Chapter Five

 

 

 

AVERY

 

Avery should have been concentrating on what Lauren had to say, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t stop thinking about Dina and the kiss they shared. All of the kisses, to be exact. What started on the porch continued onto the porch swing, and then to the hallway upstairs when they parted ways to their own bedrooms.

He had to talk himself out of crossing the hall and knocking on her door throughout the night. Several times, he wanted to go to her, yet, he remained patient. He didn’t want to jump the gun. It was only their second date.

Avery wasn’t a prude, but he wasn’t a jackass either. He didn’t sleep with just anyone, and he wasn’t about the one-night stands. He preferred to get to know a woman.

But, hell, he felt like he knew Dina.

“So what do you think?” Lauren asked. When he didn’t answer, she called out his name again. “Avery?” She tapped her pen on her desk and arched a brow at him.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “My mind is a million miles away.”

She seemed annoyed. “Well, I have properties out of town, too, if you’ve changed your mind.”

“No, no. I didn’t change my mind. In fact, I’m more resolved now to stay in Hope Falls than yesterday. How do we proceed?”

“Well, I’ll get my people working on all the documents. We’ll have to get you approved through a lender, but that shouldn’t be difficult. There’s rarely a problem when the buyer is prepared to put up thirty percent, much less fifty. You’re good to go, Avery. All you have to do is decide on the place. Is there someone you might want to consult with first? If there’s a woman involved, which there always is, you might want to let her have a say, too.”

“Date number three,” Avery mumbled.

“I’m sorry?” Lauren said, squinting at him.

He shook his head. “Nothing. I guess I need a little more time to decide.”

Lauren waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. It’s my job to fit you with the right place. It’s not like it’s a new cardigan that you can take back if you don’t like the cut.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” Avery told her as he stood to leave. “Thank you again for your time.”

“You got it.”

After he left Lauren’s place, he headed to the firehouse. He had an idea what Casey’s proposition was about. He was thankful for the extra time to think about it on his short walk over. He could have been there in less than five minutes if he drove, but there was something about walking around town that Avery loved. Once his move to Hope Falls was permanent, he was sure his old truck wasn’t going to get that much of a work out. The beast would be sitting in the garage for sure.

 

 

 

DINA

 

If Dina could have spent the rest of her life daydreaming about her night out with Avery, she would have. She would have closed her eyes and thought about his sweet pecks. How his soft lips felt against hers. She would have fantasized about their lustful kisses and the way their bodies moved together with every lash of their tongues. The thought alone would have her sweating and panting for more.

There wasn’t a thing she could do to deny it. She wanted him. Bad.

But first, she had to square things away back in Los Angeles. If that wasn’t a buzz kill, she didn’t want to know what was. It was the farthest down on her list of things she wanted to do, yet it had to be the first.

Dina spent the better part of the morning speaking to her attorney and drawing up the papers she needed to officially be released from her contract at work. Sure, she had quit, but that didn’t take care of the legal matters. Not to mention, she had a job offer on the table and she couldn’t move on until her past was behind her.

When all of that was taken care of, she wanted to get out of the house and explore. She didn’t care that she reminded herself of a little old lady who enjoyed taking walks around town. She loved the fresh air. She loved the peace. And she adored store owners who waved at her as she passed by.

There was something magical about Hope Falls. She couldn’t wait to call it her home.

As she left Two Scoops with literally two scoops of ice cream, she contemplated her next move. Right next door was the bowling alley, and across the street was the movie theater. The two options made her smile and reminisce about her tenth birthday. She couldn’t decide what to do for her party and she struggled between choosing one or the other. In the end, her dad had surprised her and allowed her and a group of her friends to do both.

That’s what she would do. She’d do both.

But first, she needed a date.

 

 

 

AVERY

 

Avery slid his hand against Dina’s, threading his fingers with hers. It was instinctual for him to hold her hand as they left the house.

“Walk or drive?” he asked her.

“Walk, of course.”

They continued down the road toward Main Street, hand in hand, leaving Avery feeling like a champion. He was so head over heels falling in love with this woman. Every time he looked at her, every time he saw her smile, he wanted to scoop her up and hug her close.

She made him laugh. She made him think. She made him feel.

For the first time since he met her, he wasn’t considering how long he’d known her. All he thought about was their future. He was staying in Hope Falls, and he needed to share his plans. He hoped that she would feel just as sure about laying down roots as he did.

“So,” she said, drawing him from his thoughts. “Who would have thought that we’d be on date number three on day four of knowing each other?”

“The heart recognizes a good thing when it sees it,” Avery said, patting his chest.

“It sure does.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Shelby told me that time is just a number on a clock. That I shouldn’t be concerned with how long we’ve know each other.”

“She’s a smart woman,” he said, though it did make him wonder if she was feeling rushed or unsure. “What do you think? If you want me to back off—”

“No, no,” she said. “Things are just right the way they are. Don’t go changing things up on me.”

Avery squeezed her hand and smiled down at her. “So, are you going to let me in on the secret now? Where are we headed?”

“Dinner. Bowling. Movies,” Dina said, leaning into his arm as they walked.

“Sounds like a date,” he said.

“Scared?”

“Not at all.”

 

 

 

DINA

 

After another dinner with non-stop chatting, Dina and Avery headed to the movie theater.

“We have a few choices,” Dina told him. “Suspense, action, or rom com?”

“You pick,” he told her. “I’m good with anything.”

Dina took a step closer to him, pressing her chest against his. To say she felt tingles would have been an understatement. She felt sparks, electricity. “You’d even see the super cheesy romantic comedy?” She looked up at him with a smile plastered on her face.

He tilted his head down and placed a quick kiss on her lips. God, she wanted him to do it again. And again and again.

“If you really want to see the cheese, we’ll see the cheese.”

“Fine, we’ll go action,” she said.

“What happened to the cheese?”

“I’m really not a fan of suspense and I don’t think you’re too keen on the romance, so I’m compromising. Sound good?”

He kissed her again. “Perfect.”

 

 

 

AVERY

 

Dina was amazing. He would have totally suffered through another Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy, if he had to. God knows he’d seen them all with his mother and sister and he had sworn he’d rather staple his eyelids shut than watch another one. Yet, there was this beautiful woman with the most adorable dimples he’d ever seen smiling up at him. And if she wanted to torture him with a rom com, then he’d let her.

When she decided on an action movie instead, he silently thanked Shelby and Levi for having a vacancy for Dina and him. The longer he stayed and the more he got to know the woman across the hall, he was starting to believe in fate and one true love and other sappy shit like that. Dina did that to him.

The right girl had come along. She was standing in front of him, looking crazy cute with her hair pulled up in a ponytail, wearing a hoodie, yoga pants and sneakers. Even in the most casual clothes, she was simply stunning. She took his breath away.

“Where do you want to sit?” Dina asked as they walked into the theater with soda and popcorn.

“All the way to the top,” he said. He stepped aside and followed behind her as she climbed the stairs.

Once they were seated, they both dug into the popcorn. “Top row, Avery?” Dina laughed. “Do you plan on getting frisky with me up here?”

He chuckled. “Frisky?”

She tried to wink at him, but couldn’t quite pull it off. “Wanna make out?”

“Let me see you wink again,” he teased her.

She elbowed him. “Stop.”

“Come on,” he said. “That was totally hot.” He gave her an exaggerated wink. “Wanna make out?”

Together, they laughed aloud. There were a few other movie-goers in the theater who turned around and gave them the stink eye. Avery didn’t care. The previews hadn’t even started yet.

Dina threw popcorn at him. Not just one kernel. She chucked a handful. Avery’s mouth hung open and his eyes grew wide.

“Oh, no you didn’t,” he said as he grabbed a handful and tossed it at her. She looked adorable, with popcorn in her hair and rolling down her chest.

“You are wasting perfectly good popcorn, you know that?” She narrowed her brows at him, but the stern expression didn’t last long. It quickly turned to a mischievous grin. She was up to something.

“No, I’m not,” Avery told her. He nuzzled her neck, lapping up popcorn from her hair and chest. He loved hearing her laugh as he alternated between kissing her and chewing up the spilled food.

Dina patted him on the shoulder. “Okay, okay, I’m tapping out.” She was still giggling. “The movie is about to start,” she whispered.

“Fine,” he said. “To be continued.”

She looked at him, and gave him that horrible wink again. “Count on it.”

He tried to stay quiet, but he couldn’t help himself. He busted up with laughter until the other patrons shushed him.

It didn’t matter how angry they were, he was having the time of his life and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

 

 

 

DINA

 

The bowling alley was packed. It was league night and there wasn’t a free lane open for hours, so Dina suggested going back to the house and watching another movie.  They enjoyed the first one in the theater and the night was young. What else were they going to do?

They didn’t take long to pick out a movie from the collection at the B & B. Avery got it started, while Dina grabbed a blanket for them.

The two sat on the couch side by side as the opening credits rolled.

“I can’t believe I’m about to do this,” Dina said as she stood up.

“What happened?”

She held up her palm. “I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes passed before she returned… with the bag of Chili Cheese Fritos and two Dr Peppers. “You’re being a good sport and watching Fever Pitch. I’ll be a good sport and share my goodies with you.”

Avery fluttered his brows and then gave her one of those horrible winks.

She picked up a throw pillow and chucked it at him.

“My food, Avery,” she shouted. “My food!”

“Freudian slip?” He chuckled.

“Sure,” she said. “You got me.”

He grasped her hand and pulled her down so she was sitting next to him again. “I sure do.”

“You’re cute,” she told him.

“So are you.”

Her throat tightened and she got choked up. “You make me smile.”

“Right back atcha.” He pressed his lips to hers. “You make me happy.”

Butterflies. Flying. Soaring. Everywhere. “Ditto.”

“Wanna make out?” he asked, his lips brushing along her neck.

She sucked in a breath and held it. “Yeah,” she said on the exhale. “Want my goodies?”

“Yeah,” he said before he kissed her lips. “We should watch the movie.”

“We should.” Her words were barely audible. She couldn’t believe how he made her body feel with only soft, slow kisses to her lips and neck. She had to press her thighs together to calm the waves of excitement pouring through her.

They shared one last kiss before they backed away and continued watching the movie.

She reached to the other side of the couch were her goodies had fallen. She gave Avery a soda before she cracked one open for herself. The first drink was amazing. The bubbles tickled her nose and the sweet taste coated the inside of her mouth.

When she opened the package of chips, she laughed when she took in the scent. Yeah, they didn’t really smell all that great, but she couldn’t resist them anymore than she could resist the man sitting next to her.

Dina held the open bag to Avery. He took a few and tossed them into his mouth. She didn’t know why, but she smiled at the sound of him crunching on her favorite kind of chip.

“Katie thinks this house is haunted,” Dina said aloud. She didn’t look in Avery’s direction—her eyes stayed on the television.

 

 

 

AVERY

 

He watched her as she tried to focus on the TV. If they were going to talk about the spell, he wanted to look in her eyes.

Avery reached into her bag of chips. “I’ve heard.”

She looked his way, and he met her gaze. “Haunted?” She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, haunted,” he repeated, rolling his eyes right back

“That stuff only happens in fairytales.” She gave him one of her trademark winks.

“Katie’s crazy,” he told her, winking too.

Dina dug her hand in her bag, grabbed some Fritos and stuffed them in her mouth. A few tumbled out and rolled down the front of her shirt. It had to be the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

With her mouth full, and in between crunches, Dina said, “Yeah. Crazy.”

Crazy or not, Avery didn’t care that the gorgeous woman next to him smelled liked chili powder and corn chips. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and love her.

Dina crunched louder. “Is this sexy?”

He chuckled. “Oh yeah. Hot.”

“Is this our version of a fairytale?” she asked.

Avery picked up a Frito from her lap and ate it. “I hope so.”

She gave him a smile that lit up his world. She was glowing. “Me too.”