Perfectly Able (11 page)

“She pulled her gun on you?”
Brandy asked.

“Yes.”

“Damn, London was right. Good thing she took the bullets,” Kelsey said. “So other than the gun, did you have fun? Did you talk to her, Ridge?”

“Of course, I talked to her. We were the only two people there,” I snapped.

“Well, what do you think?” Kelsey asked. “The two of you have a lot in common. Did she tell you that she’s been training for a triathlon, too?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we should date.”

“Give her a chance, Ridge. You need someone to drag you out of your to-do list every now and then.”

I glared at Kel before I started backing up. “Focusing on my
to-do
list is the difference between being successful and not. How close are you to graduating from college?”

“So I can’t decide what I want to do
. Big deal. I’ll have some fun while I’m thinking about it, and eventually, it’ll hit me.”

“Good plan, Kel.”

“You are so uptight, Ridge!”

I pulled out of the parking lot. “Where are y’all going?”

“We left Brandy’s car at your apartment complex, so you can go home.”

“I don’t want y’all to get her hopes up about getting serious with me. I like Ava, and she’s agreed to come to my Halloween party with me
. But let me make one thing clear—I am not looking for a relationship.”

“
I knew you’d like her,” Kelsey said softly.

“Did you
hear what I said?” I asked, exasperated

“Oh, I
heard you,” Kel replied. “You said you were going on a date with her to your Halloween party.”

“I give up,” I muttered as I drove through the side streets of Creekview.

When I pulled into my usual parking space in front of my apartment complex, I was more than relieved that I would be getting away from my sister and her friend.

“Tell your parents I appreciate them letting me use the cabin,
” I told Brandy.

“I will,” Brandy called as she waved and slid into the driver’s seat of her car.

Kel waited until Brandy was out of earshot, and then she leaned into the car. “You’re always helping me, Ridge. I just wanted to help you for a change. I wouldn’t have set you up with her if I didn’t think she was perfect for you. I know I don’t say it often enough, but I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me since Dad…you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I got your back, Kel, but you don’t have to worry about me. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll see ya later.”

She waved and rushed off to get in the car with Brandy.

I
shook my head as I retrieved my duffel bag from the trunk. I knew Kel well enough to know that she wouldn’t give up that easily. Hell, maybe she was more like me than I thought.

Realizing that my week at the cabin with Ava was over, I slung
my duffel bag over my shoulder, closed the trunk, and climbed up the stairs to my second-floor apartment.

I thought about my Halloween party and wondered if it would be possible for me to be in a house by
then. Mason knew I planned to purchase a home soon, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take to find one. In the meantime, he was searching for a roommate to take my place.

When I opened the door and stepped into the living room, I immediately saw empty beer bottles strewn around the apartment and Mason passed out on the couch naked with a skimpily-clad female lying on top of him. Neither of them budged as I closed the door loudly and walked down the hall to my bedroom.
Mason was the complete opposite of me. Where I planned meticulously, Mason lived minute-by-minute, never knowing what his day would hold. He was a bartender at Spanky’s, a local club, and it wasn’t unusual for him to pick up chicks at the bar and bring them home.

We were tight, but the fact that we had extremely different lifestyles was a catalyst for me to get my own place and get out.

As I unpacked
my bag, Mason came and stood in the door, his tattooed arms propped up against the frame. He was thinner than me and had a charm that seemed to have all the ladies swarming him. Luckily, he had found his boxers.

“Hey, champ,” he slurred. “Did you score?”

“I see you’ve been talking to Kelsey.”

“Yeah, she was at Spanky’s last night.
”

I cringed. “
You didn’t serve….”

“No,” he interrupted. “I didn’t serve her any alcohol. You’ve made it quite clear, on more than one occasion I might add, that she’s underage.
And I have no desire to lose my job.”

Relief flowed through my shoulders, releasing some of the tension.

He rubbed his hand through his hair and grinned, “Did you see the babe I brought home?”

“It was kinda hard to miss her.”

“She was a sweet piece….”

“I don’t want to hear about your latest conquest,” I interrupted, wishing he’d go away.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Jealous?”

I glared at him. “
Because you bagged a girl who would sleep with any John willing to buy her a drink? I don’t think so.”

He smirked.
“I’ll come back when you’re in a better mood.”

“Yeah, you do that.” He disappeared, and I closed my bedroom door, hoping that it was clear I was in no mood to talk.

My thoughts flitted to Ava. Aggravated because I should be thinking about the triathlon, I changed into my running shorts and a tee shirt and went for a jog, not looking at the couch as I stalked through the apartment.

As I began running down the street
, I forced myself to think about my list of goals. I wanted to purchase a house soon, and Ava was the only realtor that I knew. I already wanted to see her again, and it scared the hell out of me. I had things that I wanted to accomplish before a woman came along and complicated my life.

But I could feel the pull towards her, even now. I contemplated calling a random realtor, but when I thought about Ava saying that she couldn’t afford a prosthesis that was made specifically for water, I knew that if anyone made a commission off of me, I wanted it to be her.

I ran harder as I felt myself being sucked in by her. I remembered her bringing me a warm towel and making coffee. Her gentleness was like a healing balm, and I was drawn to it, to her. I remembered her nibbling on my neck before we both fell out of the canoe, and I had wanted more. Only by exercising strict discipline had I managed to remain the gentleman.

It was time to exercise di
scipline once again. I shoved thoughts of Ava from my mind and ran until my heart pounded and sweat streamed down my body in tiny rivulets.

Ava who?

Chapter 8

Ava

I checked my phone to see if I had any missed calls. It had been a week since I’d been back from the cabin, and I hadn’t heard one word from Ridge. Not one.

A guy like
Ridge could probably attract most any girl he wanted. I didn’t know why I was surprised that I hadn’t heard from him. I supposed it was because I thought we’d had a connection. Maybe he hadn’t felt it. My thoughts were no longer filled with Jack, but the self-doubt that he had placed in my mind was still there. It hadn’t been eating at me quite as much because Ridge had helped to alleviate some of my fears. But since I hadn’t heard from him, I wondered if maybe he hadn’t meant anything he’d said to me. Maybe he was only telling me what he thought I needed to hear. Maybe I’d only imagined the connection between us because I so desperately needed something to believe in, something that would make me feel better about myself.

I groaned out loud
. I did not need a man to make me feel better about myself, did I? Of course not. But I was no different than most women. I wanted to be wanted by a man. And I’d allowed a man to deeply hurt me, and I wanted to move past that. I thought Ridge would be my answer.

What was wrong with me? I’d never felt so confused about the opposite sex in my entire life.

I was so caught up in my musings that I jumped when my phone rang. I snatched it up and looked at the number calling. Deflated when I realized it wasn’t anyone I knew, I answered. Just as I suspected, it was someone making an appointment to look at a house.

I printed the information on the house that was pulled up on my computer and added it to the stack of things I had collected for Ridge. He’d never told me what kind of house he was looking for, but I’d been in this business long enough to have a pretty good idea
. He’d definitely want a garage to keep his car in. A double garage would be his preference, but a single garage would probably work, too. He’d want at least three bedrooms, including a master with an en suite bathroom. He would like it if it were close to a park to accommodate his outside activities, and what grill master wouldn’t want a deck?

I threw in a few houses with inground pools, partly because I thought he and his friends would enjoy it, and partl
y because I fantasized about skinny dipping with him again.

My phone rang
, and I stared at the screen as I realized it was Ridge.

My heart palpitated
.

I let it ring again, not wanting to appear too eager.

“Hello,” I greeted.

“Ava, how are you?”

I couldn’t prevent the grin that spread across my face. “Ridge. I’m good. How’s your training going?”

“I’ve been hard at it lately.”

“Me, too. I went cycling before I came to the office this morning, and I was a little surprised by how cold it was.”

“Yeah,
fall is definitely around the corner. Listen, Ava. You know I’ve been thinking about buying a house, and I’ve received an approval for a home loan from my credit union. I was hoping you could meet me to discuss my options.”

“Well, I have an appointment in thirty minutes. I could meet you for a late lunch.”

“Could you meet me for dinner instead? That way we won’t be rushed.”

“Sure,” I answered. “I could do that.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at six.”

When I hung up, a wave of nervous energy swept through my body
. I was excited that he had finally called, but a little disappointed because he had only called to discuss buying a house. But then again, he wanted to discuss it over dinner, so wasn’t that kind of like a dinner date?

Either way, I was going to take it and run with it.

The nervous energy stayed with me the entire day. I had difficulty concentrating on my sales pitch as I showed a couple of homes because all I could think about was Ridge.

As it approached six o’clock, I selected a shimmering, black, sleeveless top and a pair of black slacks. I painted a fresh coat of nail polish on my toes, as well as on the toes on my prosthesis, and showed them off with strappy black sandals.

When my doorbell rang, my heart started beating erratically. I stood, took a deep breath, and slowly walked to the door. All my attempts to calm myself were for naught because when I swung the door open, he took my breath away.

He wore a dark suit with a crisp, white shirt and a black,
silky tie. His sandy hair spiked in the front, and he smiled, revealing straight, white teeth.

“Hi, Ava,” he
said, his voice soft and smooth. “You look beautiful, as always.” Inwardly, I scoffed at his words. The last time he’d seen me, I’d been stranded with no makeup and no way to style my hair. At least now, I didn’t feel like a girl who’d been marooned on a deserted island without all the niceties that women enjoyed so much.

“You’re looking quite handsome yourself.”

“You ready?” He offered me his elbow and led me to the car, opening the door so I could get in.

I told myself over and over to be brave, to be the daring Ava of old.

He turned the radio down. “So have you found a way to get even with London yet?”

“Not yet. You?”

“I’ve been too busy to give Kelsey another thought. As much scheming as she and Brandy do, I’m sure theirs is coming.”

“Have you been busy with work?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Yeah, I’ve got a project I’m working on—a new piece of extrusion machinery at a local manufacturer. We’re setting it up. I’ve been spending a lot of time training for the triathlon, too. Maybe we could run or cycle together sometime.”

“I’d like that,” I said.

When we reached the restaurant, Ridge pulled into a parking place and turned off the ignition. “Wait there.” He exited the car and hurried to my side, opening the door for me.

“Me
lass,” he said gruffly in his best pirate imitation as he bowed and offered me his hand.

“
I see yer dear ol’ mum taught ye manners, ye scurvy dog,” I said sweetly as he assisted me from the car.

“Scurvy dog?” he growled. “Be careful, ye wench. Ye wouldn’t want me to make ye walk the plank, would ye?”