I hang up immediately and press the button on my phone to trigger the lock on the building’s front door to open.
I wasn’t expecting to see him today, but I can’t turn him away. He’s Sean’s friend, after all, and in some way, I think he’s slowly becoming mine too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Harrison
I work to hold my jaw in place because fuck me, Ava is so goddamn gorgeous that my mouth is about to fall open.
I thought red was her color, but this sweater that is the same hue as her eyes is stunning on her.
She’s a vision after the hellish day I had.
It was so fucking stressful that I clocked out at four, went home, worked out, showered, and cooked.
Then I called my driver, had him pick up the meal kits Jos prepared for Ava, and asked him to swing by my place to grab me.
Ava scrunches her nose. “What’s that smell, Harry?”
“Me?” I cock a brow. “You’re not the first person who told me I smell good today.”
She lets out a light laugh. “It’s pizza, isn’t it?”
I drop my gaze to the cardboard boxes in my arms. The bottom one contains all the ingredients she needs to prepare three lunches and just as many dinners. The top one is something I made for her before I left home.
“Let me in, and you’ll find out.”
Waving a hand to beckon me inside, she smiles. “Please come in, Harrison.”
I chuckle. “I made you a pizza for dinner, Ava. I hope you haven’t eaten yet.”
She closes the door behind me. “I had a sleeve of saltines and a glass of lemonade for lunch. That’s the last time I ate anything.”
I spin around, wanting to scold her. I’ve done the same to Jos, but she’s my sister. Ava is a friend. Or, at the very least, she’s the younger sister of my best friend.
“I spent the day working on a new piece.” She gestures toward the piano. “It’s all-consuming sometimes. Food was the last thing on my mind.”
Her words crawl inside me, twisting to accommodate what I feel since she was the first thing on my mind when I got home from work.
I fought to ward off the image of her in the shower when I took mine. That was a losing battle.
She claps her hands together. “What kind of pizza did you make?”
“Your new favorite kind,” I say with confidence. “I’ll put this stuff away, and then we can eat.”
She points toward the open kitchen area. It’s a small space, but more than enough room for her to prepare her meals. “Follow me, Harry.”
“Casual Harry is different than corporate Harry.”
I glance across the table to where Ava is sitting. A lazy smile is on her face.
We’ve just sat down after putting away the meal kits and deciding to share a bottle of sparkling water that she had in the fridge.
It’s one of the few items there were stored in there.
I flip open the cover of the box containing the pizza. It’s a standard large size pizza box. Joslyn dropped off a dozen at my house a few months ago so I could deliver a pie to Roxy whenever she ordered one.
It was a running joke until my mother took her to a pizza place in midtown, and she fell in love with the greasy pepperoni pie they made there.
Ava rests her forearms on the table to lean forward to get a better look inside the box. “Wow. You made that?”
I take pride in her reaction. “I did. It’s prosciutto and arugula.”
Her gaze searches out mine. “I’m impressed.”
I plate up a slice for her. “Here you go.”
She eagerly grabs the plate and takes a hearty bite of the pie. A series of soft noises escape her as she chews. “Oh my god. This is heaven.”
I follow her lead and dig in, even though I ate half of the other pie I made before I left home. I was famished and had no idea if she’d invite me in to share with her.
We eat in silence until she reaches for a second slice. “I haven’t seen you dressed like that since you were a teenager.”
I huff out a laugh. “Like casual Harry?”
She smiles at the reminder of what she said. “Casual Harry likes wearing jeans and T-shirts. Corporate Harry is all about fancy suits and ties.”
With a lingering chuckle, I start on my third slice.
I didn’t put a lot of thought into my clothing choice tonight. After my shower, I tugged on a pair of jeans and a black sweater. I slid my feet into a pair of black dress shoes on my way out my door.
“Do you like what you do?” Ava asks unexpectedly.
That question doesn’t have an easy answer. I feel a responsibility to do what I do because I employ a lot of people. All of them depend on me to keep a paycheck in their hands.
I swallow. “Sure. If I weren’t doing this, I’d be surfing or jumping…”
“Out of airplanes?” she interrupts. “You could be a stuntman. Why not ditch the suits and ties and head to Hollywood?”
The idea is so preposterous that I chuckle. “I like the security of my work and the thrill of the things I do after hours.”
There’s no hidden meaning in those words, but they draw a blush to her cheeks.
Are Ava’s thoughts drifting to the same place mine have been since her birthday?
She takes another bite of the pizza.
I watch her intently, wondering where her mind is right now.
“What’s the dream for you, London?” I ask quietly. “Where do you see yourself in the future?”
She contemplates that as she chews. A sip of water from her glass follows that. “I have a lot of dreams.”
As do I, but most will never come true. I’ve accepted that and dwell on the here and now, because at the end of the day, that’s all any of us have.
“Tell me one,” I say, punctuating the words by popping my index finger in the air.
She tilts her head to the side, her top teeth scraping over her bottom lip as she weighs her answer. “I’d love to play at Carnegie Hall one day.”
That’s not shocking. She’s a gifted musician. I assume most people with talent that matches hers have that same dream in their sights.
“I will play Carnegie Hall one day,” she amends her last statement. “I’ll make it happen. I know I will.”
I sense she’s right, even though I’ve never seen her play. I’d ask for a private concert now, but she’s so relaxed that I push aside my selfish desire to witness her talent for myself.
“I’ll be seated front and center for that concert.”
“You’d come?” Surprise laces the tone of her voice. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” I say, gazing into her eyes across the table. “You let me know when it happens, and I’ll buy the first ticket.”
A soft smile spreads over her lips. “I’ll do that, Harry.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ava
“You’re taking the subway home?”
Harry lets out a chuckle. “I am. Why?”
I was surprised when he told me he would head to the nearest subway stop to make his way uptown. I assume he caught a ride here since he was loaded down with cardboard boxes. I thought he’d go home via the same mode of transportation.