Chapter Twenty-One
Ava looked around and smiled at Dirk. Then she looked for Phyllis. She started walking around and looking for her when she couldn’t see her. She caught sight of her with an armful of books at the back.
“There you are. We only have five minutes left before we close so that you can go home.”
The woman glared at her before she dumped the books on the cart, turned around, and walked off.
Damn, Ava tried so hard to get the woman to like her, but nothing she did helped, and she could tell Phyllis was getting more unhappy as the days passed.
She needed to pull her aside soon and ask her if working at the library was what she wanted. Ava wouldn’t be able to handle being that miserable.
Ava rolled the cart over to her office door and set it aside to grab her purse and a book she wanted to read later. She looked around and noticed some things had been moved, but she didn’t think anything of it. She didn’t know why Phyllis would be in the office, but there wasn’t anything she could hurt.
She locked up, put her purse on the cart, and wheeled it to the front. She shook her head when she saw Dirk was standing where he could see her. God, when would it end? It had been a couple of weeks since her car got damaged, and nothing had happened.
She still received the hang-up calls all day but guessed it was kids.
“Are you about ready?” Dirk asked.
“Yes. All I have to do is lock up.”
“I’m supposed to take you back home. Sean’s in a meeting that is running late.”
“That’s fine. When do you think my car will be done?” she asked as she locked the door.
She noticed Dirk looked away before he answered.
“You’ll have to ask Sean, honey.”
“Dirk, what’s going on?”
He grabbed her upper arm, walked her down the steps, and got her into his car.
He ignored her as he pulled out onto the street.
“Are you going to answer me?”
“I want you to ask Sean, honey. I’m not sure what’s going on.”
For some reason, she didn’t believe him but let it go for the moment. They pulled into the underground parking, and he pulled up to the elevator.
Dirk got out and came around to open her door and help her out. She put a hand on his shoulder when he tried to follow her. “Dirk, I’m perfectly capable of riding up the elevator by myself. No one can get on it without a code, and I’m going straight to the condo.”
He sighed and held his palms up. “Fine. But I’m waiting by the elevator just in case you scream. I can always run up the stairs to get to you.”
Ava snorted and rolled her eyes before she stepped onto the elevator. She pushed in the code and waved as the doors shut.
The door opened when it came to her floor, and she stepped out. She turned around, bent forward, and yelled in the gap of the elevator door. “I’m in Dirk. Go home.”
She grinned when she heard him yell back and call her a sassy pants.
She set down her purse and book and made her way to the bedroom, where she stripped and jumped into the shower. After, she dressed in silky lounge pants and a tunic that Sean had bought her and walked into the kitchen to find something to make for dinner.
She wondered if Jace would be there tonight and planned to make enough just in case.
After she closed the refrigerator door and turned, she screamed. A huge man stood leaning against the wall and with his arms crossed.
He straightened immediately. “Fuck, Ava. I’m Mack. Didn’t anyone tell you I’d be here?”