Chapter 6

SIX

Ava

Self-improvement aside, I know when the universe is sending me a message. Bellehaven is a small town, but it's not that small . Ranger keeps popping up. I see him everywhere. There've been times over the last few days when we've crossed paths, I've ducked him. Not that I don't want to see him. I just wasn't ready yet.

He put the ball in my court the last time we met. I had decisions to make. I'm not looking at him and thinking of white dresses and bouquets and forever. But I know that whatever this thing is, it's not gonna be just one and done. He might not be looking for commitment either, but he's definitely not the one-night stand type. He's too comfortable and confident, too at ease in his own skin. This man doesn't have shit to prove to anyone, including himself. It's scary and sexy as hell all at the same time.

"You look good," he says, helping Karli into her seat. It's second nature for him, making sure she's an appropriate distance from the table, that she's got her napkin, that her he'd gotten for her is close enough for her to reach but far enough from the edge of the table to avoid spills. Seeing him as a grandfather is one thing, but it makes me wonder what he was like as a parent. 'Cause whatever was going on, he clearly was super involved.

"Thanks. So do you."

"Day off?"

I look down at the shorts and T‐shirt. My intent had been to come in and grab a pizza to go. I've got about a million things to do at home, but when I saw him walking in—well, my plans changed. "Yeah. I hit the limit on PTO. My boss told me to use it or lose it, so here I am … I was scrubbing new‐to‐me patio furniture and getting it ready to paint."

"Sounds like a project," he says.

Conversation stops for a minute as the waitress comes back to our table. "Y'all ready to order?"

"Pepperoni," Karli says.

Ranger looks at her. "That's not polite. You have to let Ava have a chance to figure out what she wants."

"Just so happens I love a good pepperoni pizza." I give Karli a little conspiratorial wink and she giggles.

Ranger sighs. "Large pepperoni pizza and a garden salad with ranch … You're eating some vegetables, K. I'm not gonna have your mother take me to the woodshed again over that."

Karli is such a good kid. She just sighs heavily with resignation. "Okay … can I go play a game until the food gets here?"

There's an ancient Pac‐Man machine in the corner that normally you can't even get near. People line their quarters up on it like they do on pool tables at a bar.

He digs some quarters out of his pocket and Karli takes them and runs over to the game. "Jesus," Ranger says under his breath. "That thing's been here since I was a kid."

"It's a new one actually. Well, newish," I tell him as Karli takes off. "The old one bit the dust a few years ago. The whole town was in mourning."

He grins. "I'm not surprised. It sucks to be an antique."

"Vintage," I correct him. "It's much cooler."

"It still means I'm goddamn old. Is that what's got you spooked, Ava?"

I look down at the table. "I'm not spooked."

"It's been three days. And you don't strike me as the game‐playing type. I'm not either."

I kind of suspected he'd be a straight shooter, but I hadn't anticipated he'd be that direct. I appreciate it though, even if it does put me on the spot. I take a deep breath before I start my explanation. "I had some decisions to make … You're not someone that I can just do a casual thing with. I'm not looking for love or marriage or white picket fences. But I recognized pretty quickly that there's a connection here. I had to decide whether or not it was in my best interest to ignore it."

He takes a sip of his drink and then pins me with that direct and unflinching gaze. "Is that why you ducked behind your steering wheel when I passed you in town yesterday?"

I laugh, a little embarrassed that he caught me. "I wasn't hiding from you. I was hiding from the decision-making process … I wasn't ready then."

"And now?"

I look over to where Karli is playing her game. "I've got the next three days off, Ranger. Next time you come to my house, it's gonna be for more than dinner."

"Tonight. As soon as Britt gets home from dinner … And just so you know, Ava, I don't plan on leaving till tomorrow morning."

Ranger: Heading your way. Second thoughts?

I read the text again. More like forty second thoughts, but for every doubt that creeps into my head, one certainty trumps it. I want him . I've wanted him from the first instant I laid eyes on him. Only now, it isn't just sex. Because I like him. And not in the romantic and misguided schoolgirl crush way. I like him as a person. I like hearing his thoughts, watching the careful way he does things and takes care of all the little details. In short, this is dangerous. So dangerous.

Before I can chicken out, I text him back.

Ava: I ' ve talked myself out of them. When are you getting here?

Ranger: Parked in front of your house now. See you in a minute.

I take a deep breath and then walk to the door. I've got it open before he even climbs the first step. And when he comes into the house, there's no preamble, no warning. He just backs me against the wall right there in my tiny little foyer, those big strong hands snaking around my waist. Holding me close. Then his mouth is on mine. Hot, insistent, seductive—this man kisses me the way every woman dreams of being kissed. It's romance and heat and passion and just dirty enough to make it hot as hell. And if the kiss is that good, what else does he have up his sleeve?