Page 86 of Close to Heaven

Carolyn smiled wistfully. “I always tell people to hold on to the one you love because you never know how long you’ll have with them.”

Avery immediately thought of Jax and his parents. Then her thoughts detoured to her and him. It’s too soon to be thinking about the future, she scolded herself.

The kitchen timer went off, shaking her out of her musing.

As Carolyn removed the brownies from the oven, Avery said, “I won’t take up any more of your time.”

“It’s not like I have a packed social schedule, dear. Besides, I want to give you some brownies to take home.”

Avery stood up and eyed the pan of brownies. If they were anything like Carolyn’s pumpkin pie, she knew they’d be delicious. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“You’d be doing me a favor. Otherwise, I’ll eat the whole pan myself!”

Avery decided she had more in common with Carolyn than she’d originally thought. They both loved sweets and Carl. Well, she wasn’t sure if Carolyn loved Carl, but she obviously cared a lot about him.

As Carolyn cut a section of brownies for her, Avery’s thoughts returned to Jax. How would I describe my feelings for him? There was definitely lust, but also respect, admiration, compassion, and more. She connected with him in a way she’d never experienced before, and she had a feeling she’d only scratched the surface.

“Here you go.” Carolyn handed her a container of brownies.

“Thank you.”

Avery noticed another container on the counter, and Carolyn must have seen her looking.

“I’ll give some to Carl when I see him. We’re going out to dinner on Tuesday.”

It sounded like a proper date. Would she and Jax ever go on a date? So far, they’d had to sneak around to be together, but that wouldn’t always be the case, would it?

Carolyn walked her to the door. “I enjoyed our visit, and you’re welcome to stop by anytime.”

Avery considered hugging her, but then she thought it might be too much too soon. “Thanks for these,” she said, holding up the brownies, “and for keeping an eye on my dad.”

“I promise to call you if there’s ever a need to.”

Avery hoped she wouldn’t need to, at least not for a health-related reason. “Have fun on your dinner date.”

“I’m sure we will.”

Carolyn stood in the doorway and waved as Avery backed down the driveway. On her way back to the resort, Avery felt buoyed by her visit with Carolyn. Not only had she learned more about the woman and how she felt about Carl, but she’d learned more about herself too.

Carolyn was right. Life was short, shorter than expected sometimes, and she didn’t want to waste any more time or energy in a dead-end relationship. She’d made that mistake before, and not just with Trevor. She’d had a habit of choosing the wrong guys—men who took more than they gave, ignored her needs, or weren’t willing to commit to a real relationship. She’d done the right thing by breaking up with Trevor, because he would never change. In fact, his selfishness had been on display throughout their relationship. She just hadn’t wanted to admit it, which brought her back to thinking about Jax.

What did she want from him? What did he want from her? And most importantly, could they satisfy each other’s needs? Maybe it was too soon to ask the big questions. On the other hand, why waste time if they were headed for a dead end?

When she pulled into the resort driveway, the Sawyer name on the sign gave her pause. Sawyer’s Ridge was starting to feel like home. It had seeped into her bones and her heart just like the magnetic man at its helm.

She’d just seen him yesterday, yet it felt like much longer. Even though she’d been busy, he’d been constantly on her mind. She was tempted to drive past her cabin and continue up the hill to his place, but she didn’t want to seem overeager. If they were officially dating, she wouldn’t have hesitated, but she had no idea how Jax would feel about an impromptu visit.

She’d hoped he might call or text her, but her phone had remained silent. She prayed that wasn’t a bad omen and, the next time she saw him, all would be well. Hopefully, he wasn’t having regrets and thinking of a way to let her down easy.

She’d barely gotten inside her cabin when her phone rang, and she quickly fished it out of her purse. The instant she saw his name on the screen, a wave of relief washed over her.

“Hello?”

“Hello. I have an emergency, and I need your help.”

Her brows furrowed because his voice didn’t sound like someone who was having an emergency. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, there’s this woman, and I can’t seem to get her out of my mind.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Hmm. Maybe I know her. What does this woman look like?”

“She has silky, dark hair that smells like heaven, big brown eyes, and curves for miles.”

Avery stifled a laugh. She could hardly believe this was the same man who’d reluctantly hired her, and now he was flirting with her. “Do you need help finding her?”

“I think I just did.”

She smiled so big her face hurt.

“Come over?”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Make it ten.”

Ten minutes later, she knocked on his door.