An optimist.
She was a hopeless optimist and, if my memory served me right, also a hopeless romantic. I just didn’t know if the latter still held.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
The elevator started to move, but stopped with a painful screeching sound. Ava abandoned all pretense and leaned into my side, gripping my hand tightly.
“Is this going to end in a hundred-foot free fall?” she asked, sounding close to tears.
“No,” I said. “Because Jim is the best technician I’ve ever seen and he knows everything there is to know about fixing elevators.”
Relief flooded her face, and she nodded, but thankfully stayed put against me. I liked this.
“Jim’s been with us for ten years now,” I continued. “That’s how long you and I went without hearing from each other.” I tried to grin as I made the joke, but it didn’t land.
Her eyes flicked to mine in an instant, and after chewing her lip for a minute, she spoke reluctantly. “You’ve been keeping count?”
Oops. “Sorry,” I said. “It’s one of those details that I simply can’t forget. Just like how I know you hate enclosed spaces, like this cramped elevator.”
There was a silence as she looked me up and down. Her gaze strayed to my polished suit and my Italian dress shoes before she looked up at me.
“You’re right about that. But there’s a lot in me that’s changed. You’re not the boy I once knew either,” Ava said, shaking her head.
I wondered how much of the boy I once had been was still there in me. Quite a lot of that bright, hopeful kid had been stomped out by expectations and responsibilities I’d borne in the past few years.
“You’re … the CEO of Luxe Hotels,” Ava continued. “I’m not interested in working for you. I’m doing this because?—”
“Of your employees,” I said. “I know.”And my respect for you increased substantially when you did.
But her words were music to my ears. Ever since I had taken over my uncle’s business, almost every woman I’d dated had been enamored with this title. The same women who’d never have looked at me twice before. In some ways, it felt refreshing to be hated for the job now.
“It’s complicated,” I finally admitted. “But I can assure you, Ava, I will not make big changes around there without your approval. Trust me on this.”
She stared at me for a long moment before she exhaled and nodded.
I moved closer to her. We were inches apart, and I couldn’t help myself. I squeezed her hand, and she looked at it for a second too long before she squeezed back. Her grip was gentle, and I smelled a tinge of vanilla before her eyes met mine. It was a gesture that said a whole lot. That we’d be putting down our suspicions of each other and working together as two mature adults now.
“Thank you for being honest with me,” she said.
Ava’s eyes held mine for what seemed like a long moment. Neither of us was willing to break away.
“I won’t lie. Seeing you again brought back memories of Centerville High,” she admitted, turning sideways and breaking our gaze.
“We had some great days there,” I began, and then my brain reminded me of afternoons spent kissing under the bleachers and the touch of her skin.
Ava got that faraway look, as though she had been reminded of something pleasing, too, before she snapped back to the present, taking me in. The man I’d now become. And the way her eyes lit up a little told me a lot more than what her lips were currently saying.
She’s still a hopeless romantic.
The elevator moved, and this time, it kept moving. Ava looked at me, wide-eyed in surprise, while I smiled.
I let go of her hand and helped her up. “I think we’re going to have a controlled hundred-foot descent, if that’s okay with you.”
Jim’s voice came over the intercom. “All good, boss!”
I pressed the button on the panel. “Thanks, Jim,” I said and turned around to check in on her.
With a ding, the doors opened. The two of us stepped away from each other just as a few employees walked past us, calling out a greeting.
