Page 51 of Pretty Relentless

I clear my throat, ready to dig into this delicious meal she prepared for me. “Let’s eat.”

Chapter Fifteen

Ava

“So, Denny and I invited a few girls to tag along, and we all went swimming in the pool. Denny and I dared each other to strip down to nothing, but the girls decided to keep on their undergarments. It was fine for about five minutes, and we were all having a great time. I had just dared Denny to jump off the diving board when a security light turned on. Turns out, they were home and not away for the weekend like Denny was told. When they heard us splashing around at close to midnight, Mr. Zecker came outside in his tighty-whities, carrying a shotgun because he thought a bear had gotten trapped in his yard,” Gavin says, trying not to smile while telling his story.

I, on the other hand, am grinning from ear to ear as he recounts the story I had heard long ago while away at college. A group of five or six students climbed over the fence surrounding Principal Zecker’s backyard and went skinny-dipping, but I guess I didn’t realize it was Gavin who did it. “I bet that was a sight.”

He shivers. “Sometimes, late at night, it pops in my head like a scene from a horror movie you just can’t stop thinking about, and I have to cry myself to sleep.”

Giggling, I reach over and rest my hand on top of his. Upon contact, a flash of electricity races through me. The zap startles me, but I’m not sure why. I’ve felt it every time we’ve touched, even with the most basic contact through layers of winter weather gear. Clearing my throat and trying to catch my breath, I reply, “The stuff nightmares are made of.”

“You have no idea. Especially when he realized it wasn’t a black bear frolicking around in his yard and pool, but his students, he made us boys get out of the pool—naked, covering ourselves with only our hands—while he proceeded to hand out detentions like throwing confetti. It wasn’t until he was done with his lecture that he realized he was in his underwear. His face went beet red, and as much as he tried to…coverhimself, it was no use. The damage had been done. He was so embarrassed, he told us if we never speak of this again, we could skip those detentions, but thanks to the giggling girls and their big mouths, it got around town faster than Saul’s meatloaf announcements, and by Monday morning, those detentions were back on.”

I’m laughing now, unable to stop myself. “Oh my God, I heard about this when I was at college, but didn’t know the specifics. This is horribly funny. I’m so sorry for laughing at your expense.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Did you at least get a date out of your experience?” I ask, even though I’m not sure I really want to know. Gavin is incredibly gorgeous. I’m sure he’s had plenty ofdatesin his time.

Way more than me.

His smile is slow and to the point. Without saying a word, I already know the answer. “Perhaps, but only because I was a true gentleman and turned around while the ladies got out of the pool and put their clothes back on.”

Shaking my head, I beam at him, at the story he shared. I’ve been told Gavin was a wild one when he was younger, and while he was three years younger than me in school, it’s a small enough town to hear the stories over the years. Sure, I’m certain a few have been embellished, but I have no doubt that Gavin Pierson, with his charming smile and charismatic personality, was every bit of the gorgeous troublemaker I heard about.

We sit and stare at each other for several seconds, enjoying the conversation and getting to know each other. The meal is long consumed, the dishes already in the dishwasher and the leftovers in the fridge. We’ve been sitting here, talking, for almost two hours, and neither seems to be ready to part ways. It’s comfortable having him here, and I find the more I learn about him, the more I like. I want to know more.

Clearing my throat, I blurt out, “Would you like a tour?” I feel my face flush a thousand shades of red and wish I could reel the invitation back in. It’s much bolder and more brazen than I’m used to.

“I’d love one. Tell me what you and your dad have done to the house since you purchased it,” he says, standing up and reaching for my chair.

“Well, there hasn’t been too much, just some cosmetic updates here and there. We pulled up the flooring in the kitchen and bathroom and repainted the cabinets. They were a horrible shade of yellow when I bought this place.”

“You have a great color scheme with the lighter color on the top cabinets and the darker one on the bottom,” he says, taking it all in.

“Pinterest is my favorite site. I love to craft and create, and you can find so much on there. I spent hours and hours looking over kitchen designs and color schemes.”

“You did well,” he informs me.

When we move from the kitchen to the living room, I feel his hand on my lower back. It’s warm and inviting and causes butterflies to flutter in my belly. “Umm, we painted in here. The original walls had three gray ones and a dark red accent. It was…I don’t know, but it wasn’t the comforting feel you’d want when relaxing in the living room. It was overwhelming to me. I guess I prefer more soothing earth tones, which is probably why I chose the ivory and sage green colors for the cabinets.”

“It fits you,” he says as we walk down the short hallway.

Pushing open the first door, I reveal my playroom, as I like to call it. It’s a combination library and craft room and was the first project my dad and I tackled when I received possession of the house.

“Impressive,” Gavin states, glancing around the clear, organized space.

“Thank you. Dad built me the shelves, workstation, and organizers. It took some time, but I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like without it. I use the workstation for nearly everything, and thanks to the organizers, I have bins and spaces for materials.”

“Maybe he should have gone into carpentry and construction instead of farming and insurance,” he says, taking a few extra minutes to look around.

“Farming has always been his love. Well, after my mom and family. Insurance kept a steady income rolling in, especially when the farm had a rough year for whatever reason.”

When he seems to have his fill of checking out my playroom, we move on to the small bathroom. We don’t hang around too long because, well, if you’ve seen one bathroom, you’ve pretty much seen them all, so we move on to the final doorway in this part of the house.

My bedroom.

---