Blown Away (Next Generation 8)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Fine, but make it quick. I haven’t got time to waste.”

  She let her hand fall. “I begged you to believe me, to trust me. Eli was a good guy and a good friend. He wasn’t trying to break us up. He just wanted me to be happy.”

  Brent looked at her, trying to remember if those big, brown eyes and flawless olive skin ever made him feel anything comparable to what he felt when he looked at Ava. Never. “I wanted you to be happy too. I was trying to make you happy, but I guess I wasn’t enough.”

  “Sleeping with him again was a mistake. It never should have happened. But when we got into that fight, I went to Eli to talk.” Her voice broke. “One glass of wine led to another and before we knew it--”

  “I don’t need to hear the details,” he said, stepping back. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

  “It matters to me.”

  “Why? Because I’m all those things I vowed I would be one day? I finally have enough money to make you happy, so you’re back and claiming that you made the biggest mistake of your life betraying me?” He rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I’m not buying it.”

  “Why do you assume your money is the only reason a woman could love you?”

  Brent didn’t want to believe his success had anything to do with what he and Ava shared. He wanted to believe she saw the man beneath the expensive suits and custom jewelry. The guy who loved her. “I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do.” She ran her hand down his arm. “But there’s so much more to you. There always was.”

  “Why did you come here today? Tucker probably didn’t know about our connection, but when he gave you the address, and presumably my name, why didn’t you tell him you couldn’t work with me?”

  “Because I want to work with you.” She reached under her arm and withdrew drawings from her leather portfolio. “This is the house you dreamed about. No way could another architect capture this.” He was stunned by her rendering. She was right. It was exactly what he wanted. “No other architect could possibly understand you the way I do. What you want, what you’re trying to build here.” She gestured to the land around them. “I know how much this means to you.”

  He couldn’t deny they’d spent countless hours talking about his vision, and she’d portrayed it exactly as he described. “I need some time.”

  She rolled up the drawings and handed them to him with a business card. “Take these. Study them and let me know what you think. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

  ***

  Ava threw her office door open, gaining some small measure of satisfaction when it bounced off the doorstop. She didn’t hesitate at the receptionist’s desk as she headed toward her friend’s office.

  Oreo bounded up from her spot in the sun, wagging her tail when she saw her mistress. “Hello, baby,” Ava cooed, rubbing noses with her furry friend.

  “I think she likes me better,” Tara said, barely looking up from her computer. “I give her cookies when she stays with me and not the organic garbage you feed her.”

  Tara had taken Oreo home last night because Ava was out for the evening. Ava hated leaving her home alone, and Tara loved the little dog almost as much as Ava did.

  “Okay, what’s got you so worked up?” Tara asked before saving and closing the file she’d been working on. She twisted in her swivel chair to face Ava. “I can tell something’s bothering you.”

  “He lied to me!” She held Oreo close when the little dog whimpered. “Can you believe that?”

  “Who are we talking about and what did he lie to you about?”

  “Brent. He told me he’d never been married or engaged. I don’t know why I didn’t think to just Google the guy. Stupid me for thinking I could trust him to tell me the truth.”

  “He’s been married?” Tara’s mouth fell open. “Are you sure?”

  “Not married. Engaged. I met her today.” Ava sighed. “You should see her, Tara. She’s every girlfriend’s worst nightmare.”

  “Is that what you are now, his girlfriend?”

  “I don’t know what the hell I am.”

  Tara gave her sympathetic smile. “I’ve known you a long time, hon. I witnessed your little infatuation with him in college, remember?”

  Ava winced over her juvenile self trying to catch a glimpse of him in the campus coffee shop. She wasn’t interested in dating during college because no one could compare to him. Damn him for messing with her mind. “I got over him once. I’ll get over him again.”

  She stroked Oreo, wishing it didn’t hurt so much to think about moving on without him. She’d allowed herself to hope. That was her biggest mistake. Men like Brent were ruthless opportunists who trampled people to get what they wanted. She was just another casualty.

  “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” Tara said. “Go to the spa. Get a mani/pedi, maybe even a massage. Trust me, you’ll feel like a new woman.”

  As enticing as that sounded, Ava had to catch up on the work she’d missed. “You don’t have to worry about taking that client meeting for me. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Maybe you should talk to him, give him a chance to explain why he didn’t tell you he was engaged.”

  “I’m not interested--” Before Ava could finish, the front door slammed and Brent’s voice drifted down the hall. Her assistant put up a good fight, but he was determined. She didn’t stand a chance. Ava set Oreo down on the chair with a sigh. “I better go and rescue her. Can you keep an eye on Oreo while I deal with him?”

  “My pleasure.” Tara winked. “Go get him, girl.”

  Ava stormed down the hall, ready to throttle him. “This is a place of business,” she said through clenched teeth. “Kindly keep your voice down.”

  He shot one last parting glare at her assistant before ushering Ava down the hall toward the offices. “We need to talk.”

  She narrowed her eyes when he closed her office door behind him. “I need to work. You need to leave.”

  “I know you’re upset I didn’t tell you about… Jasmine. I’m sorry, I should have. It just didn’t seem like the right time to get into it.”

  Ava claimed the seat behind her desk to put a barrier between them. “You’re not obligated to tell me anything about your past. We had sex. End of story.”

  He fisted his hands on the opposite side of her desk and leaned in. “Don’t do that. Don’t act as if what we shared meant nothing. And it’s not over. I won’t let it be over.”

  “She still has feelings for you.” Ava tried to pretend she was focusing on her computer screen. “Anyone can see that.” Ava had no desire to get caught up in a love triangle with that woman.

  “I don’t care how she feels about me.” He rounded the desk and knelt down in front of Ava. “I care about how you feel. Tell me this hasn’t changed anything, baby.” When she said nothing, he sighed. “I haven’t seen or thought about her in years. You’ve got to believe me.”

  She looked at his handsome face, wishing he wasn’t so compelling. “How can you just forget about someone you were engaged to?”

  “Asking her to marry me was a mistake. I know that now. She did me a favor by cheating on me.”

  “She cheated on you?” Ava couldn’t deny she was shocked. What woman in her right mind would cheat on a man like Brent?

  “Yeah, with her ex.” He shrugged. “It was a blow at the time, but--”

  “That’s why you’re so paranoid about women cheating on you, isn’t it?” She slid her chair back so he couldn’t touch her. “It’s not all about your mother. Your issues have everything to do with Jasmine.”

  “That’s not true. I--”

  “Don’t insult my intelligence.” Ava wasn’t angry he’d been engaged. He was entitled to a past, but the fact that he didn’t trust her enough to be honest was something she couldn’t ignore. Honesty was a deal breaker. If she couldn’t trust him, she couldn’t let herself fall in love with him. The little voice in her head told her it was too late. She’d already taken that leap.

 
; Brent lowered his head, looking angry, frustrated, and just a little desperate. “I admit it stung when she cheated on me. I’d planned a life with that woman. I thought I loved her.” He stood when Ava got up and crossed the office to get a bottle of water. “I was wrong.”

  “It’s easy to say you never loved her,” Ava said, twisting the cap off the bottle and bringing it to her lips. She wasn’t thirsty, but she needed to put some distance between them. “But I know what I saw. There’s still something between you two.”

  “No, there isn’t!” Brent raked his hands through his hair. “Damn it, I don’t care about her. It’s you I want.”

  Ava wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t trust her heart. She needed time to process everything before making a decision she might regret. “You need to go. I have a meeting to prepare for.”

  “Ava…” He stepped forward, running his hands over her hair before resting them on her cheeks. “Don’t do this. Don’t let this ruin our chance at a future. We could be great together, I know we could.”

  “I need time to think. Please, just don’t push.”

  His hands fell to his sides. “Do you know how hard it is for me to sit back and do nothing? Knowing that you’re questioning everything is killing me. I want to prove to you that you can trust me and what I feel for you, but I can’t do that if you won’t give me a chance.”

  “I need to sort this out on my own, Brent.”

  Ava knew he could be persuasive with gifts and grand gestures, nothing would be out of the realm of possibility, but she couldn’t be swayed by that. He lived to conquer obstacles. The unknown variable was how he would feel once he’d won her over. Would she be another Jasmine, relegated to the back of his mind, someone he thought he’d loved once upon a time?

  “About tonight…”

  “I can’t go with you, I’m sorry. I have that meeting.”

  The muscle in his jaw flexed. “I thought you said Tara could handle that.”

  “That was before.” She reached for the door handle. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “When?”

  “When I’ve had a chance to think and to figure out where we go from here.”

  He kissed her softly. “I love you, Ava. Think about that.”

  ***

  Ava was shocked when she walked out to the reception area to meet her client. He was striking. He had cropped dark hair and dark skin, he was tall with an athletic build, but his mesmerizing green eyes were what caught her off guard. “You must be Eli,” she said, offering her hand and trying to put her professional mask back in place.

  “I am.”

  He grinned a bright white smile that made her heart go pitter-patter. Wow. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” They’d corresponded by email and voice mail several times to arrange the meeting, but Ava hadn’t had the time to look him up. “So, you’re a friend of Aiden’s?”

  “Teammate and friend, yeah.” He smiled. “I was playing in New Jersey, but I just got traded. Being back in my hometown is kind of weird.” He chuckled. “I’m still trying to get used to being around my family again.”

  “You don’t get along with your family?” she asked, holding a clipboard against her body like a shield.

  “I do, but they’re on me all the time about getting married and having a family.” He winked. “That’s where you come in.”

  Ava sat on the edge of her assistant’s desk, grateful they were alone. “So Aiden suggested you give me a call?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  He didn’t seem certain, but Ava decided to let it go. She had a lot of high profile clients--professional athletes, musicians, and successful business people--and all were a little apprehensive in the beginning. “Okay, well why don’t you fill this out and then we can get started.”

  “Okay,” he said, accepting the clipboard. “I’m really looking forward to this, Ava.”

  She smiled, hoping to reassure him. “Me too.”

  Ava occupied herself in her office while she waited for Eli to complete the intake questionnaire. Part of her questioned why a man who looked like that and earned a good living had trouble finding a woman, but she’d been in the business long enough to know those often made figuring out who was interested in them for the right reasons difficult.

  Eli tapped on her door.

  “Come in,” she said, standing to greet him. She took the clipboard and gestured to one of the chairs across from her desk.

  Oreo jumped up on his leg as soon he sat down. Eli grinned and scratched the little dog’s chin. He obviously liked animals, a point in his favor as far as Ava was concerned. “So, Aiden tells me you’re seeing Brent Armstrong. What’s that like?” he asked.

  Aiden was Ava’s over-protective uncle, and he had an opinion about all the men she dated, which was why she hadn’t told him about Brent. She wasn’t surprised he knew. Nick and Aiden were close. He’d probably told him about Brent after their beer together at Jimmy’s.

  “I’ve… uh… known Brent a long time.” She smiled, trying to pretend she was unaffected. “Since college, in fact. He’s a nice guy, but we’re just getting to know each other again. We’ll see where it goes.” She didn’t feel comfortable discussing her personal life with a client, but because of Eli’s connection to Aiden, she felt she owed him a polite answer.

  “Is that right?” he asked, leaning forward. “What was he like in college? Intense, I bet. He seems so driven.”

  Ava was confused by his curiosity, but she didn’t let it show. If she was going to date someone as high profile as Brent, she had to get used to questions. “He was… is… intense, that’s for sure.” Anxious to get the meeting back on track, Ava turned her attention to the clipboard on her desk. “So tell me about you, Eli.”

  “Well, there’s not much to tell,” he said, lacing his hands in front of him. “I’ve been playing hockey most of my life. Given the travel, that doesn’t leave time for much else.”

  “Do you think that’s why you’ve never found the right person?”

  “I think that’s part of the reason.” He looked at his hands. “I’ve… uh… had feelings for someone for a long time. She’s just a friend, at least that’s how she sees me.” He smiled. “We dated in high school. I always thought we’d get married someday, but it didn’t work out that way.” His expression darkened. “She met someone else.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Ava knew setting him up with someone else if he still had feelings for his ex would be a bad idea. He seemed to want to move on though, and if she could help him do that, she would.

  “Yeah, I was pretty upset about it at the time, but I loved her and wanted her to be happy, ya know?”

  “You said the two of you are still friends?” Ava definitely had to find out the status of that relationship before she considered setting him up with one of her clients.

  “Just friends. She told me, in no uncertain terms, it can never be more than that.”

  Ava saw that pained him. That saddened her, but it made her more motivated to help Eli find someone who would love and appreciate him, since that woman clearly did not. Forcing a smile, Ava said, “Well, let’s see if we can help you find someone to help you forget all about her.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Brent was circulating, talking to people and trying to pretend all was right in his world, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Ava. She’d said she needed time to think, but he was afraid if he gave her that, she would talk herself into believing he still had feelings for Jasmine.

  Speak of the devil… What the hell was she doing there? “Excuse me,” he said to the group of men he’d been talking to.

  She was just entering the ballroom alone when he approached her. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

  “I didn’t feel good about where we left things today.” She lifted a shoulder. “There were still a few tickets available, so I bought one.”

  “How did you know I would be here?”

  She rolled her eyes. �
��You’re not exactly low profile, Brent. Social media told me everything I needed to know with a few keystrokes.” She scanned the crowd. “Is Ava here?”

  “No, she’s pissed at me, thanks to you.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.”

  He wasn’t sure he believed that, but it wasn’t Jasmine’s fault. If he’d told Ava about his engagement when she asked, she wouldn’t have reason to trust his integrity. “You didn’t. I caused trouble for myself.”

  She smiled. “You always were good at that.”

  “I’m not interested in taking a stroll down memory lane with you, Jasmine.”

  “Brent.”

  He looked up to see his mother and stepfather. Great. Just what he needed. “I don’t have the energy to argue with you tonight. If you’re smart, you’ll keep your distance.”

  His mother looked hurt, but his stepfather appeared ready for a fight. “Listen to me,” he said, pointing in Brent’s face. “You sanctimonious sack of-”

  Brent grabbed his wrist. “Get out of my face, old man. I’m in no mood.”

  “Let’s go, Martin,” Claudia said, gripping her husband’s arm. “I don’t want to cause a scene.”

  “Wow, that was awkward,” Jasmine said as they walked away. “I see you still haven’t made peace with your mother.”

  She was the only woman, aside from Ava, who understood how his mother’s betrayal had affected him. “I doubt I ever will.”

  Couples were congregating on the dance floor, and Jasmine inclined her head. “They’re playing our song.” She smiled when he frowned. “Come on, Brent. One dance, for old time’s sake.”

  He didn’t want to dance. He didn’t even want to be there, but since he was stuck until after dinner, he may as well indulge her. She was right; one dance wouldn’t kill him. “Fine, let’s go.” He allowed her to slip her arm through his as he led her to the dance floor.