Twisted Up (Taking Chances #1) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,87

her head was spinning and her heart was pounding, and she was sure that tonight was going to make everything worse.

Ten years ago, she’d spun a big happily ever after out of prom and graduation-night sex.

Now she had big feelings for Jake, she was going to have dinner and possibly reconcile with his parents, and he was talking about staying.

She had needed to keep a tight hold on her imagination ever since hearing Jake’s idea for turning Chance into a tornado resource-and-training center. She could not let this turn into another big, naive fantasy in her mind.

Jake wasn’t talking about staying, Avery reminded herself harshly. He had never once said he was moving back to Chance.

But the way he’d lit up about the project . . .

Her stupid heart had started to hope. Avery felt her eyes stinging, and she sniffed.

That sniff was like a fire alarm for her friends.

Kit looked up quickly and Bree gave a little gasp.

“Oh my God.” Bree scooted her chair closer to Avery. “Talk. What’s going on with you and Jake?”

Immediately, Avery’s throat tightened and she felt the tears well up.

“Holy shit,” Bree breathed.

“Give her a tissue,” Kit said, handing Avery a glass of water.

“You give her a tissue; I’m getting her a shot.” Bree waved her arm in the air for the waitress.

Crying was also something Avery didn’t do.

Kit dug in her purse, and the waitress arrived with three shots of cinnamon schnapps—Bree’s go-to.

“I can’t have a shot,” Kit said. “I have appointments this afternoon.”

“I know.” Bree took two of the shot glasses and pushed one toward Avery.

Avery did, in fact, tip the shot back. One wouldn’t hurt, and if it would help, she was all for it. The cinnamon liqueur burned its way down her throat, and she dabbed at her eyes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kit asked after Avery had pulled in a deep breath.

“Don’t ask her,” Bree said. “Tell her to talk. She needs to talk.”

“I don’t tell people they have to talk,” Kit said.

“You tell me I have to talk,” Bree pointed out.

“You’re different.”

Bree rolled her eyes and turned back to Avery. “What’s going on?”

Avery swallowed hard. She’d wanted to get better at girl talk. Here was her chance.

Kit and Bree loved her. They were the first people to give her unconditional love in her life.

She clung to that as she said, “I think I’m falling for Jake.”

They both just sat looking at her.

After a moment she said, “That’s it. That’s what I need to talk about.”

Bree and Kit exchanged a look.

“What?” Avery asked.

“Honey, we knew you were falling for Jake,” Bree said.

Avery frowned and looked at Kit. Kit nodded.

“Not a crush. Not sex,” Avery said. “Like, maybe really love.”

Again, they didn’t react at first.

Finally, Bree nodded. “Yeah. Really love. That’s what we figured.”

“You’re supposed to be telling me it’s not real,” Avery said to Kit, her tone accusatory. “You’re the psychiatrist. You’re supposed to point out that it’s my pattern to build up these fantasies and it only ends up hurting me. You need to tell me how to fix it.”

Their food arrived, but they all ignored it. For Bree to ignore a bacon cheeseburger really said something about her feelings and concern for Avery.

Avery dabbed at her eyes again and wished for another shot.

Kit took one of Avery’s hands. “What’s your pattern? Tell me about that and these fantasies you’re building up.”

Avery took a breath. She was overreacting. She knew it. But she couldn’t stop. “It’s because of the meeting this morning,” she said. “Jake was in there talking about all of these big, amazing plans. He was so excited, so into that whole training idea.”

Kit nodded. “They all seemed into it.”

“That got me thinking about how great it would be for him to put that together and make it happen and . . . that he would have to stay then. And my mind ran with it. I always do this.”

“Do what?” Kit encouraged. “Your pattern?”

Avery nodded. These girls didn’t know everything about her mom, but they did know about Jake and the river. “It started after we went to prom, and then when he kissed me on graduation night it blew up. One kiss and I thought all of my dreams were coming true. I thought we’d get married and have this amazing life and . . . it’s ridiculous. I’m not a naive eighteen-year-old anymore. What’s wrong with me?”

Kit shook her head. “Nothing is wrong with you, Avery. But I think this goes