Page 80 of Substitute for Love

Before he could respond, Doreen said, “But I’m sure Avery here could drop you off. I don’t think she’s signed up for a sub job that day.” There was a twinkle in Doreen’s eye, and Avery made a mental note to thank her later.

Gabe turned toward Avery. “It’s okay, really. I’m sure I could find someone.”

Avery didn’t care he was trying to give her an out. Whether he wanted to avoid her, or not wanting to inconvenience her, ormaybe because he was stepping aside because he thought she and Marshall were back together, she took the chance.

“I’d be happy to take you to the airport. What time?”

He offered a smile, not a big Gabe-style smile, but a small one. It was enough to give Avery a glimmer of hope. It wasn’t in his nature to hate anyone or even dislike anyone. But his little smile showed he didn’t exactly mind that Avery was going to be the one to see him off.

“I’ll send you the flight info. Thanks, Avery. I owe you one.”

“Could we talk? Outside?” she asked.

Gabe looked at his phone. “Oh dang, I’m late. I gotta go meet a guy who is thinking of buying my truck. He wants to take a look at it in like ten minutes. I’ll text you.” He ran out the door before Avery could say anything.

“We’ll sure miss him around here,” Doreen said.

Avery turned. “Yeah. We will.” Honestly, the school had a hard time keeping subs, and Gabe was about the best there was. But she’d missed him more than all of them put together.

Doreen smiled. “You have a good day now, Miss Williams.”

“I will. And thank you. For everything.”

Gabe’s truck whizzed by as Avery exited, the last time his truck would be in the school parking lot. Loneliness filled her heart. Hopefully, thought, it would not the last time Gabe would be in her life.

Chapter 25: Gabe

As much as Gabe had tried to avoid Avery his last week in Phoenix, he couldn’t get her out of his head.

Seeing Avery and Marshall hugging outside of the library still stung. It seemed like he was maybe leaving town, but what of the two of them? He had no idea if they were together—the hug certainly confirmed it, even though Gabe still hung onto the possibility it was a final goodbye—but maybe not knowing would be the best way to leave.

He drove home as fast as he dared, hoping the guy buying his truck would still be there. It was weird, letting go of these things in his life. His dog, his truck, his sub job.

HisAvery.

But did he really need to let her go? Could he have both? Did she want him back?

Leave it to Doreen to give him a window of opportunity. He had thought about asking Avery to drop him at the airport Friday morning, but she was already taking his dog. And how was he supposed to quit thinking about her if she was the last person he saw before leaving town?

But now she was taking him. He made a mental note to thank Doreen later. Had she been responsible for the sub binder mix-up on the first day? He chuckled to himself. What a funny thought.

Thursday September 10, 7:00 PM

Standing outside Avery’s door, he hesitated, then knocked, hoping she would answer. He had texted his flight plans toher, but he had texted her mom about dropping his dog off. He didn’t want Avery to feel obligated to be there or not, and he hadn’t sorted his thoughts and words out quite yet. Plus, he had to drop off Emmett now. The guy who had looked at the truck earlier wanted to buy it—but thankfully agreed to wait so Gabe could use it until he left—was coming over in thirty minutes. This was his last chance to drop off Emmett.

“Oh, I’m so happy to see you!” Avery’s mom let Gabe and Emmett in. She bent down and Emmett licked her face as she laughed. Gabe smiled. Patricia was the perfect dog sitter, and Emmett clearly loved her. Gabe hoped it wouldn’t be too hard for her to return him when the time came. “Sorry Avery isn’t here,” Patricia said. “She’s working at the library until 8. But she’ll see you in the morning, right?”

Gabe nodded. He wondered what Avery had told her mom about him. Probably nothing. He didn’t feel right pressing her mom for information. What if Avery had no feelings for him? Gabe wasn’t ready to hear that.

Although, she had seen them off for the dance. Hadn’t she taken a photo? His heartbeat quickened. He could ask her to text it to him later.

“I really appreciate you taking care of Emmett,” he said. “I’m sure he’s in good hands.” Obviously, if Avery’s mom was anything like Avery, the dog would get all the love it needed.

Gabe got home, turned over his truck keys to the new owner, then went through his luggage one more time. It was lonely without his best friend Emmett by his side, and it was even lonelier to think tomorrow was the last time he’d see Avery for a long time. It wasn’t that long, really, four months. Gabe’s dad had done deployments for months at a time, so it was familiar territory. In a deeper sense, being away for that long did put distance between loved ones. Gabe craved closer relationships with his parents, and deployment didn’t help. So while fourmonths didn’t seem that long, a lot could happen. Plus, he had no clue how the project would go. If it extended for six months, or even longer, according to the latest email from his professor, he wouldn’t be back for a long time.

Friday September 11, 5:00 AM

AVERY: Pulling up right now.

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