Blown Away (Next Generation 8)

by Cheryl Douglas

  His father didn’t need verbal confirmation. The truth was in Brent’s eyes. “You are. You can’t ask this young lady to pay for your mother’s sins, son.”

  Was that what he was doing? “She’s going out with another man tonight. She says it’s just business.” He covered his face with his hands.

  “Maybe it is.”

  “But what if it’s not?” He looked his father in the eye. “What if she likes him? What if she…” He couldn’t say it, but that didn’t erase the visual of Ava ending the night in another man’s bed.

  “You have to trust her, Brent. If you can’t, maybe you don’t deserve her.”

  ***

  Ava listened intently as her client told her why the women she’d set him up with didn’t have the intangible quality he was looking for.

  “Sometimes you just know, Ava. It’s not something you can explain. It’s something you feel. You know what I mean?”

  She knew exactly what he meant. She’d felt it the first time she saw Brent Armstrong. She’d almost convinced herself she’d been imagining it, but last night, it came back with a vengeance. “I do.”

  “Have you ever felt that way?” he asked, picking up his glass of red wine. He swirled the contents before asking, “Have you ever met a man you didn’t think you could live without?”

  Her clients frequently asked whether she’d had similar experiences. Knowing she understood their journey helped them, so she was usually forthcoming. That night, she felt too raw to be honest. She was still trying to process her feelings for Brent, and defining them for a virtual stranger seemed impossible. “I think everyone’s felt that way at one time or another, Steven.”

  He sighed. “I just want to move on to the next phase of my life. I’m ready to get married and have kids, but I don’t want to settle.”

  “You shouldn’t have to.” Ava firmly believed in holding out until the right person came along, no matter how long that took. She would never try to convince one of her clients they’d found the right person simply because they seemed like a good match on paper. “We’ll help you find the person you’re looking for. It’ll just take some time.”

  He smiled before taking a sip of his wine. “How do you know you’re not the woman I’ve been waiting for?”

  “Because she’s already spoken for, Banks.”

  Ava closed her eyes. Brent’s hand came down on her shoulder. How dare he interrupt a business meeting! She should be furious, not getting a little flutter in her stomach.

  Steven rose to shake Brent’s hand, a small smile on his face. “Brent Armstrong, you son of a gun. I haven’t seen you in ages. What have you been up to?”

  Brent tipped his head toward Ava. “A little bit of this, a little bit of that. You know how it is.”

  Ava wasn’t surprised Brent was acquainted with her high profile client. Steven Banks was a criminal attorney who routinely handled celebrity clients. His demanding career and notoriety made finding the time and energy to hand-pick suitable partners difficult, which explained why he was a forty-five-year-old bachelor. He routinely rubbed shoulders with everyone who was anyone in Tennessee.

  “How did you know where to find me?” she asked, glaring at Brent.

  Brent looked like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar when he responded. “I stopped by your office. Tara and I had a nice chat. She may have mentioned this restaurant in passing.”

  Ava would kill her best friend tomorrow. She had to conclude her business meeting so she could kill her lover first. “Steven and I just ordered appetizers. Perhaps you can call me later.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m just meeting a friend for drinks.”

  A voluptuous redhead in an emerald dress sauntered up. “There you are.” She kissed Brent’s cheek.

  Ava stared at the other woman in disbelief. He was on a date? And he brought her to the same restaurant where he knew she would be dining with a client?

  Brent said, “Ava Cooper, Steven Banks, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Kelly Warner.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Kelly said, barely acknowledging them. She threaded her arm through Brent’s. “Our table is ready.”

  “If you’ll excuse us,” Brent said.

  Ava tossed her napkin on the table and stared at Brent with contempt. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with you… in private.” Ava smiled at Steven, not caring that her professional mask was slipping. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Take your time,” Steven said, waving his hand. “I have to respond to a few emails anyway.”

  Brent caressed Kelly’s upper arm. “Just give me a minute to have a word with my friend.”

  Friend? Ava’d been relegated to friend status when just that morning he’d been making love to her as though he’d never be able to get enough? Was he just saying that to get under her skin or was he so fickle he’d already decided to discard her? Either way, she intended to find out.

  Ava led him up to the V.I.P. lounge. She was a regular customer, so when she offered the attendant a tight smile, he opened the velvet barrier. Once she and Brent were in the lounge, she turned on him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “I plan to have dinner with a friend, same as you. Is there a problem?”

  “Steven isn’t my friend. He’s my client, and he doesn’t look like an underwear model!”

  Brent smirked. “So you recognized Kelly?”

  “You pompous ass!” She pushed his chest, barely moving him.

  “Would you stop?” He chuckled, seizing her wrists as he lowered his head to whisper in her ear. “You’re making a scene, baby.”

  As far as Ava could tell, his date was the only one watching them. “I don’t care what that little twit thinks.”

  “That’s not a very attractive shade of green on you, sweetness.”

  Sweetness. He used to call her that back in college. She should have trusted her instincts about him back then. “You think I’m jealous?”

  He laughed. “Aren’t you?”

  Yes. “No. I have no reason to be.” She shook free of his grip. “I’m not your girlfriend. I’m not even your lover anymore. Enjoy the underwear model. It was nice catching up.” She smiled. “Maybe we can do it again in another ten years? No, wait, we can’t. I’ll be married to the love of my life by then, and you’ll still be… pathetic.”

  Chapter Five

  “Just ask Ava to help you find a wife,” Keith said, scanning his emails.

  It had been seven nights and six days since Brent’s argument with Ava. Dozens of emails and texts, three dozen roses, and half a dozen calls, and she still hadn’t agreed to speak to him. “Don’t be an ass,” Brent said, aiming a pencil at Keith’s head. Brent smiled briefly when the lead tip grazed his brother’s forehead. It was his first genuine smile in days.

  “That could’ve taken my eye out, shithead,” Keith said, scowling while he rubbed his forehead.

  Brent rolled his eyes as he kicked his feet up on the corner of his desk. “You’re such a girl. If you don’t have anything useful to add, get out.”

  “I’m telling you, asking her to hook you up is the best shot you’ve got.”

  “That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”

  Keith laughed and slipped his phone into the front pocket of his dress shirt. “This coming from the guy who had a private investigator stalk her after y’all had a one-night stand?”

  “Get out!” Brent was tired and cranky and running out of ideas. The last thing he needed was someone reminding him of all the reasons Ava didn’t want to see him again.

  “I’m trying to help you, if you’d just shut up and listen.”

  His brother and father were the only people who could get away with talking to Brent like that. They routinely took advantage of their untouchable status to give him a reality check.

  “Fine, say what you have to say and get the hell out. I’ve got work to do.”

  “Ava only knows one side of
you. She sees you as this control-freak egomaniac who wants to tell her what to do, where to go, and who to go with. She doesn’t understand why you are the way you are,” Keith said.

  “If you’re going to talk about her again, don’t bother. I’m not in the mood.” His mother was the last person Brent wanted to talk about.

  “Ava doesn’t realize family comes first to you. She doesn’t know that the first thing you did when you started making money was pay off Dad’s mortgage and my student loans.”

  “Why should she know?” Taking care of his family didn’t deserve honorary mention. He was doing what any good son and brother would have done. Just because he was a ruthless businessman who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted didn’t mean he didn’t have another side. He would shower Ava with attention, affection, and trinkets until her heart was content, but if she ever betrayed him… she would see how vicious he could become.

  “You want her to fall in love with you, don’t you?”

  Brent stared at his brother, trying to process the question. Was that what he wanted? Was he trying to win Ava, to convince her he was the man she’d been saving herself for? “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do.” Keith sighed. “No one goes to the lengths you’ve gone unless you know damn well she’s the one. You knew it back in college. You were just too damn stubborn to admit it.”

  “You think so?”

  “You’ve never pursued a woman like that before or since. You used to wait outside of our English Lit class just to give her a ride home. Remember?”

  He remembered every moment he spent with Ava. “Yeah.”

  “You were like a man possessed when she took off to Europe after y’all hooked up. It took me a week to convince you not to hop on a plane and track her down.” Keith’s eyes shifted and regret crossed his face. “I made a mistake. I should’ve let you go.”

  “What?” Brent set his feet on the floor and leaned forward. “What’re you talking about?”

  “Maybe if I’d let you go, she would’ve realized how much you cared about her. She might have come home instead of staying in Germany. Maybe y’all would be married with a couple of kids by now.”

  Brent’s heart clenched at the thought of how different his life could have been if he’d gone after Ava ten years ago. He couldn’t change the past, but he would be damned if he let her walk out of his life without a fight again. “You have nothing to feel guilty about, Keith. I made the decision not to get on the plane.”

  “Only because I convinced you that you’d seem desperate and pathetic.” Keith rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “That’s why I had to try to make it up to you.”

  “What are you talking about?” Brent narrowed his eyes when Keith didn’t respond. “What the hell did you do?”

  “I didn’t run into Ava by chance like I said. I looked her up.”

  “You did?” If Brent hadn’t been so preoccupied making his millions, he may have thought to do the same.

  “I found out she would be at that party, so I got an invite. I wanted to talk to her, to find out if she was single.”

  Brent smiled. Sometimes his kid brother surprised him. “So, running into Ava at that benefit wasn’t a coincidence?”

  He chuckled. “No. I called the benefit organizer and told her our company would like four tickets. I said we’d make a sizeable donation to her cause, but we didn’t want your name attached to the event since I didn’t think you’d be able to make it. Then I called Leslie and told her I had a couple of extra tickets. I told her she should ask you.”

  “I can’t believe you did all this on the q.t.”

  “It worked, didn’t it?” Keith gave him a disparaging look. “Or it almost worked until you pulled that dumbass stunt. What the hell were you thinking? You had the girl back in your bed, so you show up somewhere you know she’ll be with another woman? If that doesn’t redefine stupid, I don’t know what does.”

  Brent knew it wasn’t one of his finer moments. “Kelly’s just a friend, you know that.”

  “You think that mattered to Ava? You were sending her a clear message that you didn’t trust her and she couldn’t trust you.”

  “I would never cheat on Ava.” Given what his mother and Jamie did, infidelity was an unforgiveable sin in Brent’s opinion.

  “I know that and you know that, but she doesn’t.” Keith sank back in his chair. “You need to let her get to know you, no pressure.”

  “And you think the best way to do that is by letting her fix me up?” That was the stupidest idea he’d ever heard. He didn’t want other women. He wanted Ava.

  “She told me she’s really hands on with her business. She does all of the intake and follow-up interviews. She contacts both parties after each date to find out how things went. Think about it. It would be the perfect opportunity for her to learn more about you and what you’re looking for.”

  “What makes you think she’d be willing to take me on as a client? I’m not her favorite person right now.” Brent couldn’t believe he was desperate enough to consider it.

  “You have to convince her it would be good for business. Remember, you’re the most eligible bachelor in the state.”

  Brent scowled. He hated that title. “Don’t remind me.”

  “If you find the love of your life, you could tell them Lasting Connections hooked you up. Money can’t buy that kind of P.R.,” Keith said, grinning.

  The love of his life… Brent was afraid he’d already found her and driven her away. Again. His brother’s idea made sense, but he wasn’t convinced Ava would go for it. “What if she says no?”

  “Use your charm to convince her.” Keith stood and rapped his knuckles on the desk top. “Let me know how it goes.”

  ***

  Ava was alone in her office when Brent walked in. Damn it. She’d forgot to lock the door when Tara left. Ava was working late again, hoping she would be too tired to think about the man she was trying to avoid by the time she fell into bed.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” she said, walking down the short hallway to her office. Of course, he followed her.

  “I’m not here to talk about us.”

  The way he said that reminded her of the intimacy they’d shared, making it difficult to focus on anything else. “Then what do you want to talk about?”

  “Finding a wife.”

  She grabbed the edge of her desk when she felt her legs tremble. “Excuse me?”

  “I want you to help me find a wife.”

  Thankfully, her swivel chair was nearby and she sank into it without betraying her weakness. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing--”

  “No game. I want to get married. I did my research, and it seems you’re my best option.”

  “I can’t help you.” Just the thought of finding the perfect woman for him made her queasy. How could he be so insensitive?

  “Why not?” He sat across from her and pulled a leather-bound checkbook out of his pocket. “Whatever your usual fee, I’ll double it.”

  “No.” She closed her eyes, praying for strength when he loosened his gray silk tie and pulled a gold pen out of his pocket.

  “I’ll triple it, quadruple it. Whatever it takes. Please, don’t say no, Ava.”

  His quiet plea wreaked havoc with her vow to remain defensive. “Why are you doing this?”

  His hand gripped his pen tightly when he said, “You helped me to realize I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

  Her heart did a little somersault. “You don’t need my help to find a partner, Brent. I’m sure women are lining up for a chance to date you.” She cleared her throat, forcing herself to look him in the eye. “Women like Kelly.”

  “I don’t want just any woman. I want the one woman made for me. Someone who loves me in spite of my flaws. Who understands why I’m so damn possessive, who trusts that when I fall in love with her, I’ll be all in. For life.”

  A little shiver she hoped he couldn’t see moved thro
ugh her. “I wish I could help you--”

  He reached for her hand. “You have to help me. You were the one who convinced me this is what I need. I’m tired of the parties and the social scene. I’m tired of going home to an empty apartment, sleeping with women who don’t matter--” he brought her hand to his lips “--and losing the ones who do.”

  Agreeing to help him could be the biggest mistake she ever made. “I can refer you to--”

  “I need you.” He released her hand. “We were friends once, Ava. I wasn’t such a bad guy, was I?”

  She knew Brent was a good guy. That’s why she’d asked him to be her first lover. “No, you weren’t.”

  “Then please, say you’ll help me.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “I’m sorry if I hurt you or disappointed you. I get that we’re not right for each other, but you could help me find someone who can put up with me, right?”

  We’re not right for each other. Those words felt like a sucker punch. Until then, Ava had been convinced Brent was using her business as a ploy to convince her to give him another chance, but he had clearly given up on her. He was ready to move on, and he was asking her to help him. Helping him may cost her emotionally, but at least her pride would remain intact.

  “Fine, let’s get started,” she said, firing up her computer.

  ***

  Brent felt like a louse as he watched Ava input his information. They’d made love one short week earlier, and he was asking her to help him find someone new. It felt like the ultimate betrayal, but if he ‘fessed up, she would ask him to leave. At least she was speaking to him, agreeing to see him again.

  Once she’d input the information from his initial assessment, she turned to him and said, “Tell me about the kind of woman you’re looking for. Describe her, so if I met her, I’d know.”

  He closed his eyes briefly. Maintaining the façade would be harder than he thought. “Beautiful.”