His Greatest Treasure (Greatest Love #4)

Chapter 15

15

AVERY

Boots stomp on my pretty tile flooring, leaving dirty prints as the air-conditioning technician leaves the shop for the millionth time this morning. It’s still hot and sticky in here over an hour after he arrived, warm air flowing through the vents instead of cold.

I puff out a breath and bundle my hair into my fist before tying it up and off my warm neck. My shorts and loose tee should have kept me cool in theory, but I doubt anything less than walking around stark naked would help at this point.

The smell of fresh paint and wood fills the shop. The weak, quivering muscles in my arms are the aftermath of a full day of painting. It’s still not done, but if I think about coming back tomorrow to finish, I’ll collapse and never get up again.

I plan to spend the entire weekend at the shop, hoping and praying that sooner rather than later, I’ll be able to open instead of continuing to piss money like I’ve got an endless supply of it. The reality is so much more depressing.

Nova doesn’t love it here because it’s boring in its current state, but I’ve kept her busy today with painting the cooler room walls while we wait for Chris to show up. I gave her full creative freedom, knowing she needed it to keep distracted from her father’s tardiness.

Does six hours late even still count as simple tardiness? Fuck, probably not. But to a seven-year-old, that’s what I’ll downplay it as so he doesn’t hurt her feelings.

Anger sizzles beneath my skin. You’d have thought only getting to spend every second weekend with your daughter would light a fire beneath your ass and have you actually excited to spend quality time with her, but Chris has proven once again that he’s such a sorry excuse?—

“Has Dad called yet?” Nova asks, peeking her head out from inside the backroom.

With pink cheeks and hopeful eyes, she gazes up at me, her hands pressed to her stomach. I blink past the sudden prickle in my eyes and try to smile. It’s heavy and so, so tired.

“I’m going to step out to give him a ring, okay? Maybe he lost his phone.”

My daughter’s too smart for someone her age, and while it usually makes me so proud, right now, I wish she weren’t. Some naivety would have been appreciated for once.

“Okay,” she whispers before going back into the cooler room, shoulders sagging.

I wait until she’s gone and then turn, pressing the heel of my hand hard against my sternum. Three inhales and exhales, and then I’m pushing the door open and stepping onto the street. I don’t pay attention to the white AC van parked directly out front or the line of cars on either side of it.

The location of the shop is alright, right in the centre of a little shopping centre with a farmer’s market every Tuesday afternoon.

They’re all fleeting thoughts. Nothing matters right now besides fixing this situation for my daughter.

Calling Chris, I listen to the line ring six times before he picks up .

“I know I’m late, Avery,” he snaps, no hello or sliver of an apology.

“We’ve passed late. Now you’re only hurting Nova.”

“She’s tough.”

“She seven and doesn’t need to be tough. Are you coming or not?”

“Yeah, I’m coming. I just got tied up at work.”

It’s a bald-faced lie and one I call him out on. “Since when is the shop open on Saturday afternoons? That many people needing oil changes?”

“Since fucking now. Drop it. This wouldn’t have even been a problem at all if you hadn’t moved to Vancouver and taken my daughter away.”

He’s spewing the same shit I’ve heard since I told him we were moving. It’s always big talk, but we both know the only reason he wants us close is so he can keep an eye on us. Not to spend time with Nova and definitely not to speak with me.

“You getting caught up at work wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t moved? Right. Don’t put this on me. Please, I’m exhausted. Nova just wants to spend the weekend with you.” I’m half pleading, but for Nova, I’d drop to my knees and downright beg.

“Have her ready and waiting at the house after dinner, and I’ll pick her up.”

Emotion clogs my throat. A raw sense of guilt at the reminder that this is the man who gets the title of Nova’s father. Someone who sounds resigned to spend his two weekends a month with her. Tipping my head back, I inhale through my nose to keep the tears at bay.

“If you don’t want to take her, then I’d rather you didn’t. She’s not a burden, Chris. Don’t speak about her in a way that makes me think that’s what you believe.”

“I’ve already moved my plans so that I can. You’ll pick her up first thing Monday morning?”

A tear drips, slithering down my cheek. “Yes, I’ll pick her up the moment your two days are up.”

“Don’t say it like that, Avery. Don’t guilt me.”

“I’m not . . .” I trail off when two familiar people step onto the sidewalk from the street and head my way. “I’ve got to go. Text me before you head to the house, and I’ll make sure she’s waiting.”

Oliver Bateman keeps his mom’s arm tucked in his as he stares at me with laser focus. The closer he gets to me and the shop, the closer his brows tug together. His jaw pulses, eyes slipping to the wetness I feel on my cheek.

With my hand still gripping my phone, I use the back of it to hastily wipe the tear away. I’m embarrassed to be caught like this, especially by him, and I can feel myself beginning to burn with it.

“Why are you crying? What’s wrong?” The low timbre of his voice makes me jump, but not out of fear.

I swallow and straighten my posture, refusing to look weak in front of anyone, let alone Oliver. Gracie sets a hand on my arm and tilts her pink-painted lips in a soft smile. I try to replicate it, but I fear it’s more of a grimace.

“Hi. What are you guys doing here?” I ask softly.

“Avery? Who’s that?” Chris barks, his voice muffled with the distance between the phone and my ear but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

Oliver’s glare darkens at the rough male voice, his head tilting slightly as if he’s sizing up an invisible enemy. Not ready to dig into that right now, I ignore his reaction as much as I can and put the phone back to my ear, turning to the side.

“Text me before you come. I’ll only keep her up until nine. If you’re not there by then, I’m locking the door and tucking her into bed.”

“No. Forget it. I’m coming now. Have her ready,” he demands, piercing my ears with his words before the call ends.

I press the phone to my stomach and lick my dry lips, completely fucking mortified that there were witnesses to that exchange. This isn’t the first time he’s spoken to me like that—far from it—and it won’t be the last. He’s forever a figure in my life, regardless of how he speaks to me because Nova deserves to know her father. I’ll suck it up until my last day, keeping my tongue pinched between my teeth. My first priority will always be Nova, and she loves him deeply.

I’m not sure I have the strength to care for anyone but her. Myself included.

“Are you okay, honey?” Gracie asks, swaying toward me half a step.

My smile is fake. Every inch of it. “Yeah, it’s just been a long week.”

I can feel Oliver’s eyes on me. The weight of them is sharp, like daggers digging into my skull an inch at a time, hoping to sink into my brain.

“Anything we can help you with? I was hoping to swing by and offer, but if now isn’t a good time, we can come back! I should have called beforehand,” Gracie says.

I dare a look at Oliver, unable to help myself. His deep brown eyes are waiting and latch onto mine, keeping them locked there.

“Isn’t today your first day off?” I ask, my tongue pissed that I held it with Chris and now wanting to lash out.

“Keeping track of my schedule?”

I’m already flushed, but another rush of heat crawls up my neck. “It’s hard not to when you flaunt it.”

“Did you use the pool while I was working?”

“No,” I say, flashes of the past two afternoons Nova and I spent swimming and tanning in his massive pool invading my thoughts.

He hums deep in his throat. “You’re lying.”

“How would you know that?”

“You’ve always been a terrible liar,” he admits.

It’s a casual mention of our history. Maybe small and meaningless to him, but to me, it’s another reminder that we shouldn’t be strangers .

“I think I’ve missed a few things,” Gracie puts in. She’s looking between Oliver and me with a devilish curiosity. “How often do the two of you see each other?”

“We’re neighbours,” Oliver replies.

She sucks in a dramatic breath. “You’re neighbours? You’re neighbours with Avery, and you didn’t tell your own mother?”

“She could have told you too,” he states.

I roll my eyes at him before glancing at the door to the store behind him. The reality of the situation outside of this conversation is too shitty to ignore.

Tensing up at the idea of pushing them aside when they’ve come to help me, I push forward and say, “Nova’s father is coming to pick her up. He . . . he’s late, so she’s a bit upset. I’ve got to get everything put away for when he arrives and make sure she’s ready to go. I’m sorry.”

“Oh! Don’t apologize. We can get out of your hair. Can I give her a quick hug before she goes?” Gracie asks, her voice so damn kind it wraps around my sore feelings, soothing their burn.

“Of course you can. She’s painting in the backroom. I’m sure she’d love a hug.”

Gracie strokes my arm before dashing inside, leaving me alone on the sidewalk with her son.

His closeness screws with me. Despite my best efforts, I’ve begun to grow comfortable around him. He’s kept to himself since dinner the other night, but I’m learning that that isn’t unusual for him. Every time I ask something a little too deep or personal, he pulls back as if he’s scared I’ll bite.

I wouldn’t unless he provoked me to.

His inability to open up is a sign as obvious as any. I’m not in the place to be prying apart the brick wall he’s laid around his heart, but like a fool, I’m interested enough to try.

Nodding to the shop, I say, “You can say hi to her too. If you want.”

“Does her father talk to you like that often?” he asks, replacing my question with his own .

“Would it matter?”

“Yeah, princess. It would matter,” he grunts, features tightening with frustration.

“Don’t start with the princess, Oliver. I’m far from it.”

“We’ll stay here and help you until he arrives, princess. ” He sounds almost playful when he says it, so I let it go.

“There’s not much to do. And I prefer to stay busy once she’s gone.”

“She’s with him every second weekend?”

I smile slightly. “Now who’s keeping track of whose schedule?”

“I’ll admit it when you do.”

“So . . . never?”

“Never works.”

I tug at the tie in my hair and shuffle to the side when the technician rounds his van and stomps back into the shop. Oliver tracks his every move, only looking back at me once he’s out of view.

“I’m getting the air conditioning fixed,” I tell him before he can ask.

“He’s tracking mud inside.”

“You should see the mess on the tiles.”

His throat bobs as he stares at me, swallowing my body with the intense glimmer in his eyes. “I’m not leaving until he’s gone and Nova’s father’s shown up.”

“Why? We don’t need a babysitter.”

“I don’t want to babysit you, Avery. You just don’t have to be alone all the time. Let us help you.”

“We did use your pool,” I admit on a limb, wanting or maybe needing to say something honest after that. “Nova loved the frog. She told me to ask if she could be the only one to use it, but I told her she had to ask you.”

“It’s hers. Only hers.”

My heart flutters. “Thank you.”

One step and he’s right in front of me, no more than a foot away. His cologne swirls between us, combining with the heat to make my head swim. I want to say something snarky just to poke at him and see if he’ll come even closer.

“You don’t like asking for help, and that’s fine. But I’m going to give it anyway. It would make both of our lives easier if you just accepted that.”

“Why do you want to help me so badly?” I blurt.

He balances a hand between us, fingers strained and curled as if he’s fighting to keep from touching me. I’m devious enough to contemplate grabbing it myself, but I don’t.

“I’m making up for lost time. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.”