knew about herself. Everything that gave her life meaning. On the flip side, she’d never felt as alive as she did in this town.
Particularly with this man.
She straightened from the wall, ignoring that the fabric of her shirt stuck to her back. Nerves didn’t matter. Violet had asked her to come to the recital, and Avery wouldn’t allow her own cowardice to be the reason she disappointed the girl.
Ignoring the shaking in her knees, she stepped toward Gray. “Simple is my middle name,” she said, kissing him quickly. She swatted his hand away when he tried to pull her close. “Which is why I’m not walking into the dance studio holding your hand. No reason to give people more incentive to talk about me.”
He dropped another kiss on the top of her head and then they walked toward the sunlit sidewalk together. “It might distract them. You could go from being the town savior to my sweet honey-bun.”
“Or they could talk,” she said with an eye roll, “when I throat punch you for that sassy mouth.”
He leaned closer. “You love my sassy mouth.”
“In your dreams,” Avery said, shocked she was able to get out the words without choking on them. Because her immediate thought had been I love you.
She truly had fallen in love with Gray Atwell.
So much for analyzing risk and making a sensible decision.
* * *
GRAY COULDN’T BELIEVE how much better it felt to walk into Josie’s dance studio with Avery next to him. He’d gotten so used to handling things on his own. There was no point in wasting time thinking negative thoughts about his ex-wife.
She’d given him Violet, and for that he’d always be grateful.