Page 46 of A SEAL's Heart
AVERY
“Another drink, hon?” Paige eyes me critically.
I try to smile, but it feels too difficult. And I don’t have to pretend with my best friend.
“Make it a double.”
She pushes through the crowded bar and I wait in the corner, trying to blend into the crowd that’s gathered for Jake’s auction. Some tables have been cleared away to make room for a raised platform.
Mom and Dad sit in a booth chatting with Jackson, The Landing’s owner.
He’s an ex-Marine, and he towers over the booth, nodding quietly as they talk. His skin is dark ebony, and his black hair flecked with silver. He runs this place with his wife and their kids help out, although I heard his eldest son just enlisted.
I didn’t want Mom to come tonight because I thought it would be too painful for her to see Jake’s things being auctioned off. But she insisted.
Paige comes back with a rum and coke for me and a cola for her.
“Where’s Noah?” I ask.
I’ve hardly seen my friend without her baby attached to her since Noah was born.
“He’s with Mom.” She sighs. “I miss the little guy. But I wasn’t going to missThe Event of the Year.”
I cringe at the words, and she screws up her face. “I’m sorry, hon. That was insensitive.”
I take a sip of my drink and wince at the strength of the double shot. “It’s fine. I’m okay with the auction. It means Jake’s things will go to people who need them. I just hope we raise lots of money for the center.”
I scan the crowded bar. It seems half of Hope has turned out, and plenty of people have come down off the mountain too.
“Who are the hotties in the leather jackets?” Paige blatantly stares at a group of leather-clad bikers wearing Wild Riders MC jackets.
“They’re a veterans motorcycle club. Their headquarters are near Wild.” I mention the small town on the other side of the mountain.
Paige nods appreciatively. She scans the crowd, and her eyes narrow when she gets to the opposite corner.
I don’t need to follow her gaze to know she’s spotted Ed. I’ve been aware of exactly where he is ever since I arrived, and I’ve made a point not to look in his direction.
“Have you spoken to him yet?” Paige asks.
I shake my head. “There’s nothing to say.”
She raises an eyebrow at me. “You sure? You seem to be holding onto a lot of anger.”
She’s right. I’m annoyed at myself for falling for Ed when he told me from the start not to expect anything. I don’t have much experience with men, but I’m sure there was a connection between us. I’m annoyed at him for not wanting to stick around to explore it.
I handed him over to Maria at the clinic because I didn’t want to pretend I was okay with seeing him. I’m not.
I read the note he slipped under my consulting room door. But all it said was that I deserve better, which is a cop out. He’s too cowardly to stick around.
I guess I pegged him all wrong.
Someone brushes against my arm, and I turn around to find a guy I don’t recognize grinning at me. “Sorry, darling.’”
“It’s okay,” I say and turn back to Paige.
There’s a pressure on my waist, and I spin around to find the man still there. His arm darts back from around my waist.
“I’m Karl.” He offers a hand to shake.
