Page 176 of Triggered By Love
All he could do was look up at the spinning ceiling fan and hope the brown stuff that hit it was only fancy chocolate.
* * *
“We sure made Joan happy,”Avery said to Jason after the roller coaster dinner with Brando’s mother at a popular French restaurant. She was so elated, toasting them with champagne and announcing to the waitstaff that she was either gaining a son or a daughter, or both.
It was all Avery could do to keep the smile pasted on her face. Did Joan honestly think she could forget Brando so close to the anniversary of his death? Or was she, too, overacting and trying to convince herself that happiness was around the corner.
As for Jason, what must he be thinking about her? So eager to accept a proposal from the first man who asked.
“You made me the happiest man in the world,” Jason dutifully said as they left Joan’s apartment building.
“Okay, you can cut the acting.” She tapped his sore arm, making him wince. “I can’t wait to see what’s in the rest of the chocolate.”
He bent his head toward her, kissing her gently on the lips. “Even though it’s not my ring, I meant every word.”
“Come on, Jase. It’s sweet of you to consider my feelings.”
“Ouch, you’re hurting mine.” He winced again and turned away from her, shrugging. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to guilt you into any admission or anything.”
Her gut tightened as if she’d been punched. She didn’t know which way she wanted the pendulum to swing. Yes, she’d felt cherished when he’d given her the ring and said those lovely words, but at the same time, she had no right to use him to bolster her own emotions.
He needed looking after too.
“Shall we go back to my place and dig into the chocolate?” she asked as Jason hailed a cab.
“That’s the entire reason we spent the evening with Mrs. Bonet,” he said, sounding grumpy.
“Jason, I’m sorry.” She removed the ring and tucked it in her purse. “I meant it too, when I said yes. I just need some time.”
He nodded curtly but was unable to meet her gaze. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold you to it.”
Avery felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, sending her heart careening after it. Had Jason just taken everything back?
But it was only fair. She’d asked for time, and he was giving it to her.
The cab ride back to her place was awkward as each kept to their own thoughts. Avery’s ran in a loop, wondering why Larry Leach, whose prints were on the box, would send her a tricked-out box of chocolates while Richie thought he was the one who should have the credit.
She was aware of Jason watching her from the side of his eye, but every time she tried to catch his eye, he turned to the window. She must have hurt him. But how, when he knew it was fake?
Except it had felt real, and for one magical evening, she’d imagined an engagement dinner she, Joan, and Brando would have shared. Only she’d never know, because Brando died before he could propose—unless he’d had the ring in his pocket to return to the jewelry store.
As the cab drew close to the Melbourne Building, Jason jolted her out of her morose thoughts.
“When Joan poured her purse over the table, did you notice anything out of place?” he asked.
“I didn’t look,” Avery said. “I thought you were staring at me.”
“I was, but right after she recorded the video, I thought I saw one of those tiny memory cards. Or it could have been a micro SIM card.”
Avery glanced sharply at him. “Why didn’t you ask her about it?”
“It’s not polite to ask a woman what’s in her purse,” Jason said. “I was looking for quills, specifically, and now I wonder if the police searched her purse.”
“They might have,” Avery said. “I was kind of numb and in a zombie state. Do you want me to ask her?”
“Never mind.” He turned toward the window as the cab came to a stop. “I’ll check the case report.”
Avery stuck her credit card into the slot before he could, and she didn’t wait for him to come around and open the door for her. This was her box of chocolates, and whatever secret messages were inside the truffle pieces were meant for her eyes only.
