The Davis Years (Indigo) Read Free Page A

was right even though he didn’t want her to be.
    As soon as he closed his eyes, the memory hit him hard. He’d hurt Jemma so much. He could see the wounded expression on her face when he’d turned her away for what they’d both thought had been forever. At the time, that was what he’d thought he wanted. Only later, when it was too late, would he realize that telling her he didn’t want a relationship with her had been the stupidest thing he’d ever done. And that was saying a lot considering he had no shortage of stupid actions stored up in his file of memories labeled “dumb stuff I shouldn’t have done.”
    Davis walked outside barefoot to get the mail after throwing on a pair of basketball shorts. He limped slightly. There was a dull ache in his right knee that never seemed to go away. He’d been out of physical therapy for months. It was never going to get any better than it already had. He had the painkillers his doctor prescribed, but he didn’t like to mess with those too much.
    Of course his crappy job didn’t offer health insurance, but his brother, Cole, paid for it. Davis knew it was probably out of guilt. The health insurance was the only contact they had, if you could call that contact. Whenever payment was due on the plan, Cole would send Davis a check. No note included. Just a check wrapped in a blank piece of white paper. Outside of a few hints both Cole and Davis’s other brother, Ashby, had made at the funeral about selling the house possibly being a good idea, he hadn’t talked to either of them in a long time.
    Thinking of his brothers seemed to make his knee hurt more. There was only so much he could do about that. The pills made him completely useless when he took them so he couldn’t rely on them. The alcohol helped everything, but he was afraid of turning into his father.
    He stopped himself from rolling his eyes as his neighbor, Ayn, who was home from college for the summer, came up to him in a crop top and cut-off gym shorts. Her belly button ring glinted in the sun. Ayn’s family had moved in next door a few years ago. She had long, black hair and green eyes and was about a foot shorter than him. Her short nose fit well into her round face. Sure, she was pretty, but also annoying. He tried to avoid her most of the time because she asked too many questions.
    Ayn greeted him with a question.
    “So, Davis, this black woman was knocking on your door yesterday. You were home, but you didn’t answer. Is she a Jehovah’s Witness?”
    “Yeah,” Davis said.
    She followed him down to the mailbox.
    “She wasn’t dressed like one.”
    That’s for sure , Davis thought, smiling at the memory of Jemma’s legs. He’d watched her through the living room window. Her jean miniskirt and tank top had nearly been enough to make him run outside to her. But remembering how much of a loser he was cut that idea short.
    “Who is she, Davis?” Ayn put her hands on top of the mailbox and leaned in closer.
    “It’s a long story.” Davis backed away a little and started flipping through the envelopes. A couple of bills and the rest junk mail.
    “Is there a short version?” Ayn raised her eyebrows and followed him up his driveway.
    He paused at the steps leading up to his front door and turned to her. “Sure.” He grinned as he reflected on Codie’s words. “She’s the one that got away.”
    “Really?” Ayn seemed to find this a perplexing thought. Her expression told Davis so.
    “Oh, yeah.”
    “You never said anything about a one that got away before.” Ayn stood next to the door, scrunching her eyebrows up in confusion, yet her eyes were bright with that eager look she always got when she thought she was getting hold of a good piece of gossip.
    “Well, now you know something new about me. Imagine that.”
    Davis walked inside, leaving Ayn gaping after him.

Chapter 3
    She changed her mind. Feeling like a fool for coming to the restaurant, she started toward Mary’s car. She stopped