Chapter 16 Ava
AVA
Ellie Hunt was walking toward me, her attention on the phone she was speaking into.
She was wearing a chic navy-blue skirt that ended just above her knee, a red silk blouse, and had a fresh coat of makeup on her face.
“Could you tell reception not to greet me every time I walk into the building?” she said. “It makes me lose my focus.”
She frowned and came to a stop next to me, her eyes taking me in. I should’ve spoken first, but my tongue didn’t seem to work anymore.
Ellie Hunt broke the silence. “No, Desmond doesn’t need his lunch delivered to his desk today. Besides,” Ellie added, “it’s an entire hour past his usual lunchtime. You’re late.”
I gulped. Did she mistake me for Desmond’s assistant?
Perhaps Ellie needed to visit an optometrist.
Saving that tidbit for later, when I could be more confident about her tolerance of me, I spoke. “No, it’s not about lunch.”
She halted and turned. “If legal sent you here to ask him to take down his latest tweet again—wait.”
She paused and looked at me more closely. I felt myself go red. I hadn’t spoken to her at the party, but was there a chance that she had seen me anyway?
Ellie stared at me. “Have I seen you before?”
I heard a second set of footsteps come out of the elevator, and a now-familiar voice said, “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ellie …” The voice trailed off when the person laid eyes on me.
It was Desmond, dressed in a fancier suit than I’d ever seen him in.
His face registered surprise when he saw me outside his door, mirroring a surprise that I felt twenty times more. Going by the way these two had timed their arrival, they were definitely back from a lunch date.
These two were on another date? Was this an apology date for abandoning her at the party?
Neither of us moved. I was too busy being consumed by a heady sensation as Desmond locked eyes with me.
Ellie glanced between Desmond and me. “Do you two know each other?”
Briefly aware that she was speaking to me, I tore my gaze away from Desmond.
Unwillingly. It was a bit of a shame really.
I could’ve shot him my extremely disapproving look if I’d had a minute longer.
I looked dispassionately at the beautiful woman in front of me with her shiny skirt and her sparkling earrings.
“Wait, I know you!” Ellie exclaimed, as neither Desmond nor I had volunteered information. “I’ve seen you on TV, haven’t I? You’re that actress from that sappy CBS soap opera!” she blurted out.
My eyes met Desmond’s briefly, and for a second, we seemed to both be fighting the urge to laugh.
“Thank you. I’m flattered,” I said, struggling to keep a straight face.
“You shouldn’t be. That show has the dumbest women of all time. I mean, who fires the house help without looking for a backup first?”
“You’re right.” I nodded. “I’ll give your feedback to the writing team—” I began, but Desmond cut me off.
“Ellie, Ms. Hale’s a new employee at Luxe Hotels. Do you remember our recent acquisition of a restaurant?”
“The failing one? The Galle?” Ellie completed the sentence and turned to me, wide-eyed.
“The Galley,” I corrected her and bit my tongue. I needed to focus.
“Erm, I came by to ask you something,” I began, keeping my eyes on Desmond while very conscious of the fact that Ellie was still around. “I just learned that the remodeling you planned for the restaurant has been pushed out by five months.”
In the silence after my statement, I could sense Desmond stiffening. He understood where I was going with this.
Ellie showed no bit of recognition. “Remodeling?” she demanded. She turned to Desmond. “Didn’t Luxe Hotels have other plans for that place?”
They did? I gave Desmond a questioning look just as Ellie’s phone rang. She silenced it, keeping her focus on us.
“Zach, my assistant, should be here soon, Ms. Hale,” Desmond said to me, abandoning attempts to converse with Ellie.
Not conversing with her might be a good idea for the long-term, I wanted to tell him.
“Please speak with him and set up a meeting where we can discuss this further. He’s the best way to reach me.”
Ouch. That definitely showed me my place in his world.
I nodded at him, feeling embarrassed.
“That’s a good point for all of our employees to keep in mind,” Ellie said with a small frown at me. “Thankfully, I haven’t had to converse with Zach to reach you,” Ellie mused out loud, lifting a well-manicured finger to her neck, where, to my horror, I saw a large red …
“Love bite,” I muttered.
“What?”
“Ladybug,” I said, leaning forward and flicking an invisible bug off of Ellie’s shoulder.
Perhaps what Desmond had planned with her didn’t involve much conversation.
Ellie’s phone rang again, and this time, she cursed and looked at it for a second before answering it.
“Darn it, I need to take this call,” she said and walked to the elevators behind us. “I’ll catch up with you later, Des,” she called.
Desmond moved to let her walk past and ended up standing closer to me. My senses went on high alert as I looked at him from up close.
He was—I gulped—even handsomer up close.
Dark, ruffled hair, devilish brown eyes, and wore a smile that could capture any woman’s heart.
Good for Ellie, though not that I cared.
I was just glad I didn’t notice good-looking men anymore.
They could walk by, stand two inches away from me for all I cared, and I couldn’t even tell the name of the cologne they wore.
Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino.
That was the cologne Desmond wore.
Ellie disappeared into the elevator, her mouth in a thin line, and as the doors closed, Desmond turned back to me.
His eyes were kinder now as he looked at me, his body relaxing.
Inwardly, I was fuming. I was angry at myself for feeling so mixed up about a man who was clearly giving another woman love bites.
A man who would take Ellie to parties without a second thought while I was off-limits.
If he thought he could get away with ruining my restaurant along with my heart, he had another thing coming.
“Well,” Desmond said at last as he pushed open the doors to his office, “to what do I owe this visit, Ms. Hale?”
Steam all but poured out of my ears as I followed him in. “Did you or did you not delay the reopening of our restaurant by five months?”
He seemed to consider that while the doors to his office fell shut behind us. “Is that all?” he asked, affecting a disappointed look as he leaned against the edge of his desk. “I was hoping you’d come to see me for something more exciting than that.”
I remained standing.
Now is not the time, Desmond.
“Oh, what I have to say to you is very exciting,” I said as his eyes widened in surprise.