Page 75 of Where Are You Now
Just then, her phone rang. She peered down at the name. It was Lucas.
“Lucas called,”Ava said as she tossed another log on the fire after her mother had returned home with groceries. “He’s coming over when he’s done with work. He has something he wants to tell me.”
Her mom looked up from her quilting. “What do you think it is?”
“I’m not sure.” Ava picked up her new sewing project, working the needle in and out of the fabric.
She didn’t dare voice that she’d been trying to come up with what he was going to tell her for hours. If she did, she’d have to explain to her mother how none of the scenarios seemed to be good news to her. His tone had been indecipherable, and he hadn’t lingered in conversation. He’d only asked if he could come over.
Perhaps he’d had a change of heart and wanted to move back to New York. But they had two very different lives there. Maybe Elise was moving here. If that were the case, Ava would have to support her best friend and put on a happy face.
When a knock sounded, Ava jumped up to get it. She opened the door to find Lucas standing on the porch in a pair of jeans and a heather-gray sweater that hugged his biceps and brought out the silver flecks in his green eyes. That cloud that had been hovering over him had gone, and his expression was lighter, almost happy.
“Come in,” Ava said, opening the door wider so he could enter.
They walked into the living room together, and Martha stopped sewing.
“Hi, Lucas,” her mother said with a kind smile.
“Hello.”
“It’s warm enough to sit outside,” Ava said. “Want to come out with us, Mom?”
“Maybe in a bit. You two go on out.”
Ava led Lucas onto the deck.
“It was dewy this morning,” she said, getting the matches from the shelf-cubby nestled in the stone of the fire pit. “I’m not sure if the wood will light.” She removed the grate that sat on top.
“It was pretty warm today, so you might get lucky.” Lucas sat in one of the Adirondack chairs.
Ava struck the match and held it to one of the logs on top of the pile. The flame flickered and blew out, so she lit another and tried again. This time, it caught and began to spread over the log. She replaced the grate and sat next to him.
“It’s a pretty evening,” he said.
“Yeah, it is.” She wriggled into a comfortable position in her chair, hanging on the silence. “How was work?”
Lucas shrugged. “Decent. How was your day?”
“I got some news at my job.”
He perked up. “What was it?”
Ava told him about the new position of Chief Marketing Officer.
“That’s wonderful. Did you accept?”
“Of course. There I was, thinking I’d lost the position I felt had been tailored for me, and I ended up with a job that I think might be even more my speed. It’s amazing.”
“I’m happy for you.” His words were gentle and full of feeling.
“Thank you.” Her heart squeezed. “Did you say you have news too?”
“Yes.” His eyes widened. “I put an offer on the property I took you to.”
“Oh, wow.” Ava had known better than to believe he’d return to New York, but that knowledge didn’t lessen the disappointment that filled her. She was too afraid to ask if Elise would be joining him. Had he spoken to her yet? “You’re putting down roots. I love that.”
In a way, she’d put down roots too. She’d carved out a little spot just for her in New York. After her divorce, she’d renovated her 800-square-foot apartment in Chelsea. Ava did enjoy coming home to her own little slice of paradise in the city.
