The Charming Checklist by Heatherly Bell

Author:Heatherly Bell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-10-26T21:56:44+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The next morning, Ava woke with a start. Outside, a lawn mower had roared to life. Her central air conditioner hummed lazily. Last night, after the tense conversation that ensued with news of the nonexistent BMW, she and Mom had called a truce. Both agreed they wouldn’t tell her father. Mom, because that would cause additional problems she didn’t want to deal with at the moment. Ava, because she didn’t want to hurt her father’s feelings.

Next, they’d argued more over sofa versus bed, Ava eventually winning the argument.

But her mother taking the bedroom meant Ava wasn’t quite as insulated from the morning wake-up calls. Outside, the neighbor kids were playing basketball, the ball thudding loudly on the concrete driveway. Kicking the covers off, Ava walked slowly to the bedroom to peek in on Mom. She slept, wearing her black eye mask. By all appearances, she slept soundly, meaning she probably also had her earplugs in.

Ava showered and dressed. She made coffee, then quickly straightened up her living room, folding her sheets and stuffing them, and the gorilla, in her hall closet.

Finally, she called Valerie. “Hey, there. Can you and Cole drive my car back to me, please?”

“Hmm, I was wonderin’ about you,” Valerie cooed. “So, it was one of those nights.”

“Max would have taken me back to my car, I’m sure, but my mother showed up and wanted to take me home.”

“She showed up at Max’s house?” Valerie screeched.

“No, no, to the Salty Dog. We were there, having breakfast.”

“Of course you were.” Valerie had a smile in her voice. “Care to give me any of the details of the night?”

“We just...well, we connected. I really like him. A lot.”

Just might love him forever.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m happy for you. And so glad he threw away that silly list. I was about to hit him over the head with it.”

“I had to spend the rest of the day with my mother, and I’m determined to see Max today. But I need my car. I want to surprise him.”

“Well, Cole and I are on our way to Galveston for the day, so we can stop by on our way out. And fair warning, Max is dog-sitting for us. The guys went surfing this morning and Max took Sub home with him.”

By the time Valerie and Cole brought the car back, it was too late for Ava to make a clean getaway. She was writing a note to her mother when she walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning. Do you have plans today?”

“Well, Max and I have been talking about my coffee beans and I’ve been wanting to give him a sample. I thought I might do that today.”

“Don’t worry about me. I brought a book.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that...this was all so unplanned. And unlike you.”

“I know. You’re usually the one who goes off half-cocked.”

Ava snorted. “Not exactly. Did you know I researched small towns before I moved here?”

“No, I didn’t.”

And she’d never asked, either, what had brought her to Charming. Probably had simply assumed it had been another whim.

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