She gave him a tight smile and nodded. “Of course. Tell Avery he’s welcome back anytime,” she replied in a hushed tone, still concerned about waking his son.
The gesture only increased the warmth in his chest.
“Goodnight, Ava.”
He rounded the truck and hopped into the driver’s seat. He took his time buckling in and checking his mirrors until he confirmed Ava was safely back inside the cabin. Only when she closed the door behind her and the gravel drive became dark again, deprived of the warm lighting of the cabin’s open doorway, did he finally back out of the driveway. His worries about Avery were now gone, replaced by the memory of Ava’s soft lip against his rough finger.
Chapter 11
The Meeting
Ava settled into the back corner table of the Early Bird Café with her coffee and laptop. Her eyes bounced between the counter and the front door, expecting Owen to appear any moment. When he still didn’t show by the time she logged in and connected her headphones, her shoulders relaxed.
He’s really not here today.
She might have purposely scheduled this meeting on his supposed day off. Supposed, because she’d been fooled last Monday. And while she didn’t hold the same fear about seeing him as before, she didn’t want toseehim today for reasons she refused to explore too deeply. Not today when her brain was still repeating their last encounter on a loop.
She could swear her hip still tingled where he gripped her when she thought about it too long.
I almost kissed him.
I wanted tokiss him.
But now wasn’t the time to think about Owen and his stupid handsome face and coffee brown eyes and the way his thumb ghosted over her bottom lip. Now, she had a networking meeting to join. At Morgan’s insistence, she accepted Alec’s offer for an introduction to his connections on the board of directors. Which meant she also had to see her ex while sitting inside her other ex’s place of business.
Nothing weird about that. Not at all.
With a last glance around the emptier than normal café and no sign of Owen, Ava checked her lipstick in the camera preview and joined early.
Alec was waiting for her. Alone.
Ava pasted on a smile instead of leaving the meeting like she wanted to avoid an awkward conversation with him while they waited.
“Hi, Alec.”
“Ava, it’s great to see you. You’re a hard woman to get a hold of lately.”
His voice was velvety smooth even through the speakers, his inflection honed from years of commanding executive meetings. He was used to getting what he wanted, and despite her silence since their breakup, he seemed to still want her. Or maybe it was more about getting his way, rather than wantingher.
At least there hadn’t been any more dick pics lately.
“My service isn’t the best around here,” she lied. Her service was just fine. Internet, on the other hand … “the only place with good Wi-Fi is the café in town. This is where I come to get work done.”
“That’s unfortunate. At least the view is pleasant.” He paused. “You know, I have a buddy in Portland who’s a property lawyer. I can send him your way if you need help speeding things along. I know you’re eager to get back home,” he said.
Their two other participants joined the meeting, saving Ava from having to respond.
“Good morning, ladies,” Alec greeted them and took control of the meeting, making introductions and kicking off the conversation. Both women were former clients of Alec’s hospitality consulting firm.
Now she remembered why she accepted the meeting. He might be overbearing, but Alec knew how to work the room and run a smooth meeting. And he had connections.
The hour-long meeting passed quickly, leaving Ava with two pages of typed notes from their conversation. She learned one woman, Mary Worth, started her career in hospitality by running a small bed-and-breakfast with her husband. Their business grew so successful and expanded to include multiple sister sites around the state of Connecticut. They caught the attention of a boutique hotel chain that made an offer they couldn’t refuse. They hired her as an advisor and consultant, leading to her executive position and subsequent board appointment at the Grand Bohemian.
The other woman, Nadia Chavez, came from the same boutique hotel chain that bought Mary’s bed-and-breakfast. In her most recent position, she served in international outreach, working to attract visitors seeking unique experiences to get the most out of their travels. Both women were passionate about the customer experience.
Their views contrasted with the impression she’d gotten from the all-male panel she interviewed with. The men were interested in expanding the hotel’s reach and offerings to increase revenue with as little spend as possible. She understood the board’s responsibility to increase the hotel’s earnings, but she wondered if there was a middle ground in the conflicting visions.
“It’s been so nice talking with you, Ava. We all poured over your resume already, but you’re so much more than a piece of paper withaccomplishments. I sincerely hope I’ll work with you in the future,” Mary said as they neared the end of their meeting.
