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Chapter 21
When Ava got backfrom Georgia two weeks later, she noticed that the weather had gotten cooler as the end of September usually does. Gone were the sweltering afternoons and comfortable evenings. Now she needed to wear a sweater or light jacket at night. The Saturday she came home, Tim insisted on taking her out to dinner even though she was tired from her trip. She told him it had to be casual because she wasn’t in the mood to dress up.
Tim took her to a small pizza place in The Village. They used wood fired ovens, which were her favorite. Ava noticed right away that Tim’s appearance had changed. Gone were the large framed glasses and crew cut, now he had stylish wire frames and his hair was parted to the side with a bit of styling gel added to keep it in place. He also had started to grow a beard and mustache that he was keeping neatly trimmed. She commented on the changes, and he smiled at her compliments.
He ordered a glass of wine and offered her one, but she declined. She was determined not to indulge in alcohol and hadn’t since she went to Georgia. That afternoon she dumped out all the leftover vodka and wine that she had in her cabinets. She didn’t need the temptation.
They ate their meal, and Tim told her about his new job. He was enjoying teaching the kids in the robotics club after school. At the end of the meal, he took out a large roll of bills. Ava was surprised that he was carrying around so much money. He couldn’t be paid that well, can he? He took her home and expected her to invite him up to her apartment, but she begged off saying she was very tired and wanted to go to bed. He kissed her cheek in the lobby and left.
On Sunday, she slept late and would have remained in bed dozing if Riley hadn’t sat at the foot of her bed meowing. He was hungry, and she was sure that Boomer was, too. She dragged herself out of bed and fed them. Then she got the Sunday paper that was at her door and sat down on the couch. Though she was tired, she wanted to run and went to put on her gear.
While she was stretching at the entrance to the park, she saw Tim with the same man she had seen him with weeks ago. They exchanged bags, his larger than the one he handed to the man. What was he doing? Her curiosity was piqued, and as he turned to walk away, she called to him. He looked around and upon spotting her she saw that his demeanor changed. He slowly came over to her. She asked about the bag, and he said it was some stuff for the robotics club. Then he made an excuse and hurried away.
How strange? Maybe what was in the bag had to do with why he had so much money with him? She had plenty of time to think about it while she ran through the park. After three miles had logged, the sky started to turn dark, and she ran for home hoping to get there before the skies opened up.
Unfortunately, she didn’t make it and by the time she entered the lobby she was soaked through and her clothing was sticking to her. She hurried to the elevator so she could get up to her apartment to change into dry clothing. She shivered as the door opened on the fifth floor. It brought about a memory when Xander had gotten soaked on his way back from court. She smiled to herself when she remembered what he looked like in his wet business suit; hair plastered to his head. She shook the memory away because thinking about him made her sad.
Ava slowly undressed and put her clothes in the sink and then she took a hot shower. She had no idea what she was going to do for the next two weeks. Her uncle had suspended her for a month, and it was only half over. Tim and Sam were at work (though she was seriously having second thoughts about Tim and his bag of whatever), and Luca was on another business trip.
Aside from them and her cousins, she had no other real friends in the city. They were all busy. Rachel was working on her designs and dresses from her bed. When Rigo wasn’t around, she got up to sew. Dani was working on her paintings and sculptures for her next show, and Robert was in the midst of working on the plans for his next gym location. She should have stayed in Georgia for another week.
She decided to call David. He was probably at home since it was Sunday.
“Hey, stranger, how was the flight back to New York?”
“It was good, but I should have stayed another week.”
“I’m flattered that you’re missing me already.”
“Oh, yes. I cried myself to sleep last night.”
He chuckled into the phone, and she realized that she missed him. She blurted out, “You should come visit me one of these days.”
“How about this week?”
“Are you serious? I didn’t mean tomorrow, but really?”
“I got the job!”
“You should have told me that first. Congratulations.”
“The problem is that I don’t start until mid-October, so I have three weeks to go. That was why I thought maybe I could visit you. I have plenty of time, and I have a few bucks saved.”
“If you want to come you’re welcome. Maybe we can study for the bar while you’re up here.”
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Let me make arrangements, and I will text you when I’m coming up.”
They chatted for a few more minutes and then they hung up. She was excited to show David the sights around the city. She hoped that if he told her father about his visiting her that he wouldn’t think anything was going on between them. There wasn’t, and she was pretty sure there wouldn’t be even though she got the vibe from David that he wanted her.
A little while later he texted her flight information and told her he would probably be at JFK by 1:00 PM on Tuesday. That gave a full day to get everything squared away in her apartment. She needed to clean and get some groceries in her pantry. She had nothing to eat but a few canned goods and some crackers.
The next day she got up early and started to clean, do laundry and order groceries. She wanted to make sure that David’s stay in the city was enjoyable. She printed out a bunch of places she could take him. She would let him pick since he had never been here. She was sure there were plenty of places that would interest him. She also wanted to introduce him to her family since she was pretty confident her father had plans to ask Felice to marry him. David would then be family.
As Ava made plans with David through text, Tim became very unhappy, and it reflected in his tone with his students the next day. Last night he had seen texts to David. The man was coming to stay with her in the city. He wondered if she was fucking him. She mentioned a David when they had dinner on Saturday. She said he was the son of her father’s girlfriend but said nothing more. He wondered what happened between them when Ava was down in Georgia.
She was there for two weeks, and anything could have happened. The text had said that he was coming into the city on Tuesday. He would make sure to ask them both to dinner. He wanted to size this man up and see if he was competition. The plan was becoming harder to manage with all these men around Ava. But he was up for the challenge. He knew that once he got her in his grasp, she would fall in love with him. That was his goal, and he was going to do anything he needed to make it happen.
On Tuesday, Ava waited patiently for David to get to her apartment. She had offered to pick him up at the airport with a rental, but he said he would take a cab. She tried to work on the New York Times crossword puzzle, but it was futile. She couldn’t think of one answer, and she became frustrated. She tossed the magazine on the table and dozed off, waking up to the ringing of the phone for the lobby. She answered it and was told that David was at the front desk, she waited at her open apartment door for him.
