Page 81 of Maid in Heaven

After sitting together in silence for a long moment, Ava finally found enough voice to speak. “I think it’s probably time for you to go.”

“Okay.” Will rose slowly, grabbed the packet, and headed for his coat. As he put it on, he spoke again, not making eye contact with her. “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.”

Ava didn’t say a word. She sat at the table, stunned, as the door opened and closed quietly.

31

Will flipped through thepacket in bed, skimming thefinancial projections and the suggested goalposts. The gift, though overbearing,wasa truly thoughtful effort. It was clear by the care poured into every page that Ava believed in him and wanted him to succeed. There was passion there, faith in him, faith inwhat he was doing with his life.

But was it really what he wanted: decades of cleaning in policeman uniforms like some stripper with a sponge?

The stack of paper forced him to think about the questions he’d been avoiding.

Was this what he wanted to be?

Would it eventually embarrass Starla?

His looks would eventually fade--though many women did seem to appreciate a silver fox these days. He was well aware of the ticking clock limiting his future in nearly-naked cleaning.

Ava was right.

It was a profitable ideato expand to a fleet.

Another thing weighing on his mind was that he wasn’t sure Ava entirely trusted him. The way she spoke about organizing his life,essentially running itforhim, made him feel like a child again with a dominant, bossy parental figure.

Still…thinking back to the hurt on her face, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he might be wrongand that maybe it was simply a genuine, good-hearted gesture meant to bolster his career.

Hethunkedhis head against the headboard.

You pushed away a woman you careabout for what? Pride? Ego?

Fear?

The last thought stuck to his brain like an indeliblestain.

He glanced at his phone. His heart leaped when a text notification showed up on his home screen.

And it stopped when he realized it was from his best friend, Barrett.

BARRETT: How’s it going? Have you given your girl the old hot beef injection yet?

Will slumped down in his bed and pulled the covers over his head, fighting the urge to groan.

32

“Spill it. I wantall the details. But you gotta hurry, my break is only fifteenminutes. Some of us work, you know,” Madison teasedand then yelled at someone on the other end of the phone.

“Thanks for that,”Ava said sarcastically, shaking her head at no one as she lay draped across her leather sofa. Her cell was on the arm, and as Ava looked at it, she transported back to Will’s hand pinning her there, cock grinding between her thighs, excited breast in his mouth…

“How was it?”

Avaballed a fist and smacked it to her forehead, wincing. “We never got that far.”

“What?! I thought you got a bikini wax and everything yesterday? You wereready! What happened?”

“I messed things up.”

Madison was silent for a few beats. “Oh God. You didn’t.”

---