“Why?” Kyle asked. Bewilderment was heavy in his tone.
“I don’t want to pick a restaurant that could send you to the hospital.” Ben’s voice was serious, his gaze grave like someone years older and years wiser.
Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. His gaze collided with Ava’s and her insides wilted into her feet. Ben’s heartfelt words had shaken Kyle. All Ava wanted to do was draw them both into her arms and promise she’d take care of them. Now and forever. Ava kept her feet rooted to the floor. She could make that promise to Ben. But Kyle was a risk she wasn’t ready for. Skipping the group hug, she said, “I have an idea.”
They both eyed her, but their mutual distrust shifted across their faces. As if a girl’s idea could have merit. Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, and Ben mimicked him. Kyle’s lips wobbled from the smile she watched him try to hide.
Ava enjoyed their united front too much to take offense. Later, she’d beat them at Dragon Reign and prove that girls were better than boys. “Make a list of restaurants you can eat at. See which ones are the same and the winner gets to pick from those.”
“That could work.” Kyle rubbed his chin and nudged his elbow into Ben. “What do you think, Ben?”
“Thanks, Aunty.” Ben lunged toward Ava and wrapped her in a hug. “I really like to win, and I’d be bored if I had to let Kyle win.”
“Well, we don’t want you to be bored.” Ava hugged the boy and locked her gaze on Kyle over Ben’s head. She mouthed the words thank you.
He nodded, but there was gratitude in his gaze, too. They’d both sort of rescued each other. Like a team. Like a couple would do. She released Ben and reached for the door, rather than Kyle.
Ben picked up his cooler and held it up toward Kyle. “What do I do with this?”
“Bring it along.” Kyle grinned and tipped his head toward the theater room. “We might need snacks before dinner.”
“Papa Rick calls it first dinner and second dinner.” The cooler bounced against Ben’s leg as he hurried to keep pace with Kyle. “Aunty says there’s no such thing.”
Kyle leaned over and whispered loudly, “Girls don’t know about two dinners. It’s a guy thing.”
Ben turned sideways and studied Ava. “Should we tell her it’s real?”
“She won’t believe us anyway,” Kyle said.
“Stop whispering about me.” Ava swung open the door and called back to the pair. “And don’t pick Savory Window for dinner.”
“That’s my favorite.” Ben banged his cooler against his leg.
“But we always eat there. Always.” Ava shut the door and chewed on the corner of her lip. She knew Ben would pick Savory Window. That was the way his ten-year-old mind worked.
She had no idea what Kyle would choose. Or who he’d pick. At least her sudden craving for avocado fried from Savory Window would be satisfied. Kyle was only a friend. She didn’t care who he picked.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
KYLE CARRIED THE takeout from Savory Window and followed Ben inside Ava’s building. He appreciated that, despite the modern updates like the security entrance in the lobby, the building managed to retain its history. His grandfather’s ode to history was his fully restored Ford Mustang.
“Can we take the elevator, please?” Ben rushed through the lobby. The enthusiasm in his voice matched the bounce in his steps. He stopped at the elevator bay and let his hand hover over the up button. “Aunty Ava always makes us take the stairs for the extra exercise.”
“You don’t like extra exercise?” Kyle smiled. Ava made the group take the stairs quite often, too.
“I like elevators more.” Ben’s finger tapped the button, but not hard enough to light it up. “Besides, I can take the stairs at my house whenever I want.”
“Elevator it is,” Kyle said around a laugh. He’d enjoyed the last few hours with Ben. He’d never spent much time around kids, of any age, really. Ben made him laugh, was interesting and liked to play Dragon Reign as much as Kyle. If he had a kid, Kyle would want him to be as likeable and cool as Ben. Cheering, Ben slapped the button. The noise disrupted Kyle’s unexpected thoughts. He’d never considered kids before. Or a family of his own.
He followed Ben onto the elevator. The most disturbing part was the thought of kids hadn’t sent him into full crisis mode. Clearly, he needed to stick to his revised plan that he’d come up with waiting on their take-out order: he’d decided to drop off the food and leave like a dine and dash, without the dining part. A quick exit should get his thoughts back on track.
Ben ran his fingers over the floor numbers and grinned at Kyle. “Maybe we can miss Aunty’s floor and ride longer.”
Kyle adjusted the take-out order. “The food is hot, and I think your aunt might be hungry.” More time gave Kyle more chances to change his mind and stay longer.
“Maybe after dinner?” Hope hitched Ben’s eyebrows toward his red hair.
The kid was relentless. Kyle even liked that about him. “We could see who’s faster—your aunt running the stairs or the elevator.”
“That would be awesome.” Ben stretched the last word into its own sentence as only a kid could successfully do.
Then Kyle would stay longer. Still, he had a solid out. “Your aunt won’t agree.”
Ben swiped an avocado fry from the top of the bag and picked up his empty cooler he’d dropped on the elevator floor. They’d polished off their first dinner—the one Ben’s dad had packed—during their second game of Dragon Reign. “She will if we make a bet with her.”
“What kind of bet?” Kyle had several ideas. Each one pushed the boundaries of their professional-only relationship. Each one sprinted over the line he’d drawn earlier about not staying. First, he’d agreed to dinner. That was bad enough. He couldn’t agree to anything else or he’d lose sight of that line completely.
Ben shrugged. “She likes all kinds of bets.”
Without the elevator music to dull his thoughts, his sister’s earlier warning drifted through him. Iris was worried other people wouldn’t trust him. Well, he couldn’t trust himself.
New rule: no betting with Ava. He stepped off the elevator, determined to drop off Ben, the dinner and leave. He wasn’t normally so careless with the boundaries he set for himself. Those boundaries had served him well over the years. Then he’d met Ava.
Ben tossed the soft-sided cooler on the floor and used both hands to pound on the door of apartment number 418. “Aunty, it’s us.”
“It’s about time.” Ava stepped into the open doorway. “I’m starving.”
Ben jumped forward and hugged her. “You’re always hungry.”
Ava’s hair was damp and twisted into a pile on top of her head. Her cheeks had a soap-polished look. Comfort wrapped her up from her yoga pants and oversize sweatshirt to her faux-fur-lined slippers. Being home suited her. She made him want to come home to her, too. Tension curved around his spine.
Ava squeezed Ben. “That’s supposed to be our secret.”
“Kyle won’t tell.” Ben glanced over his shoulder, his gaze solemn. “Besides, he has money, so he can buy you food whenever you need it.”
Ava glanced away from Kyle and picked up Ben’s cooler. “I can buy my own food.”
Most women would want Kyle to pay for their dinner. That wasn’t Ava’s style. One more thing he shouldn’t like about her.
“Yes, but Kyle buys appetizers and desserts, too,” Ben argued. “He even let me get two orders of avocado fries.”
“I buy desserts, too.” Ava’s mouth opened, her voice lifted.
“Only sometimes.” Ben released her and frowned at Kyle. “Then she makes us take the stairs.”
“Let’s eat.” Ava ruffled Ben’s hair. “We can talk about running the stairs after dinner.”
Ben groaned and rushed inside. The boy had enough energy to run the stairs several ti
mes and keep on going.
Kyle smiled. He’d take the stairs to the penthouse suite in the city’s tallest high-rise if it meant time with Ava. Especially if she was this relaxed and appealing. He shifted the bag of food and remained in the hall. Now he handed her the takeout order and left. Told her goodbye and walked away.
Ava never reached for the bag of takeout. She simply waited in the doorway and watched him as if unsure about him and what he offered.
Kyle blinked. He’d have to walk inside willingly. Dropping and running would be awkward once he stepped inside. It was awkward now.
Karen called from the kitchen. “Come on in, Kyle. Ava already set you a place at the table.”
Kyle peered at the round kitchen table, already set with four places. Ava wasn’t acting like an eager hostess. She looked more like she wanted to slam the door on him. Kyle eased by Ava and set the takeout on the counter. Karen stepped around the counter to give him a warm hug.
Ava remained in the open doorway. Kyle glanced at Ava over Karen’s head. She gripped the door handle. He wasn’t sure if she meant to close the door behind her when she left or stay inside.
Ben tugged on Karen’s arm. “We talked Kyle into coming over. Well, I talked Kyle into it. Aunty just agreed.”
Finally, Ava shut the door, stepped to the counter and pulled out the take-out containers. She organized the containers by meal type across the counter. “Did you talk Kyle into double desserts and double appetizers?”
Ben grinned and handed a plate to everyone.
Ava shook her head at the boy. “Now we’ll have to run double the stairs after dinner.”
Ben high-fived Kyle. “I win.”
Ava opened the salad tin and frowned at Kyle. “Win what?”
Kyle held his paper plate in front of his chest to block Ava’s disapproval. “My dessert.”
Ben pointed at his chest and then Kyle. “We made a bet whether or not you’d make us run stairs.”
“There will be no stair climbing this evening.” Karen filled her plate and Ava carried it to the dinner table. Karen added, “We have company tonight.”
“Kyle isn’t a guest. Kyle is...” Ben giggled and glanced at Ava.
What was Kyle if he wasn’t a guest?
Ava loaded one plate with salad and a second plate with two sliders. Her voice was uncertain, as if she struggled to explain herself. “He’s Kyle.”
Kyle smiled at Karen, an apology in his tone. “We sort of need Ava to climb the stairs.”
“Why?” Ava lengthened the one word.
Again, Kyle deflected her disapproval with his plate.
“We made a second bet about whether or not you could run to the lobby faster than the elevator.” Ben added more fries to his plate.
Ava set her palms on the counter and leaned forward. “How many bets did you guys make?”
“We can’t reveal that,” Ben said.
“Fine.” Ava straightened. “But if I get to the lobby before the elevator, I get to pick dessert first.”
Kyle fist-bumped with Ben on his way to the table.
Ben crammed a bite of slider into his mouth. He smiled around the large bite and nodded. Ben said, “Told you she can’t resist a bet.”
“I don’t mean to be impolite, but I’m on a serious losing streak here. I could use a little help.” Kyle swiped a crouton from her salad plate.
Ava grinned and sat down at the head of the table. “That is why I only accept a bet that I know I’ll win.”
“That’s not true,” Karen chided. “You lost the bet with Dan and had to attend the diabetes calendar shoot,” said Karen with a satisfied smile.
If she hadn’t lost a bet, Kyle might not have met her. She might not have entered his contest. They might not have kissed.
Papa Quinn would call that fate.
Kyle just called it bad luck.
His unlucky streak extended past dinner. Ava won the elevator race, refused to reveal her secret to success and chose his favorite dessert as her own. Ava excused Ben to join Karen in the family room to pick out a movie to watch. Kyle and Ava cleaned up.
“I thought you didn’t like Savory Window.” He’d tried to persuade Ben to pick a different restaurant, concerned Ava would’ve been disappointed. As if her happiness mattered to him.
“If I hadn’t suggested Savory Window, Ben would’ve picked someplace else.”
“Sneaky.” Had she given him a heads-up, he wouldn’t have played more games with Ben to win and change the restaurant pick. Again, he’d done that for Ava. Not because he’d been enjoying himself.
“Yet effective.” Ava toasted him with the last of her iced tea glass.
Kyle tossed the paper napkins in the trash. “You also assumed I’d lose.”
“I think all of Ben’s dreams are inside video games.”
Kyle wanted to know what Ava dreamed about. That was a conversation for a different kind of dinner. The kind of dinner couples had. They weren’t a couple. Ava’s dreams weren’t his business.
“How is the contest progressing?” Karen asked from the family room. Ben sat on the couch and clicked through movie titles.
“Fine.” Ava jumped in. “Just fine.”
Kyle concentrated on covering the few leftovers. Ava hadn’t mentioned quitting to her mom.
Karen smiled. “Kyle, what are Ava’s odds of winning it all?”
Ava turned on the faucet in the sink to wash the silverware. A warning clattered through her voice. “Mom.”
“Ava’s odds are the same as Grant’s. Very good.” Kyle’s odds of developing his own idea were less than good, especially if he insisted on lingering with Ava and her family. As if evenings like this were more important than his contract. This wasn’t his family. He had a family he couldn’t disappoint. Expanding his circle only gave him more people to let down.
Dishes returned to the cabinets and Ben’s blood check complete, Kyle leaned against the counter. He watched Karen and Ben whispering in the family room. “They seem close.”
“Very.” Ava wiped down the counter. The affection in her small smile shifted through her gentle voice. “They look out for each other and always team up against everyone else.”
“Makes me miss my grandmother.” Kyle straightened away from the counter. Why had he blurted that out? He never shared personal things, even in past relationships. Not that he was involved with Ava.
Ava glanced at him; the affection remained, along with an understanding. “Did you spend a lot of time with her?”
“Every day after school, I rode my bike to my grandparents’ house. She always had a snack and hug ready for me.” Apparently, Kyle’s spill-all moment wasn’t quite over. His mouth kept rambling despite the protests in his brain to shut up. “When I was old enough, I worked with my grandfather at the steel mill in the summer.”
“Wow.” Ava’s gaze shifted over him as if she tried to picture him in a hard hat. “That’s intense work for a teenager.”
And deadly. For any person. “The risk was worth it to spend more time with my grandfather.”
He really had to stop oversharing. His past had no relevance to anything, especially not the contest. Something about Ava drew him in. Something about Ava made it easier to open up the memories from his past.
Ava smiled at him. “I used to bird-watch and make homemade ice cream with Grandma and fly-fish with my grandpa. I still wish for another day with them.”
He definitely didn’t need to know that about her. Already he tried to picture the girl with the red ponytail, toting around binoculars and a bird book. He’d like to have been there beside her. Clearly, his brain hadn’t learned enough about Ava. “Why did you enlist in the army and leave your family behind?”
Ava looked at Karen; love and pride shone clearly on her face. “To honor my mom.”
He’d
leave it at that. She’d revealed enough about herself. What more did he need to know? She valued her family and was someone Papa Quinn would have called “good, honorable people.” Papa Quinn would tell Kyle those were the type of people he should surround himself with if he wanted to succeed. “What do you mean?”
“I enlisted and served my country because my mom always wanted to but couldn’t.” Ava dried her hands on a towel. “So I did it for her.”
Kyle was humbled and even more drawn to this brave, kind woman. He’d given his family money. That hardly measured up to her sacrifice. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“That’s what you do for family.” Her tone was matter-of-fact.
He’d bought his parents a retirement condominium in Florida. Paid for his younger sister’s graduate education. That was what he did for family. But putting your life on the line during active duty was something more. Something special that highlighted the bond Ava shared with her mother. And reminded him where he fell short. “I should go and let you get on with the evening you’d planned.”
“You can’t miss our TV show marathon.” Ben clutched the remote. “Aunty, you gotta tell Kyle that he has to stay.”
Ava opened and closed her mouth. Finally, she blurted, “I’m sure Kyle has something he’d rather do.”
“As long as it isn’t work,” Ben said.
Kyle’s mind blanked. He failed to come up with an excuse to leave that wasn’t work related.
“See, he has nothing else to do.” Ben looked pleased.
The Fates continued to do their worst. Kyle continued to lose.
That was how he found himself in the middle seat on the couch, wedged between Ben and Ava. No one wanted the middle seat on an airplane. Kyle struggled to find a good reason this particular seating arrangement was bad. He couldn’t remember why he didn’t belong with this family. He couldn’t recall exactly why he should leave.
He shouldn’t like being smashed on the worn couch, with his feet propped on the ottoman. Their apartment welcomed and embraced him. He should resent the obvious contrast. For all the state-of-the-art things inside his apartment, his place wasn’t warm. Ava’s apartment wasn’t waiting to be lived in like his.
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