She got out, her chest heaving as she stared around. “God,” she said, putting a hand to her forehead. “I feel like such a fool now that we’re back here,” she said.
“It’s okay,” I said, giving her a small smile just as my phone rang.
Suddenly reminded of Brody, I reached for it with urgency, and to my utter relief, I saw that it was him.
“Why do you always assume that things are not okay?” Brody asked as soon as I answered.
“I’m sorry,” I said, biting back a curse. “But are you?—”
“I’m fine,” he said calmly. “I was just checking in to let you know that I won’t be able to meet you for dinner this Thursday. One of my ex-bandmates is visiting, and we’re having a night out. Though, in hindsight, I ought to have sent you a text instead of scaring you with a call.”
I exhaled. “It’s okay. I know I worry too much. It’s … it’s something I’m working on. Thanks for letting me know.”
When I put my phone away, I saw Ava looking up at me.
“Is Brody okay?”
I nodded. “He’s okay,” I muttered. “Thank heavens for that.”
Her clear eyes held mine for just a moment longer, reading me, perhaps assessing me and the obsessively protective person I’d now become.
“I need to get back,” Ava said, breaking away and stepping back. “Thank you for … well, everything.”
“You’re welcome, Ava,” I said and took a long look at her. “Please don’t let this one incident dissuade you from using the elevator again,” I said.
She smiled. “I’m usually not one to write off things or people so quickly,” she said, taking a step back.
“So, you’d give it a second chance?” I asked.
She grinned. “The elevator? I might.”
I almost wanted to ask,What about me?
But then Carolyn waved at Ava from afar, where she was serving a line of customers that was ten people long, and she was obviously in need of assistance.
“Take care, Ava,” I said and watched her leave.
She turned for one last nod before she disappearedbehind the café counter. I was left standing in the empty corridor, my hands in my pockets, staring at the café.
The darkness slowly crept up around me, and the lights in the lobby did nothing to dull it.
My dad had left us when I was a baby, and after Mom’s death during my last year of high school, I’d resolved to never take my family for granted again. I’d changed my priorities to focus on the only family I had left back then—my uncle, aunt, and my cousin/brother, Brody. Ava hadn’t been on that list even though she’d come pretty close. I needed to make sure she never would be on that list because I could not be the man who made the same mistake again. I could not risk losing anyone in my family once more simply because I was in love with a woman.
I took a few steps toward the front doors of the lobby with a single backward glance at the café.
Having Ava work for me was going to add complications to the mix. If our past was anything to go by, I knew she’d encourage me to laugh at all the wrong things, boost my confidence, and convince me I was capable of things I could never do. She’d make me break myno workplace relationshipsrule and follow my heart.
I couldn’t have a woman around me who could do that.
10
DESMOND
The conference hall at our New York office had a twenty-foot-high ceiling, a large stage at the far end, and a great sound system. It was twelve p.m., and the hall was packed with four hundred–odd employees. I saw faces from various departments. Legal, accounting, engineering. Every one of them looked worried. I didn’t see the auburn-haired woman I’d been surreptitiously looking out for.
Every six months, I hosted a town hall in the evenings to get feedback and understand the general attitude of my employees. Today, because of a hectic schedule, I’d made the mistake of choosing the precious lunch hour to host the town hall, and people seemed restless already. Unfortunately, the food wasn’t even here yet, and the empty counter on the side of the room was yet another reason that most employees were sighing and checking their watches.
I brought this meeting to a start. “Good evening—” I stopped when the doors opened.
