I laughed as Skye and I shifted on the bench, making space for Tess. I felt so confused and exhausted at the moment that I didn’t think I could be of any use to them anyway.
“Holy shit,” Skye said, eying me wearily. “You’re not even pretending to have it all under control. That’s so unlike you.”
Tess turned to Cole. “You know how Skye and I used to joke that Ryker wouldn’t realize he’s in love even if it smacked him in the head? We take it all back. Means there’s hope for you too.”
Cole cocked a brow. “You can tell you were wrong because he looks miserable? You’re not exactly selling me on love right now.”
Skye groaned. Tess shook her head.
“No, silly. We can tell that by the fact that he’s all over the place because Avery and Heather are hurting,” Skye explained.
“Being all over the place is still not a good selling point,” Cole pointed out. “But let’s focus on the important part: Avery and Heather.”
Tess rubbed her forehead, laughing. “You’re right. We’ll circle back to your odd views on love another time. Now we have to focus our efforts on Ryker.”
“Yes, please do,” I encouraged them.
Skye patted my shoulder. “I know why you’re beating yourself up. Stop doing it.”
“How? We’ve been in Avery’s shoes. We know how it feels... not to be wanted,” I said.
“This isn’t the same thing. Dad left us,” Tess said, glancing at Skye and Cole as if inviting them to chime in with their opinions.
“I know, but I’m still—”
“Questioning yourself?” Skye asked sympathetically.
I nodded, relieved that she got it.
“Hell,
no,” Tess exclaimed. “No. No. Absolutely not. We won’t let you do that.”
“Jesus!” Cole exclaimed. “I was going to order a beer, but I need something stronger if we’re getting into that. Anyone else?”
Tess clapped her hands. “I’m with you. Something that will inspire me to come up with motivational quotes... but also keep my mind clear.”
“Just water for me,” Skye said. “But I do want some food. I give really bad advice on an empty stomach.”
“You do,” Cole agreed. “How about—”
I interrupted him. “Cole! Don’t hijack our sister’s attention. I still need it on me. All of it.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Heather
Being under my parents’ roof was always a treat, but never more than now. This was like a time capsule from my childhood. They hadn’t changed any of the furniture. I was sitting on one of the neon-orange chairs at the enormous kitchen island. They contrasted starkly with the polar white kitchen. Dad had left early this morning to go to his chess club, as he’d done every day since retiring. Business as usual. Avery was still asleep.
As Mom and I started baking all my favorites—blueberry pancakes, chocolate muffins, and apple tarts—she mentioned that Avery had gotten up briefly this morning to feed Tony, and that she’d seemed very happy.
And just like that, I remembered Avery’s heartbreak yesterday and my eyes started burning. I blinked quickly, hoping to keep the tears at bay. I swallowed hard a few times, breathing through my nose. The burning sensation descended, lodging in my chest. Not even the smell of my mom’s cooking was lessening it.
As if sensing I needed a distraction, she pointed to the oven.
“Want to do a quality control on those?”
“Oh, yes.”