Page 56 of Where Roads Lead

I paused.

“Who?”

“You know who?”

“Is it any of your business?”

“It damn well is, since you left me here to drown today so you could go off and have a date with a girl who won’t be here in a month!”

“Okay,” I raised my voice, “you’ve had a long day. I think you should go home and sleep it off.”

She scoffed.

“And don’t worry about coming in tomorrow. I’ll handle it.”

“You’ll handle it?”

“That’s what I said.”

I thought she’d be relieved to get a break, but she looked as though I had insulted her.

“Why?” she countered. “You don’t need my help anymore?”

“Jesus, Ave. It’s one day. To give you a break to make up for what happened today.”

“Well, I don’t want it.”

“Fine!” I gave up. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

“Fine,” she said, pulling her jacket on with aggressive haste.

God, was I unequipped for dealing with people and their irrational emotions.

First Elsie, now Ava. At least I knew what got Ava so worked up. If only Elsie had been as forthcoming today as Ava was.

It killed me to not know what caused that haunted look in her eyes on the way home.

I was usually the type of guy to prefer silence over conversation, but damn, if I didn’t miss the sound of her voice that entire drive home.

Then I felt guilty for paying more attention to Elsie when she wasn’t even here than to the woman right in front of me.

“Ava, wait,” I said before she was fully out the door.

She turned, something softer in her eyes. More vulnerable. It got to me. I didn’t want to be the asshole in her story, but some fates were unavoidable.

And besides, the damage had already been done years ago.

“Where’s the order forms?”

“What?” She turned, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “I already took care of it. Like I always do.”

“Well, I want to add something to the list,” I said, agitated at the need to explain myself.

“We’ve placed the same damn order every month since we took over running the place for your parents, and now you think I don’t know how to do my job?”

“Damn it, Ava,” I groaned. “I didn’t say you didn’t know how to do your job. All I said was I had to order something else.”

In a swift step, she circled back to the counter, pulled a sheet of paper off the clipboard and shoved it at my chest.