Page 27 of Just One Chance
David closed out the search and dropped his phone into his lap. If people checked outhissocial media profiles, they’d think he was still in med school. He hadn’t posted anything new in years so he couldn’t fault the guy for not living his entire life online. But a larger digital footprint sure would make it easier for Avery to catch Tucker in his lies.
David tapped his foot, frustrated energy making him twitchy. When he had a patient that he couldn’t figure out how to treat, it was normally a lack of information that kept him from making an accurate diagnosis. When he wasn’t sure, there were labs or scans he could order, tools he could use to gather as much information as possible to aid him in solving the problem.
Maybe that was the problem here. He just didn’t have enough information to form an accurate diagnosis. If he knew more, maybe he wouldn’t have totellAvery about Tucker and Jessica, because he’d be able toshowher, lead her somewhere he knew Tucker and Jessica would be so she could catch Tucker in the lie.
But where? And how?
David needed a plan. And quick.
Chapter 9
Averysatonherfront porch and watched the storm clouds rolling across the sky. She loved a good thunderstorm, partly because she loved the way the storms cooled the heavy, humid air, but mostly because she loved the power of them, the way they riled up the sea and whipped the palm trees into a frenzy. Her older brother had never loved storms growing up. To him, thunderstorms were younger siblings to hurricanes and deserved no love and no respect. When the storms hit, he would hide inside with the dog while Avery and her grandmother sat on the porch, watching the lightning fracture the sky.
She glanced at her watch. Hopefully Tucker would arrivebeforethe rain started and they could watch the storm together. They’d originally had plans to go out, but he’d texted an hour earlier asking if they could stay in and watch a movie instead. Avery didn’t mind, but it seemed like they’d been spending a lot of time at her house lately. She had to wonder why.
Tucker’s truck pulled to a stop in her driveway just as the first raindrops fell. He held a pizza box over his head as he darted up the walkway, ducking under the cover of her porch. “Hey,” he said with a grin. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “What are you doing out here?”
“Watching the storm,” she said. “Looks like it’s going to be a good one.”
Tucker turned and looked at the sky. “Yeah?”
Low thunder rumbled and the wind picked up. Avery caught a whiff of salt and sea and smiled. “What happened to your arm?” she asked, noticing the brace he wore on his wrist.
“It’s just a sprain,” Tucker said, glancing down. “I fell playing golf the other day. Come on.” He opened her front door. “Let’s get inside. It’s miserable out here.”
Avery frowned, but Tucker was already halfway inside and didn’t notice. “I’ll be in in a minute,” she said. The storm door swung closed behind him with a thwap and Avery stood up, moving right to the edge of the porch, close enough that rain dropped onto her arms and splashed onto the end of her nose. She turned to go inside but then paused when she saw David standing on his front porch much the same way she had been. He looked in her direction and she waved, happy that thunderstorms didn’t seem to freak him out the same way hurricanes did.
Tucker was already sitting in the living room, his ankles propped up on her coffee table. She stopped beside him and he reached up, pulling her onto his lap just like he used to. She snuggled into his arms, pressing her nose against his neck, just below his earlobe. He smelled good. Familiar.
“Are you hungry?” he said into her hair. “I had them put pineapple on the pizza just like you like it.”
She sat up and looked at him, her smile wide. “You did that for me? You hate pineapple on your pizza.”
“But I don’t hate you,” he said. He pulled her back down and kissed her, his hands cradling her face. Memories washed over Avery, everything good about her relationship with Tucker swelling inside her. They’d never lacked chemistry, and the familiarity of his touch ignited an aching in her that surprised and nearly overwhelmed her. But somewhere in the back of her brain, a warning bell sounded. She couldn’t forget the reasons they’d broken up, the ways they had hurt each other in the end. She broke their kiss and shifted until she dropped onto the sofa beside him. She would take it slow. Ask the right questions. Make sure that this time, Tucker was in for the right reasons.
She reached for the pizza, opening the box and pulling out a slice. There was only pineapple on a fourth of the pizza, not the entire thing. Good thing Avery wasn’t actually that hungry.
After dinner and a romantic comedy Tucker had been surprisingly willing to watch, Avery pulled him off the couch and hauled him toward the back door. “Come on,” she said. “The rain stopped. Let’s go see what shells the storm washed up on the beach.”
Tucker groaned. “Only tourists go hunting for seashells.”
“What? That’s not true at all. Plus there might be some sand dollars that need saving.” She’d tossed more than a few back into the water after a storm. “You love walking on the beach. Please?”
Tucker finally relented and they made their way down to the ocean. The clouds had blown away revealing a bright full moon in a deep navy sky. The moon reflected over the water and Avery marveled, as she always did, at her luck. No one, not anywhere, loved her island like she did.
Tucker held her hand as they walked, listening as she detailed the new interactive education program she’d been working on at work. He smiled as she talked, waiting when she stopped long enough to toss a sand dollar or starfish back into the water. When he pulled her into his arms just shy of the path back up to her house, she let him.
He kissed her long and deep, then moved his mouth to her ear. “Let’s go inside,” he whispered.
She bit her lip. It was too soon. Every inch of her knew she needed more time to get to know Tucker again. Find her footing without just falling back into the same relationship they’d had before. “Not yet, okay?” Avery said, her voice soft. “I just want to spend a little more time getting to know you again.”
Tucker chuckled. “You already know me, Avery. I’m still the same guy.” His hands slid to her waist and he pulled her closer.
“But I’m not the same woman,” Avery said. “I’m not saying no. I’m just saying . . . not yet.”
He didn’t answer her, but when he entwined his fingers with hers, he gave her hand an encouraging squeeze before leading her up the darkened path toward her house.
Just before they reached Avery’s backyard, they met David on his way to the beach. Tucker tensed beside her.
