A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises 1)

She gave Avery a narrowed look, but he merely gazed blandly back at her. Rob and J.T. weren’t looking at her, but were smiling at Gavin. They seemed to enjoy their friend’s discomfiture, as if good-natured ribbing was very much a part of their typical interactions.

Gavin tossed his cards on the table and scraped his chair against the floor as he pushed back. “Can’t really focus on poker right now. I’m going to check those leaks in the bedroom again, make sure they aren’t getting any worse.”

“We can help with that, too,” J.T. assured him. “Won’t take long to nail down those shingles. That is, unless Avery tries to help. Boy’s useless with a hammer,” he added, making Avery grumble and the others laugh.

Biting her lip, Jenny filled the kettle. It was truly nice of Gavin’s friends to have driven up to help him. Obviously they’d been worried about him up here, supposedly alone after a damaging storm, at risk for reinjuring himself with the repairs they knew he’d feel compelled to tackle. Perhaps they’d thought to cheer him up with their surprise visit, unaware that he had a visitor, even if an uninvited one. Very thoughtful and supportive of them, and yet...she could never have imagined she’d end up stranded here all day with Gavin and his buddies.

How much more bizarre could this weekend get? She wasn’t having a bad time exactly, but it was just all so...awkward. And she still had to figure out a way to try to explain it all to her mother, her grandmother and Thad. They were certain to ask how her solitary weekend had gone, and she wouldn’t lie to them.

“You want me to look at that wound for you?” Rob asked Gavin, who was pacing the living room and stretching his arm.

“No, that’s okay. Jenny helped me change the bandage when it got wet earlier. It’s fine.”

She felt all eyes turn to her again, though she kept her attention focused on the selection of teas in the

cupboard. She reached for the chamomile, deciding she needed its soothing benefits.

Avery stood, shifting his weight restlessly. “Did you lock the utility shed, Gav? The rain’s done for now, I think. I can start hauling the ladder and extra shingles to the back porch so they’ll be ready for us to use.”

“I can help you with it.”

“Rest your arm awhile. No need to overdo it.”

“Avery’s right,” Rob agreed. “You’ve likely overused it already today. We’re here now. Let us help.”

“Look, I appreciate the offers, but...”

“C’mon, Gav, it’s not every day you get offered free labor,” J.T. chimed in with a laugh. “Most folks have to pay for repairs on their rental properties. All you had to do was get shot.”

The box she’d just taken from the cupboard fell from Jenny’s suddenly limp fingers, scattering tea bags over the countertop. The kettle whistled, but it took her a moment to remove it from the burner and turn off the gas. She felt as if she were trying to move through molasses as J.T.’s words reverberated in her mind.

Shot. Gavin had been shot? He’d lied to her?

She hadn’t realized until that moment that after all these years, he still had the power to hurt her.

Chapter Four

J.T. seemed to sense immediately that he’d said something wrong. Maybe he picked up on the sudden tension radiating in waves through the room following his joking remark.

“I wasn’t shot.” Jenny sensed that Gavin directed the words to her, though he spoke to his friend.

Rob nodded. “Technically, that’s true.”

“Semantics,” Avery pronounced with a wave of one hand. “I’d say being hit by shrapnel from a ricochet counts as being shot.”

Gavin jerked his chin toward the back door in a less-than-subtle hint. “The utility shed is unlocked. The ladder’s on the left and the spare bundle of shingles is on the shelf to the right.”

“I’ll help you carry the stuff, Avery,” Rob offered, springing to his feet.

J.T. ambled toward the door behind them. “Might as well go out and take a look. We should be able to get started on the roof now that the rain’s stopped.”

“I’ll be out in a couple minutes,” Gavin said as his friends moved noisily outside.

Gavin waited only until the door had closed behind them before speaking to Jenny in a firm tone. “I wasn’t shot.”

She dunked her tea bag very deliberately into a mug of steaming water, her gaze focused fiercely on the task. “That’s what you keep saying.”

“I didn’t lie to you, Jen.”