Redwood Ridge

Chapter 10

Near lunchtime on Monday, Cade exited an exam room, sent Martha and her "depressed" hamster up front, rolled his eyes, and headed toward the break room to grab some water. He slammed into Flynn.

His brother grinned. "I want to show you something." He crooked his finger, so Cade followed, since he was headed in that direction, anyway.

Flynn paused at the fridge. "Take a look inside."

Sighing-because Cade knew there would be twenty more casseroles inside as they were back to back with mostly unnecessary appointments-he opened the fridge. And found it empty. Or almost empty. There was their usual bottled water, a few brown bag lunches, and Drake's pudding stash, but not a casserole in sight. He still wondered why the single women of Redwood Ridge found it necessary to supply him with a year's worth of home cooking.

Flynn lifted his brows. "Avery is telling the patients we're no longer allowed to accept food because it's against health regulations."

Cade opened and closed his mouth. "Why would she do that?"

Not that he was complaining. Half the time, Cade drove the stuff to the homeless shelter in the next town, since he couldn't eat it all. But it wasn't against health regulations as long as the food remained in the break room.

"You're an idiot." Flynn poked his chest. Hard. "She's doing it for you. She knows it bothers you to get all this unwanted attention."

That gave him pause. It was true. He wasn't fond of all the flirting or subtle lean-ins or any other form of vying for his heart, much preferring to let things progress normally without a shove. But he'd never said so. Not once. In fact, to spare hurt feelings, he went out of his way to be gracious.

"What did you have for dinner at her place on Friday?"

Cade blinked, sensing a trap. "Pizza." Hailey didn't react violently to white cheeses, so that was one of the few dairy items she could eat, in moderation. He narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Flynn nodded knowingly. "The way I see it, if she's funny, kind, eats pizza, likes your sorry ass, and is good in bed, you should marry her. Yesterday."

"We've known each other a month, man. I haven't slept with her." The rest of his brother's statement he wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

That only made Flynn's grin widen, the asshole. "Thanks for proving my point. When's the last time you took a month to sleep with a woman?"

Cade scrubbed his hands over his face and headed up front to see if it was safe to take lunch. Alone.

Avery was finishing up with Martha and the hamster as he approached. "Thanks so much for coming in today. Please take a goodie on your way out." She pointed to several plates of cookies on the counter, which usually wound up in Cade's office, since they were brought for him. "It's so nice of our patients to bring these for us, isn't it?"

Martha, a short brunette dental assistant from the office down the street, shoved a cookie into her mouth with a frown and left.

Cade would bet his right nut Martha had contributed to the sugar donation Avery was pawning off. Something pinched in his gut, which he attributed to hunger.

Squawk. "Sugar, sugar."

Avery laughed, having not seen Cade yet, and was typing something into the computer schedule. "Got that right, Gossip. She-rah, you leave that dog alone."

Cade glanced over, and sure enough, the cat had stretched from atop the printer and was eying a sleeping Thor by Avery's feet.

The cat paused, narrowed her evil eyes, and made to jump down.

"Ah-ah." Avery waggled her finger, never turning from the PC. "You go near that dog and you'll get it."

She-rah sniffed.

Avery reached over, snatched a spray bottle he hadn't noticed, and...squirted the cat in the face with a short stream of water. "I said leave Thor alone."

She-rah hissed, but remained on the printer, stopping her planned assault on the dog. She swiped her face with a paw, sent Avery a warning glare, and laid back down.

Cade stood there for several moments as the pinch in his stomach moved into his chest, and he had to remind himself he was at work. They were taking things slow. But the pounding of his heart against his ribs wouldn't cease. She was... She was so damn hot in her bossy mode. And very different from the vulnerable woman on Friday night.

"Do you need something, Dr. Cade?"

Hell. He wondered if he could get her to call him that when he kissed her again. Outside of the office.

Giving his head a violent shake to clear it, he tossed a chart down next to Avery and eyed the empty waiting room. "I'm taking twenty minutes for lunch."

She closed out her program and rose, preparing for her own break. "That doesn't go there."

He glanced at the chart she referred to and then her, the urge to kiss her so damn jolting he almost flinched. Grabbing the chart, he set it in Avery's file basket, never taking his gaze from hers. The electricity between them could supply the town for a week.

She smiled, turned on her heel, and headed down the hall.

He caught up to her and pinned her to the wall, earning a surprised squeak from her. After a quick glance to make sure no one saw, he stepped closer, shoving his thigh between her legs and crushing her breasts to his chest.

Her wide brown eyes didn't blink, and in this light, he could make out the honey flecks. "What are you doing?"

"This."

With his hands on her hips to hold her in place, he leaned in and kissed her. Not the careful enticement from her kitchen, but a full-on exploration to let her know how much she turned him on and just how much he appreciated what she'd done for him by micromanaging the plethora of female clients. And the cat. And damn it, the chickenshit dog.

She arched into him, fisting his scrubs, and moaned into his mouth like he made her forget their location, the day, and time space continuum, too. Her tongue stroked his, once, twice, rioting his thoughts right out of his head. Well, to the wrong head.

She smelled sweet, tasted sweeter, and if she kept grinding his thigh like that...

He tore away and rested his cheek to hers, breaths soughing. Holy hell, what she could do to him with a kiss. Her breathing wasn't stable either as she panted against his neck. His erection pressed into her hip, so he backed away, taking in her flushed cheeks and pert n*****s.

Biting back a groan, he said, "Just wanted to tell you that. We can discuss it in great detail later, yeah?"

Her palms pressed to the wall behind her, those gorgeous eyes unfocused and her lips parted. "Yeah."

Nodding, he headed out the back door instead of into the break room because suddenly he needed to cool off. However, several gulps of crisp, damp air did nothing to steady his heart rate.

* * *

Avery snuck out of the clinic at five on the dot. If she did so because Cade was occupied in his office and wouldn't see her leave, well that was a coincidence.

This non-dating dance they were doing was heating up, and she didn't know how to feel about that, so she shoved it from her mind. Almost. Her lips were still swollen from his kiss, and every time she thought about how he pinned her to the wall and devoured her mouth like he had no choice, a blush flamed her cheeks.

Richard had never pressed her up against the wall.

Straightening her shoulders, she got in her car and drove the mile to get Hailey. Maybe they'd go to the diner tonight for dinner. Get out of the cabin. After she parked in the rec center lot, she pulled out her cell to text her mom to see if she could meet them.

Anya manned the front desk and smiled as Avery opened the door. "Hello. How's dating the sexy vet going? You're breaking hearts all over the Ridge."

She sighed. "Cade and I aren't a thing." Despite what Twitter and the town's blog claimed. Despite the kissing. The really excellent kissing.

A lot of women in town were under the impression Cade was theirs. Every minute a new picture of him popped up on Pinterest with a willing female. It made it hard to figure out how seriously to take him.

"Oh, I don't know. People are talking. Cade doesn't date, as in at all, so this is pretty big news around here."

So was watching paint dry on the new park bench, but she kept her mouth shut until Miles brought Hailey up front.

"I missed you." Avery bent to zip her daughter's coat and squeezed her shoulder when she really wanted to kiss her. "How's she doing? Any problems?"

"Nope." Anya tucked a piece of strawberry blond hair behind her ear. "She's really great. The only thing that seems to upset her is the basketball games, so we keep her out of the gym."

Avery nodded. "Must be all the squeaky shoes."

She thanked them and led Hailey to the car. Once she had her belted in her booster, Avery checked her phone and noted her mom texted back with a confirmation of dinner.

They drove to the diner, which was surprisingly slow, but it was Monday. She noted a few men from the senior center were playing checkers at a table, but otherwise the place was empty. The fifties décor was retro-neat, she thought so when she first stopped in two weeks ago, but the neon signs and counter were under a layer of grease from years of fried food. The scent of French fries and hamburgers clung to the air, and Avery's stomach rumbled.

She spotted her mom in a booth and walked over, getting Hailey situated. "Glad you could come, Mom."

"Well, I don't want to take up your time with Cade, so I just wait for you to call. A woman needs private time with her guy."

Avery barely resisted an eye roll. "He's not my guy. He's my boss."

Who kisses her a lot. Up against the wall.

Before her mother could respond, a waitress made her way over, a woman Avery recognized from around town, but had never spoken to. Avery quickly scanned the menu for something Hailey could eat while her mom and the waitress made small talk. In her late sixties, the woman had wrinkles around her mouth and a craggy voice that bespoke years of smoking.

Hailey shrugged her shoulders as if bothered by her voice.

"And what can I get the cutie pie?" The waitress, Mave, bent down at eye level with Hailey and ruffled her hair before Avery could stop her.

Hailey instantly stiffened and screeched, flailing her arms. Silverware and ice water went sailing. She slid to the floor under the table, earning gazes from the other customers, and continued the screeching at an insane decibel.

Mom laughed nervously and ducked her head.

Crap on a cracker.

Hailey didn't act out very often, and when she did, it could be quite embarrassing, but her mother's reaction had fury building in Avery's chest. People would see her response and take their cues from her, thinking it was okay to stare at Hailey like a freak.

Mave's eyes popped. "Oh dear. What's wrong with her?"

Avery tensed to the point of pain, her molars grinding. It always came down to that-what was wrong with Hailey. She was different, so that made it okay to act like ignorant imbeciles, right?

Instead of getting into it, Avery asked her for a few minutes and then slid out of the booth to squat by Hailey, who had stopped screeching. "Hey, sweetie. She's gone. All better. Can you come out?"

A few moments passed and Hailey crawled back into the booth to stare out the window, all signs of distress vanishing except her all too common rocking.

Avery reclaimed her seat, closed her eyes, and rubbed her forehead. "If you're embarrassed by us, we can leave." She drilled her mom with an unforgiving glare.

Mom's eyes widened from where they were watching Hailey and shifted to Avery. "I've never seen her do that. She's always so quiet."

Of course she hadn't seen an outburst. For years, it had just been Avery and Hailey against the world. Mom had moved to Redwood Ridge before Hailey was born, and had only come to San Francisco a handful of times. Regret filled her because Avery hadn't made any attempt to visit her mom, either. Between Richard's schedule and Hailey's therapy, years snuck out from under them.

"I'm not embarrassed." Mom took her hand and squeezed. "I'm sorry. I froze."

The tension drained from her shoulders. "It's fine." Mom didn't know any better. Most people didn't, so Avery would educate where she could and shrug off when she couldn't.

Mave tentatively returned, a wary smile twisting her already wrinkled face. "Everything okay?"

Avery forced a smile. "This is my daughter, Hailey. She has autism and doesn't care to be touched, especially on her head. It's an over-stimulant for her, which is why she responded that way."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll make sure not to do it again."

Smiling, she tilted her head toward her daughter. "Hailey, this is Mave. Can you say hello?"

A few moments passed as Hailey seemed to process the command, and then she signed, "Hello."

Once they finished eating and waited for the check, Zoe strode in looking harried with her blue hair at haphazard angles and her button-down shirt half tucked into her jeans. No coat. She moved to the register and dropped some bills, tapping her foot while waiting. Since she seemed to be in a hurry, Avery didn't stop to talk as the groomer from the clinic grabbed two to-go boxes and darted outside.

"She's had a rough go of things lately."

Avery glanced from Zoe's form disappearing in the fog back to her mom. "How so?"

Aside from her odd, unnatural choice in hair color, Zoe seemed okay. She'd gone out with them that one night at Shooters and she always came to work on time. Though not as chatty as Brent or Gabby, she was nice.

"Her mom was diagnosed with early onset dementia four years ago. Catherine's only fifty-one. There's no other family, so Zoe's taken it all on herself." Mom cleared her throat. "We try to get over there and help out when we can. Cat used to be in our book club, but now she barely recognizes Zoe."

God. How awful. She rubbed at the sudden ache in her chest, unable to imagine it. "That's rough."

After parting ways with her mom, dark had descended, bringing a salt-scented brine to the humid, cold air. The fog had let up, but was still hovering in the distance near the banks. Avery and Hailey walked across the street to the ice cream shop to get Avery a fix for later before heading home.

Hank, the owner who'd greeted them the last time, grinned broadly. "You've returned. Check it out." He pointed to the menu behind him. His round belly strained against a stained apron with the movement.

Avery scanned the board, her gaze stopping at the new addition. She stilled, torn between a sudden bout of useless tears and gratitude. Surely he hadn't...

He had. He'd given Hailey her own special on the menu. Orange sherbet topped with marshmallows, kindly named "The Hailey." He'd remembered she couldn't eat dairy. That was...dang. That was so nice.

Hank held up a Polaroid camera. She didn't even know those were still in existence.

"May I take a picture? For the board?"

Avery opened and closed her mouth. Swallowed hard. Her chest swelled, constricting her air. Dang it, she still couldn't talk, so she nodded.

As Hank took a shot of Hailey, her cheese face in place whenever someone said "smile," a man's voice resounded behind them. Deep and low, it skimmed across her skin like a caress and set her nerves on fire.

"The Hailey. Sounds good."

She didn't have to turn to know who belonged to the voice. It had been the focal point of many of her recent fantasies as of late. She couldn't escape him, even when she should.

"This calls for a fist bump." Cade crouched down by Hailey, his grin huge. "Remember what I said, you can't leave a guy hanging. Make a fist."

Hailey closed her fingers and awkwardly smacked Cade's fist, then squealed.

Avery's chest tightened more. Even her daughter was enamored.

Hank stuck the picture of Hailey on the menu board right next to her option and turned. "What'll it be, folks?"

Cade stepped up next to her, pointing to the picture. "We'll take three of those, Hank."