Page 63 of Resisting the Grump

He cocked his head. “Have you tried flowers?”

“No.”

“Flowers never hurt.”

It was the first sensible thing he’d said, but she was liable to let them wilt on her welcome mat. “I tried to tell her,” I mumbled, mostly to myself.

“What?” his brows drew together as he searched my eyes.

“Nothing.”

“I don’t mean to make light of your situation,” he said finally. “I know this must be hard for you since you don’t usually notice or care if people hate you.”

“True, but I don’t want to sleep with those people.” Or spoil them rotten. Or spend all my time thinking of ways to make them smile.

I shook my head and set my cutlery down when the memory of her throwing that leash at my feet flashed through my mind. A dog like me didn’t deserve steak.

Not until I figured out how to make things right with the angry pussycat next door.

T H I R T YO N E

- Avery -

I didn’t think seeing my parents would make me feel better, but I hadn’t paid them a visit in weeks and my mom said she finally mastered the art of raspberry lemonade.

“Well, if it isn’t the star baker,” my dad joked from his favorite chair at the kitchen table, still in his robe and slippers. “We were getting worried you forgot all about us with all the hobnobbing you’ve been doing with the bigshots of the baking world.”

“I’m not a star baker,” I said, wishing I didn’t have a certain bigshot on the brain. “Grace is.”

“I beg to differ,” my mom said, smiling over her shoulder at me before turning back towards the stove and flipping a chocolate chip pancake.

My mouth watered as I inhaled the familiar scent of my favorite childhood treat, which was surprising since I basically gorged on good smells for a living. Thank goodness calories weren’t processed in the nose or I’d be three hundred pounds by now… and it would be an even bigger shame that I was never going to do more cardio with the cad next door.

“How much money did you say you raised for charity?” she asked.

“Don’t pretend you’re proud of me,” I said, kissing her on the cheek. “It’s embarrassing for us both.”

“I am proud of you, Avery. Don’t talk like that.” She slid a pancake atop the tall stack on the plate beside her and poured more batter into the sizzling pan. “I’m so proud I’m making your favorite breakfast!”

“I see that, Mom, thanks. What a nice surprise.”

“Speaking of surprises, I still think you should’ve been a lawyer,” my dad said, scrolling through the day’s headlines on his iPad.

My mom scowled at him.

“What?” he said, like he’d merely been reporting the weather. Coincidentally, high pressure and frequent storm fronts would’ve been a fairly accurate forecast for my future in law. “Avery’s a big girl. She’d rather I was honest with her. Isn’t that right, honey?”

“Of course, Dad.” I bent down to give him a hug. “It lets me know I can be honest with you.”

“Always.” He shot my mom a smug look.

“Like when I tell you that was a rude thing to say and that you should burn that dirty old robe.”

His expression fell. “I only mentioned it because you would’ve been great. Even better than what’s-her-face on SVU.”

I smiled. That was a big compliment coming from my dad.

“But you’ll be great at whatever you set your mind to.”

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