Chapter 14
AVA
Ava’s mind whirled as Alex detailed his plans for the next twenty-four hours. Shopping spree?
She tried to figure out why he’d suddenly decided he wanted to spend time in the city, and shopping of all things. Something was off about him lately.
They’d shared plenty of moments that took her right back to old times, but then suddenly, he’d turn on a dime, clamming up, acting oddly, avoiding subjects. It left her with one question. What was going on with Alex Stone?
She twisted to find him expectantly waiting for an answer from her, his eyebrows raised.
She knitted hers as the entire situation failed to add up again and uttered a single word. “No.”
Planning a follow-up, the words didn’t come as she stared at the odd expression etched into his features. The weird mix of rejection and sadness was unmistakable.
Had the run-in with the other tech giant affected him that deeply? Maybe he wanted to use the time on the town as a distraction, or proof that he wasn’t actually anything like Ethan Parker claimed.
His failure to answer her simple response prompted her to find more words. “What is up with you lately? Is there something else going on that you’re not telling me?”
He refused to make eye contact with her, but he shook his head, staring over hers at a spot on the wall. “No. Just thought it would be nice. You like to shop.”
“You don’t,” she answered.
“That’s not entirely true. I’ve gotten good at spending money.”
She chuckled. “Okay, but still…none of this is even remotely in line with something you’d enjoy.”
“I just…” He finally flicked his gaze to her.
She lowered her chin, searching his features for an answer.
“It’s stupid. Never mind.”
Ava shifted her weight from one foot to the other, reading the classic signs of his response to mean he was hurt and trying to fluff it off.
He did that a lot. Mostly because he’d received a lot of rejections in his life. He’d grown a thick skin. And he’d claim it didn’t matter to him even though it very much did. Why this was so important to him, she couldn’t say, but she needed to address it.
“It’s not stupid,” she answered. “I just…don’t understand the request. This isn’t you.”
“It could be me,” he shot back.
What was he trying to prove? She sucked in a deep breath, pressing her lips together for a second. “Okay. I see what’s going on here.”
“You do?” His crinkled nose and rising shoulders suggested he was nervous again.
“Yes, of course. It wasn’t hard to figure out, Alex.”
“Okay, well, I can explain, Ava. It’s just that–“
“You don’t have to explain,” she interrupted. “I get it.”
“You do?”
“I’m your best friend. Of course, I do.” She grinned at him. “But, Ace, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I get that you’re upset about the confrontation with Ethan. He said some nasty stuff, but none of it was true.”
She shrugged her shoulders as she patted his cheek. “Don’t let him get to you.”
He stared blankly for a moment before he finally swallowed hard. “Yeah,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. “Yeah, that’s it. You’re right. You’re always right.”
She grinned back at him. “You know I am.”
But even if she’d surmised the reason behind the ostentatious request and told him not to worry, she knew he was still bothered by it. “Now, if you really want to do all of those things, we can. But if you’re just doing it to prove something to someone else…”
She tilted her head, trying to read his expression, but there was something guarded in his eyes. When had he become so closed off to her?
“I just thought we could spend some time together before you have to leave.” His fingers gently brushed hers, lingering without wrapping around her hand as though he was unsure.
She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I’m not leaving until this is solved.
And if you want to spend time together, we could grab dinner and head home for a game night.
You, me, cheese balls, orange soda, you losing to me in Mario.
” She grinned at him. “But it’s totally up to you. I’m good with whatever you want to do.”
For the first time in their conversation, the tension in his shoulders seemed to relax. “Yeah? You’re cool with another game night?”
Her smile broadened. “I can’t believe you have to ask that. I’m always good with that.”
She slid her arm through his as they walked back toward the lobby. “And to be clear, I wasn’t rejecting your invitation earlier, I just thought it seemed like a ton of things you hate.”
“I don’t hate them…I just prefer other things. Plus, you like those things.”
“I like other things, too. Nights on the town are not our vibe.”
They reached the elevator, and he poked the button. “Are they your vibe, though?” he asked.
She screwed up her face. “No, you know that.”
“Well, you used to like to go out. Remember that frat party you dragged me to?”
“That was a hundred years ago, Ace. And I only like to go out slightly more than you do. If you remember correctly, we left that party early.”
“Because that jock smashed me to the floor,” he answered ruefully.
“Because it wasn’t worth our time,” she corrected as the elevator doors whooshed open. “Stop thinking you have to do ‘cool things’ to be cool.”
He eyed her as they stepped inside, pressing the button for the top floor. “Do you think I’m cool?”
“I have always thought you were cool,” she answered with a smile as the elevator tugged them upward. “It’s you who forgets.”
He slid his arm around her shoulders. “Good thing you’re here to remind me.”
“Right,” she answered.
He shifted his weight again as they continued their climb skyward. “But I bet Chris…he goes out a lot. He takes you out all the time, I bet.”
She gave him a pointed look. What was he getting at? “No, we don’t go out that much.”
Her mind regressed to her life in Silver Pine. They’d gone out to eat and movies when they’d first started dating, but she much preferred quiet settings. Chris did seem to like social outings, though.
“Really?” Alex asked as they finally reached their destination.
“Yeah, really. I think it gets on his nerves.”
Alex screwed up his face as they left the elevator behind and pushed into the stairwell to climb to the helipad. “He’s annoyed by spending quiet time with you?”
“No…” Ava shrugged as she forced herself to face a reality she’d previously ignored. “He just…he likes to go to these networking events. And sometimes I don’t go. I don’t think he’s happy about it, but he doesn’t really complain or anything.”
They pushed onto the rooftop helipad, the helicopter already winding up as they emerged. The conversation was squashed by the loud buzz as they climbed into the chopper and it climbed lazily into the air.
Within twenty minutes, they were back in the seaside haven and on their way to dinner at one of the beach’s hottest restaurants.
“So, The Draftsman likes to hit the town, does he?” Alex asked after they’d ordered their food.
“I guess,” she answered.
“What else does he like?”
She narrowed her eyes at him over the rim of her wine glass. “What?”
“I’m just…trying to get to know him. I mean…I have no idea what he’s like. And you seem…different with him. I’m just trying to figure out if the Ava Collins I knew is no more.”
The comment cut her. What was he suggesting? “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Her voice had an edge she hadn’t intended, but something about the way he’d say it bothered her.
“Nothing, just…you know, I suggested all those things earlier because I thought you’d enjoy them because you seem…different now.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not different. I mean I still love shopping, but I know you hate that kind of thing.”
“I could carry your bags.”
“Thanks, but I’ll just order a dozen things and skip the manual labor. Then I can try things on in the comfort of my own home.”
“Does Mr. Blueprint carry your bags?”
She laughed at the idea. “I don’t go shopping with Chris. He’d hate that.”
“So, it’s not just me, then, huh?”
She pinched her eyebrows together. “What?”
“You weren’t just avoiding going out in public with me.”
Ava blinked at him, trying to ascertain where the comment had come from. “We’re in public now. And I’m pretty sure we were in public at the Frontier Conference. Ace, what is going on with you?”
He stared down at the white tablecloth for a moment until the waiter appeared with their meal.
“Well?” she prompted when he picked up his fork and poked at his fish.
“What?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line as she stared at the blank look on his face. “Something is bothering you. What is it?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged and pushed a stalk of asparagus around the plate.
She set her features. “Alex Stone, you are lying to me. And I don’t appreciate it.”
He winced before he gave her a tentative glance. “Okay, I am. I just…you seem…closed, Avs. I know we haven’t talked a lot in a while but…” He flicked his gaze to the setting sun outside the window. “I didn’t think we had fallen this far apart.”
She shifted in her seat, immediately understanding the source of his consternation.
“I mean, I’ve never even heard of Chris Maxwell and suddenly, you’re marrying him.”
Ava slid a hand across the table and wrapped her fingers around his. “Ace, I’m sorry. I just…didn’t think you’d be interested.”
He leaned closer, his eyes almost pleading. “I’m always interested in you, Ava.”
Her heart pinched at the words. She’d been so busy keeping the two aspects of her life separate that she hadn’t stopped to consider his feelings.
“I’m sorry,” she answered with a pout before she replaced it with an upbeat smile and clasped her hands in front of her. “Okay, ask me anything. I’m an open book.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Tell me about Design Dude.”
“Ummm,” she answered as she retrieved her fork. “Chris likes to read, and he likes Italian food. He’s an early riser. And he’s, uh, he likes to travel.”
“Likes not paying parking tickets,” Alex added.
“Right, that, too,” she said with a giggle.
“Do you read books together?” Alex asked.
“Umm, surprisingly, no. Despite the way we met, we really have opposite tastes in books. I like to be entertained, and he likes to be challenged.”
“What’s his favorite video game?”
Ava stabbed at a carrot, her forehead creasing. “He doesn’t play video games.”
“Doesn’t play video games?” Alex repeated, his eyes going wide.
“Nope.”
“Does he hate it when you game?”
She let her gaze fall on the food left on her plate. “Honestly, I haven’t played anything until I came back here.”
She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed the downtime, actually. She wondered if that’s why she’d been sleeping so well.
With a forced smile, she lifted her eyes to his, almost immediately regretting it as the next words came out of his mouth.
“Why are you marrying him?”
The words stunned her, and her mind went totally blank. Before she could answer, he shook his head. “Sorry, that’s not…I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I just meant…what is it about him that made you say yes?”
His rephrasing didn’t help. Her mind stuck on one detail. Because he asked, and it felt like the next logical step. She hated that it was her first thought. What did that say about their relationship?
“Uhhh, he’s just…he’s, uh…I love him.”
“Right,” Alex said with a nod.
Unbidden memories flitted across her mind, and she couldn’t stop herself from contrasting her past with Alex with the present she’d built with Chris.
When she’d burned the spaghetti sauce she’d tried to make for Chris, he’d clicked his tongue at her.
“Ava, you have to stir it once in a while, you know?” he’d reminded her.
The moment stood starkly against the time in college when she’d “baked” brownies and burnt them to a crisp. Alex had raised his eyebrows at them as he pounded one rock-hard chuck off of the counter. “Babe, you are not made for baking.”
They’d laughed about how it was not her forte before they’d run out together to grab brownies from the bakery to satisfy her sweet tooth.
The memories seemed to paint a vivid picture of what had been versus what was. Had she traded happiness or was this merely adulthood?
She tried to hide the shuddering breath she drew in as she lifted her napkin from her lap and dabbed at her lips. “I’ll be right back.”
”Oh–“ he started but she didn’t wait for permission before she fled from the table, making a beeline for the ladies’ room. She burst through the door and collapsed against the marble sink top inside, sliding her eyes closed.
What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she clearly articulate what she saw in Chris? Why was that question so jarring to her?
She glanced up into her eyes in the mirror, suddenly not recognizing herself. Her eyes fell to the magenta dress. She contrasted it with what she’d worn of late, the image Chris expected of her.
Someone else pushed into the bathroom, and she turned on the faucet, pretending to wash her hands.
As she shoved her hands into the warm water, she caught sight of the rings, one diamond on her left hand and another on her right.
Her breathing turned ragged, and she shoved the handles to turn the faucet off, ripping paper towels from the dispenser and drying her hands before she pressed the damp rag to her forehead.
“What’s wrong with you, Ava?” she whispered.
She shifted the damp towel around to the back of her neck as the door burst open again.
“Mrs. Stone?”
She twisted, stunned to hear that name from the brunette waitress who’d pushed inside. “Yes?”
“Mr. Stone asked that I check on you. Are you okay? Is there anything I can get you?”
The words warmed her. “Oh, uh, no, I’m fine. I’ll be right out.”
The waitress bobbed her head and smiled. “I will let him know.”
Ava nodded at her before she spun back to face herself in the mirror. She must have looked upset when she’d raced from the table. She blew out a long breath, lifting her chin and drawing back her shoulders.
She was tired, and she’d had too much wine. It was perfectly normal for her to have a moment of pause. Second thoughts after a proposal were natural. And she was in a really weird situation.
She just needed to sort it all out, and she’d be fine.
Still, the reassuring smile she gave herself in the mirror felt anything but comforting. She forced herself to push out of the bathroom and return to the table, the portrait of confidence though she was completely unsure.
It seemed since returning to the Hamptons her life was falling apart. And there was nothing she could do about it.