‘He might be, but definitely not yet! It’s too soon. Although he is rather cute.’
‘Puppies are cute, George. Do you have any photos you can send to me?’
‘Yes, a couple. But never mind that, what about you and Jack?’
Ava sighed.
‘Mum, did you just sigh?’ Georgia giggled.
‘I did. Jack’s lovely. Really lovely. I’m enjoying myself immensely.’
‘Which is why you don’t want to come home?’
‘Something like that.’
Later, tucked up in her bed and sleep evading her, Ava thought back to the conversation with Jack about her going freelance. Could she do it? It would be nice to leave Bateman PR and set up on her own, choose her own work and make a name for herself instead of Brendon taking all the credit.
She should definitely think about it. Because going back to an office environment after working at the hotel with its beautiful surroundings, and people she was getting used to seeing daily, sounded far less attractive.
CHAPTER FORTY
Ava was with Jack in the boardroom. They’d just ended a meeting with Owen, signing off the feature articles he was going to publish for them. Ava had nipped to the loo while Jack took a call. When she came back, he was just finishing off.
Before she could sit down, he marched over to her and kissed her, pushing her gently back to the wall. She wrapped her arms around him as he pressed himself to her.
‘Now, that is my kind of meeting.’ She grinned when they broke off. ‘I must pop that on to every agenda in future.’
‘I missed you, that’s all.’
‘When I went to freshen up?’ She reached for his hand. ‘Could I ask you something?’
‘Sure.’
‘I’d love to see the extension, if that’s all right with you?’
Jack’s pause made Ava wonder if she’d overstepped the mark, until he continued.
‘Let me check if Mum is around. It makes her unhappy if she finds out anyone has been in.’
‘Oh, no. Leave it then. I don’t want to do that.’
Jack kissed her on the tip of her nose. ‘It’s fine. Give me a few moments to grab the keys.’
Ava waited in the corridor, cursing herself for even asking. But Jack was back in a couple of minutes.
‘Come with me.’ He beckoned.
When she reached him, they went downstairs. At the end of a corridor behind the restaurant was a set of double doors.
Jack unlocked one and pressed down the handle. ‘This was going to be Dan’s new venture.’
Ava stepped into the room, immediately imagining how it would be when it was finished.
‘Dan had such ambition about it. He wanted to make it into something special, that people would travel to see, use for business and pleasure.’
‘It’s a great size for lots of things,’ she said, spotting the bar in the far-right corner. ‘And this is why it hasn’t been finished, because of Dan?’
Jack nodded. He turned away with tears in his eyes.
