“Oh, yeah.” Her shoulders deflated, but Ava was quick to lift them back into place as she reasoned with herself. No, she didn’t owe Maverick anything. Sure, he’d expressed interest in her, but she’d been forthcoming from the start. And yes, now he’d gone and gotten himself hurt, while trying to impress her from what it seemed, but that didn’t mean he had any claim on her.
But then another thought occurred to her—Bro code. Wasn’t that what Richard referred to when he’d mentioned that maybe Maverick should take her into town instead of him? She’d almost forgotten about that, what with the whole accident.
A series of soft taps sounded at her door. Ava stared at her reflection as her eyes went wide. “He’s here,” she said under her breath. She hurried and reached for her mouth rinse. “Just a second,” she hollered while unscrewing the cap. She was quick to swish, gurgle, and spit while running the sink.
After one last outfit check and hair check, Ava broke away from the mirror and flicked off the bathroom light. Seconds later, she was opening the door to reveal a terribly handsome Richard holding a paper sack in one hand and a canvas tote in the other.
Her eyes met his, and her heart sputtered out of beat.
“Hi,” he said, voice low and husky.
“Hi.” She crossed one ankle behind the other and took a step back. “Come on in.”
“It smells nice,” he said.
Ava bit her lip, knowing he was likely smelling the body spray she’d placed at her neck and wrists. “Thanks.”
“I’ve got the movie on my laptop,” he explained while setting the food onto her coffee table. He shrugged a backpack off his shoulder and pulled out a thin, silver laptop as he continued. “So I brought a few cords that should let us hook up to your TV and watch it there.”
“Oh, good. I didn’t think about how we were going to watch it. Actually,” she added, circling around the table to help pull the food from the bags. “I figured that if this movie was asepicas you say it is, it was probably playing on loop on a few key networks.”
“Ha ha,” Richard said with a head shake. His eyes narrowed as he eyed the screen and gave the mousepad a few clicks. “You know what? It probably is playing on loop somewhere. And after you’ve gotten a taste of it, I bet I’ll come up here and catch you watching it again and again…”
“Oh, you’re really talking this up, now. That’s a dangerous thing to do, don’t you think?”
Richard straightened, spun to catch her gaze, and grinned. “No way. You’re going to love it. Trust me.”
It took a few short minutes for him to hook up the laptop. Meanwhile, Ava pried a couple of to-go boxes from the tote bag. “What do we have here?”
“Pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, and steak fries,” he said as he plunked onto the couch. “Man, I love living here.”
She giggled. “I know what you mean.”
“On that note,” Richard said. “I don’t want to push, but I do want to make sure you understand that we could always make room for you here. Emmitt and I consolidated as the busy season came around, so we’re sharing a cabin now. And Andie, I have a feeling she’ll be getting a proposal here sometime soon.”
“Really? That’s so exciting,” she said, picturing a beautiful reception here at the inn. But then she put her thoughts back on his offer. “I asked Betty about vacancies in the summer and she said there aren’t many to speak of. As it is, I fear they’re already shuffling things around to keep me in this room. I hate feeling like a burden. I mean, Iloatheit.”
Richard furrowed his brow and nodded. “I’ve been thinking of a way to fix this since you got here.”
He had?
“If I come up with a plan, something that would put your mind at rest where vacancies are concerned so that wasn’t an issue, would youwantto stay here?”
She wasn’t sure where he was going with that question. Ofcourseshe would want to. But if she admitted that, would Richard go to great and embarrassing lengths just to keep her close? Would it cause a rift in the family, losing out on income and guests because she was taking up space?
“I’m not sure,” she finally said.
Richard’s eyes narrowed inquisitively as he held her gaze. “Hmm,” he finally huffed. “Well, let’s get this show going, shall we?”
Ava nodded. “Absolutely. One-eyed Wally, here we come.”
“It’s Willy,” Richard corrected with a laugh.
“Oh.” She laughed too. “This better be good.”
