Page 38 of Why Not Now?

I get up and walk toward them, only to pause when Ava says, “Would you mind giving me a ride? I mean, he probably didn’t wait around this whole time.”

“Ava,” Bethany says patiently, “Don’t be a chickenshit. Find the man. Figure out what’s going on. And thank him properly for helping you today.”

They laugh for a second before Ava says, “It’s easier to ask you than him. There’s nothing unresolved between us. You’re just my friend. He’s…”

She trails off and I want to pull my hair out. I’m what? But she doesn’t finish the statement anymore than I did with Vic.

I find Ava with Bethany in the room we’d left aside for the photographers. She has her phone out and looks up, startled as I come in.

“I was about to text you to see if you were still here.”

“I was in my office,” I say, indicating behind me. “Had a few things to take care of.” Lie. But I’m not about to tell her I sat there waiting for her. How pathetic would that sound?

“Well, if you don’t want to take me home, Bethany can do it.”

“No. It’s fine. You got everything?”

Bethany nudges her shoulder and nods, then leaves us alone.

Ava picks up her equipment.

“Do you want me to carry something?” I ask. I already know what she’s going to say, so I’m not surprised when she shakes her head.

“I’ve got it.”

I lead her through pouring rain to my car and we drive out to her house in silence. I let Ava choose some music from my phone again and she selects a couple Taylor Swift songs and one by Beyoncé. Instead of parking in front of her house, I park in the back where she normally would, turning the car off. We both sit there for a moment without saying anything, staring at the door to her bedroom.

“Your car is with my mechanic,” I tell her. “He said he’d have the diagnostic in a few days.”

“Thank you for doing that. I really appreciate it.”

“Is Lacey asleep?” I ask, noting there are no lights on in the house.

“Yeah. As long as she’s following the rules. She should have been in bed over an hour ago. That’s where I’m heading, too.”

“Good. You need to rest more.”

“Derek?”

Something in her tone has me turning to face her. It’s dark and rain pelts the car, drumming against the metal.

“Do you want to come in?” she asks quietly enough that I’m not certain I hear her right over the percussion.

I think back to Vic’s warning about not getting hurt. And my own thoughts last night that it would be stupid to try a relationship again after how it ended before. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea, sweetheart.”

“Do you want me to beg?” she asks.

My breath leaves me in a rush. “Fuck.”

She smiles. She knows she has me. I get out of my car and follow her to her door. We rush through the rain, and she lets us in.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Ava says, taking her camera equipment with her to put it away in her office. Then her footsteps creak upstairs, presumably to check on Lacey.

Just like the rest of the house, this room hasn’t changed much since the last time I was in it. She has the same double bed she had before. It’s shoved in the same corner. The same family of stuffed animals sits on the chair beside the same dresser.

When Ava returns, I’ve moved around the whole room, taking it in. I’ve also turned on the lights, because tonight, I want to be able to see her. She closes the door, and I do. I see the damp clothes and hair from the rain, the desire and nerves warring in her eyes, the way she looks a little more worn down than before.

“Is this going to be a recurring thing?” I ask while she takes off her boots.

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