Page 59 of Where Are You Now
“Hey. Whatcha up to?” She plopped down on the sofa.
“I’m eating a dinner for one at my kitchen table.”
She looked at her watch. “It’s eight o’clock. That’s a late dinner.”
“I had a long day at work, going through files, so I picked up take-out.” He paused, then out of nowhere said, “It’s good to hear from you.”
Her heart fluttered at his soft tone. “Whereisyour apartment?”
“It’s about a block away from the hospital.”
“I’d like to see it sometime.”
“You can come any time you want.”
“How about tomorrow?” That way, she could tell him in person that she was staying longer and get a read on how he felt. “What does your afternoon schedule look like?”
“I’ll be off at three.”
“Text me your address, and I’ll see if my mom will loan me her car.”
“All right.”
“See you tomorrow,” she said, every nerve in her body pinging with excitement.
A huff of fondness came across the line. “See you tomorrow.”
She got off the phone and fell back onto the sofa. She couldn’t wait to see Lucas again.
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning, Ava sent an email to Robert Clive and Scott Strobel to let them know that after careful consideration, she’d decided that she’d need another week working remotely before jumping into the race to the office. Then she checked the rest of her emails. She had one she’d missed from Rachel asking for her address to send her a gift basket. Then, she got an immediate reply from Scott, telling her to take her time coming back and not to worry, that he had everything under control, which eased her mind.
She went into her client list and took stock of the remaining four: High-Craft Organic, Bubbles Soap Company, Clover Candles, and SpeedBykes—her four smallest accounts. Scott had taken care of all the large companies.
In the past, his email saying that everything was under control and that she shouldtake her time coming back would’ve bothered her. And then, with her largest accounts reworked and finished by him, she’d have thought he was trying to take over her job. But now, he just seemed helpful. He’d left her with the four companies she could manage remotely, and he’d taken care of the rest.
Ava got to work building the brand positioning and messaging for her remaining list. She called the subcontractors for SpeedBykes and checked in on them. Then, for each company, she worked on their content and digital marketing strategies, filling out their website optimization plans and segmenting email lists for product updates and promotions. With every piece of the puzzle she put together, she began to feel the way she had when she’d first gotten out of college. Ava was inspired by the creative challenge. She was becoming comfortable with the unknown, something that would’ve terrified her before the accident. Ava didn’t know where she’d go from here or what accounts she’d get going forward, but it was—oddly—okay. Without knowing the future, she was able to put all her energy into the four companies in front of her.
Early that afternoon, after spending all morning digging into her accounts and getting tasks set up for tomorrow, Ava went for her first jog since the accident. She was slow and careful, and the smallest length got her out of breath, her torso aching, but she moved the same way she had with her work—one step at a time. Not wanting to push herself, her run was short—only about a street in length—but she felt accomplished. When she got home, she took some ibuprofen, jumped into the shower, and got ready to see Lucas.
With Lucas’s address in her navigation, Ava drove her mom’s car to his apartment. She pulled up to an industrial, loft-style building with painted lettering from the original grain factory still lingering on the brick. Ava parked on the street and went up to the door. She opened his text on her phone and typed in the code. The door clicked. She went inside and up to the fourth level. Outside his door, she stood tall, pushed her newly curled locks behind her shoulders, then knocked.
Lucas opened the door.
“Hi,” he said with a spark of interest in his eyes.
Was he as happy to see her as she was to see him?
“Hey.”
He ushered her inside. “Did you find the place okay?” he asked over his shoulder as he led her through the studio loft—a single open space with tons of natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Yep.” She walked over to an array of plants by the large panes with a city view. “You grow plants?”
“Don’t act so surprised,” he said from behind the island in the kitchen. He was already gripping the corkscrew around a bottle of white wine. “I did grow up on a farm, remember?”
The pop of the cork echoed in the airy space, and he poured two glasses.
