Free A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises Book 1) by Gina Wilkins Page A

his friends, introduced J.T. Dennett to Jenny, then barely gave them time to exchange hellos before launching into his plan for clearing the drive.
    Feeling somewhat in the way, she moved back as the four men attached a chain to the fallen tree and then connected it to the tow hitch on J.T.’s truck. She noticed that Gavin’s friends did most of the heavy work, nudging him out of the way to keep him from overusing his injured arm. They weren’t particularly subtle about it, but were so casually jovial that he took no offense.
    “Better stand back,” Avery advised, moving to Jenny’s side when J.T. climbed behind the wheel of the truck. “Just in case.”
    Together they moved a few feet backward while Gavin and Rob stepped off to the other side to call out directions to J.T.
    “So, you didn’t know Gav was here,” Avery commented a little too blandly.
    “No,” she said firmly. “Not a clue. And he had no warning that I’d rented the place.”
    “Huh. I have to admit, I was surprised to see you here, but his explanation made sense, even if it was a crazy coincidence.”
    “Well, I’m glad you found it believable,” she said drily.
    His nod had a slightly mocking edge. “More believable than if he’d announced the two of you had gotten back together,” he murmured.
    Her relationship with Avery had been rather acerbic while she’d dated Gavin. He probably liked her even less since the breakup. But that was okay. She didn’t have to try to make Gavin’s friends like her anymore, though she was getting along well enough with Rob.
    Still, it was only polite to try to make conversation. “So, Avery, are you still on the force with Gavin?”
    Avery had actually entered the academy a year earlier than Gavin, and Jenny had blamed him for having so much influence over Gavin. At the end, Gavin had snapped at her that he knew his own mind, made his own choices and wasn’t just following his friend’s lead. He’d actually set law enforcement as a career goal even before Avery, he’d informed her defensively.
    Avery nodded in response to her question. “Different division, but yeah, still a cop. Made sergeant a few months back. And I got married last fall. My wife’s a dispatcher for the department. She’s on duty today.”
    She tried to inject a measure of genuine warmth into her smile. “Congratulations on both your promotion and your marriage.”
    Not notably disarmed, Avery nodded again. “Thanks. Gavin’s still catching up after he quit for more than a year, but he’ll be promoted soon himself. Wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually makes captain before I do.”
    “Um, he quit?” she asked casually.
    “Yeah, when he ... O h, he hasn’t mentioned it to you.”
    “We haven’t talked much since I’ve been here. Last night we were dealing with the storm and the leaks, and today we’ve been trying to clear the drive, so there hasn’t been a lot of catching up.”
    She wondered why he’d quit, what he’d done instead, why he’d gone back—all questions she had no business asking. It was obvious Avery had clammed up now and would be revealing no further tidbits about his friend’s current life.
    After unhooking the chain from the now-out-of-the-way tree, the men stood around the trunk arguing the best way to cut it for firewood. They all agreed they should tackle the leaking roof first.
    “I’ve got some extra shingles in the utility shed,” Gavin said.
    Jenny felt a fat raindrop splash against her cheek. Swiping at her face, she turned to Gavin. “Now that the road’s clear, maybe I should leave before the bottom falls out again.”
    All four men spoke at one time, and all with some variation of “no.”
    “You haven’t seen how much water is over the road down there,” J.T. explained, motioning with one hand. “To be honest, it was pretty stupid for me to drive through it, even in my rig. That lightweight little car of yours would never make it.”
    Deflated, she sighed. “So how