“Two million. More than enough for her to live the rest of her life in comfort.”
She sighs. “There’s more to life than money, Lucas. Jobs give people pride, self-esteem.”
“You don’t get it. I gave her the money so she can be a writer, like she said she wanted. She never needed your help. I certainly never needed your meddling. Now things are worse.” I climb into my car and shove a hand into my hair. “If you hadn’t interfered, I would never have gone after her. And if I hadn’t, she wouldn’t have lost her job in Japan. I would’ve found someone else to marry, and you would’ve gotten the portrait anyway. It’ll almost serve you right if I don’t marry anybody after all, and nobody gets them.”
“I’m not doing this for Grandpa’s painting.”
“Then why? Don’t tell me it’s for my own good. That’s bullshit.”
“You can believe whatever you want, but know one thing. Women on their own can be vulnerable.”
“She has foster parents.” Who are old and have a child of their own to look after. Surely their own flesh and blood come before Ava.
“I only wanted to make sure she’d be okay.” She sighs. “If you don’t like how I did it, then undo it.”
“A little too late for that.”
“No, it’s not. Talk to Nate. I’m sure he’ll fire her for you.” She hangs up.
I smack the steering wheel, hard. How dare she try to turn me into a villain? I did not abandon Ava. I did not leave her helpless and vulnerable. I—did—nothing—wrong.
I’ve been trying to put my life together after the accident. Rehab sucked, and trying to prove to myself that part of me didn’t die when Ava dumped me the first time…
Being with her the second time proved I’m not dead. So now all I need to do is learn that lesson and move on.
Get Nate to fire her.
My head swivels toward the hospital. He’ll probably do it if I ask…although he’ll want to know why, and I don’t want to discuss my reasons.
I inhale and exhale deeply a few times. There’s no need to talk to Nate. I can get her to quit on her own. Surely I’m the last person she wants to be around. After all, I’m toxic.
Chapter Fourteen
Ava
I paste on a big smile as I walk into the medical center on Monday in my pink blouse and forest-green pencil skirt. I chose them because they’re my “pick me up” outfit, and I could really use one today.
I stop by the break room to grab a coffee before going to my desk. My laptop boots up in no time, and I review the day’s and week’s agendas and mark everything that requires my or Robbie’s immediate attention.
At least I’m being somewhat productive at work. I was worthless at home. I sat in front of the blank TV and stared at nothing for most of Sunday. None of the items on my long personal to-do list got crossed off. I even begged off meeting Jon for lunch, mostly because I’d have made lousy company, and he deserves better.
I sip the steaming coffee as quickly as possible. My eyes feel like they’re packed with sand, and caffeine’s the only thing that will get me through this day. Faye and Lucas in each other’s arms kept popping up in my dreams, disturbing my sleep. They definitely had it off after going home. You don’t kiss like that unless you’re planning on more.
She’s with him because you didn’t fight for him.
Elizabeth’s words circle around my head. I imagine them as a halo of vultures waiting for my sanity to draw its last breath. The doubt she’s sown wants to feast on my pride, my sense of self-worth. And that’s about all I have left.
The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one. Well, obviously I have one—my inability to let go of Lucas. If he hadn’t shown me what we could have had together, then it wouldn’t hurt so much. After all, I survived the first time. But this second time was more… He made me hope for a shared future.
Your future does not have to have Lucas in it, I tell myself forcefully. I can date around, find some other man to love. Who says you can only love once? As a matter of fact, Jon might be the one—the man who could love me, who I could love back openly.
And to that end, it’s better that I make sure Lucas and his family don’t want anything to do with me. Elizabeth didn’t mention Mia just to be chatty. God, my head is a mess of j
umbled thoughts and emotions. I have to pull myself together…or I’m going to do something to irreparably damage not only myself, but possibly Mia’s safety and future as well.
I finish the coffee and stand up to get a second serving before checking in with Robbie. Then I see…
Lucas.