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Relief washed over his face, Bryce’s lips turning up in a tight smile at Cole. He probably looked like he was wild with panic, his hair likely sticking up in every direction from tugging on the ends as he’d waited for a red light to change. It would be a small miracle if he didn’t end up with speeding fines from the trip.
Ava wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and reached for him.
Cole was there, his legs taking him to her before he even registered it. He wrapped his arms around them, wanting nothing more than to shelter them both in his embrace. He kissed her hair, breathing her in before flicking his gaze to Bryce. The subtle shake of his head told Cole that she hadn’t opened up yet.
“Baby, what happened?” he whispered, pressing gentle kisses to her forehead and temples.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry either one of you, but I didn’t know where else to go.”
“You came to the right place. We’re always here for you, no matter what,” Bryce murmured. Cole loved that about him. He was the first person to crack a smile, the first person to tell a joke, but Bryce was also one of the kindest people Cole knew.
“I lost my job,” she whispered, her voice wobbling as fat tears dripped from Ava’s eyes. Her growl of anger would have been adorable had Cole not been thunderstruck by her news. She’d had a week, literally five days in the position. How could they have sacked her when they just gave her a promotion?
Cole ground his teeth together, his molars cracking as he tried to bite back a caustic comment about her boss being an arsehole.
“What? Why?” Bryce asked. “How can they do that?”
Ava sighed, the fight draining out of her once more. “Administrators were appointed to the company over the weekend. It’s broke. It’s being closed down.”
Cole closed his eyes and held her tighter, pressing another kiss to her silky hair.
When she continued, Cole met Bryce’s concerned stare. Cole wasn’t good at this; he didn’t know how to comfort people. He could fix things, could make things happen, but there was absolutely nothing he could do for the two people who were fast becoming the most important in the world to him.
“I’m owed last week’s pay, and thousands in entitlements. So, now instead of working on the townhouse project, I’ve got to look for a new job, and I don’t even know where to start.”
“Shit,” Bryce swore under his breath, shaking his head and running his fingers through Ava’s long hair again. “So unfair.”
“It sucks, you know?” Ava’s quiet words were like a sucker punch, gutting him. “I worked so hard to even be noticed by management. Then my boss saw me. He took me under his wing and pushed me. He gave me a chance to prove myself. When I wanted the promotion, he championed for me. He talked the executive into giving me a chance. And for what? I’ve had one week’s experience as a project manager. I barely even met the team I was supposed to be working with, never mind actually managed anything.” Ava huffed out a laugh, but it held no humour, only disappointment and disillusionment. “Now I have to find someone who will give me a chance to get my foot in the door so that I can start all over again. It’s like the last few years have been a complete waste.”
“Don’t think like that, baby. It’s just a bump in the road,” Bryce encouraged. He looked at Cole with wide eyes and waited for him to reassure Ava too. Expectation pressed down on Cole, and he nodded slowly, stalling until the words came to him.
“Yeah,” he squeaked before clearing his throat. “What Bryce said.” Cole could have kicked himself. What a dumb thing to say. Bryce choked out a cough and glared at him in horror while Ava pulled back and blinked at him. Heat washed over his cheeks, the flush rising from his throat. Cole tried to pull back, both furious and frustrated with himself, but Ava stopped him with a gentle hand to his cheek. She ran her thumb over his stubble, and he turned to place a gentle kiss to her palm.
“You’re really bad at this, Cole, but I love that you’re trying. Both of you, thank you.”
His shoulders sagged in relief that she wasn’t pissed, his breath rushing out of him. Capturing her lips in a slow kiss, he moaned when her breath hitched as he slid his tongue in alongside hers. He slipped his hand under Bryce’s shirt and with the other cupping Ava’s face, Cole apologized with actions rather than words.
*****
“Are you kidding me? No fucking way.”
“What else am I supposed to do?” Ava screeched, throwing her phone down on the couch. It bounced, clattering to the tiled floor.
“You can’t! I won’t let you do that to yourself,” Cole shouted. His blood was boiling, fury making him shake. What Ava was proposing—no, what those fuckwits had asked of her—was beyond the pale. The company she’d applied to had a reputation for using and abusing their staff. He hadn’t wanted her to even send her CV in, but she’d insisted. This fucked-up plan they’d hatched was just another shitty way of getting free labour.
It was a bloody ruse.
Get people invested, make them think there’s a job so they work hard, and the company gets free labour. Demanding job applicants do unpaid work for them was low. But making them do it for three months to even get a look-in was abhorrent. They wouldn’t give her a firm answer on how many positions were available, who she was competing with, or the number of applicants. It was insanity to even contemplate investing all that time and effort into a company who’d screwed their employees over many times before. They were sure to do it again too. But he couldn’t make her see sense.
Ava got all up in his face and poked him hard in the chest. Her voice was venomous, her eyes flashing with cold fury when she shouted back at him, “In what universe do you think it’s acceptable for you to act like my keeper? I didn’t ask your permission. I don’t even remember asking you for an opinion. How. Dare. You.”
Bryce tried to step between them, gently brushing Ava’s hair off her shoulder and trying to calm her. He was the peacekeeper of the group, the happy-go-lucky joyful one, while Cole was the snarling dog, and today she was a hissing cat.
Apparently, Ava was done with being calm.
She locked eyes with Bryce, silently challenging him to push her. She was spoiling for a fight, lashing out at anyone who would dare challenge her. But she wouldn’t be throwing down with Bryce, not when he flinched every time one of them raised their voices. Cole would protect that little bit of Bryce’s innocence with his whole heart.
With his hands on his man’s waist, Cole eased him gently to the side and stepped in front of him, facing off with Ava once more. “Calm the fuck down. This is ridiculous.”
