Page 41 of One Southern Summer

Panic flooded her limbs with the urge to run. She flipped her notebook shut. “I have to go. Harper’s babysitting for me and I promised I’d be home by—”

“Wait.” Cole’s hand shot out and covered hers. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Give her an opportunity to shine...make her believe she can’t live without you.

Oy. Hemby. His advice had climbed inside Cole’s head and taken up residence. Now he couldn’t shake his best friend’s so-called wisdom.

“This won’t take long, but it’s important.” He pulled back and reached for his coffee again. As if the dregs of his mocha could fuel enough confidence to get the words out. Really he just needed someplace to put his hands, instead of letting his thoughts wander to the way her skin had felt when he’d touched her a few minutes ago. How her skin was smooth and warm and she looked incredible in a pale pink blouse and...

“I can stay for about ten more minutes.” She remained seated across from him in the coffee shop. “What’s up?”

He finished his coffee and gathered his courage. Their impromptu brainstorming session had pulled them into an intimate conversation and Avery had revealed more of her struggles. That had always been their way. She had always been so honest. So real with him. And he hated that she’d felt so trapped in her relationship with Pax. That her partnership with Trey had been so costly. He longed to help her find freedom from all the things that weighed her down. Why couldn’t she see about herself what he and the rest of the world saw?

“Cole? Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, we’ve just had some new developments.” He picked up his pen and thumped the end against his yellow notepad. Outside the coffee shop window, he caught a glimpse of Pastor and Mrs. Crawford walking toward the door. His stomach clenched.Please keep walking, please keep walking.

Maybe he should tell Avery everything, starting with Nana’s arrival in his office. The giant chunk of cash she’d donated and his foolish promise to hire Avery. He met her cautious gaze. But if he told her everything, she’d never speak to him again. And the thought of moving forward on this project, especially when she shared his vision for the potential of Imari’s Place, well, he just couldn’t bring himself to jeopardize that.

“So Hemby told me he got a phone call from someone who films documentaries. They’ve heard about the work we’re doing here for human trafficking, and they’d like to feature... They’d like to feature us.”

Her eyebrows tented. “Us? Like you and me, us.” She wagged her finger back and forth between them.

Warmth heated his skin. One simple word conjured so many daydreams.

“We’re hardly doing anything that’s worthy of a documentary,” she said, opening and closing the cover on her notebook. Her gaze skittered toward the coffee shop’s front door and her expression hardened. The Crawfords must’ve arrived.

“Well, that’s debatable.” He shifted in his seat, wishing with everything in him that he could somehow shield her from another painful interaction with her former in-laws. “You’re clearly invested in this project. Based on the meetings we’ve already had, you’ve agreed to consult on the expansion. Before I tell them yes or no, I wanted to have a conversation with you.”

“Are you asking for my permission?”

He nodded.

“I don’t know. The last time I was on camera, it did not go well for me.”

“That is so not true.” The words were out before he could stop them. “You were stunning.”

Like always.At least he had the good sense to keep that last part to himself.

Voices hummed behind him, punctuated by boisterous laughter. Cole winced. Pastor Crawford’s arrival had provoked a reaction inside the shop. He was good at that. Avery gnawed on her lower lip.

Cole scrambled to hold her attention. “I have absolutely zero experience, but I would imagine a reality TV show for a major network has a slightly different objective than a documentary.”

“True.” Her gaze floated away, and he could see her fiddling with the clasp on her handbag. She’d always fidgeted when she was nervous.

“I don’t have to give them an answer right now, but they’re going to want to hear from me soon. It wouldn’t be fair for me to move forward without your blessing.”

“But you don’t want to tell them no.” Her beautiful eyes pierced his. “I’m trying to understand your perspective.”

He pushed his fingers through his hair. “I’ve worked so long and so hard to bring awareness to what these women are going through. So many times I felt like I was just shouting into the void.”

“Don’t say that.” She frowned. “Countless lives have been changed by the work you’ve done.”

“But think about how many more could be impacted if people paid attention. The more we talk about human trafficking, the more people might be moved to get involved. To want to make a difference. It’s the hope that I cling to. That’s what keeps me going.”

She tucked her notebook into her handbag. “And you’re confident that a documentary will reach the target audience and educate people in a way that motivates them to donate money or shop more intentionally?”

“Yes.”

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