I watched as Avery munched on a piece of sausage, the air laden with the smells of maple syrup, bacon, and coffee. It was the smell of every true diner across the country. But even better was the chance to spend more time with the only woman I’d ever loved—especially when her hatred and anger for me seemed to be mellowing with each passing moment.
She, dare I say, even seemed to be enjoying herself. Maybe last night had done her some good—or at the very least had helped her to relax a little and get comfortable with the idea of having me around again. Not that I knew for sure what she’d gotten up to. Other than after several years together, I knew her well enough, and we’d had many a late-night texting session if we happened to be apart.
Looking up at me, she caught me staring at her with a knowing smile on my lips. Her eyes narrowed at me in a glare, though there was little heat or anger there. “Work, Dane. That’s the only thing we’re here for. Got it?”
“Is it really?” My smile widened as I cocked my head in question, my gaze continuing to take her in, loving it when her cheeks flushed against her skin, which was the color of sun-kissed honey. “What if this entire mess was simply fate’s plan to bring us back together?”
“I don’t believe in fate, Dane. And why do you always have to be a pain in the ass?” She shook her head, looking frustrated, though not angry—not even when I reached across the table and tangled her fingers with mine.
“Look, I get it. You want to focus on work because that’s safe and straightforward, and you can’t get hurt. But I swear, I won’t ever hurt you again. I just need you back in my life...need you to know how much I love you—and I get that you’re not there. But maybe, just maybe, you should give me another chance. Let me take you out on a proper date. Let me show you that I’m no longer the guy who fucked up both our lives.” Because I had. There was no one else who could take the blame for that one.
“You’re not going to stop bugging me until I say yes, aren’t you?” She let out a ragged breath, shaking her head while mulling it over. “I’ll tell you what...I’ll meet you halfway. Once we’re done with work, you can have your date.”
“You’re not exactly giving me a whole lot of time to plan.” I would have liked to do something special for her, though I’d take what I could get, since it still meant we’d be going out on an actual date. She might be trying to fight this, but there was no way she could honestly deny what was between us, despite our problems.
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something brilliant anyway.” She flicked her eyebrows up teasingly as she tucked into her eggs, dipping her toast in the yolk. “So, regarding my little work problem—and yours... I think the easiest way to get you into GTC is for me to hire you as my assistant. I’ve been interviewing new hires, so it should be easy enough to get you in for an interview. We just need to make sure you’ll pass the security clearance.”
It’d take a bit of finagling, but I could certainly manage it, especially with Avery’s insight. It’d be damn nice to work with her again, since without her, it felt like the fun had gone out of hacking, and it was just another job. “I like the idea of us working together again. It’s been far too long.”
She let out an exasperated breath, looking at me like I was as dense as a rock. “Why do you always force me to remind you that it’s no one’s fault but your own? You keep bringing things up, looking at me with nostalgic puppy dog eyes like it was somehow my fault that we split up—when it’s not.”
“The blame lies squarely on my shoulders, love—and I’m taking full responsibility for it. You, in no way, had anything to do with our breakup. But if we’re going to try to move past this, then, sweetheart...you need to stop reminding me that I screwed up. It’s pointless anyway, since I’ll never forget that I hurt you. I’ll never forget that I fucked up the most important thing in the world to me.” I’d always live with the pain of that mistake—even if I managed to win her back.
She sucked in a deep breath, letting it out on a ragged sigh, her brown eyes taking me in. “You’re right. I need to stop bringing it up if I have any hope of moving past it. It’s just hard. I’ve spent the last four years blaming you, instead of just getting on with my life. I need to do better. And clearly, hating you has gotten me nowhere. I’m still just as messed up as I was when you broke my heart.”
“Avery, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for it. I hate that I hurt you and ruined the best thing in my life.” Because that was the truth. I’d never gotten over her. No matter how hard I tried. “And I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but maybe that’s what’s needed so we can move forward.”
“Yeah...maybe.”
As we finished breakfast, we kept the conversation casual and away from any topics that would claw at our wounds—and amazingly enough, the tension between us seemed to ease. She even laughed at my stupid jokes and stories. And for the first time in a long time, it felt like I could breathe, despite the problems that still lurked.
With full bellies, we hopped in my car, and I pulled out into traffic, as Avery shifted in her seat to face me. “Did you want to head to my place or yours to work?”
“Let’s head to mine.” I knew all too well that, at her place, we ran the risk of Huck being there. And if I had to spend the day trying to ignore him as he glared at me, things likely wouldn’t end well.
I knew he was her best friend, but it was also damn obvious that he was in love with her—and Avery had basically said as much in the past. Except that I had no right to be a jealous ass—and the truth was, if they hadn’t already hooked up in the past four years since our breakup, then chances were good they wouldn’t. Still...that didn’t mean spending the day with him looking over our shoulder would be a good idea.
Once we got to my place, I let the dogs out into the fenced backyard so they could play instead of bothering us—except for Bob, who immediately remembered Avery and now wouldn’t leave her side. I tilted my head toward the massive pup. “I’m not sure if you want a dog or not, but it’s looking more and more like you may already have one.”
She sat down on the sofa, lavishing attention on Bob, who was loving every minute of it. “I’d love to adopt him, but I’d have to check with Huck first, since it’s his house.”
“And you’ve never felt the need to get a place all your own?” Away from Huck. And though I didn’t say it, she laughed, knowing full well what I was implying.
“Nope. Never have. I like Huck’s company, and he’s at work often enough that I get the house to myself plenty.” She sat back, kicking off her shoes and tucking her feet under her as she got comfortable on the sofa. “Besides, have you seen the cost of houses in the Seattle area? Even renting is crazy, though I suppose I could move farther out, away from the city.”
Yet before I could tell her that I’d happily let her live here with me, rent-free, my phone buzzed.
Stubbs. Again.
He was being a pain in the ass, pressuring me to get this job done, ignoring me when I told him that a job like this would take time. Not that he cared if I got caught—as long as he got his plans and they couldn’t be traced back to him.
But his impatience only made him all the more dangerous, since it’d be just like him to do something stupid if he felt like he was being ignored.
I didn’t like this. Not one bit.