I cleared my throat and prepared to respond, but Lily got there first.
“Why would Ava need to be concerned about working with Desmond in the first place? Sure, he saved her from a bad date,andhe wound up being her boss. What’s the big deal?”
I tried to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth and speak up. For some reason, my mouth was dry, and I couldn’t seem to do it fast enough.
Freya cluck-clucked at Lily. Like it was the most obvious answer in the world. “You forgot the most important bit. He’s her ex from high school.”
She paused dramatically just as Lily raised her eyebrow.
“Ah, right,” Lily said. “That definitely adds complications to the mix.”
Freya nodded vehemently. “Especially when she’s still attracted to him.”
This time, all the working bits of my throat and mouth worked together in symphony to get words out. “Excuse me!” I said, managing to look indignant. “I am not attracted to him. I tolerate him!”
Freya chuckled while Lily tried and failed to hide her smile. Gabriela was the only one who looked at me with some sympathy.
“So, the news inLifestylemagazine that says Desmond’s currently single wouldn’t send your heart a-flutter then?” Freya asked.
Lily rolled her eyes and mouthed,A-flutter?
“Don’t mock, Lily. I read the gossip about the wealthy and the famous. And this time, that magazine subscription has finally paid off!”
I heaved a sigh. “Freya, the only thing that would send my heart a-flutter right now is my dinner, which I’ve abandoned for this video call. And, Gabriela, surely, you cansupport me on this. Please tell me you don’t think I’m attracted to Desmond?”
I could see the cogs in her brain working while she tilted her head and pondered my question.
“You’re just having a very normal physical reaction,” she said at last. “I mean, no one can look at Desmond and not admire him.”
I groaned and covered my eyes with my hand.
“Don’t fight it, Ava,” Freya said sagely. “I didn’t fight it with Rhett and ended up with a ring on my finger.”
“I do not want to get engaged,” I huffed. “Not now. Not ever. And certainly not with Desmond.”
“So, staying single all your life is your solution?” Lily asked. “Even I cannot see the logic in that.”
“Remember Mom? I lost her two years after we moved to New York to run the restaurant. And Kyle, my boyfriend, embezzled fifty grand from my mom’s restaurant and made a run for it three days after her death. I lost too many relationships after I got involved with the restaurant. And because the restaurant is the only way I can keep Mom’s legacy going, I’m giving up on relationships.”
“You didn’t lose us,” Gabriela quipped. She tilted her head a little, as if to challenge me on that.
“Yeah, well, I would marry one of you three if you’d have me.”
“Sorry,” Freya said, holding her ring finger out. “I’m taken.”
“I go for the brunettes, to be honest,” Lily said. “You’re too redheaded for me.”
Gabriela looked at me, extended her arms out as though she were giving me a hug from afar, and smiled. “I’m all yours, baby!”
Freya laughed but got a faraway look in her eyes. Sheturned her focus to me. “But I just remembered something, Ava. Did you bring up Kyle with Desmond?”
I fell silent, wishing I hadn’t brought up Kyle in the first place. But even I could see that I’d messed up by not bringing the incident up with our new investors.
“I know it’s hard, Ava,” Freya said. “But it’s better to be up front with Desmond from the start.”
I did not want to be up front with Desmond. I did not want to be anything with Desmond. So, I pushed it firmly out of my mind. When I waved goodbye minutes later, I knew I was going to ditch my now-cold shrimp gumbo and take up an evening shift at the soup kitchen. Anything to keep me from thinking about talking about Kyle with Desmond.
8
