Carrie told them in a hushed tone.
“We’re grown women,” Avery argued but made certain not to meet the disapproving stares of the town council members. Still grinning, she refocused her attention on the parade, her gaze drawn to a pair of amused green eyes.
A slow shiver rolled down her spine as she took in Gray Atwell perched on the running board of a long hook and ladder truck. He wore his dress uniform, the blue button-down shirt stretched taut across his broad chest. Her body reacted the same way it had the first time she’d seen him, only somehow it was amplified by the crowd, the other firefighters surrounding him and—God help her—the massive red truck. More laughter bubbled up in her throat and she worked to swallow it back.
“Talk about a five-alarm blaze,” Meredith said under her breath.
Carrie sighed and leaned closer. “I wouldn’t mind being hosed down by one of them.”
Avery felt her mouth drop open as she shifted her gaze between her two sisters. “You have dirty minds,” she told them before finding Gray again. He was still looking at her, one thick brow arched in question.
No way would she ever share her thoughts on this with him.
Then the fire truck had rolled past and a group of pint-sized cyclists came into view before them.
Meredith whistled softly. “Gray Atwell? That was quick work, Avs.”
“I told you, don’t call me Avs.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “There’s nothing between Gray and me. I’m staying in Carrie’s apartment, so he’s my landlord.”
“You make it sound kinky,” Meredith told her.
Avery felt color flood her cheeks. Plenty of her thoughts about Gray could be filed in the “kinky” folder, but she wasn’t about to admit it.
“Enough.” Carrie was back to sounding like a schoolteacher disciplining her wayward students. “The parade is ending. It’s time for the speech.”
“Remind me why we didn’t drink before this,” Avery said.
“Because Meredith is a loose cannon stone-cold sober,” Carrie answered immediately. “It’s game over when she’s drinking.”
“I can control myself,” Meredith argued, reaching around Avery to flick Carrie hard on the temple.
“Ow.” Carrie pressed two fingers to the side of her head.
Malcolm turned to the three of them. “Ladies.”
They straightened and fell silent.
Avery tried not to fidget under the weight of the stares they received from the crowed. It had been bad enough when the attention was divided between them and the parade, but now they seemed to be the only thing anyone could look at. The mayor began to speak, but apparently most people felt as though they could listen to Malcolm Grimes while their attention remained on Avery, Carrie and Meredith.
She wished she’d worn something else, an outfit that would have allowed her to blend in more. It had been easy to feel brave and confident, ready to thumb her nose at the rising crest of small-town judgment when she’d been alone in the carriage house this morning. Now she simply wanted to disappear.
These people knew Carrie and Meredith, so while her sisters were also on display, Avery couldn’t help but feel as though she warranted the most interest. It reminded her of those terrible weeks between losing her job and leaving San Francisco. She’d had to return to the office to meet with Human Resources after Tony’s wife had outed her publicly for the affair. Of course, no one cared about Avery’s side of the story or the lies she’d been told by the man she thought she loved. Her coworkers, the people she thought were her friends, had risen from their cubicles and come out of individual offices to line the hall, glaring at her as she walked to the office of the HR manager.
She hadn’t even questioned why the woman didn’t put a stop to the outward display of hostility. Avery wore her guilt like a hair shirt, willing to take any anger and animosity directed her way if it could possibly begin to make amends for the mistakes she’d made.
But she hadn’t done anything wrong in Magnolia. No part of this situation was her doing. Of course, she understood