Both of Matt’s eyebrows lifted. “No kidding. What’s she doing back in town? It’s been, what? Ten years?”
Owen nodded absently.August. It will be ten years in August.“She’s selling her dad’s cabin.”
Matt narrowed his eyes. “And you know this, how?”
“I just dropped her off at the cabin.”
Matt shook his head with a sigh. “Well, this complicates things, huh? Still want to go through with this?”
Owen considered his options. He couldn’t back out without a serious penalty, though he was confident Matt could find a loophole. And just because Ava was here now, didn’t mean she’d be here long enough to know. She would return to New York as soon as the cabin went on the market. That he was sure of.
And Matt had gone to bat for him on this purchase. Convincing Agatha Ducksworth to sell the building, and the Historical Society to sign off on the sale, had been a challenge only Matt relished tackling.
The brick facade of the Agatha Building was visible from the window of Matt’s second-floor office that overlooked most of downtown Cedar Falls. Of course, he could see all the buildings that made up downtown, considering how small the town was.
The sidewalks were filled with more people than usual, strolling through downtown and making their way to the lake. Visitors from all over flocked to Cedar Falls in the summer, and this year was no exception. The one stoplight in town stopped more traffic in the summer than it did all year. Most of the visitors rented vacation cabins or stayed at hotels in nearby towns. There was no place to stay in town, not like years ago when the Agatha Building used to be a bed-and-breakfast.
“I know this purchase has something to do with a certain littlebirdie,” Matt prodded when Owen stayed silent too long.
When Owen had first approached Matt about buying the building, Matt tried to convince him it would be better to bide his time. Agatha was ninety years old, after all.
But Owen didn’t want to wait years to buy it. He didn’t want to delay what he wanted anymore. It wasn’t like he was bored or lacked purpose; he had enough on his plate. Between taking care of his son and running the café, he didn’t have time to consider another business opportunity. And yet, he’d done just that.
Not only had Owen made an offer on the Agatha Building, but he also faced the prospect of renovating it under the Historical Society’s watchful eye. All because he was clinging to some misguided dream he’d once had with a girl who left him behind.
Except now, she was back.
He could keep this from her, right? Like she said, a few weeks tops.
“Let’s do it.”
Chapter 4
The Lake
Sleep eluded Ava. Fidgeting in bed, she replayed her conversation with Owen, wishing she hadn’t shown how affected she was by seeing him again.
It was embarrassing.
She yanked the pillow from under her head and shoved it into her face, wanting to hide from the day. But that would mean nothing got done at the cabin. The longer it took, the longer she’d be stuck in Cedar Falls with her ex and his perfect family. That gave her enough motivation to toss the pillow aside and sit up.
Her phone pinged with a series of notifications. She reached for it on the nightstand and disconnected the charging cable, groaning at the name that greeted her on the screen.
Speaking of exes.
Alec:Good morning, Ava.
Alec:Still thinking of you. I’ll be waiting when you’re ready to talk.
Alec:I miss you, baby.
Ava rolled her eyes at the picture of his sheet tented around his groin. She clicked out of the message thread and deleted it altogether. Part of her wanted to block his number, but that seemed harsh. It’s not like he’d done anything wrong.
Sure, he could be overbearing with his affections and cared more about appearances than she did. Aside from that, he was attractive in that classically handsome way, with his dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Tall and well-built from his hours spent in the gym with trainers. He was charming and social. He could shmooze with the best of them. On paper, he was everything she could ask for in a partner.
Then, the itch came over her. It crept through her mind and held her heart in a vise, not letting him get any closer. Notwantinghim to get too familiar. Until eventually, his presence grated on her. It inevitably happened with every man she tried to date. The only difference was Alec had lasted longer than usual, almost a full year, before the feeling overtook her. She powered through, hoping to shake off her growing detachment.
When her dad died, it gave her the out she needed. Like a coward, she used his death as an excuse to break up. Unfortunately, Alec believed that left the door open for them to get back together, and they’d rekindle their romance.
