Honesty may be the best policy, but it can also be embarrassing. I didn’t come right out and say my name because I liked how he looked at me when he didn’t know who I was. I enjoyed the brief moment that passed between us in the elevator.
I set down my fork and sigh. “It was fun seeing you view me through a lens that made me unrecognizable to you.”
He huffs out a laugh. “You have changed.”
“You saw me through that same lens at the bar.” I pick up the mug of coffee and take a small sip. “I came here with you last night with the intention of telling you I was Sean’s sister.”
“We almost kissed,” he points out. “I almost kissed you, Ava.”
A part of me wishes he had.
“I don’t know what would have happened if your brother hadn’t shown up.” He tilts his head back. “I just don’t know.”
“I would have told you before anything happened,” I confess.
His left eyebrow cocks. “Are you sure about that?”
I nod. “Everyone deserves to know the truth about who they’re sleeping with.”
He takes another bite of omelet, so I pick up my fork and do the same.
We spend the rest of the meal eating in silence, stealing glances at each other as I wonder what would have happened last night if I had told him my name.
As much as I want to believe that he would have still taken me to his bed, I know it’s much more likely that he would have put me in an Uber and sent me home.
He wipes the napkin over his lips before finishing the coffee in his mug. “It goes without saying that what almost happened last night can never happen. We both understand that, right?”
“Right,” I whisper.
“Ava?” His deep voice lures my gaze to his again.
“Yes?”
He exhales sharply. “You’re a beautiful woman, and from what Sean tells me, you’re incredibly talented too. I’m glad I got to spend a few hours with you on your birthday, even if the night went to hell.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I’m glad too, Harry. You made it a birthday I’ll never forget.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Harrison
“A rideshare is coming.” Ava glances toward my front door. “Decky must have left by now, so I can head to his apartment. You’re sure I’m not keeping you from work?”
She is, but I called my assistant and had her reschedule my first meeting of the day. I didn’t want to chase Ava out of here before she was ready.
“It’s fine,” I tell her. “You’ve got everything?”
Her gaze drops to the clutch purse in her left hand. “Everything I need.”
I shove my hands into the front pockets of my pants because I’m itching to embrace her before she walks out of here.
I can’t imagine a scenario where I’ll ever be alone with her again.
Even if I manage to avoid her for the next two months, I’m sure she’ll be back in New York for Sean’s wedding, and I imagine when the baby is born too.
“Sean showed up kind of late last night,” she says as if she can read my mind. “Does he do that often?”
I wondered briefly if she had overheard any of our conversation when she was upstairs, but nothing indicates that she did.
I’m grateful for that.
Sean should be able to tell his sister to her face that he’s going to be a father, and he needs to do that at a time that works for him and his fiancée.
“Sometimes,” I admit. “You know your brother. He can be spontaneous.”
“I used to know him really well,” she mutters.
The chasm of physical distance can impact even the closest relationship. I’ve experienced that, so I can relate to what she’s saying.
“Callie seems to make him very happy.” Ava’s eyes brighten. “We only just met, but I like her a lot.”
“She’s a good fit for him.” I smile. “I’ve never seen him happier than he is right now.”
I know that will change when the baby arrives and their wedding day. Those will rank as the best days of his life. That’s all in the future, and sometimes fate can derail even the best-laid plans, but for Sean’s sake, I hope everything plays out exactly as he wants it to. He deserves that.
“Good.” Ava sighs. “I’m glad.”
“Me too.”
Her gaze drops to her phone. “My ride is around the corner. Thank you for breakfast, Harry, and for letting me crash in your bed.”
I’d tell her she’s welcome to crash in it whenever she wants, but she’s fucking off-limits, so I keep my mouth closed and nod.
Her fingers tug on the front of the sweater. “I’ll get these clothes washed and back to you.”
“I doubt like hell Joslyn would notice them missing since she has more clothes than anyone in this city.”
Ava lets out another of those musical-sounding laughs that hit me in a way that I can’t explain. “She has excellent taste.”
I smile. “She’d appreciate the compliment.”
With a sigh, she gestures toward my door. “Time for me to go. Thank you again. Last night was a night I’ll never forget.”
As she slips out and into the cool morning air, I watch her walk away, wondering about all the maybes and what-ifs that will never happen.
“Mr. Keene, sir? I’m sorry to bother you.”
I wince when I hear the voice behind me. I’m not usually at home when the husband and wife team I hired to clean shows up, but I hung around after Ava left to make a few calls for work.
I could have easily done that in the car, but it’s quiet here or it was until the cleaning duo arrived.
They do an excellent job on not only my brownstone but my mother’s apartment too. She lives in a five bedroom penthouse on the Upper West Side. That affords me the comfort of having Central Park between us.
I glance over my shoulder to see Tana standing in the open doorway of my home office. It’s just off the main living room. It’s not a large space, but a desk fits in here, and on the days when I don’t make it into the office for one reason or another, I can still focus on what needs to be done to keep my various businesses running.
“Jerard is washing the windows,” she explains, even though I haven’t asked where her husband is.
He’s a man of few words and a full head of gray hair. He keeps to himself and cleans my home as if it were his own. Tana, his wife, does the same.
I nod. “Good.”
“I was on the top floor.” She steps into my office without an invitation. “I found something I’m unsure what to do with.”
I spin in my chair to face her. “What did you find, Tana?”
A flash of red fabric appears as she pulls her hand from behind her back. “This beautiful red dress was in the trash in the bedroom that Miss Duran sleeps in. I think she may have discarded it because it’s stained, but I know a dry cleaner who can have it looking brand new within a day.”
Holding out my hand, I push up to my feet. “I’ll take care of it.”
She sets the dress in my palm. The silk is soft. The color of the fabric is vibrant. I hadn’t noticed how vibrant last night.