He held up his hand, shaking his head. “Not the lawsuit, Bambi.”
“Wait, it’s not what you think. It’s not about you and Andy, at least not directly.” She watched Grey’s shoulders tense as he folded his arms in front of his chest. The warmth in his eyes was replaced by an impatient stare—one brow cocked—issuing a “proceed with caution” warning.
She drew another deep breath before plunging ahead. “I’ll just get right to the point. Have you and your lawyer discussed suing the Outpost Saloon?”
Grey’s brows gathered. “No.”
“No, you haven’t discussed it, or no, you won’t talk to me about it.”
“No, we haven’t discussed it.”
“Oh.” The bloom of renewed hope unfolded. “That’s probably because he doesn’t have all the facts about what happened before Andy got behind the wheel. I just learned some details that might give you grounds to sue the bar.”
Optimism continued to blossom when he didn’t cut her off. Maybe once she told him the story, her suggestion would resolve everything. And maybe then something more than friendship could develop between them. The unbidden thought temporarily distracted her until Grey cleared his throat.
When he remained silent, she relayed the story about the bachelorette party, Andy’s friends, the delinquent bartender, and then explained the laws against knowingly serving intoxicated people more alcohol.
Grey stared at her, saying nothing. She met his silence with an exasperated flailing of her arms. “Grey, this gives you another source of recovery—one I assume has adequate insurance.”
Her heart raced as she awaited his response. But Grey didn’t smile with relief. In fact, she detected no reaction whatsoever. The flowering hope she’d embraced withered. The chirping birds and buzz of insects grew louder as she felt his physical and emotional withdrawal.
Grey’s eyes narrowed. “You surprised me today, A-ver-ee.”
Apparently not in a good way, according to his tone. “How so?”
“Seems this friendly lunch was just a ruse to butter me up so you could break our agreement about not discussing legal matters.”
His distrust stung, even if he was at least partly correct. However, his opinion had to take a backseat to saving her house and her parents’ retirement fund.
Then Grey frowned and glanced at his feet, speaking softly. “I’m disappointed you let me believe this lunch was about friendship instead of just being straight with me or, better yet, having your brother contact me. Makes me wonder if you really want to help me or are just trying to save yourself and your family.”
Her throat ached when she swallowed. “Why can’t it be both—helping my family and you at the same time?”
Grey studied her, holding her gaze. “Do you believe the bar is more responsible for my injuries than Andy?”
“Not more responsible. But it seems to me it might be equally responsible. The law might agree, too. And now you have two potential sources of recovery. Isn’t that what’s most important to you?”
Grey should be thrilled about the possibility of recouping his losses without forcing her out of her home. Yet her whole approach sat like a jagged stone in his gut. For the past thirty minutes, he’d been riding a high, believing they were taking a step away from a professional relationship and toward something personal. Then reality smashed his hopes. Nothing caused his brain to shut down as fast as wounded pride.
“Did your brother send you to talk to me?”
“No.” Avery wrinkled her nose. “To be honest, Andy didn’t even tell me the story.”
Grey tilted his head. Something was off. “Then how’d you find out?”
“His friend Matt.”
Andy’s friend, my ass. When Avery blinked at him with those pale eyes, a hot streak of misplaced anger scorched him. “You mean your ex, Matt, don’t you?”
At least she had the grace to blush when busted for her continued attempt to share only what she wanted him to know to suit her own agenda.
So Matt was playing her white knight, using whatever he could to get back in her good graces. This whole suggestion was really his chess move, not hers.
He rubbed his hand along his jaw. “So your brother was going to leave you twisting in the wind?”
She glared at him, the gold streaks in her blue eyes flaring to life. “He wouldn’t have let it go indefinitely. He’s just terrified that ‘bachelorette party boy’ won’t play sympathetically to a judge handing out a sentence. And he’s not eager to make more enemies in town by dragging others into his mess.”
“But you don’t mind that second part.” Grey tipped his chin.
Avery pushed off the bench, thrusting her index finger toward him. “You know what, you can drop the attitude. I’m giving you important information that can help you. And no, I don’t feel bad about looking out for myself and protecting what’s mine, especially since I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not suggesting anything illegal or unethical, either.”
She took a step closer and pointed in the general direction of the OS. “That bar owes a duty to the public. Its bartenders shouldn’t be overserving wasted patrons to increase their chances of getting laid, and then letting those same customers go home without calling a cab. If a judge concludes the OS has some liability here, that’s not my problem, and honestly, its not Andy’s either. And I’ll gladly defend my position to anyone who thinks otherwise.”
Grey glanced at the ground again. Everything she said was true. No doubt he’d call Adler and discuss it with him. He had no wish to hurt Avery, but he wouldn’t go after someone else just to spare her.
And what if Andy cooked up this story to throw the blame elsewhere and she simply bought into his lies? What if Grey ran down this rabbit hole and ended up with nothing except a whole bunch of enemies in town?
Then again, as a business owner, Grey carried liability insurance and was prepared to deal with lawsuits by injured skiers despite all the waivers and assumption-of-risk notices his clients signed. The OS should be equally prepared to face the consequences of its negligence, assuming the bartender was negligent.
All Grey knew for sure was that he had a lot of questions and no answers. Best thing to do was say as little as possible until he had all the facts.
He studied her—that prideful streak on full display, from her tipped chin to the fists on her hips. Of course, she had as much right to protect her future as he did his, the realization of which dulled the sharp edge of his anger.
All along she’d reminded him of the boundaries between them, but he’d kept hoping for more. Not very fair to hold it against her when she’d only been honest, but his mixed-up feelings sucked. He wasn’t sure what to do about any of it, but knew he had to get away from her to figure it out.
“Well, I’d better get going.” He stood to leave. When Avery grabbed hold of his wrist, he felt the heat travel all the way down . . . there. Clearly, even when she made him angry, throwing her to the ground and kissing her seemed like a good idea.
“Wait. Are you going to talk to your lawyer?” Although her subterfuge today had hurt, her hopeful eyes tugged at his heart, weakening his resolve to maintain objectivity.
“I’ve repeatedly asked you to stay out of the middle, Avery.” Grey placed his hand over hers, allowing himself to savor the satiny texture of her skin. “Please.”
“I can’t!” She yanked her hand away from his. Tiny lines etched around her eyes and mouth revealed her frustration. “Just because you refuse to discuss it doesn’t mean I’m not still in the middle.”
“What do you want from me?” Grey’s arms reached upward then slapped against his sides.
“I want you to acknowledge my point. I want you to promise you’re going to look into what I’ve told you.” She fell back against the bench, deflated, tapping her toe against the ground. “I want you to act like a friend.”