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Chapter 25: Ava Maxwell
Asking for Favors
It was just a really good guess that he’d be here tonight.
We got lucky.
Or not.
He looks angry as his eyes meet mine, and I’m not sure how to take that.
“Did he call you, too?” he demands.
“Did who call me?”
“Asher!” he yells at me.
My brows draw together as I try to remain calm even though he clearly is not. “Asher? Why would Asher call me? He doesn’t even have my number. At least not that I know of.” I’m babbling, and he’s angry, and I feel like I walked into the middle of a conversation I’m not part of.
“Sorry,” he mutters. “I just…don’t even know why I bothered coming here tonight.”
“Hoping to run into me?” I say brightly, trying to be the sunshine to his grumpy. But he’s clearly not feeling it tonight.
“I can’t seem to escape you,” he says under his breath. At least that’s what I think he says. I’m not really sure. It’s loud in here.
“Ready to pretend?” I ask, leaning in conspiratorially.
He pinches the bridge of his nose then draws in a heavy breath. “Do I have a choice?”
“Nope! But first, I need a drink. And so do you.”
“I have a drink over at my table,” he says.
“Have you met my friend Kelly?” I sling my arm around her.
“Pleasure,” he says gruffly as he glances at her.
“I’ve heard so much about you,” she says with a grin.
My cheeks warm.
“Ava speaks highly of you, too,” he says, finally relenting from the storm cloud he seems to be walking under this evening. “Would you two like to join us?”
I lean in toward him. “I told Kelly everything, just so you know.”
He nods as he snags his bottom lip between his teeth. “We need to be careful.”
“Does this count as a public appearance?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I guess we should have some conversations about that.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“Just let me lead the way, then.” He looks angry, and I think he still is angry with me for the omissions that I refuse to call lies. But I follow him over to his table anyway, and Kelly trails on my tail.
I spot Austin Graham at the same time she must because I feel her grab my hand and squeeze it. If anyone deserves a hot night with a football player, it’s Kelly Kaplan. She dated the same guy all through college, and he broke her heart just after graduation. She’s gone on a few dates here and there, but I haven’t seen her genuinely excited about anybody until Austin.
I hope she scores.
