Trip’s brows rose. “I came up with her nickname, Avery, not Grey.”
Avery looked at Grey for confirmation. He held her gaze for two seconds then shook his head, silently confessing. Avery rolled her eyes and waved her hand. “Maybe it’s time someone came up with nicknames for you two.” Then she glanced at Trip. “Of course, I doubt your parents named you Trip.”
“Gunner Lexington the Third, at your service.” Trip bowed.
Avery’s puzzled expression must have prompted Grey to explain. “Lexington the Third . . . triple . . . Trip.”
“Ah,” she nodded, unable to keep from grinning, “now that one’s cute.”
So are you.
Grey wanted to wring Trip’s neck for busting in when he had, and for outing the whole Boomerang thing. Avery might be grinning now, but she’d been offended by that nickname.
By him.
He liked the way she’d defended her friend, but her loyalty also meant she wouldn’t hurt Kelsey by spending more time with him.
Probably just as well, considering the potential conflicts with Andy, and the fact Grey had neither the time for a relationship nor a burning desire to be devastated by love again. Given how long it had taken him to recover from a broken heart with Juliette, he’d be better off if he could just adopt Trip’s attitude toward women.
“Well, I’ve really got to be going.” When Avery looked at Trip, full of smiles and sunshine, something sharp twisted in Grey’s gut. “Nice meeting you, I think.”
“My outlook on this little town just got a whole lot better, A-ver-ee.” Trip glanced at Grey. “Where are your manners? First you don’t give her a towel, and now you aren’t walking the lady to the door?”
“It’s okay. I’m good.” When Avery’s eyes met his, she’d buttoned up all traces of emotion, like the heat that had been building between them today never existed. “See you on Monday.”
“Thanks for the ride.” Grey waved as she exited his apartment.
The second the door closed, Trip covered his heart with both hands and collapsed on the sofa. “Now I know why you’re always in such a good mood when you come home from therapy. Even her voice is cute—so feminine. Wonder what it sounds like when it gets low and throaty?”
“Hands off, Trip. I mean it.” His deadly tone brooked no argument.
Trip raised his hands. “Oh, this is good.”
“Just lay off and stay away from her. Your Boomerang remark did enough damage for the rest of the year.”
“Hey, Grey, you’d better be nice to me. After all, you’re gonna need help getting rid of Kelsey, and I may be the only guy who can do it for you.”
Grey shook his head. “You’re a man with no shame.”
“No, I wouldn’t cross any lines. But—”
“But nothing. Seriously. If you end up hurting her friend, I’ll be doubly screwed.”
Trip tapped his hands on the arms of his chair. “I haven’t seen you this worked up in . . . well, maybe never. You’ve got it bad for this girl.”
“I like her enough to protect her from you. And whatever I might feel, I’ve still got my priorities.” Grey held up his hand and ticked off his fingers. “My recovery, for one. Launching summer climbing programs, for another. And then, maybe, if she doesn’t hate me when the dust settles between her brother and me, I’ll figure out what to do about Avery.”
“Well, looks like you’ve got it all worked out.” Trip stood up and started to walk away, then stopped. “Of course, that’s assuming no one else makes her their first priority.” Then he whistled and wandered into his bedroom.
Grey filled an ice bag before slumping into the sofa cushions and turning on the television. Sure, someone else might catch her eye while he dealt with the fallout from the accident.
Time wasn’t on his side, but he had no choice. It would be impossible to get involved with her and stay objective when it came to her brother. Even if he might be willing to risk his heart again, he couldn’t afford to risk his entire future.
He twisted his bracelet, wondering what Juliette would think of Avery. His phone rang, rescuing him from his cloudy thoughts.
“Hello?”
“Grey, it’s Warren. Wanted to give you an update. I have some good, if incomplete, news about Randall’s assets. Apparently he and his sister own a house in town. Based on tax records, its market value is now probably somewhere north of five hundred thousand dollars. Once we win at trial and get a judgment, we’ll file a lien against the property to secure payment. If Andy can’t come up with the money, you can foreclose on the house.”
“You said he and his sister own it, so how is that good? Can we even force him to sell it when she owns half?”
“The short answer is yes. They own the property as tenants in common, so any judgment lien can be enforced against his share of the house. It looks like their parents transferred the title to them a few years ago, so maybe they made an outright gift. In that case, Andy could get a bank loan or possibly work out some other arrangement with his parents’ help. But that’s his problem, not yours.”
“If he needs to sell his interest to raise the money, it’s his sister’s problem, too.” Grey scratched his head. “I’m not interested in making her pay for his mistake.” Dammit, his feelings were already affecting his judgment.
“Grey, you’re the victim. You’re the one whose business is at stake. Andy’s criminal behavior is the sole cause of any loss experienced by his family.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t feel right. It’s complicated.” Hadn’t Grey identified Bambi as being a complication the instant he’d seen her? “Let’s hope he has some other assets, so I don’t need to hurt his sister just to get what I need.”
“I’ll get back to you once I have a full report.”
Grey pitched the phone onto the coffee table. Business loans, living expenses, therapy and medical bills, new programming and marketing budgets—real obligations that were piling up quickly.
If only Avery’s interests weren’t tangled with her brother’s. Then again, if her parents were rich enough to give their kids a house, maybe they had money to cover their son’s debts, too.
Adler was right about him deserving adequate compensation. This injury limited every part of his life right now, and disrupted his sleep to boot. And as much as he couldn’t allow himself to even think it, it could keep him from the out-of-bounds ski areas for quite some time.
Grey laid his head back and closed his eyes, recalling the unspoiled minute of his day when he’d held Avery’s hand in the park. That had been nice.
Uncomplicated.
Real.
Maybe, if he were very careful and brave, he could end up with everything he needed and everything he wanted.
Chapter Five
The sun was peeking over the trees when Avery turned onto her street, her feet padding along to the beat of an old Justin Timberlake song. She entered the house whistling, thanks to the invigorating four-mile run and the fact she’d be working with Grey today.
“You’re awfully chipper.” Andy sat at the counter, drinking coffee and reading the paper. “Mind sharing your secret?”
“Spring is finally arriving. Mom and Dad have gone back to Arizona for a while.” She set her phone and earbuds on the counter and poured herself some water, conveniently omitting any mention of Grey. “Life is good.”