Chapter 31
The Gala
“You have your speech, right?”
“Right here.” Owen patted the left pocket of his suit jacket.
“And you did a tech check? Does the PowerPoint show up correctly?”
“Many times, trust me,” Owen assured her.
“But did–”
Owen silenced Ava’s latest question by firmly pressing his lips against hers.
Ava leaned into the kiss, letting it ease her nerves.
His hand trailed down her exposed back until he reached the fabric of her red silk dress just above her ass.
Ava shivered at his touch. When he pulled away, Ava chased after his lips for more.
With a last kiss to her nose, Owen straightened.
In his black suit and matching maroon tie to go with her dress, Owen was nothing short of stunning. Ava had convinced him to wear his hair down, and she almost regretted it at how handsome he looked. She didn’t want the other women in town getting ideas.
“Why are you more nervous than me about my speech?”
Ava fiddled with his tie, adjusting it until it was just right. Owen circled her wrists to stop her fidgeting.
“I don’t know. I want everything to go perfect. You deserve it,” Ava said.
“That’s it?” Owen raised an eyebrow at her. He knew her too well.
“The whole town is going to know we’re back together when they see us out there tonight. It won’t be hard for them to make the connection between the name of the bed-and-breakfast and me.”
Owen traced a finger down the side of her neck and brushed her curls behind her shoulder. “Hate to break it to you, but the whole town knows about us already. Remember the rumor mill after the Fourth of July?”
“Of course I do. Summer’s still ignoring me. I’m kind of glad she’s babysitting Avery, so I don’t have to avoid her icy stare all night. This is the longest we’ve gone without talking.”
“Still not longer than ten years,” Owen said. He smirked to soften his words.
Ava pushed at his shoulder.
“Too soon?”
“Way too soon,” Ava said. “I’m overthinking this. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks. No one but me, you, and Avery.”
Owen cupped the side of her neck, forcing her to look at him. “Just me, you, and Avery. This is between us. Not the whole town of Cedar Falls.”
She held his gaze and nodded. The weight of her decision sat heavily in her stomach, waiting for the right moment to tell Owen.
After. After his speech, I’ll tell him.
Someone stuck their head through the curtain, giving Owen a five-minute warning he was about to be called on stage. Tori’s commanding voice boomed through the speakers as she thanked everyone for their attendance and gave the introduction.
“I’m going to find our table. You’re going to do great up there. Lo–” Ava cut herself off. “Let’s go,” she corrected.
If Owen caught her slip, he said nothing, but his eyes flared with heat. Ava avoided his gaze and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before hurrying away.
She exited the backstage area and found their table near the front of the room.
Her name card was between Owen’s empty seat and Matt, who was tossing back his drink when she joined him.
The two of them had spent little time together since she’d come to town, but she’d grown up alongside him, just like Owen and Summer.
Ava placed her clutch that contained both their phones on the table and settled the skirt of her dress beneath her.
She took her first good look at the room.
They’d transformed the community center for the evening's event, blending modern and rustic charm. Each white linen table had a bouquet of colorful local wildflowers and an album of pictures from the Cedar Falls archives that commemorated the town’s history.
Several long tables holding tonight's auction items lined the room's right wall, which she had yet to browse.
She turned her attention back to the front.
Matt nudged a glass toward her. “Grabbed you a drink. Figured we needed it to get through this,” Matt said.
“Thanks,” she whispered back.
She took a small sip from the crystal tumbler. The bourbon burned her throat on the way down. She forced down her cough at the strong liquor, not wanting to make a scene. “This is straight bourbon,” she sputtered.
Matt grinned. “There’s ice too.”
She gave him an unimpressed glare, and his grin grew bigger.
“Oh, lighten up. I remember when you used to drink Fireball like it was water.”
She fought her grimace at the memory. “I try to forget about that. Thanks for the reminder.”
Matt clinked his tumbler against her own, and they both straightened in their seats when Owen walked onto the stage.
She brushed away the flare of annoyance when Tori pulled him into a big hug before handing over the microphone and leaving the stage.
A projector lit up with Owen’s presentation, the first slide an image of the Agatha Building back in its prime, when it still operated as the town’s original bed-and-breakfast.
Owen scanned the crowd, and Ava instinctively knew he was searching for her. Only when he spotted her and their eyes locked did he lift the microphone to speak.
“Thank you, Tori, for the introduction. Many of you know me already as the owner of The Early Bird Café. My restaurant has served the community of Cedar Falls for over fifty years as it’s been passed down through my family.
Not unlike the Agatha Building that was around for even longer before an unfortunate snowstorm left it abandoned for most of my life.
“A few months ago, I was reminded of how important it is to not only remember our past but also embrace it so we can build the future we want. For ourselves, our children, and the generations to come. That’s what inspired me to buy the building, and I’m excited to announce it will reopen as a bed-and-breakfast in the coming months.
All of you made this possible, along with the grant funds provided by the Cedar Falls Historical Society. ”
Owen paused in his speech and the crowd launched into a round of applause that filled Ava with pride. She took another small sip of her drink, this time appreciating the burn that canceled out the emotion climbing up her throat. Owen continued, diving into the renovation process.
Matt leaned toward Ava. “You know he bought the place because of you,” he said, just loud enough for the two of them to hear.
Ava glanced at him from the corner of her eye, not wanting to miss Owen. “I’m aware,” she whispered back.
Matt didn’t respond, but she knew a leading statement when she heard it, and Matt wasn’t one to bite his tongue. She spared him a quick look.
“Say it. I know you have an opinion you want to share.”
“Not an opinion. A request.”
Ava shifted slightly toward him to show she was listening, while not taking her eyes off Owen.
“I know I’m an ass for saying this but be careful. Whatever it is you guys are doing, Owen’s fucked for you. Always has been. Just … please don’t break his heart again. There’s so much more at stake this time around.”
Indignation welled inside her, the desire to defend herself on the tip of her tongue. But she said nothing, giving him an understanding nod. Owen deserved to hear her decision before Matt. She couldn’t be upset his best friend was looking out for him, even if he didn’t have all the information.
“Thank you all for your attention and support tonight. I’ll leave you all with a final reveal: the new name and soft grand opening dates.”
The presentation changed to the last slide, a mockup of the finished renovation with the new sign out front. Owen sought her in the crowd once more, holding her gaze at his next words.
“Birdie’s Bed and Breakfast will start accepting reservations this October, with a soft grand opening planned for Labor Day weekend.”
Ava’s breath stuttered to a stop at the depth of affection on his face.
“Stay tuned for more details. Thank you again, everyone, and we appreciate your generous support of the Cedar Falls Historical Society.”
The room erupted in applause, and the tittering of whispers amongst the tables started. Ava could feel eyes on her coming from all directions, the name of the bed-and-breakfast a not-so-subtle commemoration of her name.
Matt gave her a loaded look as if to prove his earlier point but said nothing further. He didn’t have to. The gravity of the situation had never been clearer.
Owen left the stage, and Matt and Ava stood to greet him as he approached the table. She hoped the tension between her and Matt wasn’t as obvious as it felt to her.
Matt pulled Owen into a back-slapping hug. “Proud of you, O. And you didn’t stutter once. Knew you could do it,” Matt said.
Owen shook his head at his friend. “Appreciate your confidence in me.”
Owen stepped around Matt and Ava gratefully accepted his arms around her, holding her close. She circled her arms around his waist and buried her head under his chin, careful not to smudge her makeup too much.
“You did great, Owen,” she said.
Owen shifted to rest his cheek on the top of her head, his arms tightening around her. “You’re my inspiration, Ava. I never would've done this without you.”
The murmurs and hum of conversation faded away as the live band began playing.
He kissed the top of her head, and they broke apart.
Matt clapped Owen’s shoulder, saving Ava from his full attention as she pulled herself together.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the bar for another drink and to make the rounds,” Matt said and took off to the back of the room.
Ava grabbed her near full glass of bourbon and offered it to Owen. “Drink? Matt got me a bourbon, but it’s too strong for me tonight.”
Owen closed his eyes and finished the tumbler in one go. “I needed that,” he said. He put it down and extended his elbow. “Dance with me?”
Ava took his arm and followed him to the dance floor. He pulled her close with a firm hand on her exposed lower back, his fingers indenting her skin.
Owen whirled her around and gathered her close again, catching her gaze.
“You’re killing me in this dress tonight, Birdie.” His hand dipped lower, down the curve of her ass without being too inappropriate.
Ava smirked. “I wore it just for you.”
“I’m a lucky man.”
Owen took their clasped hands and placed them over his heart, holding her hand captive against his beating chest. He looked at her with such gentleness and adoration it hurt.
“You know, I couldn’t help but have some ideas as you were presenting,” she said.
“Dirty ideas?”
Ava laughed, unsurprised at his train of thought.
“Ideas for the bed-and-breakfast. Have you considered hosting events and potential collaborations? The dining room would be a beautiful wedding reception venue with its view of the lake. And we could work with local businesses on wedding packages, including photography, flowers, and a nightly rate for rooms.”
“We?”
“What?”
Owen smirked. “You said ‘we’. Like you were planning to be part of these ideas for the bed-and-breakfast.”
Now was her chance to tell him. The ball of nervous excitement threatened to burst in her stomach. There was no better time.
“I—” Ava began to tell him her decision when Matt came up behind Owen, bringing their dancing to a halt.
Concern creased his face as he waved his phone in the air. “Sorry to interrupt, but Summer’s blowing up my phone. She says it’s an emergency, Owen.”
Ava’s heart plummeted, immediately swamped with worry for Avery.
Owen patted his pockets for his own phone, coming up empty.
“Shit, our phones are in my clutch,” Ava said.
Owen grabbed her hand and rushed back to their table, Matt on their heels.
“Did Summer say what’s going on?” Owen demanded.
“No, just that she’s on the way to Portland Memorial Hospital with Avery and she couldn’t get a hold of you or Ava.”
They reached the table, and Ava’s hands shook so hard she couldn’t undo the clasp on her clutch. She thrust it at Owen to open, too flustered to keep trying. He got it open and retrieved their phones, both of them showing dozens of missed calls from Summer.
Ava scanned her texts for more information while Owen listened to his voicemail.
“It’s Maddy. There’s been an accident.”