Magnolia Market (9780310330585) by Christie Judy

Author:Christie, Judy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2014-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Avery drew in her breath and turned down T. J.’s street. The Corvette engine suddenly sprang to life, and she sped up. She glanced down to make sure the fried pies hadn’t slid off the seat.

At the same time she zoomed up to the curb in front of the duplex, T. J. walked around the front of an old pickup truck in the driveway. Illuminated by the headlights, he was laughing and pointing at the driver who had opened her door.

A thin beam of light shone on a pretty young woman with a perky haircut and a big smile.

Avery gasped.

T. J. was the man Camille had fallen in love with? The one who had convinced her to stay in Samford?

Together they headed toward the house, T. J. carrying a white sack.

Avery fought back tears. She had allowed herself to daydream that T. J. might be the man for her.

Another misjudgment.

With her foot already on its way to the brake, Avery hesitated and then punched the accelerator. The hiccup in timing was enough to bring the big, old car to a shuddering halt in the middle of the street.

At the noise, T. J. and Camille turned her way, their expressions hidden by winter darkness. “Great,” Avery muttered, turning the key. “Just great.”

The car acted as though it was going to start but sputtered and died. She tried again. And again. Staring at the street ahead, she pretended she didn’t see them. That she wasn’t stalled in front of T. J.’s house.

“Avery?” His voice was muffled through the car window, and she cranked the engine again. “Hey, Avery!”

The engine came to life, and she had a split second to make a decision. Inhaling, she eased up to the curb and rolled down her window. “I’m a much better driver than you might think.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He stepped closer, his gaze moving from the gigantic hood to the cargo carrier of the car. “New car?”

“I’d better get going.” She looked beyond him to Camille, who had stopped a few feet behind T. J. “Sorry for interrupting.”

“Don’t go,” he said. Hearing those words in that warm voice jarred something deep within her.

“Avery?” The curiosity in Camille’s voice was unmistakable.

“I brought fried pies to thank T. J. for bailing me out last week. I should have called.” She cranked the car, which started on the first try.

He shifted the paper sack and put his hand on the door. “Wait. Can’t you come in?”

Camille, wearing a cute dress and the same boots she’d had on in the market, nudged him as he spoke.

T. J. shot a pointed look at Camille. “You two have met, right? You’re neighbors at Trumpet and Vine.”

“How wonderful to see you again, Avery. T. J. was just talking about you earlier.”

“Camille . . .”

“I’d love to talk more about your plans for Magnolia Market.” Camille’s teeth gleamed in the darkness. “I’d stay now, but I promised T. J.’s brother I’d come right home.” She looked at T. J., raising her eyebrows.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.