Page 42 of That Kind of Guy

My brain did, though. This was just a deal. Emmett wasn’t actually interested in me, or he would have made a move years ago. Not that I would have done anything about it. So all I needed to do, if I wanted this whole agreement to go smoothly, was to keep a cool head.

Easy peasy.

10

Emmett

“Emmett,”Miri called from outside the low, older building, just off the highway before the town border. Across the parking lot and down the hill was a small cove. This one was rockier than the other beaches and not as calm, but I knew from some of my morning runs that the most spectacular sunrises could be viewed from here. I always enjoyed running past this area.

Until I learned this building housed creatures of the underworld.

“Emmett,” Miri called again, and I got out of my car.

Look, I liked Miri. She was a lovely person, very sweet, and did a ton of charity work in Queen’s Cove. She was an incredible contribution to our community. I couldn’t think of a bad thing to say about the woman.

She was persistent, though, I’d give her that. When Miri phoned with the details about the turtle rehab, I had told her that regrettably, Div had already booked me a visit with the local hospital. She said that she hadalready confirmed with my assistant.

Miri might be an evil genius.

“Good morning.” I put on a bright smile as I approached, my stomach churning.

Miri clasped her hands together. “Good morning, handsome. Your darling is already inside.”

“My who?” I asked, frowning. “Oh. Avery.”

Miri laughed and slapped my shoulder. “Come on, let’s go in. The reporter is already here.”

I stared after her as I held the door open, and she breezed past me. “The who?” I asked for the second time.

“Emmett,” Don O’Rourke greeted as I walked into the lobby of the small office. Don was the reporter for the local paper and news blog. It was a small paper and run by one guy, who usually hired a summer student during the busy season. His camera hung around his neck, and he gave me a big grin. “Ready to get up close and personal with some turtles?”

I rubbed the back of my neck and swallowed. On the drive over, my stomach had tightened into a knot.

Beside Don, Avery pressed her lips together and looked down, trying not to smile. She had done her hair differently, it was tied up into a ponytail instead of down around her shoulders like usual.

“Can’t wait,” I told him, giving him a quick, tense smile and stepping over to Avery. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me quickly, pressing a quick kiss onto the side of her head. Her hair smelled amazing, that freshly washed scent of women’s hair products. “Hello, sweetheart.”

“Hello, darling.” Her tone was dripping with self-satisfaction.

Miri caught sight of the ring and gasped, reaching for Avery’s hand. “I haven’t seen the ring yet. Oh, my god.” Miri gave me a flat look. “It’s gorgeous. Emmett, you have incredible taste.”

Avery tilted her hand to look at the ring and her eyes fixated on it. Yesterday, I had walked in on her in her office, admiring it. She shook her head and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “I don’t know how he found it.”

I smiled, and a satisfied feeling spread throughout my chest. “I have my ways.”

Seeing Avery admire that ring made me a happy guy. The day I got her green light on the engagement plan, I paid a visit to Hannah. In the musty little bookstore, Hannah flipped through the pages of a book on vintage jewellery, pointing out exactly the shape and style Avery was drawn to. I immediately drove to Victoria three hours away and scoured jewelry stores for something vintage, something people would believe Avery would want. Did I drop a bit of money on the ring? Sure I did, but the second I saw her eyes light up, that didn’t seem to matter as much.

Miri looked between the two of us. “Have you picked a date yet?”

“We’re still thinking about it,” Avery mentioned noncommittally. “Probably next year or maybe the year after.”

I had the urge to put my arm around her again but stopped myself.

Something weird had been happening lately—I’d been thinking about Avery more and more.

First, it was that awkward kiss for the photo Miri took. I thought about how my mouth brushed her cheek and the mouthful of hair I got. I had desperately wanted a do-over, because I was Emmett Rhodes, and I didn’t do bad kisses.

I got the do-over when I proposed to Avery in the restaurant. The way her soft mouth felt under mine, fucking hell. She was so soft and sweet and her hair was like silk around my fingers, and it still wasn’t enough. That kiss was too chaste. I was Emmett Rhodes, and I didn’t do chaste kisses.

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