“Good,” Walt says right before the door opens, letting in another gust of cold air. He lifts his head, looking to see who entered, lifting his hand in greeting before looking back to Avaand me. “I’ll be back with your burger as soon as it’s ready.” He taps the bar twice before walking away again.
I turn back to Ava but don’t say anything. I’ve got so many questions running through my head, but there’s no reason for her to answer them. We don’t know each other, and something tells me she’s not really in the mood to change that.
I’ve always been good at reading people—it’s one of the things that makes me good at my job. But this woman clearly has a shield around her keeping herself safe, and I can’t read anything else. It’s driving me mad.
Her phone rings before I can open my mouth to say anything else. She pulls it out of her pocket, looking at the screen quickly before ignoring the call and placing it face-down on the bar. It’s only a minute before it starts ringing again.
Ava’s entire body deflates, her elbows falling onto the bar and her hands cover her face. The phone stops only to begin again, and her shoulders start to shake slightly.
As gently as I can, I place one hand on her back and reach around her to silence her phone. She jumps slightly at my touch. Trying to soothe her, I bring my mouth to her ear and whisper, “Just breathe. You’re safe here.” I don’t know what makes me tell her that, but something in my gut says she hasn’t felt safe in a while. Her body sags a little more, but I feel her take a deep breath.
I press the power button on her phone, shutting it off. I’m sure that’s crossing yet another line, but whoever keeps calling has caused enough stress. A few hours' reprieve is something Ava seems to need—desperately.
“I know it’s a stupid question, but you okay?” I ask after a few minutes when I feel her body stop shaking. I practically surround her. I’m on the edge of my seat, my body facing her, my legs open wide around her seat, one hand resting on her back, and my other arm across the bar in front of her. To anyonelooking at us, I’m sure we look like a couple having an intimate moment, but I don’t really care what anyone else sees right now. My focus is entirely on her.
She shakes her head, her face still covered by her hands. After a moment she wipes her eyes and cheeks, one arm falling to the bar, the other propping her head up as she turns slightly to look at me.
“Honestly, no, I’m not okay.” Her voice is hoarse and barely above a whisper, but I hear her all the same.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I study her. Her eyes are a little red, but I wouldn't know she just broke down if I hadn’t seen it myself.
“Not really.”
“Okay.”
She sits up a little straighter, shock flashing in her eyes. “You’re not going to push?”
“No, I’m not going to push.” I let her study me for a moment, seeing whatever she needs to before I pull away from her, sitting back on the bar stool. I give her a minute, glancing away briefly. Whatever just happened was intense, and I can’t keep looking at the pain in her eyes, but I’m not ready to walk away either.
I turn back to her, asking the first random question that comes to mind, trying to distract her from the heaviness of the moment. “Have you had a chance to explore much of the town?”
“What?” she asks in disbelief.
“Have you explored the town any since you got here?”
“No, I heard you, I just…” She shakes her head slightly, momentarily looking down at the bar before picking her head back up. “Not really. Tonight was the first night I made it into town. I’ve been catching up with Declan and the Marks family.”
“I assume, with how much Declan talks about you, that you’re close?”
She studies me again as if she doesn’t know what to do with me before answering. “Yeah, we’re close. I don’t get out here to see him that much, but we talk as often as we can.”
“Do you live in Harborview or Boston? Boston’s where the law firm you work at is located, right?” I get a little more comfortable in my seat, resting my elbow on the bar, my head in my hand.
It feels like I already know a lot about Ava thanks to the way Declan talks about her, but seeing her this evening reminds me that even a proud older brother doesn’t know everything. I know if Olivia was in as much turmoil as Ava is, and I knew about it, I would be stuck to her side until I could fix whatever was wrong. From how Declan talks about Ava, I know he feels the same way about his sibling as I do all of mine. It might be overprotective, but it hurts seeing the people you care about hurt.
“Yeah, the firm’s in Boston. I have a place in Harborview and Boston, but I end up spending most of my time closer to the firm. It’s just easier.”
“Oh, fancy pants has two places?” I tease, causing a small smile to form on Ava’s lips.
“I’m not sure it makes it any better, but my parents own my apartment in Harborview, so it doesn’t cost me much, and my place in Boston is a tiny studio apartment.”
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. Being able to afford two places shows how hard you work—it's definitely something to be proud of. I know how prestigious that law firm you work for is. They don’t let just anyone work for them.”
While there’s plenty in the news I try to avoid, I also like to stay up to date on current affairs. I’ve seen the Henry, Wellsley, & Ford name quite a few times. It’s no exaggeration that they are one of the biggest firms in Boston, representing some of the biggest names in the country.
She laughs, but it’s more self-deprecating than anything else. “I’m not so sure about that. My parents are close friends with one of the founding partners.”
My eyes narrow as I look at her. “Do you represent clients?”
