“Landon? Shouldn’t you talk to Ben?”
Avery laughed. “Yes. I’m going to do that too.” She winked and hurried out the door and down the hall to the fifth-grade classrooms. Poking her head in the door, she smiled at Mrs. Truman. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Can I borrow Landon for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Landon stood up and wove through the desks. “’Sup?”
Avery held back her chuckle. He thought he sounded so mature. “I have to ask you a question.”
“Shoot.” He was in full-on legit mode today. He waited, his blue eyes interested even if the rest of him slouched with indifference.
“How would you feel about Ben and me dating?”
He lifted a shoulder. “That’s cool.”
“Really?” She wanted to give him as many opportunities to share his feelings as possible. Boys didn’t blurt things out, she was learning. Sometimes you had to pry emotions out of them with a crowbar.
“Yeah, he’s lit.”
“Okay, just so we’re clear. Dating, for old people like me, can lead to marriage.”
He lifted a hand. “Here’s the deal. You don’t want to see me kissing girls, and I don’t want to see old people kissing and stuff like that. So as long as we’re good on that, then I’m fine.”
Avery almost fell over. “Are youkissing girls?”
“Ew! Mom, no.”
“Darn right, ew,” Avery muttered. “Deal.” She held out her hand, and they shook on it.
Landon went back to class, and Avery headed back to the front office.
“Everything okay?” Claire asked.
Avery sat in her chair and slid under the desk. “It’s lit. Now I just have to figure out how to tell Ben that I take everything I said before back.”
“Just tell him. Men are straightforward.”
Avery nodded. “You’re right.” Any big gesture she could come up with would be tiny compared to what he could do with all his money. But he wasn’t the type to care that much about putting on a show. She ran her fingers over her phone, composing a text in her mind. No, a text wasn’t right. Something this important had to be said in person.
After work, Avery dropped Landon off at a friend’s house to “study.” She had the feeling they’d be studying the Xbox more than their math books, but that was fine. Landon was a star student in math and he always had his homework done. That was one thing she felt truly blessed with: a child who cared about his grades. Not all kids did. She chalked it up to God’s grace in her life.
The route to Ben’s house was not easy to remember. The Cove was off the beaten path until you were right on top of the iron gates. Then you couldn’t miss it. She pulled up to the security station and fumbled for her wallet. Why did she have such a big purse anyway?
“Hi,” she croaked to the guard, a different man than was there last time. This guy had tribal tattoos all up his forearms that disappeared under short sleeves. Tattoos didn’t intimidate her; it was the corded arms underneath and the perpetual scowl that got her hands a shaking. “I was, uh, here the other day with Ben. Ben Wilaby and his daughter. I’m the secretary at her school.” Heaven help her, she was rambling on like a crazy person. “Anyway, I need to have a word with Mr. Wilaby.” There. That sounded much more official.
“ID?”
She handed over her driver’s license. The guard shut the small window and turned to his computer.
One Walker Hayes song later, the window opened again. “You’re not on the list. Please take an immediate right and vacate the premises.”
“Wait, what?”
“You have to leave.” His coal-black eyes made her want to turn on the heater.
“No. No, I can’t leave until I talk to Ben.” She had to tell him how she felt, or she’d explode. Wait—she shouldn’t think words like explode while talking to a security guard. That was bad.
Her declaration was met with a stony glare.
