Chapter 13
Zoe sat with Ava at one of her favorite local coffee bars in Queen Anne. To her surprise, Gavin’s younger brother worked there. Ava pointed him out.
“Wow. All the Donnigans do look alike. Good thing I’d never met Gavin when I was in my late teens. I’d have been heartbroken that much sooner.” Zoe sipped from her latte and watched the youngest Donnigan working behind the bar, singing to himself while he fixed another macchiato.
“Yeah, they’re all like that,” Ava said. “Wait until you meet Van, their dad. He’s sixty-three, runs four or five miles a day, and looks like Landon’s older brother. He’s so handsome.” Ava winked. “Drives Landon nuts when I tell him he owes his father for being so good-looking.”
They both laughed.
“And Linda’s pretty too. You’ve met Hope?”
“I’ve seen her at the gym. The pretty blond who likes to argue with Landon?” A knockout, but with a more feminine version of the Donnigan good looks.
“Yep. That would be her. She’s the only blond who argues with him. The others usually flirt.” Yet Ava didn’t seem bothered by the fact.
“And you’re okay with them flirting with your fiancé?”
“Heck no.” Ava took another sip of her coffee, as if in thought. “The thing is, with a Donnigan, you know they’re going to attract attention. They all do, without even trying.”
Gavin sure did.
“So you either accept that your guy is going to be popular, and you trust that he cares for you and won’t stray, or you cut him off. Period. End of story.” Ava sipped more caffeine. “I work with people of all kinds who have a variety of problems in their relationships. Cheating can be a big one to overcome. Frankly, I don’t think I could tolerate it. But who knows?” she sighed. “My profession, hearing what I do, makes it more difficult for me to trust in my personal life. But I know Landon. He’s loyal to the bone. They all are. Even the young rooster over there.”
Zoe followed her glance to Theo, now smiling politely over the counter at a girl who’d picked up her drink. The girl acted a lot friendlier than a customer just grabbing her order. After she left, he turned to the girl with frosted-blue hair working next to him and winked, then kissed her.
“That’s Maya, Theo’s girlfriend. He’s been with her for a little over a month. They’re so cute.”
“Huh.” Zoe sipped her coffee and watched them.
“So you think it’s only a matter of time before Gavin breaks your heart?”
Theo was handsome. Like a slenderer version of Gavin, and maybe a little taller, wearing a crew cut that was a bit longer on top. So young. She had a feeling he’d fill out as he grew older.
“What’s that?” She turned back to Ava. “Did I say Gavin will break my heart?”
“You implied it.”
Zoe shrugged. She’d been happy to go out with Ava. Finding a new gal pal was always a challenge. But knowing Ava hadDr.in front of her name put Zoe on edge.
Ava sighed. “This is why I don’t have many friends. I swear, I’m not psychoanalyzing you. We’re just out talking, woman to woman, joined by our common bond to the overpowering Donnigans.”
“Well, when you put it like that…” Zoe held up her cup in a toast. “To us, for being brave.”
“Hear, hear.”
Zoe drained her coffee. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing with Gavin. I met him at a low point in my life.” She found it easy to talk to Ava, who watched with a kind, calm expression. “My twin sister, Aubrey, died four months ago. Freak car accident. It was tough, and I pretty much shut down.” She gave a sad smile. “But Gavin just kept annoying me at the gym. Always bugging me to smile. So annoying.”
Ava grinned. “Yes, they are like that, aren’t they? Tenacious and clingy, like a virus that infects you no matter how much vitamin C you take.”
Zoe laughed, feeling good despite her lingering sorrow. Aubrey would have liked Ava, for sure. “Yeah, a virus. Can I use that?”
“Be my guest.”
“Anyway, I’ve been really focused the past few years. I’m a driven career woman. Aubrey was the artist, the dreamer. The sexual dynamo, to hear her tell it.” Yeah, her sister had loved to brag, hadn’t she?
“She sounds like fun.”
“She was great.” And just like that, the waterworks started. “Shit.”
