“I think that answers your question,” I replied with a laugh, standing up with him. “How’s Polly and the baby?”
“Doing great. She’s finally on her break from teaching again. I hope she uses the time to rest.” Jefferson grumbled.
“I think you know that she’s not good at that,” I reminded him as we made our way to the restaurant. I noted that there was movement in the bar and glanced over to see that Avery wasn’t in there any longer. They must open soon.
Jefferson greeted the hostess, and someone took us to his favorite booth. We both asked for coffee, and I added an ice water since I still felt thirsty from working out this morning.
“Avery is going to throw some new desserts on the menu this week,” Jefferson told me as I took a long drink from the glass placed on the table. I had to pretend I knew nothing about this, and nodded as I looked at him. “She sold the beignets at the event and people went just as crazy for them as they did her coffee cake. I thought that while she’s here, she could make something for the season. I think she misses baking.”
“I heard something about that. Good for her.” I added some cream to my coffee and stirred it. “Do you know what she’s making?”
“No clue. She was going to taste some stuff and decide what fits on the menu.” The server stopped at our table and we both ordered sandwiches with fries. It was a terrible thing to eat after working out, but I was hungry and knew I’d be back in the gym tomorrow. At least it was a veggie sandwich. “She might have something lined up for a job. There’s an interview coming up for her.”
The news made my heart sink a little, and I took a long sip of hot coffee to hide it. “Aren’t you going to miss her now that she’s been here for a while?”
“Avery has always had this thing about New York City. Once she knew she loved to bake, she always said that’s where she’s going to make it. I don’t see her giving it up now just because she came back for a while.” Jefferson replied, leaning back in the booth as he looked outside. “I hope she comes back to see the baby more than once a year. I just know how she gets about work. I’m a bit of a workaholic, but I’ll need to scale it down soon.”
“Yeah, you will. You’re going to be a busy and tired man.” I joked as he grinned at me. I didn’t enjoy hearing that about Avery, but I knew the deal when I met her.
“I’m just glad I have good friends like you on staff to help me out as things change.” That made me feel a little like shit, as I was currently sleeping with his sister.
We ate our food and chatted about random things around the lodge, as well as the upcoming competition. The mention of Big Air made me happy as I talked about the changes that were happening around snowboarding. I had my own dreams to pursue, and a woman was never anything to stop me.
After lunch, we parted ways, and I headed home to work on my website. I thought again about how great it would be to see Avery again soon and frowned as I remembered what Jefferson told me about his sister.
He’d kick my ass if he found out about her, but damn if she wasn’t worth the risk. Today behind the bar had pushed it a little farther, but I just needed to taste her lips. It was just a few kisses, and nobody saw us, so it was fine.
I’d do much more to her next time we saw each other and knew I had to come up with something unique for us. I enjoyed taking Avery over the edge and making her feel great.
I completed some photo sales and arranged shipping on them before making sure The Peaks Lodge website looked good before pushing myself away from the computer.
I made sure my gear was in good shape before the weekend since I planned to spend a lot of time on the slopes. I secretly hoped for a snowmobile so I could go out and see what the mountain looked like before everyone marked it with their skis or boards. I’d get some magnificent pictures that way and have some time outside in the place I loved the best.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
AVERY
I drove to the lodge later that night after arriving home to get ready to go see Charlie. I took a long shower to wash the scent of food from my skin and dried my hair in curls before applying a little makeup to my skin.
I knew exactly what would happen on this date and dressed in tight ripped up dark wash jeans with a clingy green sweater. I added some boots that traveled up my thigh and took a long look in the mirror before telling Mom goodbye.
She’d been great about the nights I disappeared. When we were younger, Mom always told us she trusted us to make the right decisions. Of course, my brother got into a long-term relationship early on and didn’t have much of a past with dating, but she told me to just make good choices.
Even when I didn’t, Mom always stayed by my side to support me.
She never asked what I had planned when I left now and didn’t seem to care if I didn’t come home at night. Mom knew I had a lot of friends in the area and likely stopped by to say hi. If I ever drank, she told me not to drive, and it was an agreement I’d always kept.
I wondered if she mentioned to my brother that I spent a lot of time out as I made my way down the windy road in the dark. Would he ever question me since he’d always been so protective of me?
If he did, what would I tell him?
I drove through the half-empty parking lot and headed to the back lot near Ciderworks. As I parked, I remembered when Jefferson told me they planned to build this barn for Charlie to open a business.
I thought it was a great idea and might help both friends, but I’d been distracted with my job and life that day. I didn’t think much about it past the conversation.
Now, I inspected the red barn with the white trim that boasted the name of Charlie’s business. It was a great place, and I knew from visiting that it was an indoor tasting area and an outdoor section that offered a large fire pit for the warmer months.
The business did well, and I know he sold a lot of cider through the tastings.