Chasing Shadows (First Wives #3)(62)

She walked into the coffee shop and sat down. “I need another drawing.”



“She’s avoiding me. I pushed things and she’s bowing out. I can feel it.”

“You don’t know that. She’s working. You zone out for days at a time when you’re knee-deep in a new project.” Michelle huddled over coffee with him first thing Friday morning.

“Things were going so well. Her friends like me. Getting your friends on the same page with a new relationship is gold, right?”

Michelle nodded.

“For all I know she’s back in town and hasn’t bothered to call.”

“Go to her place.”

“I’m not going to stalk her.”

“Yeah, but you’re not ready to walk away. Maybe she has some emotional baggage she’s dealing with. She’s divorced, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Did she talk about her ex?”

Liam shrugged. “Not much.” Only to say she married him for his money. Which Liam still had a hard time believing.

“You’re supposed to see her tonight, right?”

It was krav night. “Yeah. But she could blow that off.”

“But she can’t blow off work. Maybe drop by this house she’s working on. If she’s there, you know she’s avoiding you, and you take it from there. I’m a big one for not jumping to conclusions. Talk to her. Ask her point-blank if she’s avoiding you. And face-to-face . . . none of those damn phone conversations or, God forbid, texting.”

At noon, Liam detoured to Brentwood. He meandered up the established neighborhood, asking himself if just showing up was a good idea. As he turned into the driveway and didn’t see her car, he realized all his worry was for nothing. She wasn’t there. Unless she turned her Aston in for a Volvo, which he highly doubted.

He stepped out of his truck and looked around.

The door wasn’t open like it had been every other time he’d been there. Safe to say if she was there, the place would be “airing out,” as she put it.

“Can I help you?”

Liam turned to the male voice.

“I’m looking for Avery.”

“Aren’t we all? She isn’t here.” Strange response.

Liam took the guy in and heard Avery’s voice in his head. “You must be Sheldon Lankford.”

“I am. You are?”

Liam took a few steps toward the man and reached out a hand. “Liam Holt. Avery’s contractor.”

“Right.” The man’s handshake wasn’t all that firm. He held on the right amount of time, but he looked above Liam’s head instead of in his eye. “I was hoping you’d call . . . or stop by, as it seems. I appreciate you taking the time to look over the place and give me your feedback.”

“No problem.”

Sheldon motioned him inside. “Avery said you’re a busy guy and you weren’t sure you’d be available to do the job.”

“All true.” Half-true. But blowing off the man’s work right now, with his relationship with Avery tilting off the ledge . . . yeah, he didn’t want to do that quite yet.

“When did you want to get started?” Liam asked, as if interested in the job.

“As soon as possible. I realize that might not be reasonable. A good contractor probably isn’t sitting around waiting for jobs to fall in their laps.”

Liam looked around the space. It didn’t look a whole lot different from the last time he’d been there. “I was going to talk to Avery about when she’d be done with her portion.”

“Originally she said at the end of next week. But apparently her aunt is sick and she had to fly to Seattle to help her out.”

Liam’s step faltered. Sick aunt? Did Avery have an aunt?

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about the aunt, but it’s better than her abandoning the job.”

Liam narrowed his eyes. “Abandoning the job. Why would she do that?” Did the guy in front of him make a pass at her? If so, he’d probably be nursing a bruise.

“I swung by on Monday and found her coming down from the attic. A baby tarantula was in her hair. She freaked after I got it off her, and she ran out.”

Liam wanted to shake. He’d be less than okay if a big spider was on his head.

Sheldon looked at him. “Women.”

Forging a smile, Liam agreed. “Yeah, women.”

Twenty minutes later, Liam was back on the road. So either Avery lied to him about work or to Sheldon about an aunt. A white lie to the person paying you he understood. Calling in sick on a day you wanted to hit the beach was a norm. But a full week?

The rest of the day, Avery slipped into his head anytime his mind was silent.

Damn, he missed her. Hearing her voice. Teasing her about their not-date dates.

But it wasn’t until he and Brenda were sitting at the studio, thirty minutes past Avery’s appointment time, that Liam was done sitting back.

Blowing off work.

Blowing off Brenda.

And blowing off him.

None of it felt right. Phones were in every pocket, and there certainly would be one at the hotel in Seattle.

Something tasted funny about the whole thing.

He walked into Avery’s complex and was greeted by James. “Mr. Holt. Nice to see you again.”