Page 48 of Pretty Relentless

When the older woman finally gets down the aisle, I lean in close and whisper, “I’m not gay.”

“I know,” she replies back just as quietly. “I’m just showing my support if you were.”

“Thank you, really, but we’re off topic.”

“Yes, we are. So, about this woman…”

I hold up my hands in defeat. “I’ll tell you more when there’s more to tell.”

She sighs. “Fine, but if this doesn’t work out, I’d like to set you up.”

“What? No.”

“Hear me out,” she starts. “Betty’s granddaughter that drove her to our house on Christmas Eve. What was her name?”

My throat goes completely dry. “Ava?”

“Yes, Ava. She’s Annabelle’s teacher, right?” She knows the answer to this, so I don’t reply. “Anyway, Grandma Zeldawas chatting with Betty about, you know, dating, and Zelda may have mentioned Ava isn’t seeing anyone right now.”

I don’t even want to know why my grandma was talking to Ava’s grandma about dating. “Mom—” I start, but she cuts me off.

“All I’m saying is that bit of information might be worth looking into.”

“Fine,” I tell her, ready to get the hell out of the beer and wine aisle and away from the inquisition.

“Oh goodie! You two would make beautiful grandbabies.”

If I were drinking, I would have choked on the liquid. “Love you, but I’m out,” I tell her, slapping a chaste kiss on her cheek before grabbing my cart and spinning it around. Of course, when I do, I almost slam the front of my cart into Mrs. Perkins, who apparently returned without me realizing and happens to be browsing the alcohol selection.

“Let me know if you want her number,” Mom hollers behind me. All I do is lift my arm and wave.

She did this on purpose, I know. Mom has never been quiet or shy about making her feelings for anything known. She may bite her tongue to allow us to work through our problems, but she’s not afraid to give us a nudge or advice.

Funny she was suggesting I date Ava. I kept wondering if those around the table could pick up on the sparks I felt flying while we enjoyed dessert. I was sure everyone would be able to see the way my eyes couldn’t be pulled away from her, despite how hard I tried. Maybe Mom noticed. She is the most observant person I know, so I wouldn’t put it past her to pick up on the way I felt and so desperately tried to hide from the room. Of course, my brother could have said something too. He figured out really quick who I was crushing on. The moment she walked into the house; I was a goner.

Either he blabbed to my mom, or she was able to figure it out too.

Chances are she knew exactly what she was doing when she mentioned Ava to me. The only difference is she isn’t aware of who I’m actually seeing tonight, because if she knew she would have had something to say.

I make my way to the checkout, without grabbing the bottle of wine. It’s fine though. I’ll just stop somewhere else and buy one on my way to Ava’s. There might not be the variety at the old gas station owned by Jeb, but I’m sure I can grab a bottle of something before I wind my way toward Ava’s house.

I just have to make it until four.

Maybe a few minutes before.

We’ll get the work part out of the way first, and then we can enjoy the rest of our non-date date.

No, fuck that.

It’s a date, and it’s up to me to show her.

I pull into her driveway, and that familiar spike of adrenaline I tend to get when I’m near Ava sweeps through my veins. I haven’t seen her since our Friday night together, and I’m ready. We’ve texted a few times since her invitation to dinner, mostly because I wanted her to know I was thinking of her. What started off as a simple message asking about her day turned into chatting for an extended period of time. And even though I would have preferred just to call her to hear the sound of her voice, I kept it to texting.

I didn’t want to overwhelm her.

I can be relentless in my pursuit of the beautiful Ava Rutledge while still letting her feel at ease and comfortable.

I shut off my truck, leaving it parked in the same place I used when I was working on her house. It’s directly in front of her property along the street, so she had access to her driveway. As I climb from the driver’s seat, my gaze is drawn to the front door. She’s standing there, her hand wrapped around the new pole I installed at the very beginning of her home improvement project.

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