Page 45 of Good Dirt

Avery

A very reads the news on her smartphone and takes a deep breath. A local headline catches her eye. A crime scene. And Henry still isn’t back. He’s been gone for nearly eight hours. She peers out the window at the main house. She needs to talk to Ebony again, and she knows that Ebony is not going to like it.

You wouldn’t know it, to look at her, but Avery is not an overly proud person. Not like some other women she knows. Avery has her self-esteem, sure. She recognizes her accomplishments. She likes the way she looks. But Avery is never too proud to ask for what she wants. She wasn’t too proud to put herself in Henry’s line of sight last winter, after that messy end to his relationship with Ebony Freeman. She wasn’t too proud to be seen with him, knowing that Ebony’s name would still be on everyone’s lips. Knowing that people would think of Avery as the one Henry turned to on the rebound.

Well, Avery is not going to let pride get in her way now, either.

As she steps outside for the second time today, Avery tells herself that too much pride is a waste of valuable time and energy. She is going to walk across that yard now and knock on Ebony’s door again, even if it does irk her to have to plead for Ebony’s help.