Page 50 of Just One Chance
Avery’s stomach sank, realizing too late that shehadimplicated David by what she had said. She had to think fast.
“Fine,” she said, her tone even. “Go ahead. Attack David. Ruin his career, get him fired from the hospital, whatever you want. Then I’ll go straight to the Charleston Chronicle. I’ll give them an exclusive on the aspiring young attorney whose political hopes were dashed when he got caught with his ex-girlfriend only weeks before his wedding. I know how much you protect your social media image, Tucker. Don’t think for a second I won’t go online and do everything I can to tear it all down. I wonder if there are other women who might come forward. You know how it often goes. One person has the courage to speak up, and then the others decide the hush money they’ve been paid maybe wasn’t worth it, after all. The truth is more important in the end, isn’t it?”
Tucker’s jaw tightened. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”
Avery scoffed. “Go home, Tucker. Please. Just go live your life and let me live mine.”
An hour later, after a long shower and two more donuts, Avery pulled out her phone and texted David.
Did you ever follow Tucker home from work?
Yes,David replied, almost instantly.A few times. But I never did anything else. I realized I was being impulsive and reckless and I needed to leave things alone and try to move on.
Avery stared at his text. He’d tried to move on. Which is why he’d asked her to set him up with Shelley. And probably why he was on a date with the other girl, as well. The poor girl who had witnessed the whole movie theater debacle.
When Avery had asked Shelley about her date with David, Shelley’s response had been straightforward and short. “He was nice, Avery, but he’s clearly in love with you. The whole date, all he did was talk about you.”
Avery sighed. It was too much. His feelings were too much. That he had gone to such lengths, that he felt so intensely...it was more than she could process. She typed out a response, reading it over and over before finally sending.
Thank you for the basket. I understand why you did what you did, but I need some time to process and think. Don’t text me for a while, okay?
Chapter 18
Daviddidhisbestto give Avery the space she needed. At first it was a daily battle not to give into the doubt and regret that threatened to overwhelm him whenever he thought about her. Regret that he’d behaved so poorly in the first place. Doubts over whether or not he’d told her too much. But then days turned to weeks and the ache in his chest subsided to more of a dull pain, so dull he could almost forget about it if he stayed busy enough.
The easiest way to stay busy was to pour himself into his work. He practically lived at the hospital. He picked up extra shifts whenever he could, often opting to sleep in the on-call room rather than drive home. It was easier that way. Easier to keep working. Easier not to see Avery at all.
“Hey,” Lucy said as she dropped into a chair across from him in the doctor’s lounge. “How are you holding up?”
“Good. Great. Never been better.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Sure. I buy that.”
“Really. I’m fine,” David insisted. And he meant it. He’d started to appreciate the new routine of his days.
“David, you’re always here. Do you realize that? Have you even worn anything besides scrubs in the past month? Go home! Take a walk on the beach. Go see a movie. Do something besides work.”
“Scrubs are really comfortable,” he argued, though he did wonder how long it had been since he’d worn real pants.
“Is there seriously no hope for you?”
David only shrugged.
Lucy's expression softened. “She hasn’t reached out at all, has she?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“I’m sorry, David,” Lucy said with a sigh. "But it's her loss."
Their phones went off at the same time with the familiar chime of the hospital’s paging system. “An accident,” Lucy said out loud, as David read the same information she did. “Multiple victims, on their way here. Let’s go.”
Chapter 19
EarlyTuesdaymorning,Averywalked along the beach, pulling her sweater tighter around her. The September air wasn’t quite cold, but there was a bite to the early-morning breeze that was new. She welcomed it. It had begun to feel as though summer might never end.
She paused when she saw David sitting a few paces away in the sand. He wore the scrubs she’d grown so used to seeing him in and looked as though he’d been sitting there a good long time.
She paused a few steps away. “David?”
