Twisted Up (Taking Chances #1) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,69
his chest, “I don’t really want that to be part of the town’s entertainment tonight.”
Avery nodded. It wasn’t fair to make Jake deal with an awkward scene between her and his parents. “I’ll stay out of your way.”
“No.”
His emphatic response surprised her. “No?”
“No. You will not be staying out of my way. Spending time with you tonight is more important than dealing with my parents.”
She didn’t miss that he’d used the word important. He had been listening to her tonight. Her heart melted a little.
“You can’t avoid your parents entirely, Jake,” she said. “People will notice if you give them the cold shoulder.”
“I’ll say hi before I find a way to lose them.”
The idea of Jake trying to “lose” his parents was crazy. This was the Mitchells. One of the most perfect families in town. Maybe the world. “That will hurt your mom’s feelings,” Avery said.
“Well, that’s her fault,” he said with a frown.
Avery bit her bottom lip. It was kind of Heidi’s fault, yes. Heidi had broken Avery’s heart. And she really liked Jake being protective of her. A lot. But part of her hated the idea of Jake being angry with his mom. It didn’t make complete sense. Maybe it was a product of her being older and more mature now. But she didn’t want to be a wedge between Jake and Heidi. She cared about them both too much. Even after everything.
“I can make small talk for a little while.”
Jake looked at her for a long moment. “You’d do that for me?”
She nodded. She’d do a lot for Jake. But she wasn’t quite ready for him to know that.
“I don’t want you to be hurt, Avery,” he said quietly.
And she believed him. Which made her able to say, “It will be okay.”
He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Let’s get this over with.”
They got out of the truck at the same time, and Jake met his father at the front bumper.
“Son.”
“Dad.”
Wes turned to look at Avery. “Chief Sparks.”
“Chief . . .” She trailed off and looked at Jake. “Wes,” she amended.
Jake’s dad was clearly surprised by her greeting. He started to respond, but Heidi appeared at his side at that moment.
“I heard an interesting story about the two of you at the bar,” were Heidi Mitchell’s first words to Avery since congratulating her on her election to chief.
“Later,” Jake said, taking Avery’s hand. “For now, you’re going to let it go. You’re going to let it all go.”
Heidi and Wes both looked from Jake to Avery and back.
Avery held her breath.
Finally, they nodded.
She let out her breath. Of course they’d nodded. This was Jake. They would always have Jake’s back.
They headed toward the bonfire like one big, happy family.
Everything Avery had always wanted.
Now she wanted to cry.
Jake couldn’t remember ever being angry with his mother.
He also couldn’t remember ever not enjoying a bonfire.
But it took everything he had to smile and chat and roast marshmallows and act like he was having a great time, act like everything was fine . . . and that he didn’t want to use swear words with his mom.
Jake didn’t swear around Heidi. No one did. She was the ultimate lady. She was sophisticated and conservative.
Yet he was biting back a good What the fuck, Mom? the entire time they watched the town’s storm debris literally go up in smoke.
That didn’t last once he stomped into the enormous kitchen in his childhood home after the bonfire.
“What the fuck, Mom?”
Heidi turned from the stove and her teakettle.
“Pardon me?”
Jake took in the details of his mother’s perfect appearance. She was dressed in blue jeans, as was appropriate for a town bonfire. She also wore a T-shirt—a hot-pink T-shirt with a black twister in the middle that sparkled with silver glitter, much as the faux tornado with the twinkle lights had to be specific. Yet somehow, Heidi made the T-shirt-and-jeans ensemble look classy. It wasn’t the bracelets and earrings she’d added, or the expensive leather boots she wore, or the black scarf she’d looped around her neck. It was how she carried herself.
Heidi had fallen in love with and married a hardworking blue-collar guy who’d gone into law enforcement and community service, but she came from money. On both sides of her family. Jake’s maternal grandparents, Jacob and Nita Williams, were natives of Chance. They owned the local dairy. His paternal grandparents were the Montgomerys. Heidi had always been involved with the family business. Her participation had grown in the past