Page 79 of That Kind of Guy

“You should try it. It’s nice waking up before everyone else. The water’s calm, it’s just you and the birds and the waves. It’s very serene.”

She started opening the takeout boxes with our sushi. “That’s what I like about being up late, after everyone has gone to bed. It feels like I’m the only person awake in the whole town, when it’s silent and all the lights are out. Sometimes I stay at the restaurant long past everyone has gone home just to get work done. It’s peaceful.” She smiled softly at me and my chest panged.

We sat there, eating and talking and laughing and listening to the waves wash up against the shore and the sun began to set. I enjoyed watching her eat. Something about procuring her food and her enjoying it gave me satisfaction. Maybe it was a male instinct, the urge to feed and provide for my woman.

I nearly snorted to myself.Mywoman? I sounded like a caveman.

I glanced at her again.

Mine.

The idea of anyone else putting their hands on Avery, even smiling at her like that fucking Carter guy, sent hot rage through my veins and made me furious.

Avery was mine. There was no doubt about that. I just didn’t know what to do with it. I was completely out of my depth here.

A giggle bubbled out of her and I gave her a curious look.

She grinned wider. “Remember when you thought I was gay because I didn’t like you?” She laughed again and her eyes glittered.

I snorted. “I also thought you’d be dutiful.”

“The joke was on you.” She ate another piece of salmon nigiri.

“It sure was.”

I had entered this arrangement thinking it would be so simple. We’d take a few photos for social media, I’d sign on the dotted line of her loan, and we’d part ways. Easy. Straightforward. Emotionless.

I swallowed. This thing I was doing with Avery, it was easy, but it was anything but straightforward or emotionless. I couldn’t imagine not spending time with her after this. I couldn’t imagine her moving out of my home or my life, which she fit so perfectly into. I wanted to drop by The Arbutus every day to chat with her for lunch until I was a hundred years old.

You don’t understand,Will had joked once when I made fun of him for not wanting to take a trip with me.You’re not the family kind of guy.

My chest tightened, and I brushed the confusing thoughts aside, bringing my attention back to the present. The box with nigiri was nearly empty.

“I can see why you like running a restaurant, if everyone eats like you,” I told Avery as she ate another piece.

She narrowed her eyes and chewed. “Is that a compliment? I can’t tell.”

“Of course it’s a compliment. You enjoy food. I bet it’s rewarding to watch people go home happy after eating at The Arbutus.”

A wistful look came over her face. “It is. I like standing near the bar and looking out at everyone talking and laughing. There were these two older women who came in the other day for lunch, and they stayed for three hours, drinking wine and laughing so hard they were crying, and I just knew they had been friends for twenty or thirty years.” She swallowed and smiled, remembering. “It was like I got a flash of who they were when they were young.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what it is. There’s something about the restaurant that feels really special. Keiko and her family put so much into it and made it this important part of our community.” Her expression shuttered, just a moment, and she blinked. “I want to keep that going.”

I nodded. “You will. Everything worked out okay with the money?’

“Yes.” She looked down at her hands and then back up at me. “Thank you for that.”

“Don’t mention it. Seriously.”

She gave me a grateful smile. Golden hour was starting, the hour before sunset when the last rays of sun cast a warm orange flow on everything, and her eyes glittered in the light. Behind us in the trees, hundreds of birds were chirping. “It’s like the birds are all saying goodnight to each other,” she observed, grinning.

I smiled at her and remembered something. “Wedding dress shopping must have gone well today.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Did someone show you a picture?”

I shook my head. “Saw a charge on my credit card.”

She sagged with relief. “Okay, good.” A smile grew on her face. “I don’t want you to see my dress until the wedding. It’s bad luck.”

“Are you happy with it?”

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