I sighed, running my hands over my face. Why did I give her a month to come clean? And the worst of all, why was I eager to see her after that?
Because you’re a twisted fuck, that’s why.
I looked at the city a little longer before concentrating on my task again. I was sure that after a few days of intense work, Ava would not be much more than a distant memory.
Chapter 5
Ava
“EarthtoAva.”Iblinked up from my Caesar Salad to see Jessica standing in front of my desk with her hands on her hips.
“Jess?”
“I’m glad you remember me.” She sighed, flipping her blond hair over her shoulders. “What’s up with you, girl? You’ve not been in the lunchroom for weeks.”
I shrugged, looking down at my salad again and stabbing at a crouton with my fork. “I’ve been very busy. Mrs. Winfield has been very demanding.”
That was not a lie. The old witch was being very demanding and I think she’d never forgiven me for being made permanent at the end of the three-year graduate program and then being hired as the junior assistant for our Head of Marketing. A job she was trying to get for her niece—it was nepotism at its best and I’d been grateful that it hadn’t worked.
She leaned against my desk, showing me she was not giving up.
“Come on, you look all weird. What is it?”
I slept with my best friend's brother and he gave me a four-week ultimatum to come clean. I don't want to tell him until I have a solution to offer and I am now two weeks into this conundrum without a glimpse of a solution in sight.
“I’m just a little stressed.”
“Why don’t you come out tonight?”
I cringed inwardly. Once had been more than enough of an experience.
“You can ask Ethan to go and make a night of it.”
That was a double no. Ethan disliked her; I couldn’t blame him, though. Every time we met with her, she would try to match him with the only other gay guy she knew, simply because they were both gay. In her eyes, that meant they had to date.
“Ethan is at a conference.” I was a little relieved not to have to lie for once. I had planned to tell him everything earlier this week but I’d forgotten about his trip to New Zealand. Seriously, a podiatry conference in New Zealand. Who knew there were actual conferences about feet?
“Even better! Come party! I know you got sick last time and went home but I swear it will be better this time.”
I took a sip from my bottle of water. She’d seen me disappear at the same time as Hugo that night, but I didn’t want her to know the truth. I was not built to become office gossip so I’d lied. I said I’d suddenly felt light-headed and that the very nice man had put me into a black cab outside. I’d then made her believe that I’d spent the rest of the night vomiting in my flat.
I racked my brain for another plausible excuse as she leaned expectantly against my desk.
I opened my mouth to answer just as Mr. Moore, the head of Marketing, opened the door.
“Ms. Byrnes, could you please come to my office?” he asked, not really caring that I was right in the middle of my lunch break.
“Right away, Mr. Moore.” I stood up briskly, grateful for the intrusion.
I grabbed my notebook and passed Jessica to enter the office.
“Let me know,” she called after me just as I closed the door behind me.
“You don’t need the notebook,” he said sharply, circling his desk to sit behind it.
I pursed my lips at the sharpness and irritation in his tone, which was pretty uncommon for the usually soft-spoken middle-aged man.
“Is there a problem?”