Chapter 4
AVA
Ava’s heart clenched as she climbed the stairs to the second level, navigating to the room she normally stayed in. Everything seemed so familiar to her despite the time she’d spent away.
Had it really been two years since she’d been here?
It seemed like no time had passed at all.
She glanced out over the moonlit sea again, a chuckle escaping her as she realized he’d given her the best bedroom in the house. She started to unzip her suitcase when she abandoned it, crossing to the walk-in closet and flicking on the light.
Everything was there just as she left it. She crossed to the drawers and tugged open the top one. With her favorite pajamas in hand, she pulled off her clothes and slipped into the unicorn onesie.
After putting on matching slippers, she bounded down the stairs and shuffled into the living room.
Alex lounged on the couch cushions he’d spread across the floor.
He grinned at her as he slid his eyes up and down her form. “I see you went old school.”
She matched his expression, crossing the room and grabbing a controller from him before dropping onto the cushion next to him. “I did. Dibs on first play.”
“Ouch,” he said, his features showing mock hurt, “I am getting slow.”
She selected her character and shot him a coy smile while she waited for the first world to load. Her tiny, pixelated character dropped onto the screen. She mashed the buttons on the controller, driving her character through the first world easily.
The tension between her shoulders melted away as she flopped onto her belly, propped up by the pillow, and slammed through the second level.
The easiness between them, a relaxed casualness that had always existed between them, soothed her frayed nerves. The weekend may be a welcome getaway.
Alex cracked open both sodas and passed her one. “You haven’t lost your edge at all.”
He grinned at her, tilting his bottle toward her. “To old times.”
She raised her eyes to his, the nostalgia she’d experienced earlier rushing through her with a warmth she hadn’t experienced in a long while. She clinked her bottle against his. “To old times and beating this entire game before we go to bed.”
His eyes widened as did his grin. “Oh, we have goals, do we?”
She sat back on her haunches blasting past another level. “We do. This should not be hard.”
“May take a few hours.”
She slid her eyes sideways, missing a jump on the fourth world. “I thought you slept late?”
“I do. I thought you didn’t.”
She shrugged as the game toggled to his character. “Once won’t hurt.”
“Well,” he said as he readied his controller. “Looks like we have our work cut out for us.”
Ava found herself enjoying the simple reminders of a less complicated time. Memories of gaming nights flooded back to her as the first bite of the powdery cheese exploded on her tongue. She washed it down with the fizzy orange soda before she licked the cheese dust off her fingers.
As the old-school worlds rolled past them, the laughter ramped up along with the teasing over missed jumps, wounded characters, and crazy moves that managed to give them a win.
They played until the wee hours of the morning, finally finishing the last level. With a double high-five, they celebrated their win, grinning at each other, their gazes lingering a little too long as their faces hovered close together.
Ava sucked in a breath as she sat back on her unicorn slippers and polished off the last of her soda. “I should get to bed.”
“I wondered if you’d make it,” he said as he climbed to his feet and extended his hand to her.
“I made it,” she answered with a chuckle, sliding her hand into his and allowing him to tug her to her feet. “I’ll help you clean up.”
“Leave it. Someone else will clean it up tomorrow.”
“Right, I keep forgetting.”
“Do you still do your own cleaning, Avs? It’s sooooo common.”
She groaned as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her to the stairs. “I know. I’m so pedestrian.”
“Plebeian, practically,” he said with a chuckle as they mounted the stairs.
“And I used to be so…”
“Glam. Ava Collins was the Barbie girl. Chic, alluring…blonde.” He shot her a sideways glance.
“Mm, yes, and now I’m just…blonde.” She hovered in her doorway, shooting him an amused grin.
He pressed a hand against the door jamb as he leaned closer. “You will always be classy, chic, and alluring, Sparky.”
She offered him a tight-lipped smile, lowering her chin as she glanced at him through his eyelashes. “And you will always be a flatterer.”
Her teasing tone made him chuckle as she patted his chest. “Good night, Ace.”
After a kiss on his cheek, she stepped back. His eyes lingered on her before his lips finally curled. “Good night, Sparky. Sleep well.”
She eased the door closed before she collapsed against it.
Her mind, tired but wired, swirled. Memories of old times warmed her again.
She shuffled to the bed and kicked off her slippers, slipping between the sheets.
She settled on her side, staring out over the rolling ocean, and allowing its rhythmic motion to lull her to sleep.
When she opened her eyes the next morning, the sun already flew high in the sky, glistening off the calm waters. She sucked in a breath, tiredness still clinging to her. With a sigh, she rolled over, memories of their hours-long gaming session flooding back into her mind.
Her eyes slid closed again, and she started to drift off when the shrill ring of her cell phone split the silence.
Without looking at the caller ID, she groaned as she rolled over and tapped on it to stop the sound. “Go away,” she groaned as she rolled onto her side and squeezed her eyes closed.
A knock sounded at her door. “Sparky? You awake?”
“No,” she called.
A second later, the mattress shifted under her. She twisted to find Alex next to her. She pulled a pillow over her head. “How are you smiling that much after last night?”
He yanked the pillow from her face. “I’m used to staying up that late. I don’t get up at a ridiculous hour for ridiculous things, Avs.”
“Exercise isn’t ridiculous, Ace.”
“It is to me,” he answered as her phone rang again.
“Ugh,” she moaned. “Who is calling me again?”
She leaned across him to grab the cell phone from her nightstand. Her heart skipped a beat when she spotted the name on the display.
Sitting up, she hurried to answer it, noting the several missed calls and messages. “Hey, Chris.”
Alex slumped back into the pillow next to her as her fiancé spoke. “Ava! Where have you been?”
“Uh, sorry, I…slept in.”
“Until eleven in the morning?” Chris asked.
She slid her eyes closed as she heard the judgment in his voice. “Yeah, I…couldn’t sleep last night. I just…tried to catch a few more hours this morning and dozed off. I’m sorry I missed your calls.”
Alex arched an eyebrow at her as she shook her head at him, a silent warning.
“Have you gotten everything worked out with your…the guy?”
She shifted her gaze to Alex again, pressing her lips together for a second. “Not yet.”
“You probably slept through the meeting.”
“No, we’re meeting this afternoon. It’s fine.” She shifted on the mattress, shoving off the covers as heat swept over her.
“Okay. I’m sorry,” Chris said, his voice sounding penitent. “I’m…just a little tense.”
“With the presentation coming up? You’ll knock it out of the park.”
“Yeah, and…this little wrinkle. I just…didn’t expect it. And I wish I could be there with you to see this through.”
She chewed her lower lip as she allowed him to assume this was more uncomfortable than it was. “It’s okay. I’m…fine. And it’s not your mess to clean up.”
“Darling, we’re about to get married. Your problems are my problems, too.”
She swallowed hard at the words. “Right. Well, we’re not married yet, so…I’ll take care of this one.”
“I know you will.”
“I will,” she said with a nod. “Everything’s…totally cool.”
He snorted a laugh. “Totally cool? Wow, you are tired. Maybe you should try to get some more sleep.”
She winced, recalling that she didn’t use much slang with him. “Yeah, I’m…still half-asleep. Everything will be fine.”
“All right, well, keep me up to date, okay? After the presentation tomorrow, I’m free. So, if you need me to come out–”
“No,” she said, her muscles tightening as she sat straighter. “I…mean… just relax after your talk. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Well, good luck this afternoon. Let me know how it goes.”
“I will. Sorry for the scare this morning.”
“It’s okay,” he answered. “Love you, Ava.”
“I love you, too,” she said, nearly swallowing the words as she pulled the phone away from her ear and ended the call.
A knot formed in her stomach. The ease and laughter she shared with Alex the night before felt worlds away from the conversations she had with Chris.
She couldn’t help but compare the feeling of being understood and at ease to the subtle tension she now recognized in her relationship with Chris. She felt like two different people.
Alex’s eyebrows pinched together, and he shot Ava an amused glance. “Sorry for the scare?”
She flashed her display toward him. “Five missed calls and a few dozen texts. I’m never up this late.”
She kicked back the rest of the covers as she leapt from the bed.
“Heaven forbid you sleep in with Chris Cross on your case.”
She shot him a glance as she whipped her hair into a messy bun on top of her head before she hurried to her suitcase, ripping it open and pawing through it.
“What do you expect? I just told the guy I’m married, got on a plane and flew to the Hamptons, then disappeared.”
“You hardly disappeared, Avs, but…let’s not argue about it. We have other things to worry about.”
“Yes, like what’s going on with StoneCorp. What’s up with these financial inaccuracies you found?”
“It’s a little beyond inaccuracies,” he said with a wrinkled nose as he rubbed the back of his neck. “But before we can tackle that, there’s something else we need to discuss.”
“Oh?” she prodded.