In a few short days, he’s treated me better than men who’ve had years to do the same. He’s never looked at me like I’m a transaction.
He looks at me and makes me feel beautiful.
Wanted.
Cherished.
Until I ruined it by telling him the truth.
But I can’t lie to him.
I won’t.
I stare at the door he disappeared through and start counting.
One Mississippi. Two Mississippi…
If he feels this much disdain for me, why am I doing this to myself?
I should let him go. Make it easier on both of us.
End it here and now. It was always going to end this way.
And it’s not like he’s needed for the shot. Pierce is coming. He’ll be here any minute now.
Exactly. I can just stand here, tap my foot, and wait for Pierce.
That would be the smart thing.
Or I could chase after a broody lumberjack and sacrifice the very last of my dignity.
Then there’s option three. I could leave.
Myra would be thrilled.
Kali would make all the arrangements.
I could hightail it back to LA and pretend New York never happened at all.
Chad lifts his camera again. The shutter clicks, right in my face.
I raise a hand, blocking the lens, as I bolt for the door.
“Not now, Chad.”
CHAPTER 38
Ava
I rush out the door that Harrison walked out of.
The light hits bright at first, my eyes slow to adjust. The landing opens into a garden that slopes toward a small pond. The water lies still, broken only by fresh ripples.
Harrison sits at the edge, one knee bent, flicking pebbles into the center of the pond. Each splash breaks the stillness, ripples fanning out until the water smooths again.
He doesn’t look up.
I sit beside him. Close enough to feel the tension humming beneath his surface.
