Her face shows her level of concern. Her brow is furrowed, and her eyes look a bit panicked. “Max is capable of costing me my job at the firm,” she says.
I pull her onto my shoulder, and she rests her head against my chest. This feels so good, just having her lying here in my arms. It feelsright.
“Would it really be that bad to lose that job and move back here to Fairport?” I ask. I know she’s probably shocked to hear me say it, but it needs to be said and the question needs to be asked. “You could open up your own design firm here and live in this house. I would be here to help you with whatever you need.”
Ava scoffs at the idea of it.
“There isn’t enough design work in this puny town to keep even a single designer in business for more than a few months. There’s no way that I could do what I love here,” she says.
I want to tell her that maybe this high-profile city job that she has isn’t really what she loves. Maybe she just thinks it’s what sheshouldlove, but maybe there are other things out there for her that she just hasn’t given a chance yet—other thingshere. I want to make love to her so badly right now that I can feel my teeth clenching. But more importantly, I want to just hold her in my arms tonight and make her feel safe and secure and show her that I care about her much more than just physically. I want her to know that I care about who she is and what makes her feel whole and happy.
5
Ava
Sleeping in Trevor’s arms was wonderful and waking up in them feels exactly what I imagine home should feel like. Not necessarily the physical location kind of home, but the sense of home that makes you feel like you are right where you belong. As I lay there for a minute trying to think about when I have ever felt that feeling before, I realize I can’t remember a time when I ever have. Maybe when I was a child, but certainly not as an adult.
I don’t want to get out of bed because I know the day that awaits me is going to be rather miserable. Nothing good is going to follow what happened last night. As soon as I walk into the kitchen to get coffee, I am proven to be correct.
Trevor is right behind me, and since he slept with his shirt off and hasn’t bothered to put one on yet, the sight of us walking in together after last night’s incident sends Max into a spiraling rage. He immediately begins spewing a furious mix of threats. He threatens to end my job at the firm and my entire career, and he threatens to slap Trevor with a slew of assault and battery lawsuits. And from the look of his battered face, he could probably get away with doing it. I try my best to talk Max down, but I’m not sure if it’s working.
“Max, you were drunk,” I say as calmly as I can. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to come on so strong last night.”
He looks at me with a hint of embarrassment.Good. I’m hoping that maybe I can passively shame him enough to make him back off and forget about the whole thing.
“And I’m sure thatyoudidn’t mean to put your career on the line,” Max says, making a point to put me in my place and let me know that he wasn’t going to roll over about it so easily.
He was going to enjoy making me bend over backwards for him all day in order to get him to drop the looming threat of pressing charges. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Whatever; it’s just a day of kissing up. It doesn’t matter. As long as I can hold onto my job and keep Trevor out of jail, then it will be worth it.
I can feel Trevor keeping a close eye on me all day long as he watches me kiss up to Max. I make Max coffee and bring it to him, take a bunch of dictated notes as if I am his secretary (which I most definitely amnot), and even smile pretty for the camera when he cracks stupid and inappropriate jokes over our video conference with the rest of the team. I know, even without looking, that it is killing Trevor to watch me kiss up to a guy that he has vocally expressed to be a piece of shit.
Anytime Trevor and I have the chance to get a minute to talk alone, Max interrupts us instantly. So eventually, Trevor and I just end up giving up on trying to maneuver it and spend most of the day apart; both of us doing the jobs that we need to get done.
Then, completely out of the blue, Max makes me an offer right after we hang up from our last conference call of the day.
“You’re good at your job, Ava,” he says.
For once it actually sounds like a genuine statement of praise.
“Thanks,” I say in return.
“I’m going to offer you a promotion,” Max says as he closes his laptop and starts to put his work stuff away for the day.
“Why?” I ask. “I mean, not to sound unappreciative, but why would you be offering me a promotion right now?”
“I already told you why,” he says. “Because you’re good at your job. I’m going to offer you a promotion to one of the senior partners. Along with that, of course, comes a raise and a lead in the firm’s new upcoming project.”
Oh wow. This is everything that I have dreamt of in my career thus far. The title of senior partner in this firm would carry a huge amount of weight in the design industry, enough weight to completely launch my career to a whole new level. And project lead for our upcoming project would be incredible. The next project is an international one with our partner firm in London. The project is huge and extremely lucrative and visible in the eyes of the design world.
“Of course,” Max continues, “there would be conditions if you decide to accept the offer.”
I should have seen this coming. Of course there would be conditions. Max never did anything without wanting something in return.
“If you decide to accept, you need to be back in Manhattan in two weeks. No exceptions.”
“Hang on a minute,” Trevor says as he walks over to intervene. “You can’t come here into her house and start bossing her around. This isn’t your fancy city office; this is Ava’s home and it’s her hometown and you are the outsider here.”
“Look here, you country bumpkin,” Max sneers at him. “You may be massive in size but not in brains. I’m offering Ava everything she could ever want, and what do you have to offer her? A roll in the hay perhaps? Theliteral hay.”
