by Jess Dee
It didn’t escape Jared’s notice that when the rest of the men turned to look her way, they all regarded her with that same expression. Greg had warned him the guys were more gentle with her since she’d left her husband. Jared just hadn’t expected to notice it so quickly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity.” She squeezed Jared’s waist. “You should have told us he was coming home. Given us something to look forward to instead of springing it on us like this.”
Greg held his hands up in innocence. “I swear I would have…if I’d known. First clue I had that Jazza was back in Sydney was when he banged on my door at some ungodly hour this morning.”
“Ten thirty is hardly ungodly,” Jared argued. “Even for a Sunday.” On any given day, Jared was up and out the door before six a.m.
“It is if you’ve been up to all hours of the morning.”
“Working?” Zoey asked.
“Uh…yeah.” Greg nodded. “Working.”
Jared suppressed a snort. Working. Yeah, right.
Chelsea directed them all back to the table, calling for one of her waiting staff to add an extra place. Jared hadn’t met Chelsea until minutes ago, when he’d walked into the restaurant, but he’d heard enough about her that he felt he knew her.
She eyed him with intent as Ava tugged him into the seat beside hers. “Jamieson’s on the rocks? Hold the water?”
Jared blinked in surprise. How had she tagged him for an Irish whiskey drinker? “First guess. I’m impressed. If I were drinking, I’d order one. But jetlag and whiskey don’t mix, so just a mineral water for me.”
“Still or sparkling?”
“Sparkling’s good.”
“Be right back.”
“You’re jetlagged?” Zoey wanted to know.
“I’m buggered,” Jared confessed. “The flight from L.A. confused the heck out of me. I don’t know whether it’s day or night.”
Levi cocked an eyebrow. “And the lack of sun outside isn’t giving you any clues?”
“Maybe the candlelight’s confusing him,” Theo said.
“Guys,” Liv shushed them. “Jared never was the brightest. Don’t embarrass him.”
Jared grinned. Greg had made two trips to the States, so Jared had seen him recently, but it had been a while since he’d hung with his mates. It didn’t matter. Some things never changed. They were still perfectly comfortable taking the piss out of him. And just as soon as he managed to get a good night’s sleep and acclimatize his body to Australian time, he’d give as good as he got.
“So, Jazza, saved any kittens of late?” Spencer asked.
Jared’s grin became a full-on laugh. “One or two.”
“The last kitten I watched him work with had a front paw bigger than my head,” Greg said. “Fortunately, there was a brick wall and a solid glass window between us. Not to mention enough tranquilizer to take down an elephant.”
“And that was just for Greg,” Jared deadpanned. “The cat was already asleep when he arrived.”
“A lion?” Zoey asked.
“Tiger. Old man with a sad disposition.” Or maybe defeated was a better descriptor, thanks to a lifetime spent in a small and filthy cage.
Liv set her elbows on the table and leaned in. “Tell us about your work.”
“More importantly, tell us why you’re home,” Ava said, then rushed to add with a happy smile, “Not that I’m complaining.”
“My job was brilliant. I loved every minute.” Although sometimes, work as a vet at the wildlife refuge outside of L.A., nursing big cats back to health, had been both gut wrenching and devastating. “But when the refuge outgrew the land and was forced to relocate, I decided to come home. It was time.”
“So you’re back for good?” Theo asked.
“Yep.” Jared hadn’t left Sydney with the intention to emigrate permanently. He’d left to escape circumstances he’d had trouble accepting. His best friend—and the woman he loved—was marrying another man, someone Jared had disliked from the instant Ava introduced them. “And if you know of any practices looking for a vet, let me know. Please.” Finding work was a priority. The faster he got a job, the faster he could settle.
“You realize the number of practices in Sydney specializing in lions, tigers and cougars is limited?” Spence asked dryly. “There are maybe, I don’t know… None.”
“No worries,” Jared assured him. “I worked with heaps of different animals at the refuge. I bet I can find a practice here that deals almost exclusively with brown and black bears.” He shot Spence a cocky smile. Bears were as native to Australia as lions and tigers.
Spence laughed. “It’s good to have you back, mate.”
The waitress took their orders, and while sitting around a table that sagged under the weight of all the delicious food, Jared caught up with his friends.
Liv and James filled him in on plans for the wedding, which were flimsy at best. Apart from a date in six months’ time, they’d made no arrangements. The couple was too busy focusing on a new business venture they were beginning together—an interior design company.
Spencer told Jared that he and Chelsea had moved into Levi’s home. Spencer still loved his job crunching numbers, and Levi was working on the last chapters of the next book in his bestselling Willful series.
Zoey and Theo assured him nothing had changed with them in the last year and a half. Jared would have believed it too—if there hadn’t been an undercurrent of friction every time Theo sipped his beer. Come to think of it, Jared couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Theo drink anything other than wine.
Greg and Jared had spent the whole day together, so Jared wasn’t surprised that Greg took a back seat while everyone else chatted. But he was surprised to find Ava subdued.
The complete opposite of himself, Ava was a natural talker. Jared spoke when he had something to say. Ava spoke all the time. She was, unfailingly, the center of any conversation. No matter who was present, she had a knack for ensuring there was always something to discuss. Awkward silences were never a problem when Ava was around. She filled them with words and laughter and was possibly the most endearing person Jared had ever met.
Everyone responded to her openness and friendliness. They were drawn to her infectious smile and bubbly laughter. Yet tonight, Ava said very little. After the initial burst of exuberance when she’d first seen him, she seemed to become reserved.
Though she smiled often, her laughter wasn’t quite as bubbly as usual. And though she was clearly delighted he was home and sat so close their elbows bumped, she seemed to struggle to communicate with him.
Perhaps that was okay. If Ava turned her big green eyes to him or smiled at him as she had earlier—as though he were the best thing she’d seen all year—he might be forced to haul her into his arms and kiss her until they both gasped for air.
Jared watched his brother and friends interact with her with interest. Not only did they look at Ava with a gentleness that hadn’t been there before, they treated her just as tenderly. Yep, they still joked and teased and laughed with her, and sarcasm and irony still tinged their humor, but Ava was spared the really cutting remarks.
The cutting remarks had never fazed her before. If anything, they’d made her laugh louder. That was obviously no longer the case.
He noticed something else. Greg, James, Theo, Levi and Spence were on guard the whole night, constantly surveying their surroundings in a seemingly careless manner. Within fifteen minutes, Jared realized there was nothing careless in their behavior. If a male so much as looked Ava’s way, one or the other of them shifted subtly, blocking his view.
Greg had told him things had changed. He’d said Ava hadn’t been the same since she’d separated from her husband. The split had been traumatic, and she’d been sad, quiet and withdrawn for months.
As a consequence, the Dinner Club was more protective of her now.
Jared wished Ava had spoken more openly about her marriage. What the hell had happen
ed between her and Anthony? Reluctant to relive her pain, she hadn’t offered many details, either to Jared or to their other friends. She’d just stressed it was over, she’d been hurt, and she’d made a huge mistake marrying the jackass.
The one thing everyone knew was that emotionally, Ava hadn’t been the same after. Jared had thought he was prepared for the change.
He wasn’t.
Ava was every bit as beautiful as ever. She still drew gazes and smiles without even realizing it. But she was different. It was more than the physical changes like her nose and clothes. The light that had once burned in her eyes was gone. At some point over the last eighteen months, her fire had been extinguished.
Chapter Two
Both thrilled and terrified to spend time with Jared alone, Ava climbed into the front seat of Greg’s car and pulled on her seatbelt with shaky hands.
James and Liv had gone with Greg to a wine bar after dinner, leaving Jared with strict instructions to see Ava home safely. Of course she was delighted with the arrangements. The more time she got to spend with Jared, the better. There’d been a decided dearth of quality visitation time with her bestie this last year or two.
The only hitch? Riding in the car meant being alone with him. And though Ava trusted and adored him with every fiber of her being, the thought made her jittery.
Damn it. He was the last person on earth she should be wary of.
Ava pursed her lips and silently cursed her ex-husband. If not for him, she’d be perfectly comfortable with Jared.
Jared wasn’t Anthony. They were as different as two men could be. Just the thought of seeing Anthony made her cold. And shaky. And incredibly angry. Being with Jared again instilled a happiness in Ava she hadn’t experienced since her wedding day. At the same time, however, it brought out a sense of anxiety she didn’t understand. Her initial exuberance had dimmed in an onslaught of confusion and uncertainty—and Ava hated herself for that.
How could she feel the slightest bit of uncertainty where Jared was concerned?
“Quite a surprise you sprung on me,” Jared said as he strapped himself in, oblivious to her internal conflict.
“I sprung a surprise?” Ava asked with a laugh. “Your sudden appearance takes the cake.”
His aftershave filled the car, immediately conjuring up images of the great outdoors, wild grass and racing rapids shooting over rocks. The tantalizing scent was so familiar and so unique to Jared, had Ava not known he was home, she would have instinctively turned to look for him.
“Ah, my being here might be a surprise, but my appearance hasn’t changed like yours has.”
Ava forced a smile she did not feel. “You noticed?”
He tapped his nose. “That you’re dressing differently and your nose has changed? Hard not to. Plus Greg told me you’d had it done.”
“Do you hate it?” She did. Looking in the mirror still threw her.
His jaw dropped. “Of course not. You’re as pretty as ever. I’m just not sure why you changed it.”
“I had to. Deviated septum,” she said with practiced ease. “It made me snore so loud, even the neighbors complained. And once I was having that sorted out, I figured, why not go the distance?”
Jared looked at her for a long time.
“Oi. Stop staring. It’s just a nose.”
“It’s not just a nose. It’s your nose. Your new one. And it’s cute. May take me a while to get used to it, but I like it.”
“Thank you. Now, how about you drive me home?” Hopefully the driving would distract him from her new, cute nose, and he wouldn’t say anything more about it.
He turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking. “You’re living with Liv?”
“Yep. I moved in with her about eight or nine months ago.”
“You didn’t go back to your place after…”
“After Anthony cleared out of the flat?” The apartment had been hers. A fantastic unit she’d picked up at a steal thanks to her estate agency connections.
Jared cleared his throat, but his nod was his only answer.
So, he still had trouble talking to her about her husband? The two of them had never seen eye to eye. Obviously nothing had changed there. But that was okay. She also had trouble talking about him now. “The idea of living there no longer appealed.” She’d tried, even stayed there alone for a week or two after returning from Melbourne, but the collapse of her marriage had been too traumatic, and sleeping in the same room and bed she’d shared with Anthony had left a nasty taste in her mouth. The first decent night’s sleep she’d had was her first night in Liv’s spare room.
“And you’re happy sharing with Liv?”
Ava laughed. “I am. But since she and Jimmy got together, I feel like I’m living alone all over again.” Which might have bothered her, if Liv and James weren’t so happy.
“They seem tight.”
“They are. Totally gone for each other. And ecstatic to be together.”
“Took them long enough,” Jared murmured.
“I know, right? You wouldn’t believe how stunned Liv was when I told her we all thought they should have gotten together years ago. It never crossed her mind.” And with that, Ava launched into a detailed description of Liv and James’s journey to falling in love, delighted to hear Jared’s laughter fill the car.
Between his deep chortles and intoxicating scent, Ava’s discomfort began to slip away.
“So what’s the deal with Theo and Zoey?” he asked when they’d exhausted the topic. “They didn’t look so happy tonight.”
She frowned. “You noticed?”
Jared’s answering shrug spoke volumes. He was concerned.
“Honestly? I don’t know. Most of the time they’re fine, but then, every now and again, there’s this tension between them. I asked Zoey about it, but she told me I was imagining things.” Ava had asked Zoey several times if she was okay. She’d offered her an ear and a shoulder any time she’d needed it. God knew, Ava had cried on Zoey’s shoulder often enough in the months following the breakdown of her marriage.
So far, Zoey hadn’t taken her up on the offer.
“Shocked me,” Jared said. “They’re usually rock solid.”
“Yeah, I’m worried about them. Oh, hey, what did you think of Chelsea?”
“Seems nice enough.”
“Nice enough?” she spluttered. “Sheesh, you know that’s not what I mean.”
Jared raised an eyebrow in question.
“Oh, come on. A gorgeous woman’s moved in with not one, but two of your closest friends. Two. That’s gotta provoke more than a she’s nice enough.”
He looked at her with a quirky smile. “Okay, then, my chatty friend, what do you think?”
“Me? I think lucky, lucky Chelsea. She didn’t just get one of the good ones, she got two.”
Jared hesitated a beat before asking, “Good ones?”
“Uh-huh. Lev and Spence are both good guys.”
Another beat. “Meaning there are bad ones out there?”
“Yeah, Jar.” Ava sighed deeply and turned to stare out of her window. “There are really bad ones out there.”
“Like Anthony?” His voice was soft.
She squared her shoulders but didn’t answer. There were so many reasons she didn’t want to take this conversation any further.
“Av?”
“Hey, what do you think of my new career? Ex estate agent, current proud owner of the world’s newest and bestest cookie store.”
Jared pulled up at a red traffic light. “Torres…”
His hand landed on her arm, his touch so unexpected Ava flinched and jerked away from him.
“Cookies. Can you believe that?” Her heart pounded, loud enough that she was sure he could hear the rapid thud-thud-thud against her ribs. She struggled to calm it, breathing slow and deep, just like she’d been taught, talking the whole time. “The store’s small, but I can’t keep up with the demand. I’m pretty much sold out at the end of every day.
I’m thinking of opening another shop, maybe in Eastgardens this time.” Ava risked looking his way.
Jared stared at his hand, his expression stunned.
“Chocolate chip are my biggest seller. I smile every time I sell one because they make me think of you.” True. Every word. “You were there the first time I made them, remember? You ate half the batch before they’d even cooled down.”
Okay, so she was babbling. Of course Jared knew about the shop. She’d sent him emails and pictures and copies of articles where the shop had been featured or reviewed in papers and magazines. Heck, she’d sent tins of cookies to America, addressed to him.
“I remember,” he said softly as he turned into Ava’s road.
Home already? “I have some in the flat. Would you like to come in?” She couldn’t bear to say goodbye. Not when she’d only just been reunited with him. But then the idea of being alone with him, just the two of them in her flat, made her breath jerky again.
Inhale. Exhale.
Slow and steady.
“For a cookie?” His face lit up, the sheer delight in his expression easing her apprehension. “Always.”
Jared parked, and as soon as they were out of the car, he looked her way, cautiously holding out his arm out to her.
Ava hesitated for a heartbeat, then tucked herself against his side once more and relaxed enough to relish the feel of him, enjoying the warmth of his body and inhaling his unique Jared aroma. God, she loved the way he smelled.
But that heartbeat’s hesitation had been long enough for Jared to narrow his eyes—the way he did when something worried him.
Damn it. Her overreaction to his touch had obviously set alarm bells ringing.
“It’s good to have you home,” Ava said as they walked the block to her place. “Surreal, but good.” She’d grown accustomed to his absence. Learned to live without him—no matter how much she’d missed him.
Initially she’d thrown herself into her wedding plans, refusing to get morose about his departure or annoyed about his timing. Why he’d had to leave four months before the wedding was beyond her. He was supposed to have been her man of honor. Supposed to stand up beside her at the altar. Instead, her sister had been the matron of honor.