Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

AVA

Jett absolutely thinks I warned Gabriella about Hayden because I'm jealous. The way he watched me during the discussion and the conversation Gabriella told me he and Colby had after I left say that he thinks I'm pushing Gabriella to tell him not to bring Hayden under the guise of bad publicity.

I don't really blame him. I'm his ex; it looks bad. I can see that.

I don't like doing this to him, but one thing I can't compromise here is Gabriella's big day, both in the sense that it's her wedding and I don't want anything to ruin it and in the sense that it's the start of something big. It has to be perfect, and that means no surprises. Plus there's the fact that my job could be on the line.

I set up notifications for every time Hayden posts, which over the next couple of weeks includes more pictures of Jett than I like looking at. She posts about having lunch with the councilwoman, and the mention of a project they're working on together has me narrowing my eyes, but she's not lobbing anything Gabriella's way.

Not yet.

My gut says Colby should tell Jett flat out that Hayden can't come. There's a subtle thread of meanness in a lot of Hayden's posts that someone who isn't paying as much attention as I am probably wouldn't pick up on. A slight dig at a competing company when she poses with cookies from her favorite bakery, replies with emojis that make it clear she's being dismissive of people, among a dozen other things. It makes me nervous, but I recognize that this is tricky with Jett, so I don't push on it.

Thankfully, the Pumas are out of town for a couple of Sundays in a row, so I don't have Gabriella dragging me to team stuff with her. Instead, I drag her around shopping for little things I want her opinion on. It's a lot of random stuff, like a pretty hanger for her dress, a cake knife, and gifts for the wedding party, to name a few.

We're browsing an adorable boutique on South Boulevard when we run into Dalton King. I haven't seen him since he came to hang out at Colby's the night of the Guacamole Incident. Gabriella did tell me that he texted her to check up on me.

"Good to see you breathing," he says after he crosses the store and pulls me into a hug.

"Ha." I roll my eyes at him when he lets go. "What are you up to?" I ask.

"Birthday present for my sister. This is perfect. You two can help." He rubs his hands together as though we've agreed to some sinister scheme.

"How's your family?" I ask as we begin scanning the shelves once again. Gabriella wants to put a lot of thought into the gifts she puts together for her bridesmaids. "I'm surprised you never moved up to Montana to be closer to them." His parents and younger sister moved there after he graduated high school, and when we were in college, he'd complained about the weather every time he visited.

He shivers. "Way too cold. No way." He picks up a candle and sniffs it, but Gabriella puts a hand on his arm and shakes her head. He turns back to me. "Lily's going to school at Montana State and got engaged to a guy from Billings, Montana, so Mom and Dad are happy that she'll be sticking around."

"Tell her congratulations." I meet his gaze over the low shelf we're standing on opposite sides of. He holds it for a moment, making my cheeks pink.

"I will." When he looks away, he picks up a box, then holds it up for Gabriella's inspection. I lean over her shoulder, catching site of a blue stone on a thin silver chain. The card reads, You are my rock . A note nearby the items indicates the store can even engrave the necklaces.

"Yes," Gabriella breathes. "That's perfect." I nod my agreement, admiring them myself.

"It would be perfect for your maid of honor too," I tell her. She's already reaching for a pretty pale-pink stone. Gabriella and her maid of honor have been best friends since preschool.

"Okay, I owe you," Dalton says. "Coffee on me? There's a great place just up the street."

I hold back a laugh. We barely did anything. But Dalton's cheerfulness is contagious, and I nod acceptance before even looking at Gabriella.

"We could use a break, right?" I ask.

She corrals a smirk into an innocent smile and agrees. She also finds an excuse to fall a few steps behind us as we walk down the street, eyes on her phone, probably texting Colby.

"How's the wedding planning going?" Dalton asks as we walk.

"Busy." I leave out the parts about the extra drama.

"It's going to be a hit, I'm sure." He bumps my shoulder softly before slipping a few steps sideways to open the door of the coffee shop for me.

"I hope so." I cross my fingers playfully, as though it's that simple, and he follows me to the counter.

Our conversation is easy, just like it was back in high school and in college, and I have fun with him. He snaps a picture of all three of us and leans in closer to me when he takes it. He's obvious, in a way, just like his invitation to coffee was, but he doesn't show any embarrassment about it. If I'd stayed around Houston after graduating, I wonder if we would have eventually ended up dating. Back then he was too connected to my past with Jett for me to consider it, but maybe that would have faded with more time.

Gabriella and I head back to shopping, with her teasing me about my sudden cheerful mood.

"Dalton could always do that," I say.

I remember running into him on the University of Houston campus about a week after I came back to Houston after breaking up with Jett. Dalton pulled me up into a hug, then teasingly looked around for Jett. My "bodyguard," Dalton called him.

I'd forced my smile to stay in place and shook my head. "I'm coming back to Houston," I said once he put me down.

Dalton's expression froze, and he leaned the slightest bit closer to study me. "Without Jett?" he asked softly.

I nodded, unable to say anything else. It was so fresh, so heavy on my heart. I hadn't even stopped crying myself to sleep yet or hoping every time my phone dinged that it was Jett, answering me, saying we'd figure this out.

Dalton swept me back up into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Ava," he whispered.

I struggled to stay in one piece as he held me. When he let go, he put his arm over my shoulder, staying close to me as he walked me to my car. He told jokes, avoiding any conversation of Jett and the breakup. I even managed to laugh.

He was such a good friend, and I wouldn't mind that in my life again. Or maybe it was time for me to consider Dalton King as something more.