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“I've been here six months, not three,” she says quietly as her gaze finds her lap. “Jackson, it's fine. New York is fine. I actually really like it here. I like NYU and…the people there are decent.”
“Aren’t you studying to be a lawyer?” I ask her, raising an eyebrow.
“Hey!” She smacks my arm. “Not all lawyers are direct descendants of Satan, you know.”
“Uh huh. Come talk to me when you graduate.”
“It'll probably be the next time we speak, so noted.” She giggles.
My attention is pulled away from the spreadsheets in front of me by the buzz of my intercom. My assistant Michelle’s voice fills the room, and I wish she’d heeded my instructions to not interrupt me.
“Excuse me, Mr. Walsh?”
“Yes, Michelle?” I don’t even bother to hide the exasperation in my voice.
“There’s an Ava Remington here to see you? She said she’s a…friendof yours?” I narrow my eyes at the phone as I can almost hear the humor.Jackson Walsh has a… friend?
“Just send her in, Michelle,” I bark, the volume of my voice reverberating off the walls of my all-white office.
Within moments, I see Ava entering my office with a bit of a bounce in her step.Where does she get all of this energy?There’s a subtle sway to her hips, and I can’t stop myself from getting momentarily hypnotized as she walks toward me. “Hi, Jackson.” She smiles, and my eyes dart away from her hips and to hers, and it’s as if she doesn’t realize I was just momentarily checking her out.Either that or she doesn’t care.
“Ava.” I nod as I stand from my chair and walk toward her. “This is a surprise. To what do I owe this pleasure?” I take a moment to admire what’s she’s wearing: a white blouse tucked into navy high-waisted pants that make her legs look a mile long.And again, with a sweater that is too light for winter. What is this girl’s aversion to a coat?
She giggles and shakes her head. “So formal.” She hands me a tin with a bow wrapped around it, and I cock my head to the side.
“What is this?”She got me a gift? For what?A foreign feeling spreads through me.
“Well, I wanted to say thank you for last night. Coming to get me and making sure I got home safe… paying for the cab.” She blushes slightly.
Why wouldn’t I pay? Doesn’t she have any idea how much money I make?
“I remember you used to have an incurable sweet tooth. Chocolate chip was your weakness if I remember correctly.” She nods towards the tin. “To say thank you.”
I’ve done favors for tons of people over the course of my life, and no one has ever done anything so—thoughtful. Hell, even last week I'd lent twenty thousand dollars to a friend, and his reply was “Thanks, douchebag,” and a promise he wouldn't blow it all on strippers and cocaine in Vegas.Not that I'd eat anything he baked.
Realizing I haven't said anything, I reply, “Ava, you didn't have to do this.”
“I know; I wanted to!” she chirps, and I'm overcome with that familiar feeling again.
Her smile, her cheery disposition is infectious.
“Well, thank you very much, Ava. I do appreciate the gesture.”If there was anything I learned from my mother, it was manners. I suppose I'll have Michelle send her a thank you card or flowers later this week.
“So, this is your big fancy office, huh? Impressive, Walsh.” She smiles, and I can't help feeling a sense of pride at her compliment.
“I like it.” I say as a smug grin finds my face.
“I'll bet! You can fit my entire apartment in here.”
I frown thinking about her in a tiny apartment all by herself. “You don't have a roommate?”
“Oh, I do. It's just… close quarters.” I look around my office and then back at her as I try to imagine how an entire apartment for two people could fit in here. “But we get along great!” She adds as if I'm concerned with that in the slightest.
How is she sharing a space this small with someone? I mean my office isn't small by any means, but I'm certainly not sharing it with another person to eat, sleep and shower. What the hell?
“Ava, you should stay with me; that's ridiculous. I have plenty of space,” I blurt out before I can even catch the words. She spins around from the artwork on my wall, her mouth ajar.
“Oh my God, Jackson. That's very kind of you, but totally unnecessary. My roommate, Darcy, is great. The space really isn't an issue, and she's a bartender, so we hardly see each other. We basically just high five each other in and out of the apartment.” She giggles. “I promise it's fine.” She assures me, but I'm not convinced. She looks around one final time. “Anyway, I just came by to drop these off; I have a class soon.”
