18. Nick
Nick
Ihave to tell her. She’s going to walk. Not just on the stupid arrangement to get my mom off my ass.
On me.
That terrifies me.
I don’t want to lose her. She’s the closest thing to a real relationship I’ve had since … well, since Sierra. I didn’t think I ever wanted that kind of thing again, but I do.
Maybe.
I don’t know.
She’s got me twisted up in knots. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
All I know is I feel things again. I feel true joy.
Longing. When we’re apart, I think about her.
When we’re together, I’m happy to be in her proximity.
It’s not all about sex. I certainly like sex with her, but it’s so much more than that.
“Let’s go outside,” I suggest.
“Another tactic to make me forget.”
“No. I’ll talk. I just really like being outside.”
She offers a hint of a smile. “I can tell. You’ve obviously been spending some time outside the last few days.”
I grin. “Caught me.”
“Do you just lounge by your pool all day?”
“No. Sometimes. I like to go paddleboarding. Sometimes I jog. I just like the sun.”
She nods and allows me to take her hand. We leave our wineglasses on the counter and step outside. The warm breeze washes over us. I lead her out to the sitting area with an amazing view of the beach below.
We sit down on the bench and look out at the sea. She says nothing. But I know she is waiting for the truth. I can’t put it off any longer.
I take a deep breath. “Sierra.”
“Yes, Sierra. The giant elephant in the room.”
“Don’t ever let her hear you call her an elephant,” I joke.
“Start talking, Nick.”
I nod, my stomach twisting as I try to figure out where to begin. What I am about to tell her is huge. No one else but Sierra knows. Telling her my secret puts me in real jeopardy.
“Can I trust you?” I ask quietly.
“Of course.”
“No, Ava, I’m serious. I’m talking serious shit. Illegal shit.”
Her eyes widen, and then she frowns. “Are you fucking with me?”
“No.”
“Okay, you can trust me. I won’t tell anyone, but if you tell me you murdered someone, I’m not sure I can keep that secret.”
“Funny. No.”
“Okay, hit me.”
“When I first started Sullivan Tech, I was young and stupid. I didn’t know what I was doing.
Sierra and I were together at that time.
She was the one that really pushed me to start the company.
I loved her. I trusted her as my girlfriend.
I trusted her as someone who worked with me.
Sierra was more than happy to handle a lot of the financial stuff.
She was good at it—really good. But she got … creative.”
Ava’s eyes narrow. “Creative how?”
I hesitate. There’s a knot in my belly just thinking about what the information could do to me.
“She fudged the numbers,” I say finally.
“Made it look like we were doing better than we were. I wasn’t paying attention—I just signed off on the reports.
We got the investor funding because of it.
She always told me not to worry about the books.
She wanted me to focus on the tech side.
And I did. I was working twelve to fifteen hours a day.
I trusted her and didn’t pay attention to things. That’s on me.”
Ava’s eyes widen, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. “Nick, that’s … that’s a huge violation. That could have legal consequences.”
I nod; my jaw tight. “I know.”
“Nick, what the hell?”
“But it was a long time ago, and I didn’t want to stir up trouble. Sierra’s not going to talk about it, and I’m certainly not going to bring it up.”
Ava shakes her head, her arms still crossed. “Why didn’t you just come clean? It’s not like you don’t have the money to fix it.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “It’s not that simple. If I came clean, it would ruin the company’s reputation. And Sierra … she’s got too much dirt on me. It’s better to just let it go.”
Ava looks at me, her expression softening. “I get why you’re worried, but … this is a big deal, Nick. You can’t just ignore it.”
I nod, my chest tightening. “I know. But I don’t know what else to do.”
“Can you pay her?” she asks. “Give her a settlement to make her go away?”
“I wish. I have tried. It’s not about the money. She would take more pleasure in destroying me. In destroying the company.”
We stand there in silence for a while, the sound of the waves filling the air.
“What about you and Sierra? What happened between you two?”
I feel a pang of anger, the memory of that night still fresh in my mind. “I caught her with some guy when I came home early from a business trip.”
Ava’s eyes widen, her expression a mix of shock and sympathy. “Oh.”
“Yeah. It was … messy. We broke up after that, but she stayed with the company. I couldn’t fire her—not without risking her going public with the financial stuff.”
Ava nods, her expression thoughtful. “I get why she hates me so much. She obviously wants you back.”
I shake my head, stepping closer to her. “You don’t have to worry about that, Ava. Sierra and I are done. There’s nothing there.”
Ava smirks, her lips curling into a teasing smile. “I’m not worried. This is all fake, right?”
I look at her, my chest tightening. “We both know there’s a little something there.”
Her eyes widen, her expression softening. “What does that mean?”
I hesitate, my heart pounding in my chest. I want to tell her the truth—that I’m falling for her, that this isn’t just some fake engagement to me. But I chicken out, shrugging it off.
“It means … we’ll figure it out,” I say finally, my voice rough.
Ava looks at me, her expression unreadable. But then she nods, stepping closer.
“Okay,” she says, her voice soft. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” she asks.
“Listening. Not judging.”
“And not running to the financial fraud department,” she teases.
“Thanks. I guess I’ve just given another woman ammunition to blackmail me.”
“I am not Sierra,” she says.
“No, I know that.”
“I would never do that to another person and certainly not a man I was trying to get back into my bed,” she mutters. “Sierra’s tactics are … viperish.”
“Fitting.” I nod. “So, now that I’ve got that out of the way, should we get dinner?”
“Are you parents coming over?”
“Not tonight.”
“Then why did I need to move in tonight?”
I smile. “You’re acting like this is a chore. I’ll remind you of last night. You had no problem staying with me then.”
“It’s not polite to keep bringing that up,” she says with a laugh.
“Fine, I’ll be a perfect gentleman. Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
We walk into the kitchen and rummage around.
“Are you expecting me to cook dinner for you and play the part of your wife?” she asks.
“No.”
“Good, because I’m an average cook at best, and you don’t have shit in this house,” she sighs. “What do you eat?”
“Whatever I order.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Such a bachelor.”
“What do you want to eat? Anything you want will be here in thirty minutes or less.” I whip out my phone and pull up the DoorDash app that probably gets too much use.
“Anything?” she asks, raising an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Sushi from that place on Fifth?”
I smirk, already typing it into the app. “Done. California rolls okay?”
“And spicy tuna,” she adds, leaning over my shoulder to peek at the screen. Her hair brushes against my arm, and I feel that familiar pull all over again. “And miso soup,” she continues, oblivious to the effect she’s having on me. “And ... spring rolls.”
“Got it,” I say, my voice a little rougher than I intend. I hit confirm and toss my phone onto the counter. “Thirty minutes. What do you want to do until then?”
“Down, boy,” she jokes. “I want to check this place out. I mean, I live here and all, right?”
“Go ahead. I need to take care of a work thing. I’ll be in my office for a few minutes.”
“Sure. I’ll just wander around and snoop through all your stuff. Don’t worry, I’ll act surprised when I find your secret stash of porn.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Good luck with that. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“We’ll see,” she says, already heading down the hall toward the living room. I consider following her just to see what she’ll make of the place. But there is an email I need to send, so I force myself to walk into my office instead.
I quickly send the email, but of course, it’s never that simple. I reply to a couple of others before shutting the computer down and going in search of Ava. It’s like a game of hide and seek. A sexy game because when I find her, I plan on kissing her. And more.
I check the usual places first, but don’t see her. I’m on my way to the bedroom to see if she returned when I hear her whispering. I pause and listen close, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from.
One of the guest bathroom doors is closed. I quietly walk toward the door, telling myself I’m not eavesdropping.
Maybe a little.
I press my ear closer to the door, the muffled sound of Ava’s voice filtering through. She’s speaking in a hushed tone, but there’s an edge to it—something sharp, almost desperate.
“I told you to stop calling me,” she hisses. “It’s over, okay? Just leave me alone.”
There’s a pause, and I can hear the faint buzz of a voice on the other end of the line, but I can’t make out the words. Who is she talking to?
“No,” Ava snaps, her voice rising slightly before she catches herself and drops it back to a whisper. “We’re done. You have to get that through your head. There’s nothing to talk about. I’m not going back. Period. I will go to the police.”
Going back? Who the hell is this person? I take a step closer to the door, my hand hovering over the knob, but I stop myself. This isn’t my business. Ava has her own life, her own secrets. I shouldn’t be intruding.
“Just … stop. Please. I can’t do this anymore.”
Her desperation pulls at something inside me. I hate that she’s struggling. I want to protect her.
I knock lightly on the door, not wanting to startle her. “Ava? You okay in there?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just … give me a sec.”
The door opens a moment later, and Ava steps out. She gives me a small smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
She nods quickly. “Yeah, good. Nothing important.”
I don’t believe her for a second, but I don’t press it. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
“I know,” she says. Then she takes a deep breath and straightens up. “So, where’s that sushi? I’m starving.”
“Should be here any minute,” I say, letting her change the subject for now. But I make a mental note to keep an eye on her.