Page 5 of Close to Heaven
Two
Avery placed the last clothing item in her suitcase and zipped it shut. “Your brother’s intimidating.”
“Jax?” Dakota said, incredulous. “He’s actually a pussycat once you get to know him.”
“I think mountain lion is more fitting.”
Dakota laughed. “Don’t let him scare you.”
“Oh, I won’t. Somehow I’ll find a way to soften him up.”
Dakota narrowed her eyes, and Avery shook her head. “I didn’t mean like that!”
“Good, because I can’t stomach the thought of you and Jax…”
“I’m with Trevor, remember?”
“Right,” Dakota said and looked away.
“You don’t like him, do you?”
“I never said that.”
“You don’t have to. It’s written all over your face.”
“It’s not that I don’t like him. It’s just that…”
“Go ahead. I can take it.”
“I don’t think he’s good enough for you. There, I said it.”
Avery smiled.
“You’re not mad?”
“No. It’s actually a compliment, although I disagree with you. Just like your mountain-lion brother, Trevor’s great once you get to know him.”
“I’m not sure he wants me to know him. He always whisks you away before I have a chance to really talk to him.”
Avery shrugged. “He’s a bit possessive, that’s all. He likes to have me all to himself.”
“Hmm. How did he take it when you told him you were leaving?”
Avery turned away and pretended to straighten the contents in her cosmetic bag. “Not so great, even though I’m only going to be thirty-four miles away. It’s not like I’m moving across the country.”
“He can always visit you on the weekends.”
“That’s what I said, although I might have to work on some of them.”
“It’s not like he’ll be bored. There’s an entrance to the park right near the resort.”
“Trevor isn’t really the outdoorsy type.”
“But you are.”
“Not as much as I used to be since I moved to the city.”
Dakota studied Avery closely. “Maybe the move will be good for you. You’ll get to be close to your dad and do some of the things you used to love, like hiking and horseback riding.”
