Her leg bounced harder.
They turned off the dirt road to Loon Cove Lane. The short path branched off in two directions. The right led to the gravel driveway of her dad’s cabin.
Just one more minute.
The back of the cabin came into view.
“Listen—”
“I don’t—”
They both stopped what they started to say. Ava willed her leg to stop bouncing. The movement was so rapid, the bench seat vibrated. She was sure Owen could feel it.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Go ahead.”
“I don’t want to make things uncomfortable while I’m in town. Summer is going to help me out with the cabin, so I should be out of Cedar Falls before you know it. A few weeks at the most.”
Owen came to a stop in the driveway and turned to look at her. His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Ava’s hand itched to open the door to escape.
“Cedar Falls is as much your home as mine. Don’t rush to leave on my account,” he said.
Ava’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “What happened to ‘don’t bother coming back’?”
Owen reared back like she slapped him. For the second time, Ava regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. She rushed to unbuckle her seat belt and threw the door open. She took a deep inhale to calm herself, embarrassed by how she was acting. “Thanks for the ride. You have a lovely family. I’ll see you around.”
Ava jumped out of the truck. Without looking back, she hurried to the cabin and let herself inside. The loon alarm yodeled, announcing her arrival to the empty cabin.
And in the cabin’s quiet, once the crunch of gravel faded from Owen’s departure, Ava allowed herself a tiny moment to feel the grief for what she’d never have; for the experiences she’d never get.
The scent of coffee still lingered, but like their past, it would soon be a memory again.
Chapter 3
The Agatha Building
Owen rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, attempting to erase the image of Ava’s achingly familiar face from his mind. Despite the years and distance, Ava was beautiful. The shirt she was wearing was too big for her. Owen wondered who it belonged to, then hated the way he cared if she was wearing another man’s shirt.
He gripped the steering wheel and backed out of the gravel driveway, uncertainty overwhelming him about where he was going next. Ava’s words, much like her unexpected arrival, rattled him.
It was just his luck that the one time his manager needed cover at the café on his day off; he was available. Any other Monday and Owen would have said no or found an alternative. However, Avery was with his mom today, and those opportunities were rare.
The hurt on Ava’s face flashed through his mind, spiking his anxiety further. The timing of her arrival couldn’t be worse. All too soon, he parked in front of Flynn’s Real Estate and hurried up to his realtor’s office.
“You’re late.”
Owen grimaced and sank down in the empty chair facing the desk. His realtor, Matt, sat back in his own seat, his arms crossed.
“You’re never going to believe why,” Owen said. He eyed the champagne bottle sitting on the corner of the desk. A reminder of what today was.
“Don’t leave me in suspense. Spit it out. Then we need to sign these closing documents digitally before the link expires.” Matt straightened in his seat and braced his hands on the desk. “I went through too much bullshit to get you this property, and dealing with the Historical Society was a pain in my ass. Be glad we’re friends or I would’ve added another percentage to my commission for that alone.”
Matt was his closest friend and the best commercial realtor in the area. He was also probably the only realtor who would’ve gone to bat for Owen over this purchase. A purchase that now filled him with unshakeable doubt.
“Ava.”
Matt raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t said her name in years. What about her?”
Owen rubbed at the anxiety forming a knot behind his collarbone. “She’s here. She came into the café with Summer right before closing.”
