Page 23 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

“Duncan, please. You don’t need to explain.” She forces a smile and shakes her head, holding her hands up and laughing awkwardly. “I told Caroline this was a silly idea. But she insisted I ask.”

My eyes are glued to her face, and I can see every nuance of emotion rolling over it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Ava feel so uncomfortable around me. Well, except…

“She’s working on a Plan B,” she interrupts my thoughts, returning my focus to her. I watch her smile shake as she tries to make light of the situation. “I’m a bit worried about what ideas she may come up with, to be honest. She can be a bit…um…creative.”

Taking a slow breath, I push the longing that’s surfacing. I’m a fixer. It’s not something many people know, but it’s true. I clench my jaw to stop the words lingering on the tip of my tongue from falling out.

“I didn’t expect you to say yes, not after…” her voice fades before she finishes, but I know exactly what she’s talking about.

Moving toward the island, I reach for the bowl of treat dough and pull it toward me. Sprinkling some flour on the counter, I pick up one of the dough balls and roll it out with the rolling pin. “It was a long time ago,” I say softly, not looking up. It may have been years ago, but sometimes it feels like yesterday.

This past week especially.

I can feel her eyes on me, slowly moving over my face. Leaving a trail of heat everywhere they touch. It’s all I can do to focus on the dough under my hand.

At the sound ofJessie’s Girl,I stop working the dough and look up to find Ava answering her phone.

The corner of my lip lifts slightly as I remember the talent show where Fiona and Ava sang this song. Ava was obsessed with Rick Springfield.

“Hi, Scarlett,” Ava’s voice rings out. Her eyes snap to mine. “I’m at Uncle Duncan’s.”

I hear Scarlett ask something just before Ava puts the phone on speaker.

“Uncle Dunky!” Ava’s lips quirk, and I narrow my eyes, which only causes the corners of her lips to lift higher. “Are you making the donuts?”

At this, Ava covers her mouth, and I’m pretty sure I heard a snort.

“I’m trying. I burned the first batch.” Scarlett groans loudly. “I know. I know. I forgot to set the timer.”

“Uncle Dunky,” Scarlet cries, and Ava giggles. “We talked about how important the timer is. Nana always says it’s the first thing you do right after putting them in the oven.”

I roll my eyes and look over to see Ava pressing a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. It’s bad enough to have Scarlett lecture me when it’s just the two of us, but with Ava here listening in, I’m looking for the nearest rock to crawl under.

“I know.” I rub my head against my palm, feeling heat creep up my face. “I was distracted.”

Ava wags her finger at me, backing Scarlett up, and my lip curls.

“The cookie cutters you picked out work great, though. The dogs are going to love them.”

“I forgot about those,” Scarlett says excitedly. “Will I be able to help you before we go to Mile High Mutts again?”

“We should be able to make that work. I’ll talk with your Dad to see what he says.”

“Okay. You’re coming to dinner tonight, right?” My eyes glance at Ava before falling back to the phone.

“Probably not, Red.” I pick up the rolling pin and go back to flattening the dough in front of me. “I want to try and get a couple of batches of treats done tonight.”

“Bring them here,” Scarlett suggests. “I can help.”

“Not tonight.” I peek at Ava and see her eyes dim a bit.

My heart clenches because I know she knowswhyI’m staying home. Or rather, because of whom.

“Okay,” Scarlett says, disappointment dripping off every syllable.

I blow out a deep breath and try to rein in the guilt I’m feeling at both Scarlett’s and Ava’s reaction to me not going to dinner.

I roll the dough a little too hard, causing it to thin out more than I want. Putting the rolling pin down, I pull the dough from the countertop and mold it into a ball. Starting over.

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