Accidentally Hers (Sterling Canyon #1) Read Online Free Page A

cleaning up before her parents arrived.
    She fell across her bed, limbs heavy and numb. So tired. She closed her dry, scratchy eyelids and inhaled slow, deep breaths. Her body melded into the mattress as her mind skirted the edge of consciousness.
    Ten or forty minutes later—hard to tell—her phone rang, jerking her from sleep. Groggily, she fumbled around in her purse, praying it wasn’t bad news from the hospital.
    “Avery? Where are you?” Emma asked.
    Avery lay back on the bed and flung one arm across her eyes. “Home.”
    “I heard Andy’s lung collapsed. Is he okay?” Emma’s voice cracked, which didn’t surprise Avery. Her friends thought of Andy as a brother, too. “Why didn’t you call us last night?”
    “I didn’t leave the hospital until after midnight. I planned to call you once I got my parents settled. Andy will be there for a few days, but his prognosis is good. I guess you heard about the cops, too?”
    “Yes. Listen, I know you’ve been dealing with a lot.” Emma paused. “What can I do to help?”
    “Nothing, thanks. I’ve just got to brace myself for dealing with my parents for the next few weeks. You know I hate watching my dad take over and my mom act like June Cleaver.” Avery rubbed her eyes. “No doubt my dad and I will go several rounds throughout the coming weeks.”
    “Maybe it’s time to quit being the family peacekeeper. You can’t keep defending Andy or your mom against your dad’s expectations. Putting yourself in the middle of this situation will be exhausting, Ave. Come stay with me while your parents are in town.”
    “Thanks, Em, but I can’t leave Andy to face my dad on his own. It’d be a bloodbath.”
    “It’s Andy’s first offense, right?”
    “Yes, but he’s facing felony charges because he hurt someone.” The lump tightened in her throat. Fighting the tingling sensation in her nose, she closed her eyes and prayed for strength. “I know drunk driving is wrong. I know someone innocent got hurt. But I can’t bear to think of Andy in jail.”
    “Me either,” Emma croaked.
    “Town must be buzzing with this gossip.” Avery swiped at her nose.
    “Mostly from the old busybodies,” Kelsey, who must’ve been listening on speakerphone, broke into the conversation. “It’ll die down soon, especially since Grey will be okay.”
    “Greyson Lowell?” Avery rolled to her side and propped herself up on one elbow. “ That’s who Andy hit?”
    “It must’ve happened right after he left the restaurant.”
    The fact Avery’s brother hit Grey on the very night she’d first laid eyes on him struck her as a ghoulish coincidence. Of course, in a town as small as Sterling Canyon, improbable coincidences happened with freakish regularity.
    Suddenly curious about Grey’s condition, Avery asked, “Tell me, how bad was he hurt?”
    “He tore his ACL. His doctor is waiting two weeks for the trauma to die down before he’ll operate.” Kelsey paused.
    “Kind of ironic, isn’t it?” Emma chimed in. “What if you end up being his physical therapist? How awkward.”
    “I’ m sure he ’ll prefer to use someone else.” When she considered what Grey’s penetrating eyes might look like when angry, she shivered.
    “Um, I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Avery. There are four PTs in town. Only two of you have ortho specialties. With Richard Donner still in Florida helping his mother recover from her hip replacement surgery, you’re the only ortho PT in town for the foreseeable future.”
    Awkward didn’t begin to describe how Avery would feel if forced to work with Grey. Plus, there were bound to be ethical conflicts, under the circumstances.
    “I can’t think about Grey right now. I just need to get through today.” Avery rubbed her forehead. “Tomorrow I’ll face other people and their judgments.”
    “You do realize you have nothing to feel guilty about,” Kelsey decreed. “ You didn’t do anything wrong. Andy did. He made a huge mistake, and