Just Right by Jessie Gussman

Author:Jessie Gussman [Gussman, Jessie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781949090147
Publisher: City Owl Press
Published: 2018-11-20T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Gator tried to meet Avery’s gaze, but she wouldn’t look at him. The comment about his shirt had probably just slipped out, and had obviously embarrassed her. She didn’t need to know how it completely shifted his world. He’d had such a good time with Avery, but it was this attraction that he couldn’t shake that had him bothered. His heart and body had jumped on the idea that she might feel it too.

From the way she was looking at anything besides him, apparently not.

Gator’s dogs were stretched out under his mother’s chair. “I think I have time before they announce the winners to take her home and get her settled there.”

“I’ll help you,” Avery turned and started toward his mother’s chair.

“You haven’t seen the whole celebration—I know you haven’t had time to walk around today. Go, see some things.”

“I’ll help you with your mom, first,” Avery insisted. “Unless you want to do it all yourself?”

It would be easier with help. He could feed the dogs while she took care of getting his mom in the house and ready for home nursing to come. “People come from all over to see this festival. It’s a big deal.”

She shook his mother awake gently. “I think I saw the most important things,” she said. Then her attention focused on helping his mom sit up.

“If you come with me, I’ll walk you around when we get back.” He could tell himself he offered because he felt he owed her for helping, but he knew that wasn’t it.

“Deal.”

While Avery took care of his mom, Gator loaded the dogs and brought his pickup as close to the tree area as possible. It helped that the security guard knew him and let him pull through one closed street, so his mom only had to walk a half of a block.

Gator carried the chair in one hand. His other hand went around his mother’s back, overlapping Avery’s slender arm.

He’d never had this much fun at the festival. Usually, he’d done the lumberjack competition and left.

They didn’t talk much on the way home. He helped Avery get his mom in the door. By the time he fed his dogs and bedded them down for the night, she had his mom changed and on the couch.

“I have a treatment tomorrow in Pittsburgh.” Her voice sounded scratchy, maybe from the cold air.

Avery propped pillows behind her as she spoke.

“Gator is taking you to it?”

“Yes.”

Gator stopped in the doorway, unnoticed, as his mother grabbed Avery’s wrist.

“Did you ask him about what I said earlier?”

Avery patted his mother’s hand and shook her head.

Gator almost interrupted them to ask what she had said earlier, but he held himself still.

“If he brings it up, I’ll say something, but it’s not something that interests him.”

“Honey, you interest him.”

An automatic denial sprang to his lips, but he swallowed it and stood still. His mother was right. Avery did interest him. She attracted him. She amused him. She pulled him out of his little bubble and helped him see the world with new eyes.

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