“I don’t see how that has anything to do with you.”
“You agreed to take me out, Owen. That was the deal. What’s everyone going to think if they see us out together after you’ve been whoring around the town with another woman? I’ll be a joke in my ex’s eyes.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
He felt bad for leading her on, but not that bad. She’d backed him into a date using her position of power in the Historical Society, and he agreed out of misdirected anger.
“To be clear, I have not been ‘whoring’ around town with another woman. She and I are dating. I apologize for my part in this. I should’ve never agreed to your proposition knowing I had feelings for someone else. But you also put me in an unfair position by asking.”
Tori huffed in exasperation. She lifted her foot with effort out of the soft ground to step closer. Owen smothered a laugh at the clumps of dirt flying off the thin heels of her shoes as she struggled to remain upright.
She poked him in the chest. “You will fix this, Owen, or I will make sure renovations on your precious bed-and-breakfast grind to a halt.”
“How do you propose I do that? I’m not following through on the date. You said it yourself—that wouldn’t be a good look.” Owencrossed his arms, leaning further away from Tori’s sharp nails in case she attempted to poke him again.
“You will find me a suitable date in your place. And Matt doesn’t count.”
Owen could hear the shouts and laughter of kids at the camp entrance. He was ready to see Avery and salvage what was left of his good mood. The fastest way to get out of this conversation with Tori was to agree. Though he didn’t have the first clue who to convince. He was pretty sure she’d exhausted her options in town by this point.
“Fine. I will find a replacement,” he agreed.
“See that you do.” She sniffed. “I expect an update by this evening. No ignoring my texts this time.”
Owen stopped himself from rolling his eyes at her haughty tone. He was starting to understand why she was divorced. “I’ll be in touch tonight. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to pick up my kid.”
He stalked away. After a few paces, he turned on his heel. “And one last thing. Never threaten my business or insult Ava again. Got it?”
She stared at him in shock. Owen didn’t give her a chance to respond. He spun around and pushed her from his mind as he rushed to the check-out table at the camp entrance. He was ready to get Avery and get the hell out of here.
“Good morning. Who are we here to pick up today?”
“Avery Fowler. I’m his dad, Owen.”
The counselor scanned the clipboard. “Ah yes. Avery. Great kid, we’ll miss him around here. We hope to see him next year.”
Owen gave him a close-lipped smile, not interested in small talk.
“Wait right here, Dad, and I’ll get Avery for you.”
Owen scanned the parking lot, hoping to avoid any more run-ins with Tori. With any luck, her shoes had gotten stuck in the ground. He grinned at the thought.
“Dad!” Avery yelled from behind.
Owen faced the entrance. Avery’s backpack bounced on his shoulders as he ran toward him. He grunted from the impact of Avery throwing himself against his stomach, wrapping his arms around his waist in a hug. His frustration vanished.
“Hey, bud. I missed you like crazy.” Owen hugged him back, reaching up to ruffle his hair.
Avery huffed in annoyance but didn’t back away like he normally would. He released his hold on Avery and tugged the backpack off his shoulders then hefted it up on his own shoulder.
He turned to the counselor. “Need anything else from me?”
The counselor shook his head. “You’re all set. Hope you had a great time, Avery, and we’ll see you next year.”
They said their goodbyes, and Owen led Avery to the truck with a hand on his shoulder. He could swear Avery was taller. “What are they feeding you at this camp? I think you’ve gotten taller since I dropped you off.”
Avery puffed up his chest, drawing himself to his full height. “Can we measure when we get home?”
Owen laughed at his enthusiasm. They kept record of all Avery’s height measurements on the kitchen doorframe. “Sure thing.”
They settled in the truck and Owen rolled the windows up so he could talk to Avery without distraction.
