Guarded Hearts: A Lesbian Romance by Kestrel Sam

Author:Kestrel, Sam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

AVERY

Tears ran down Avery’s cheeks as she walked away from Jo’s house. What the hell just happened? Perhaps she’d never know. By the time she’d pulled away from the curb, she’d gone from sad to mad as hell. Frustration at Jo’s behavior took over from her anger as she pulled up to her house. Curiosity at what hurt Jo might be running from came next, but not until later that night. The middle of the night. When she couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning until three a.m.

Several times over the next week, Avery thought about reaching out to Jo. But each time she considered it, she talked herself out of the idea. She’d taken the risk and kissed Jo. And Jo had pushed her away, even after saying Avery hadn’t overstepped. Well, Jo would have to be the one to reach out. But did Avery want her to reach out? Did she have the energy to deal with someone who would treat her like that? As days dragged on without contact from Jo, Avery thought more and more that no, she didn’t need to be with someone who treated her like that. While she felt worse about the situation than she would have liked—she found herself sad and wondering what might have been—she figured it was better to find out now versus later.

Avery plodded through the following work week. While she stayed present for her patients—she was always present for her patients—she had to fake a positive attitude half the time. Fake the smile on her face, at least. Genuine concern she never had to feign. But she wasn’t perfect. She’d had to apologize to the front desk staff for snapping at them when they overbooked her again. They often overbooked her. Having extra patients scheduled throughout the day came with the job. But that week, the extra load proved too much for her.

Thursday after work, she noticed something on her windshield as she stepped out of the office. It couldn’t be a ticket because she parked in the employee section of the lot. Only from twenty feet away did she realize that a single pink rose lay on her windshield, its stem held down by her windshield wiper. Nothing else. No card or note. Avery suspected Jo was responsible. The corner of her mouth turned up, but she quickly suppressed the smile trying to form on her face. While a nice gesture, it was far from an apology. She tossed the rose into the passenger seat of her car and drove home, stealing glances at the flower on the way.

She put the flower in a vase, seeing no reason to waste such a pretty rose, and placed it on her kitchen counter. She didn’t realize how often her eyes drifted to the petals.

Friday afternoon, Avery walked out to her car after work to find another single rose on her windshield. This time, there was a note.

Dear Avery,

I’m really, really sorry. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way.

Jo

Avery stared at the note.

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