“With coffee and your chocolate pastry, one could never go wrong.”
There was a coffee shop across the street we ended up going to. Ava kept me entertained for the short distance from the office to the shop with stories about her childhood memories and how she’d first started baking. I could tell from the bright look she had and how animated she became that this was one of her passions in life. What other interests did she have?
I frowned as I caught myself wondering about things I shouldn’t have even allowed to cross my mind. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the gold band on her ring finger meant she belonged to some other man. The thought made me frown further. Where was the husband, anyhow? How could a man possible leave this lovely, beautiful woman to her own devices to seek out a complete stranger and invite him for coffee? I was convinced, wherever he was, it surely wasn’t any of my business one way or the other.
Disengaging from my train of thought as we sat across from each other, I flagged the waiter just as I pulled out my phone and texted Hilary that I would be running a tad late for dinner. After the message, I immediately switched the mode to silent, not wanting to be interrupted since Hilary had this unfortunate tendency of being quite the annoying one sentence text message sender.
Where are you?
What time will you come?
Hurry?
Please?
This was merely a small anomaly from the stunning package altogether, one I hadn’t minded much until tonight. As much as I didn’t want to openly admit it, I was curious about what Ava had to say. After hearing her tonight, though, I made myself vow I wouldn’t see her or be cajoled by her pretty smiles again. She spelt trouble, and I certainly didn’t need to introduce useless drama into my well put-together life.
“You have such an uncanny resemblance that I find it more disturbing as the day goes on.”
Her words took me by surprise. She hadn’t even waited until we’d ordered before she had started getting down to business.
“I don’t want to seem rude, but I feel obligated to tell you that maybe you need to seek a therapist.” Shrugging, I gave her a retreated look. “With your past and this man in particular, maybe it would do you the world and lift all the guilt away. You seem to be quite bent about what happened in your old life.”
Ava was far from offended. Surprisingly, she seemed unperturbed.
“The thought did occur to me, but seeking help would clearly prove a lot of things I don’t think I’m ready to hear,” she said just as the waiter came. She looked upwards to acknowledge the pleasant, young man with her heart-stopping smile. “Hi, there. We’d love two hot cappuccinos please.”
For a moment, the waiter seemed struck before he shook himself back to functioning and took note of the order. The second he left, I didn’t waste a beat.
“You didn’t even give me the curtsey to order for myself.”
She raised her brow, her long, sooty lashes flickering at me, challenging me. “Sorry, did I make a mistake in presuming you’d adore a hot cappuccino?”
Sass. I liked that in women. “You didn’t make a mistake,” I murmured, observing her. “Though, one might wonder what else you may have read online with your little quest on me.”
She made the most unexpected gesture by bunching her nose, appearing less composed, more relaxed, and quite at ease in my company. “This and that …” she trailed off, biting her lip. “A lot of things yet a lot of nothings.”
“Anything I can help you with?” The moment the question slipped out of my lips, I wished to somehow undo it.
Blowing out a small breath, she started with what she had found. “There’s quite a list of organizations and foundations you support. I admit, I was wholly impressed.” Just then, the waiter returned with our order. We both murmured our thanks before we took a moment to drop sugar cubes and stir the steaming java concoction. “I don’t mean to pry, but how come there isn’t much history about you? I could only find information from your University days, nothing about your childhood …”
My, quite the handy little Miss Investigator she had turned out to be. “I don’t deem it necessary for the world to know about my past. What matters is what I have accomplished thus far and what I aim to achieve in the future. Being in business, whatever information I put out there gives competitors and my enemies more fuel to use against me. Why in God’s name would I do that?” I never meant to take a jab at her, but I caught her flinching. Regardless, my past was no one’s concern. I had paid a hefty sum for it to be hidden. Furthermore, it would remain that way for as long as I was alive.
“You’re right,” she reluctantly said. “I sort of got carried away …” Pressing her lips together, she took a cautious sip of her coffee before carefully placing it back on the white, stoneware saucer.
Mine remained untouched as I noted her every move, fascinated yet watchful.
“Reiss was a gardener’s son,” she started, sounding unlike her usual voice. There seemed to be a catch to her tone, as if she was having a tough time with it. “It was the beginning of summer, and I had just gotten back from boarding school.” She paused before she plucked one brown sugar cube from the tiny bowl, placing it on the old wooden table and restlessly toying with it as she pondered about the past. “I went to an exclusive all-girls school, and with the manor full of older people, it didn’t take long for him to get my attention.
“At first, I observed him from afar, but as the days went on and he didn’t even take notice of me, I changed my antics and became bolder. He wasn’t necessarily shy, but I think he did have reservations about me in the beginning…
“Each day, the more we conversed, the more I wanted to know him, and Reiss went so far as to fall in love with me. It think I was starting to feel the same, but by then, my parents had found out my secret, and they were completely against it.”
“Her face contorted with abhorrence before she carried on, “Then, before the summer ended, Ashton—who was my on again, off again boyfriend and one of my father’s friend’s sons—actually came to visit, and I failed to disclose that to Reiss. This resulted with the both of us fighting before I broke things off with him, stating that it was simply a fling, nothing more.
“Reiss took this to heart. Being so upset, he shouldn’t have been drinking that night, but he did. He was obliterated—all four of his friends were before they decided to drive him home …” Wrapping her arms around her, she rubbed her shoulders as though she felt a chilling shiver. “The car crashed into another vehicle, causing a fire, and the authorities pronounced them all dead at the scene.”