Tom Goodwin had never met a woman like Avery before. He saw the two of them when they walked in and recognized the designer, but it was her friend that he couldn't stop gazing at. He had every intention of introducing himself as Alex's brother until the gorgeous friend found him. He could tell she was drunk.

He liked the way Jennifer, Jen recognized him. He knew right away she was not like the woman in the pictures, but was the one who laughed over ugly sculptures. When they started with the pictures for Alex, the last thing he expected was for Avery to kiss him. Oh boy and kiss him she did! He would not let her walk away after that.

He whispered, "I think I need another one of those to confirm just how good it was."

She smiled and pressed herself into his. She tasted like liqueur, but sweet and he knew he wasn't letting her leave without him. Neither argued when he offered to walk them home, but he was sure that Jen trusted him because she knew Alex. Suddenly he felt as if he owed Alex a huge thank you.

What followed was the most incredible night! He had dated women and even had a few one-night stands, but none compared to his night with Avery. He wasn't leaving her before he fell asleep like he'd been known to. He was staying until she kicked him out, or he had to go to work on Monday morning. He normally went into the office over the weekend, but not this weekend if he could help it.

Then Jen must have cast a spell over him with her magic coffee because he told her about Alex. He shouldn't be sharing his brother's secrets, but he sensed she had no intention of repeating them. She didn't seem like she would know how to be cruel.

He and Avery spent half the morning talking and the other half trying to get their fill of one another. They had a lot in common since he did corporate law and had handled some mergers and acquisitions. He'd seen what Avery's job was like and knew it was tough. Her résumé was impressive.

Changing the subject, she said, "You know they talk all the time."

"Who?" He was unsure what she meant.

"Jen and Alex." She smiled.

"What about work?"

"Oh yes, every night for an hour." She teased.

"Seriously! He hated her when he met her. I was home that weekend. We hung out, and he was all bothered about working with her."

"She didn't like him either, because he ruined the beach and because he's in tight with her father. She was jealous especially since Sterling never let her go home."

"I'm lost. What do you mean about Alex and her father?"

"Her father owns the place where Alex eats every day."

"Are you telling me that Jennifer Dixon is from Maine?" he said in disbelief.

She nodded. "Jen Jablonski grew up on The Point."

"I would never have known. So when she complained about the house ruining the beach, it was personal."

"Yup." She smiled.

Eventually, they went to his place so he could change his clothes and take her to dinner. Later that evening, lying in bed he said, "I think this is the best weekend of my life."

"Me too."

He didn't know how it happened, but he was convinced he was in love.

After he finally called Jen on Thursday, he didn't feel any better. Who was he kidding trying to tell her they weren't friends? Did she see through his words? He hated to think he'd hurt her feelings. All he was trying to do was spare his own, but it was backfiring.

At least he had poker night to look forward to. The first Friday of the month was set in stone. He was relaxing, trying hard not to think of Jen when Megan showed him the picture she drew of Abbie. It was incredible, and thoughts of her kept creeping into his mind. He was having a bad night with cards. Was it the cards or his concentration?

Talk turned to summer and Megan suggested a party for Memorial Day weekend. "We can have families and we'll have food at the house and hang out on the beach."

Dan said, "We can use our house too."

Alex said, "What can I do?"

Peter said, "Bring beer."

Megan said, "Bring your family. I want to meet your sister and brother."

Alex thought having his siblings meet his friends might be nice. "I'll ask them."

He glanced at the calendar on the wall in Megan's kitchen. It was filled with words like practice, game, appointment, but he confirmed that Jen would still be in Maine that weekend. Was that good or bad?

He had just arrived home when he received his brother's text. It was nearly midnight, and when he looked at it, his heart stopped. What was she doing kissing his brother? Why was she with him?

Suddenly he was texting Jen on his brother's phone. Then his brother was swapping spit with Jen's friend. He longed to kiss Jen that way, to taste her and now Tom had Jen's friend. He should have gone to bed, but he waited until she was home for the night. He never expected his brother would go home with them.

Once again, he followed his heart and not his brain and called her. She knew he had seen the picture of her with her husband. He listened as she tried to convince him that Sterling, what kind of name was that anyway, was in love with someone else. He found that hard to believe. What man would lose interest in a wife like Jen? He couldn't imagine ever looking at another woman if he had her for himself. Why would the guy have cheated on her?

Knowing that her husband cheated helped him understand why Jen was so adamant that it was over. Still, she never appeared to be broken up by her marital problems. Her first visit was odd because she stayed longer than she needed to. She was without a plan most days and she arrived angry. He suspected that her marriage was falling apart, and she was hiding it.

He texted her around noon, do you know where my brother is?

Yes!

Really?

He's a very lucky boy!

What are you doing?

Hiding... kidding... kind of ... working... you?

I think I found a house

Point?

No, I wish... Ocean Park

Good. I'm glad.

Back to work

He had officially listed the house he had just finished. He hoped it would sell quickly. Marcy was impressed and loved Jen's suggestions. "Did you get help?"

"I wish I could lie and say it was my idea."

"Do you have a new girl helping you?"

"Yes, but she's just a friend."

"Sweetheart, no woman can be just friends with you unless she's happily married like me."

He laughed, but hoped that was the case with Jen. He wanted her, but he didn't know what it would lead to. For now, he'd keep himself busy.

After two his phone rang, and he was hoping it was his brother. Instead, it was Julia asking if they had plans that night.

"No, I'm thinking it's not a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because we're both using each other. I need more than you're willing to give. Goodbye Julia."

He felt bad for hanging up, but he was one please away from ending up in her bed. Knowing what his brother was up to only made his need greater.

His brother finally text him, best weekend ever... designer is nice too

Be safe. Have fun!

Then Jen texted him, they went to his place

Call me tonight if you're not busy

It's your date night

Not tonight

Knowing Jen, he would have to explain. He told himself his reasons were because of Julia, but he knew Jen factored into it too.

He called Kate and told her about the Memorial weekend party. "We've got the baby."

"I told you all my friends have kids. Think about it. I'm asking Tommy too."

"He won't come."

"He might. It's a long weekend."

He watched the game and ate leftover pizza. It was definitely not his best Saturday night.

He jumped when his phone rang, "Hello."

"Hey. What are you doing?"

"Watching the game... nothing really. So what's the deal?"

"She came to see me before they left and said that she really likes him."

"So your best friend is dating my brother."

"Seems that way. He and I had coffee together. He likes my coffee."

"Really? What else do you make besides coffee?"

"You mean besides coffee and lobster rolls. Most anything. I can cook although I haven't cooked since last summer."

"Last summer?" He listened as she told him about her stay at the beach the past summer.

"I worked the whole time, but it was great."

"Speaking of the beach, have you heard from Megan?"

"She texted me about a party Memorial weekend. Does she mean her parent's party?"

"No, this is the poker gang. I want Tom to come and I think you can help with that."

"You mean by inviting Avery?"

"Yes, you'll still be here right?"

"I will, but Avery doesn't want to stay with me. I doubt she can get a hotel room."

"They can stay at my house. I invited my sister too. She hasn't said yes yet. So do you think they'll last? He works a lot."

"She does too and she travels. Why not? She's been open to meeting someone for a while. Sometimes two people you'd least expect belong together."

Alex wanted to say, like you and me, but didn't. He also wanted to say, you can stay with me too, but knew he couldn't.

"Why are you home alone tonight?"

"Because I discovered why she was not interested in advancing the relationship."

"Were you interested?"

"Maybe way back when we met, but not after all this time."

"So what did you find out?"

"That she's seeing her married boss and probably has been the whole time." She asked how he knew and he explained, "Tom called as I was leaving last Sunday morning and I sat in front of her house and watched as he knocked on the door and she quickly let him in."

"So you discovered this about the girl you're sleeping with and then you found out I was out with my soon to be ex-husband. No wonder you were mad."

"I wasn't mad that you were with your husband." So he lied, but the alternative was to tell her how he felt about her.

They spoke mostly about the new couple. Alex also told her about the new house he was purchasing. He explained, "It should be a quick job. I'd like to be done by August. Beach properties sell better in season. Oh, my agent complimented me on the decor of the house. She knew I had help." He laughed.

"You did most of it. I suggested a few colors."

"You underestimate yourself. I saw your drawing of Abbie. You are really talented."

"It was fun. I haven't drawn for myself in years."

"Have you done anything else?"

"I'm working on one that's not ready for the unveiling. I'm sorry, but I'm tired. I was up too late last night."

"Okay. Good night then."

Alex was busy leading up to Jen's arrival back in Maine. He had an offer on the house to deal with, plus purchasing the new house. Meanwhile, Sydney was calling for status updates. He assured her the house would be ready on time.

He had also started two new projects, and one was for a needy time-sucking client. In the evening when he'd rather be speaking to Jen, he was on the phone with the husband or wife or both. She was scheduled to come early Tuesday and said she wanted to do a walkthrough that morning. He waited for her at The Landing, because she was renting a car. When she walked through the door smiling, she took his breath away.