Page 28 of Dare to Rock
She squealed and turned, taking off for the bedroom. He followed... and it was a long while before they made it downstairs to the bakery.
He drove her home, and she kissed him good-bye and ran into her building, last night’s clothes balled in her hand, his T-shirt and a pair of old running shorts on her sexy body.
***
Avery made it home from Grey’s, waved to Ella, and rushed to shower and get ready for their appointment at the hospital. She was running late, which left no time for conversation about Avery’s love life on the way to the hospital. Instead they prepped for the meeting.
By the time they had survived the pitch and discussion with the ever-so-pleasant Dr. McCann, Avery was exhausted. And being woken up by Grey’s tongue and other body parts last night was only part of the reason. She was sore in places she hadn’t known existed, and muscles she’d rarely used felt a sweet ache that reminded her of Grey. She’d done her best to keep her mind on task and any goofy smile off her face during the meeting. She’d have plenty of time to revisit things later and sort out her overwhelming feelings.
By the time she walked out of their meeting with Dr. McCann, she was glad she’d scheduled the meeting before Ella’s upcoming business trip, so she could have her friend there with her, pushing the cause. Ella often volunteered too, both of them having a unique perspective and understanding of both the patients and their situations. The prom was a dream they shared, and both were determined to make something special happen for these children.
Dr. McCann had been his usual dour self, but he was impressed with the idea. Avery waited until they rounded a corner, made certain they were alone, and turned to her friend.
“Well? What’s your take?”
Ella leaned against the nearest wall and groaned. “I’m cautiously optimistic. I just got the feeling that he didn’t think we could pull this off with no budget. Easier to put the load on us than to just say no,” she muttered.
Avery nodded. “That’s his MO. But we are going to show him what happens when he challenges two determined women. At least he said we can hold the event at the hospital. I’d have been willing to ask my father for a ballroom at his hotel, but then the most critically ill kids would have missed out.” And those were the kids whose smiles she wanted to see the most. “And this way, nobody has to leave the premises. They’ll have medical staff and equipment surrounding them should they need it.”
Ella’s eyes swam with relief at that too. “So venue is one thing we can cross off our to-do list.” She glanced at her notepad. Avery had a similar list in her purse. “But now we have to find music, get the food donated, handle setup and clean up ourselves, not to mention everything we already have to plan for preprom.”
Avery nodded. “Dresses for the girls, tuxedoes for the boys, the makeup, hair...” Her shoulders drooped as the list grew. “And Dr. McCann won’t agree until we have all our i’s dotted and t’s crossed.”
“In blood,” Ella muttered.
Avery blew out a long breath meant to be agreement. “But we can do this.” It would take every bit of persistence and all of the connections they had, but Avery had faith.
“We can,” Ella agreed. “So now that that’s settled, tell me about last night. Because I can’t remember the last time you didn’t come home. Or remember to text or call if you weren’t.” She folded her arms over her chest and pinned Avery with her best mom stare.
Avery winced. “I’m sorry if you were worried.”
“I knew you were with Grey, so I wasn’t worried. I am, however, curious.”
“It was... amazing,” Avery admitted, feeling her cheeks blush and her body flush with warmth.
“I’m really happy for you. I knew you two had unresolved feelings,” Ella said, sounding pleased with her powers of deduction.
“Yes, well, we’re working out those feelings.”
“In bed.” Ella grinned.
Avery rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
“And that’s an improvement over the way you felt last time we spoke.” Ella glanced at her phone, reminding Avery she hadn’t checked hers since before the meeting.
She pulled her cell from her purse and realized she had six missed calls, some duplicates from various siblings. “So many missed calls,” she said, concerned something was wrong.
“Is everything okay?” Ella asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe one of them left a text.” If not, she’d be calling them ASAP.
She opened her text messages, and Olivia’s name popped up first. She read out loud. “Click this link, then call me.”
Avery clicked on a link to today’s local newspaper. And a photo of her and Grey leaving his apartment this morning showed up on her screen. She wore his too-long T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts, her dress and shoes from last night in her hands. And the headline screamed out at her in all capital letters...REASON FOR TANGLED ROYAL BREAKUP!
“Oh my God,” she said as the blood rushed from her head.
“Whoa.” Ella led her to a set of chairs down the hall and eased her into the first seat. “Breathe,” she instructed.