Chapter 29
AVA
The hum of the room was familiar. Keyboards clacked, phones rang, and people whispered among themselves.
However, it all felt distant. I sat in my cubicle, staring blankly at my computer screen.
I was supposed to be wrapping up the final edits of Jaden’s feature, but the blinking cursor mocked my inability to focus.
I tried comforting myself with the knowledge that Allan loved my work. He said it was better than expected… I wasn’t even sure how to feel about his obvious lack of faith in me. Springfield was exactly how I’d left it, but it no longer felt comfortable.
A part of me had gotten used to LA… or rather, I’d gotten to love the people there in a short time. It felt more like home there now than here, which was crazy. My entire life was here.
I sighed. The soft flutter reached my neighbor. I immediately heard the soft hum of wheels on the carpet. As expected, Melody’s head popped around the partition between us.
“You know I can’t ignore the sound of a heavy sigh,” she said.
“I know. It’s like a bat signal for you.”
We laughed like we always did at each other’s jokes. I gazed at her smiling face, which I’d been looking at since high school. See? Springfield was supposed to be home. My family was here, my best friend, my job, my apartment…
But no Lincoln. That was the problem.
“You okay, hon?” Melody asked.
I stuck out my lower lip and shook my head no. I replayed every moment of my last day in LA. The tension, the way Lincoln moved around me as if he didn’t know whether he was allowed to touch me. The way I’d packed my bag in silence.
I’d stayed at his place as he suggested. Getting a hotel for one more night was inconvenient. Although the air between us had been uneasy, Lincoln still took care of me. He didn’t push, didn’t try to apologize again. He gave me space, bought me coffee, cooked me dinner, and drove me to the airport.
The whole time I wanted to scream because I was so mad at him after his revelation, but I still loved him, still wanted to be with him.
We were just… having our first big fight after getting back together.
It was hard to talk to him, but a couple of nights away from each other had me cooling down significantly, and seeing clearer.
We hadn’t discussed when I’d be back in LA to work on my story.
Hell, I wasn’t even sure when I’d start up again.
Allan, damn him, had me right back at my cubicle with puff pieces lined up to write.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Melody asked with arched eyebrows. “Or are you going to just sigh and pout for the rest of the day?”
“Girl, roll into my cubicle. It’s a long story.”
With a slight smirk, she pulled her chair into my cubicle. I started from the beginning, back to when Lincoln and I got together.
She gasped dramatically. “Ava Montgomery. We’ve been tight since we were kids. Kids. And you never told me you hooked up with Lincoln Ford for an entire summer?”
I rolled my eyes at the way she clutched her chest.
“It wasn’t just a hook-up. We loved each other. Well, I’m finding out now that he really loved me and broke my heart because of my overprotective brother.” I groaned. “I’m so over these protective men.”
“No, you’re not.”
I pouted again. “Okay, I’m over insanely overprotective ones.”
“That’s more like it.”
My lips twisted wryly. Of course, women appreciated being protected by the men in their lives, but not the way Ethan and Lincoln did it back then. I continued the rest of the story up to this point, with me wallowing in uncertainty about my future with Lincoln.
“Ava, just take some time off and go to LA to pursue the story.” Melody glanced over her shoulder at Allan’s closed door. “I think our boss is an ass for shutting it down without hearing you out. It sounds good. It sounds like what you’ve wanted to do since high school. Even before that.”
“That’s what Lincoln said.”
“Speaking of,” she gave me a pointed look, “don’t just go back for the story, but to make things right with Lincoln. If you love him and he loves you, you’ll get over the hurdles and the distance and make things work.”
I crossed my arms over my middle and sat back in my chair.
“I fully intended to do that, Mel. I was just so pissed about what he and Ethan pulled.” Sighing, I rubbed my forehead.
“As soon as I get home, I’ll call him, and we’ll talk things through.
He’s so amazing. The perfect boyfriend. I can’t let my anger get the best of us. ”
She cooed like the sap she was. “I’m so happy you’ve found love again, and someone not crazy like Derek.”
I snorted. “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe he followed you across the country.” She wrinkled her nose. “It doesn’t add up.”
“Exactly!” At least someone else was as skeptical as I was.
Melody looked around at Allan’s door again. “Do you want to blow this joint and grab some pastries across the street?”
I considered it. While I needed comfort food, there was something more pressing that I had to do. “No. I’m going to confront Komodo Dragon.”
Melody clutched her chest again. “Ava, no.”
“Yes. He said Jaden’s feature was good work. Why the hell am I still writing fluff pieces? And how dare he suggest I turn over my meticulous investigative work to Walt again?”
Melody rolled her chair after me as I sprang up and aimed for Allan’s office.
“Ava, I get your frustration,” she hissed. “But maybe now isn’t a good time. He seems stressed.”
“He’s like that every day.”
“Still…”
“Melody, I’m doing it.”
She stopped rolling behind me and threw her arms up, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. Everyone else watched my determined stride with curiosity—Margaret, Perry, Mark… they all had their eyebrows raised.
Straightening my back, I knocked on Komodo’s door.
“What?” he snapped.
I rolled my eyes. I was so sick of his attitude. Opening the door, I said, “Allan.”
“Montgomery…” he growled, peering at me over his glasses.
I stepped inside uninvited, and he raised his eyebrows. “Something I can help you with?”
“There is.”
He sighed and pushed his laptop aside.
“There’s something I want to get off my chest.”
“I’m not your therapist, Montgomery.”
I gritted my teeth. He was such a smartass. “You’d make a terrible therapist with that scowl, Allan.”
He grunted his amusement and watched me with grudging respect. Yes, the grumpster had everyone around here tiptoeing around him, but I’d always found the balls to call him out sometimes.
“I’m sure you didn’t come in here to call out my lack of skill in the therapist department. Is this about the feature?”
“Yes… sort of. You said it was ‘good work’. Better than you expected.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s bullshit, Allan. It’s spectacular.” I sniffed. “At the risk of sounding totally cocky, it’s even better than the last one Walt did.”
Allan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a flicker of bemusement in his eyes. “What’s your point here?”
“My point,” I said, stepping closer to his desk, “is that I’ve been writing gossip and entertainment fluff for years while you hand the real stories to Walt. Or now, apparently, Mark—who hasn’t even been here long enough to know where the good coffee is.”
Allan’s expression didn’t change. “Mark’s got a sharp eye. And Walt’s proven himself.”
“So have I,” I snapped. “You promised me better stories if I did a good job with the feature. So why am I still stuck covering red carpet mishaps and celebrity breakups?”
He sighed clearly annoyed. “Because the political exposé has already gone to Walt. I considered Mark, but Walt’s got the contacts. It’s a sensitive story.”
I blinked. “You considered Mark? Over me?”
Allan didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.
I felt the heat rise in my chest, and my pulse pounded in my ears. “I pitched an exposé on Hollywood’s underbelly weeks ago. Bigger than Walt’s story. I have names, documents, and leads but you shut it down without even asking for the full proposal.”
“Because it’s risky,” he said. “And you’re not ready.”
I laughed—sharp and humorless. “Not ready? I’ve been here five years, Allan. Five years of proving myself. Of being passed over. Of watching men with half my experience get the stories. You know what, you’re the one who isn’t ready for me. I’m bigger than the damn entertainment column.”
He opened his mouth, but I didn’t let him speak.
“I’m done,” I said, voice steady. “I quit.”
His brows lifted, but he didn’t look surprised. “Are you serious?”
“I’ll email my resignation letter.” I turned on my heel and walked out, ignoring all the curious faces watching me. Back at my desk, I gathered my things.
“Ava, what did you do?” Melody asked.
I turned to her and exhaled. “I moved past this gossip column, Mel. Because it’s time and I deserve to.”
My waltz out of The Springfield Sentinel wasn’t like the epic scenes in the movies where everyone applauded my bravery.
Instead, they all watched me as if I’d lost my mind.
Maybe I had. By the time I reached the parking lot, my breath was shallow and my hands were trembling.
The adrenaline that had carried me through my dramatic exit was fading fast.
Dread crept in.
What in God’s name did I just do?
I quit my job. My job. Yeah, I hated it at times, and it was suffocating, but it paid my bills.
It gave me structure. Now I wanted to vomit.
I fought hard to resist the urge to turn around, go back to Allan, and grovel.
Maybe tell him I wasn’t thinking straight because… I was on my period… or something.
“God, you can’t do that, Ava,” I groaned.
Not after I just pointed out his bias.
I kept walking to my car, heart racing. Then I looked up and stopped.
Lincoln stood on the other side of the lot, leaned against a sleek silver car, arms crossed, and sunglasses perched on his nose like he’d stepped out of a movie. He plucked the glasses off when he spotted me, and he pushed off the car with that slow, deliberate swagger that made my heart stutter.
“Finally,” he said when he got closer. “I was wondering when you’d take a break and come out.”
I was so shocked to see him that I didn’t instantly reply. What was he doing here? And at the exact time I needed him, no less. “You’re not stalking me, are you?” I asked, trying for humor even as my voice wobbled. “Because I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.”
He smirked. “I stalked Derek, not you. He was released from jail yesterday. I figured he’d slither back here. I came to punch his lights out again if necessary.”
I laughed, and the tension in my chest loosened a little. “That’s oddly sweet.”
“That’s not the only reason I’m here,” he added, stepping closer.
“I hated how we left things. I haven’t slept a wink since you left.
One mistake I made before was letting twelve years pass before trying to make things right.
I’ve learned from my mistake, and I won’t allow another day to pass without fixing things between us now.
I also came here after hashing things out with your brother — face to face.
. I’m determined to be with you, and no one’s going to stop me. ”
He paused, searching my face. “Unless… you want nothing to do with me.”
I stared at him, my heart thudding. “I want everything to do with you.”
His shoulders relaxed, and he reached for my hand, threading our fingers together as if it were second nature for us to be connected.
“How did things go with Ethan?” I asked.
“It was awkward at first.” He shrugged. “There might have been some insults thrown, but we somehow managed not to tussle like we did back then. I mean, we’re in our thirties now, so...”
I let out a short laugh. Lincoln always had a way of making me laugh, even when things were serious. “I’m glad you’ve matured.”
“He didn’t quite give me his blessing yet, but I don’t care. This is about you and me. The way it should have been before.”
I sighed. “He didn’t give me his blessing either when I confronted him. He sort of just scowled at me and didn’t say much. I don’t care either, Lincoln. I want to be with you.”
“Good. I’m sorry—”
I placed a finger over his mouth. “No more apologies. You’ve given enough. Let’s move past everything and focus on now.”
Relief danced across his face. “I love you, Ava. I know I kind of said it the other night, but I’m making it clear. I love you. You don’t have to say it back. I know you’re still—”
“I love you,” I interrupted. “I never stopped.”
His expression softened and split into a huge grin as he pulled me to him. The instant his arms closed around me, I felt at home. Right there in the parking lot. So, home wasn’t LA or Springfield. Home was Lincoln.
When we separated, I blurted, “I just quit my job. And I’m on the verge of a full-blown meltdown.”
He didn’t flinch. He took my chin between his fingers. “Well, then now you have all the time in the world to do what you really want to do. You can get that exposé done.”
I shoved my fingers through my hair. “That sounds wonderful, but what am I going to do? I can’t just move to LA and mooch off you as I plunge into independent journalism.”
One corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. “That’s exactly what you’re going to do.”
“Be serious.”
“I am. I’ve got your back one hundred percent as you build something real. You’ll do great. I’ve got you, Montgomery.”
I held his gaze, those three words echoing in my mind, words he told me often when we were younger. Somehow, they held more weight now. I exhaled, the panic ebbing and replaced by certainty.
“Okay,” I whispered.