“You will.” I nod. “You most definitely will.”
Her eyes say it all as she stares at my face before she lets out a soft sigh and brushes past me to walk away.
“Hey, I saw that we’re gifting Sean’s sister a monthly plan.” Joslyn walks into my office. “I thought she was in London.”
“She’s back,” I say with a glance at her. “She’s hanging out in Manhattan for a couple of months, so I thought we’d set her up with twice weekly delivery.”
“She’s a brilliant pianist, right?”
Surprised that she knows that, I shut the cover of my laptop to give her my full attention. “She does. How do you…”
“Sean mentioned it years ago.” Her hand rolls in the air. “I swear I know everything there is to know about Ava and Decky.”
I hold in a laugh when I hear her use Declan’s nickname. “Ava doesn’t have any food allergies, so go ahead and put in the order. I’ll drop off the first few at her place tomorrow.”
“Since when do you do deliveries?” She tugs her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. “I’ll text the manager at the fulfillment center. She’ll have someone deliver them. Ava’s address was on the request you submitted, so we’re good to go.”
“I’ll deliver them.”
Her head pops up. “Why?”
It’s only been a few hours since I had coffee with Ava, but I’m already looking forward to seeing her again. I enjoyed spending an hour with her this morning. I’m still fully aware that she’s completely off-limits, but a few chance and not-so-chance encounters can’t hurt.
“She’s Sean’s sister,” I say simply.
“Right.” She nods. “Family and all that.”
I’ll let her believe my bond with Sean is driving my need to go above and beyond for his sister.
No one needs to know that I’m drawn to her in a way I can’t explain. Whatever it is I feel for her, I know I can control it. I have to. I have no other choice.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Ava
“IT’S amazing what a couple of plants can do for a space.” Callie steps back to survey her handiwork. “I don’t claim to have a green thumb, but if you water them every few days and keep them in the sunlight, they’ll last until you go back to London. Sean and I will adopt them then.”
I smile at her. “You didn’t have to bring me a housewarming gift.”
I was surprised that she texted me when I was buying sheet music this morning. She asked if she could stop by after work. I couldn’t say no to that.
“I did,” she insists. “The framed print was too large for me to carry around Manhattan, so Sean will drop it off tonight.”
“Thank you for everything.”
Her smile widens. “I like your apartment. It’s bright and airy. I think you made an excellent choice when you picked this place.”
I don’t know her well, but her opinion means a lot to me. I always secretly wished for a sister, but I realized when I was a child that would never happen.
I overheard my parents talking about me. Even back then, with my limited knowledge of where babies came from, it was apparent that my parents didn’t plan on having me.
They’ve never treated me in a way that suggests they don’t love me. I haven’t wanted for anything, and they showered me with attention.
It’s only been since I moved to London that we’ve drifted apart physically. They’ve been enjoying life in Florida with friends, so London was never on their list of vacation destinations, although they’ve promised they’ll be back in Manhattan to see me before I leave.
“I like it so far,” I tell her.
She nods. “Have you been able to reconnect with any friends since you’ve been back?”
“Kind of,” I answer honestly.
I tried to get more face-to-face time with Kerry, but her job took her out of New York for the next six weeks. The other friends who were at my birthday party have busy schedules too.
“Do you miss London?”
I turn to look at her. “I thought I would, but it’s never really felt like home the way Manhattan does. I know it might be hard to understand, but I love everything about this place. The noise, the food, even the smells.”
She laughs. “I love it too. I can’t imagine living anywhere but here.”
I glance toward the windows that overlook the city. “It’s an inspiring place.”
“Have you been working on anything new?” There’s a hint of giddiness in her tone. “Sean has told me how gifted you are and although I don’t know a lot about piano compositions, I know you have something special.”
I look back to find her standing next to the piano.
The way the sunlight is filtering in through the window and hitting her makes it look like there’s a halo around her.
I’m tempted to grab my phone and take a picture to send to my brother since he’s often called her his angel in his text messages.