AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I lost my temper and I hurt you. I’m no better than your ex,” Wesley says, slamming his hands on the counter.
“So you get a little careless when you lose your temper. Who cares?”
He meets my eyes with an expression that sends a chill down my spine. “You have no idea what I’m capable of when I’m angry or what I’ve done.”
For the first time ever, I think I might be a little afraid of him.
29
JAMIE
This whole situation with Kyle has stirred up uncomfortable memories for all of us. Wesley’s been as anxious as a tiger in a cage and twice as dangerous. Phillip has been down in the dumps and ruminating over his ex-wife.
And me? I can’t take my mind off Julia.
I can’t stop reliving the day she died. I had been in shock so severe that I went completely numb inside.
I had been lost and drowning in grief with no clue what to do with my life. My right-hand man (also a fraternity brother of mine) took the reins in our company and gave me two months off to process.
If it weren’t for Wesley and Phillip, I never would have left my bed.
With the letters and now the flower arrangements piling up on the receptionist’s desk every day, I can’t help but worry about what would happen to Avery if I just keeled over and died.
How would it impact her? What if I die before this thing with Kyle resolves and my death makes her unable to deal with things?
What if it didn’t matter to her at all? What if she didn’t even care if I was gone?
Now that’s just utter nonsense. You’ve seen the way she looks at you. There is no way she wouldn’t care if you died.
It’s a horribly morbid thought, but it still cheers me up, anyway.
I glance over at her and Wesley at the other end of the academy kitchen. The sight of them so thoroughly enjoying each other’s company brings a smile to my face.
Avery catches me looking and matches my smile before going back to sculpting with fondant.
She and Wesley really are good for each other. When they cook together at home, it’s like they share a brain. It’s beyond impressive how well they work together. It’s nice to see that they do it here too.
It’s the same with Phillip—she puts him through the intellectual wringer every time they debate something. He’s always on his toes trying to anticipate her questions and answer them before she can even ask. Don’t even get me started on when they play chess together.
Avery really does bring out the best side of all three of us, and I know it’s selfish, but I'd like to think we do that for her too.
The knot of worry in my heart evaporates because even if I were to unexpectedly die, there would be two good men to take care of her when I couldn’t.
As soon as the fondant sculptures are done and atop the cake they made, we all move to Phillip’s office to start her next class.
I know it’s only the first Saturday we’ve tried the combined lessons, but it’s going well so far—no hiccups or miscommunications or poor time management. It’s smooth sailing all the way.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by that. We make an excellent team.
When Phillip locks the door to his office, Avery starts nervously jiggling her leg.
“What’s going on? Has something more happened with Kyle?” I ask.
“No, it’s not that.”
“Did you need a break, then? I know we’re jumping right from cooking to marketing psychology. It’s okay if you need a few minutes to adjust,” Phillip adds.
“It’s more of a personal matter. I know it’s not something we should be talking about here, but I feel like it’ll be easier for me to say in a more neutral location.”
