Psst, Ava.”
At the frantic whisper, Ava put out her arm to stop the door from sliding shut and stuck her head outside the elevator.
“Hurry, I have to talk to you, and no one can see me.” Erin waved her over, furtively looking around the second-floor hallway.
She wasn’t surprised that Erin didn’t want to be seen with her. Ava was persona non grata at the manor. Even Kitty, who walked around with a perpetual smile on her face, had given Ava the side-eye when she’d arrived for work. Given that the family was worried about Finn, Ava had tried not to let the slight hurt. The same as she did when she felt the staff’s accusatory stares stabbing her in the back. She couldn’t believe they were falling for Gaston’s lies, taking his side over hers.
Sophie had woken Ava up with the news this morning that every single one of the pastries she’d slaved over had been destroyed. According to Gaston, upon learning that he’d found her fillings bland and had doctored them up, she’d destroyed them in a fit of jealous rage. And now they were scrambling to replace the hors d’oeuvres in time for the bridal fair’s opening this afternoon.
When Ava pointed out the holes in his accusation, Sophie assured Ava that she believed her. Ava wasn’t so sure that she did because Sophie had refused her offer to help and had given in to Gaston’s demand that she not be allowed within ten feet of the kitchen or dining room. Sophie had even suggested she take a few days off until everything calmed down. Ava refused. She thought it would make her look guilty, and she needed the money.
She dragged the service cart out of the elevator, parking it alongside the wall. Erin peeked her head around the corner. “Hurry, I left the new waitress they replaced you with alone.”
So it looked like Ava could kiss her waitressing position and tips goodbye. Which would make it harder to pay back Griffin in a timely fashion. She should probably start looking for a second job. She worked to keep the hurt and frustration from showing on her face as she rounded the corner.
Erin grabbed her arm, half dragging her to the nearest guest room. Then Erin nearly strangled her by sliding the passkey Ava wore around her neck into the door.
“The room’s not occupied, is it?” Erin asked as she turned the handle.
“A little late to be worrying about that now,” Ava said, following the blonde into the room. “What’s going on?”
Erin closed the door and then pulled a sheaf of folded papers from her bra. “Sorry, I couldn’t let anyone see me with them. Helga let me in on her secret. I offered to recopy them, but she wanted you to look at the recipes first. She doesn’t trust Gaston.” Erin looked at Ava. “We don’t believe him, you know. Helga says he probably smashed the pastries. She says not to worry; she’s going to fix him.”
“You tell her to keep her head down and do her job. I’m fine,” Ava said, a nervous catch in her voice. With Ava’s luck, she’d be blamed for whatever retribution Helga cooked up for Gaston. Ava unfolded the papers and scanned the recipes, looking up to find Erin studying her.
Her head cocked, Erin said, “You do look fine. Better than fine, actually. Your eyes are shiny and your skin’s all glowy. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you look like a woman—”
She cut the younger woman off before she could say that Ava looked like a woman in love. Which of course she was, and had always been, and it hadn’t done much for her looks the past decade. No, if she was glowy, it was because of her hope that maybe, just maybe, they were going to get a second chance. That hope had gone a long way in making the whole situation with Gaston bearable. A hope she wasn’t ready to share with anyone just yet.
“Anger will do that, you know,” she said to Erin while walking to the desk.
Ava pulled out the chair and sat down. “Once we rewrite the recipes in large print, Helga won’t have a problem with them. I can’t believe he’s serving such mundane fare to the attendees though.” She flicked the recipes with her fingers. “Mini cheese balls, egg rolls, and pigs in a blanket are not going to earn the reviews we’re hoping for. Does Sophie know what he’s sampling?”
“Between what happened with you and Liam’s brother, she seems a little distracted.”
Ava bowed her head and picked up a pen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing happened between me and Griffin,” she said, her heart beating a little faster. If Griffin told his family about them, that was huge. It meant their almost-kiss hadn’t just been a blip. He really was…
“You and Griffin? No, I meant what happened with you and Gaston, and then what happened to Finn. Sophie says that he’s safe, but they don’t know if he’s injured. They’re hoping for more news soon.”
Ava berated herself for getting her hopes up and thinking of herself and Griffin when his brother was in such a precarious position. “Yes, that was good to hear at least.” Griffin had started his job with the Coast Guard this morning, so Ava hadn’t talked to him yet. Sophie had shared the news when she’d called.
Ava held out the recipe for pigs in a blanket to Erin. “The ingredients all check out. It’ll go faster if you copy one.”
Erin joined her at the desk. Feeling the young woman’s gaze upon her, Ava looked up from scanning the mini-egg-roll ingredients. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you sure you didn’t grab someone else’s uniform?”
Ava self-consciously tugged at the front of her maid’s uniform. The black buttons that lined the front of the dress were straining at her chest and hips. “No, it’s mine, but I need a new one. I’ve gained weight. My neighbor and my aunt drop off pastries every morning. I can’t seem to stop eating them.” It was getting out of hand—her weight gain and her aunt and Dorothy.
She knew they were trying to make up for the part they’d played in sending her father away. Even though she’d told them she’d forgiven them, they obviously didn’t believe her because they’d both shown up on her doorstep again this morning while Ava was having a cigarette after receiving Sophie’s call. It was either that or eat a tray of cinnamon buns. She’d had two when she was explaining the situation with Gaston to her aunt and Dorothy. Given their reaction, Ava should have kept her mouth closed. She prayed they didn’t show up at the manor today.
“Tell them to drop them off at my place. I can’t gain weight no matter how hard I try.”
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Ava said as she stood up. She handed the recipes to Erin. “You shouldn’t be worrying about your weight. You look great though.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather be curvy like you.” Erin smiled and held up the pages. “And thanks for these. Helga really appreciated your help, you know. She tried to get a petition started among the staff to…” Erin grimaced. “I’m sure it’ll blow over as soon as the bridal fair is over. Everyone knows how important it is to the manor. Are you going to stop in after work?”
Until today, she’d been looking forward to the fair. “As long as Gaston won’t be there, I might.”
“You should be okay. The waitstaff is taking turns doing the tastings.” She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “Yikes, I better run.”
As Erin hurried off, Ava took one last look around the room. The manor was almost at full occupancy for the weekend. Satisfied everything was in its place, she closed the door and headed for her service cart. The elevator doors opened, and one of the other maids stepped out.
Trudy had been the only staff member who hadn’t snubbed her this morning. Ava frowned when the other woman turned to pull her cart from the elevator. “The rooms have all been done on this floor, Trudy.”
The other woman wouldn’t look at her. “Jasper asked me to check to make sure…” Her apple cheeks flushed, Trudy lifted a shoulder and mumbled, “Sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Only it did, a lot. Ava worked hard and took pride in her job. Today was no exception. It hurt that Jasper had asked someone to check up on her. He never had in the past. The other staff would hear about it.
Forcing a small smile for Trudy, Ava let her pass before pushing her cart onto the elevator. The box of red-foiled chocolate hearts on her cart called to her. They were putting them on the guests’ pillows in honor of the bridal show and Valentine’s Day, which had been three days earlier.
Ava looked down at her uniform’s straining buttons and pushed the tower floor button.
She’d reversed the order of the rooms and had done Griffin’s first thing this morning, hoping to catch him before he left for work. He’d already gone. She’d spent more time than normal cleaning his room, lingering over his pillow, breathing in his scent, comforted just by being there.
The elevator jerked to a stop, and she got out. Doing her best to ignore the chocolates’ siren song, she left the cart outside Colleen’s suite and entered. Griffin wasn’t there. She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling jumpy and out of sorts, hoping the room and thoughts of Griffin worked their magic again. They didn’t, and five minutes later she couldn’t take it anymore. She got up and walked to the French doors that opened onto the balcony. Maybe the brisk sea air would clear her head.
She stepped outside and closed the door. Wrapping her gray sweater around her, she leaned against the sun-warmed granite wall, watching the seagulls’ pinwheel in the crystal-blue sky. Their familiar high-pitched ha ha ha and the swooshing sound of the white-foamed waves rolling onto shore washed over her, calming her. She looked past Kismet Cove and the red-roofed lighthouse to where a fishing boat headed into the harbor, reminding her of her father. She closed her eyes.
It was easier not to think about him. But now he was there, too, in her head, mixed up with everything else that had gone wrong today. Her eyes misted, and she blinked the moisture away. She managed to stop the tears, but she couldn’t resist the temptation any longer and withdrew the pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her sweater.
There was an iron planter in the corner, and she went to stand beside it. She lit the cigarette and rested her elbows on the stone balcony’s ledge. Looking out to sea, she inhaled deeply, waiting for the calm to settle over her. It didn’t happen right away. Not like it usually did. She shouldn’t be surprised. Nothing in her life was usual anymore.
She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, letting the sun’s fading rays warm her face as she inhaled deeply of the cigarette. The French door opened, and she gave a guilty start. She turned to see Griffin filling the space.
He wore an admiral-blue long-sleeve shirt with U.S. COAST GUARD stitched in white on the right side of his chest, a T-shirt the same color underneath, as were his pants that were tucked into black lace-up boots.
“You look handsome,” she said, the words slipping easily off her tongue. At the serious expression on his face, she realized it wasn’t something she’d said to him in a long time. Maybe he didn’t want her to say it to him now. Maybe their almost-kiss had been a blip. She caught the direction of his gaze and grimaced. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be smoking on your balcony.” She leaned over to butt out the cigarette.
“You have a bad day, sweet face?” he asked as he stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him.
Afraid she might cry—and she didn’t want to cry in front of him again—she pressed her lips together and nodded. She hadn’t thought she’d ever hear him call her sweet face again.
“You gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
Straightening, she shook her head and wrapped her arms around her waist. If she opened her mouth, the only thing that would come out was a sob. She could feel it warbling at the back of her throat. And if she didn’t get herself under control, words he might not be ready to hear would follow. Words like I love you. I never stopped loving you. I need you. I want you. Don’t let me go again. Don’t let me walk away from you.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. She kept her head down, focusing on his boots.
“I hate your sweater. It’s ugly.”
Her head jerked up. “Why would you say something like that?”
He smiled. “To get you to look at me.”
“So you don’t really think my sweater is ugly?”
“Yeah, I do. And once the weather gets warmer, you and me, we’re going down to the beach, and I’ll build a big-ass bonfire, and we’ll burn it.” He leaned back and opened the door. “Now, you just keep scowling at me and come inside and tell me what happened.”
“You’re not making any sense. Why would you want me to scowl at you?” she asked, following him inside.
“You know how I feel about you crying. If you’re scowling, you can’t.”
She stared at him, wondering how he could read her so easily after all this time. Still, she tried to deny what he obviously knew. “I wasn’t going to cry.”
He raised an eyebrow and went to sit on the end of the bed, patting the spot beside him. She sat down, and he put his arm around her. “All right, tell me what’s going on. Why aren’t you working in the dining room? Be warned, if you tell me it’s because you’re working two jobs to make extra money to pay for your dad’s stay at rehab, I’ll be—”
“No, it’s because I’m not allowed within ten feet of the kitchen and dining room.” She told him what happened with Gaston.
He laughed. “You’re shitting me, right? This is some kind of joke?”
“No, and other than Helga and Erin, everyone believes his lies. Even your grandmother, and I think Sophie might too. I guess it’s no surprise that Jasper does. He even has the other maids checking on my rooms to make sure I’ve done my job.” She twisted her hands in her lap, turning her head to sniff as quietly as she could, willing away the pinch in the backs of her eyes.
He swore under his breath and stood up.
“I’m not crying. I just sniffed.”
He frowned. “What are you talking…” His expression softened, and he crouched in front of her. “My reaction had nothing to do with you, other than that I’m pissed off on your behalf.” He touched her cheek. “Stay here. I’m going to talk to Sophie and Grams and clear a few things up. They didn’t taste your pastries; I did. No way in hell St. John was doctoring them up. He was jealous and didn’t want you to steal his thunder today.”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do. I really do. But I already told Sophie my side of the story. She did what she thought was best, and I think your grandmother agreed. So it’s not like anything you say can make a difference. I don’t want to be the cause of hard feelings between you and—”
“Sophie might be the manager, but, babe, I own this place. So I damn well do have a say in what’s going on and how the manor’s being run.”
Maybe something good would come out of this after all. “Technically, you own one-tenth, and until you become a member of Team Greystone, I don’t think your opinion will carry much weight. Now if you did sign on, they’d have to listen to you because you have a vested interest in seeing the manor succeed. Right now, you’re in the enemy camp.” She smiled, hoping he’d take the bait.
He laughed. “Points for giving it a shot, but it’s not happening. It’ll take more than increasing occupancy rates and a bridal fair to give the old place the influx of cash that’s needed. I, for one, don’t intend to throw my savings into a pit of quicksand.”
“No, you’d just sell out your family’s legacy to make a quick buck.” She lifted her chin. “You act like you care about me losing my position in the dining room, yet, if you get your way, I won’t even have a job. None of us will.”
He sat beside her and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle tug to make her look at him.
“If you don’t think I care about you, you haven’t been paying attention.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my father. I just—”
“I wasn’t talking about that. Though we probably should before you go out and get another job to replace your tip money.”
“How did you—”
“I know you. And you know me well enough to know that I’m not taking your money. You didn’t take anything when we split up, and you could have.”
She watched as his thumb rubbed her ringless finger. She’d left her wedding ring on his dresser the morning she’d moved out of his place in Virginia Beach. But she’d taken things, small things, mementos of their time together. She didn’t take much because she carried the most important thing in her heart—her love for him. “We didn’t really have anything.”
“We had everything, everything that mattered.”
He was right, and she’d thrown it all away because she couldn’t look at him without remembering that night.
Griffin tugged on her hand. “I didn’t mean to upset you. It was a long time ago. We were young. We both moved on.”
He’d moved on, but she hadn’t. She’d stayed stuck in the past. She nodded because she knew that’s what he expected and she couldn’t speak. Her throat was so tight she could barely breathe.
“But I can’t just erase how I felt about you, Ava. You matter to me. You’ve gotta know I feel partially responsible for what happened with your dad that night. So let me do this. It’s as much for me as you. The rehab center doesn’t cost as much as you think. Adam gave me a deal.”
Each word was like a pin stabbing the shiny pink, hope-filled balloon in her chest, the emotion leaking out, leaving her deflated. She’d read too much into their almost-kiss. “You’re not to blame. You did nothing wrong, Griffin. You never have. It was always me.”
“Hey, where’s this coming from?”
“I’m just tired. I should probably go,” she said, and went to stand up.
“Hang on a sec.” He pulled her back beside him and reached in his pocket for his phone. “I know it’s been bothering you not to talk to your dad, so I gave Adam a call.” He punched in his password and swiped his finger over the screen and then handed it to her. “Even though Gino’s your dad, Adam probably broke some privacy laws sending these. So this stays between us.”
There were pictures of her father working out with a medicine ball, pulling himself up between two parallel bars, and one of him sitting in the dining room with another man. They were laughing. The photos blurred. She turned to surreptitiously wipe at her eyes and then cleared her throat. “He looks…happy.”
Griffin leaned into her. “In that one he does.” He swiped his finger over the screen.
“Looks like he’s plotting how to kill the therapist in this one. Kidding aside, Adam says your dad’s working hard. Says he’s a pain in the ass and stubborn, too, but he thinks you’ll be impressed by his progress when you come visit.”
“He doesn’t want me to visit him. He doesn’t even want to talk to me.”
“Wait a sec. You think your dad doesn’t want to see or talk to you?”
She nodded. “That’s what he told me.”
“Because he didn’t have a choice, honey. It’s one of the stipulations in the application. It has nothing to do with you. Adam finds that clients settle into a routine better if they don’t have contact with family members for the first couple of weeks.”
“Oh, I thought…” She smiled. “Thank you for this, and for getting my dad in your friend’s center. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“Smile at me like that once a day, and we’re good.”
“I can do better than that. I’ll make you some more of the chicken pastries you liked. I can make you lasagna too. You always loved my—”
He rubbed his hand along his jaw. “That’s something else we should probably talk about.”
She jumped to her feet. She didn’t want him to spoil this moment. She was relieved, happy to see her father doing so well and to know he hadn’t intentionally shut her out of his life. She didn’t want Griffin to ruin it by telling her he’d made a mistake when he’d almost kissed her. “It’s fine. It wasn’t important. I really need to go,” she said, heading for the door.
“Ava, you’ve got my phone.”
She turned and walked back to him, holding it out. His fingers closed around her wrist, and he slowly drew her closer. “So you’re telling me that you didn’t feel anything when I held you in my arms, when we almost kissed?”
“Yes, but…Did you?”
“Yeah, of course I did.” He shook his head with a laugh. Probably because she was smiling like a crazy person.
Then his laughter faded, and he rubbed his jaw again. “Here’s the thing though. There’s stuff going on that I can’t share with you. So for now, it’s probably best if we don’t spend a lot of time together. Just for a couple months until I get things sorted out.”
“Months?”
He grimaced. “Yeah, I know. It’s not ideal. I wish—”
“Is everything okay with Finn?” she asked, assuming this was about his brother. Finn had never forgiven her for hurting Griffin. When he was in town and saw her on the street, he’d cross to the other side. But the thought couldn’t take away from the happiness bursting inside her. It was all she could do to keep it from showing on her face. It was inappropriate to be this happy when he was worried about his brother.
Griffin glanced at his phone. “They arrived at the hospital a few hours ago. Finn was hurt, but his injuries aren’t life-threatening. I’m expecting a call in the next twenty minutes with an update as to when we can fly him out of there. But he’s not…” He looked like he’d changed his mind about whatever he’d been about to say and instead lifted his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I want a second chance, Ava. And I don’t want anything to screw it up. I want to do it right this time.”
She stared at him. “This feels surreal. Like I’m dreaming. If it is a dream, please don’t wake me up.”
“You’re not dreaming, sweet face. I’m right here, and so are you. Do you want this, Ava? Do you want to give it another shot?”
Covering his hand with hers, she pressed it to her cheek. “Yes, more than you’ll ever know.”
“Honey, could you maybe not look at me that way?”
She smiled.
“Yeah, don’t do that either.” He bowed his head and swore under his breath. “This is going to be tougher than I thought.”
“So if I can’t look at you or smile at you, what can I do?”
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but wait for me.”
That was easy. She’d been waiting for him for more than a decade. “I can do that.”
“I’ll make it up to you. I’ll take you to that restaurant you love in Boston for our first date.”
“We’re going to date?”
“That and a whole lot more. So pencil me in for April twenty-first…What’s wrong? You got plans?”
“It’s not that. It just seems so far away.”
He looked like he was counting the weeks in his head. “We’ll shoot for the first week in April. If I can work this out sooner, I will, Ava. I wish I could take care of it tomorrow.”
“Is there anything I can do to—”
“Uh, no, believe me, you do not want to get between me and…” He took her by the shoulders and steered her toward the door. “You should go now. I’ll call you tonight.”
“We can talk on the phone?”
He grinned. “We used to do a whole lot more than talk, sweet face.”
Ava pushed the cart into the elevator, remembering their steamy conversations from the past. She fanned herself and then pinched herself, still finding it hard to believe this was real. Maybe it was because their relationship would be in limbo for months. Ava had spent almost half her adult life in limbo so she didn’t relish the idea of being stuck there again.
“Psst, Ava!”
The frantic whisper greeted her as she pushed the cart from the elevator onto the main floor. Expecting Erin, she was surprised to see Dana poking her head from behind a potted palm, waving her over.
Ava left the cart and hurried to the redhead’s side. Dana wasn’t always a redhead though. She had wigs of all colors and lengths in her room. She also had a wide assortment of sleeping and pain pills, which Ava knew from cleaning her room. But Ava hadn’t seen the telltale glazed look in her friend’s eyes for months. Today they were light green and framed with thick lashes.
Ava crouched behind the potted plant. “What’s going on?”
“Look,” Dana said, poking a finger through the leaves at the waitress leaving the ballroom with what appeared to be a barely touched platter of egg rolls. “Everyone’s turning their noses up at the hors d’oeuvres from the manor, and Mackenzie says they’re going to run out of their sample cakes.”
Mackenzie’s desserts were as truly scrumptious as the bakery’s name indicated. “Can’t she have her staff make more?”
“They are, but we have to get through all day tomorrow and six hours on Sunday.” Dana reached for the iPad by her feet. “After what happened with Gaston, I hate to even ask you this, but I really need your help. Some of the Widows Club went to the bridal fair in Bridgeport to snoop around. Look what they’re serving.”
Ava angled her head. “Um, I think these might be your personal pics because that looks like a man’s naked butt cheeks.”
Dana turned the screen and blinked, then leaned in. “Definitely a man’s butt cheeks. But I’ve never seen them before. Mrs. Fitzgerald must have sent it by mistake.” Dana scrolled through more pictures. “Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a mistake.” She turned the screen to Ava. A bare-chested waiter was passing around hors d’oeuvres to some very excited women.
Ava squinted. “I think I see Auntie Rosa and Dorothy in the crowd.” She supposed she should be thankful they were there and not here stirring up trouble. Though…“This isn’t good. We need to do something.”
“It’s even worse than I thought. Please say you’ll help me, Ava. I understand Sophie and Kitty are upset about Liam’s brother, and I don’t blame them, but I can’t get them to commit to anything or to help come up with a solution.” Dana chewed on a manicured nail. “This is my first big event as Greystone’s event planner, and it’s going to be a bust.”
“No, it’s not. We’ve got this. I can have enough simple but elegant hors d’oeuvres ready within an hour. You just have to drop me off at the deli. Hopefully Marco will be there, and he can help too. They’ll get you through tonight. I’ll call in reinforcements to help make enough to cover the next two days. But, Dana, you have to clear this with Sophie.”
“No, I don’t. I’m making an executive decision and contracting out to DiRossi catering. And you’re billing us, Ava.”
She opened her mouth to refuse and then closed it. She’d have extra money to go shopping for her date with Griffin. It would give her something to look forward to. She thought of something else to look forward to and smiled. “I think I’ve solved our eye candy problem. We’ll get Griffin, Liam, and some of the firefighters to act as waiters.” But she didn’t want the women ogling her half-naked soon-to-be boyfriend, and she knew the men would never agree anyway. Then she came up with a way to keep everyone happy. “They can wear their uniforms.”