Chapter 8

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"HOW WAS IT?" SHELLY was grinning as she took a bite of Avery's cinnamon roll. "Yikes! That's cold." Her upper lip curled, and her nose wrinkled. "How long have you been staring at that poor roll?"

Avery just looked at Shelly, asking a question by saying nothing. Shelly quietly stared at her. They'd formed a sister bond as children, and Shelly could tell what she was thinking just from the expressions on her face and the movement of her body. 

"What's going on? How was your meeting with your dream wedding planner yesterday?" 

Shelly batted her lashes as she mentioned 'dream planner' because they share the same. A choice they'd both made when they were still in high school.

Avery nibbled her bottom lip, and her mouth curved a half-smile. Her eyes glinted, and she looked away. It had been a month since she and David talked. The night when the begging, forgiving, and make-up sex happened. That night, they both put their relationship nightmare to rest. David asked for another chance, and she agreed. She told Shelly everybody deserves a second chance, especially in love. 

"I won't judge you," was Shelly's only reply.

Avery had been assuring herself she had done the right thing. She would regret not trying. She could have blamed herself for causing her and David's family pain if they'd canceled the wedding because she couldn't try working things out between them. But who was she to judge him? People make mistakes. She wasn't a saint in whatever happened between them! She wondered if she maybe lacked something.

Shelly tapped her hands on the table. "Ave!"

Her eyes blinked. Her best friend's loud voice zoned her back to the present. 

She loved him. She did the right thing. 

 Avery needed someone to assure her. But something was niggling at her, a feeling that something wasn't quite right. She couldn't put her finger on it. Even though everything went back to normal in their relationship, her instinct was saying otherwise.

Not bothered by her best friend's yelling in her face, she asked, "Is this normal?"

"What?" Shelly asked, her eyes widening. 

"After you forgave Art, did you still feel the same warning signs? Like your woman's instinct was trying to tell you something else?"

"Did something happen, Ave?" Shelly asked as she rested her chin on top of her clasped hands. 

Avery shook her head. "Nothing happened... not yet. Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Shelly tsked and shook her head. "Did he do anything? Tell me what's bothering you."

Avery crunched her lips. "Was it the same with you, then?"

"What, what? Give me specifics so I can understand?" Shelly tugged her hair.

"Ouch!" Avery pretended to slap Shelly's hand. "I'm not complaining. David has been the best since we agreed to move past his cheating. It's just I've got a  feeling that something is still wrong."

Shelly nodded. "Is the locator app still active on his phone?"

"Yes... Why?"

"Don't beat yourself up too much. Smart women like us feel more guarded and suspicious after getting cheated on because we don't want to make the same mistake."

"Did you feel the same before? Whenever David tells me something, like an auto-pilot, I always look him in the eye and feel in my heart if it's the truth or a lie." Avery closed her eyes.

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