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She closedthe email and made sure to click on “Keep as New” so that Jacob wouldn’t know she read it. It didn’t shock her that Xander was already dating someone. Maybe it was true that he had cheated on her many times. He probably was sleeping with Kaycee before she came to visit him in California. She was furious at herself for holding off for the past month. She should have slept with David, at least she would feel that she had gotten back at Xander if she had.
But now she had a problem. She had the knowledge that Robert was going to ask Samantha to marry him and it was going to be hard to keep that a secret. She hoped he would ask her soon so she wouldn’t have to pretend about knowing for too long. Of course, she was thrilled that eventually, Sam would be part of her family. They were already like sisters. It turned out she wouldn’t have to wait too long.
Friday arrived, and Jacob stopped in to show baby pictures during the morning. Aunt Mavis and Sandra’s mother was helping with Jake and Nicole so he could steal a few hours at the office. He looked tired even though Nicole had only been home for one day. Ava had gone to the hospital on Wednesday night after she had coffee with Tim and Sandra let her hold Nicole. She smelled the newborn’s head and kissed her. It was one of her favorite smells.
* * *
Tim satin the alley just around the corner from Ember. He couldn’t get in, but most of the club goers knew where to find the “Weedman.” His hands were cold, and he rubbed them together as he waited for the next group of customers to come and purchase. He pulled the hat he was wearing tight around his ears and adjusted his sunglasses. He wanted to hide as much of his face as possible. There were times he would dye his beard with shoe polish or wear colored contacts. He never wore his regular glasses and always wore some type of cap, even when it was warm.
The business he was generating at the school where he taught was enough, but he was trying to build a nest egg that he could use to invest in his future. Once he had Ava and her money, he could leave this all behind. His stomach had been upset lately especially when there were murmurings around school about drugs being sold by teachers. Fortunately for him, one of the gym teachers was caught with several small bags of crystal meth. He was arrested, and Tim had to lie low telling his customers that they could only purchase during off hours when security was lax.
He had already amassed over twenty-nine thousand dollars in cash over the past six weeks, and that was not including the cash he spent on himself for clothing and gifts he would give to Ava in the future. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had been selling weed since he was in high school.
He had been picked up when he was nineteen for dealing, but he had disposed of his stash and hid most of the money. The police only caught him with two joints and one hundred dollars in twenties. Not enough evidence to make a strong case. He went back for his stash several days later that he had hidden in an abandoned car. To look at him, you would never know he was a dealer.
Ava was beginning to warm up to him. He had sensed she was suspicious after she saw him at the park with his supplier. He tried to smooth that over as much as possible. He tracked her texts, emails, where she went daily and kept a notebook with dates of everything. He wanted to have something for reference just in case.
Her texts to David were friendly, and she hadn’t tried to contact Xander so he knew his email must have hit the mark. She never seemed to mention him when she texted anyone, and he needed that to change. He was having dinner with her tomorrow. They were going to a French restaurant in midtown. He had researched the place and found it was very expensive. He had made the reservations several weeks ago with the hopes he could convince her to go with him. His excuse; that he had been offered the head of the computer department with a substantial raise. Dinner was his treat.
On Saturday, he was excited. He had laid out his suit and tie earlier that day. He sat and polished his shoes since he wanted everything to be perfect for the date, and to him, it was a date. He had debated whether to get her flowers but he felt it would be overkill, and she might think he had ulterior motives. He texted her to make sure she was going to be ready when he came to pick her up at seven. She let him know that she would be waiting in the lobby.
Ava didn’t much feel like going out to dinner. She loved French food but was worried that Tim would think this was a date. The restaurant he had chosen was very expensive, and he had insisted that he pay. She wondered why so early in the school year without tenure, they would make him head of the computer department; it didn’t add up. And she remained on alert when it came to Tim.
At seven, he showed up in a cab to pick her up. She was dressed elegantly underneath her long cream colored wool coat. It had gotten sharply colder in the past week, and it was a bit blustery. Tim chattered on about his new position so much so that she began to believe he was made the head of the department. But she also considered if he hadn’t gotten it that he was putting up a convincing argument.
The restaurant was beautifully decorated inside, and the service was exceptional. He ordered a bottle of wine, but she declined to tell him that she was abstaining from alcohol. She didn’t offer any explanation because it was too embarrassing. He let her smell the bouquet and drank half a bottle on his own. Why not? The bottle cost one hundred twenty-five dollars. At the end of the meal the waiter brought the check and Ava glanced to see that it was over eight hundred dollars. He removed a money clip from his inner pocket and paid it all in hundreds.
When they arrived back at her apartment, she invited him in for coffee. It was the least she could do when he bought her such an expensive dinner. They sat on the couch and talked about work. He picked up one of her study guides for the bar exam from the table and asked her a question. She was able to answer without hesitation. He told her how impressed he was, but she told him she had been studying since she graduated five months earlier.
A couple of hours later and Ava was falling asleep as Tim talked. She had been up early that morning so she could work out and clean her apartment, then spent the rest of the day studying. She finally asked him to leave and walked him to the door. He gently stroked her face and placed a firm kiss on her lips. Then he was out the door saying goodnight as he walked to the elevator.
Ava felt something inside from his kiss. Something she had not felt when he kissed her before. His attitude had changed, and she noticed right away. He wasn’t a braggart any longer. He didn’t talk about himself all that much during dinner or later in her apartment. Rather allowing her to tell him what had been going on in her life. She liked that very much that he cared. She texted him that she had a wonderful time that night, and they needed to get together again soon as her treat.
Tim was elated when he received her text. He knew that if he kept his mouth shut about himself that she would change her mind about him and he was right. She seemed to be more receptive especially when he kissed her. Before she would push back from him and tell him no, now she did none of that. He had a constant smile as the cab took him back to his apartment.
* * *
On Sunday, Ava’s father called to tell her that he and Felice would be having an intimate wedding on Saturday, the Ninth of November. He wanted to make sure he gave her enough time to ask for a few days off. The rest of her family in New York were invited as well as Peter and Gabby Wilder. She was looking forward to seeing everyone including David. They had been in contact every day since he left the city a couple of weeks ago. She missed him and didn’t realize how much until he had left. He was her confidante, and she told him things she wouldn’t even tell Sam or Rachel.
The work week was busy, and even though Jacob was only in the office part time, he made sure to pile the work on her. During lunch hours before they both left for the day, he drilled her with the flash cards. She had the same set at home and used them each night. He was impressed with her recall.
This was her life: work, studying, working out and occasionally having dinner with friends. She had managed to refrain from consuming alcohol for several weeks and frankly, she didn’t miss it. Alcohol wasn’t the answer to making her feel better. She just needed time.
At the end of the week, she was asked by her uncle to join them for dinner the next night. He said it was a special occasion, and she needed to be there. What special occasion? She wracked her brain trying to think if she had forgotten someone’s birthday or anniversary, but she could think of none. She would just have to hope that she wouldn’t be embarrassed by an oversight.
Dinner was delicious, and Aunt Mavis had, as usual, outdone herself. It was a mix of Greek and American foods. Samantha had joined them for dinner since she basically was one of the family. She excused herself to use the bathroom, and when she came back, Robert got down on one knee and asked Samantha to marry him. Ava wasn’t shocked since she had read the email that Xander had sent to Jacob. It was a secret she had a hard time containing from her best friend. But now it was out, and she could breathe a sigh of relief.
Samantha was ecstatic that Robert had finally asked. They had discussed marriage before, but with his new gym openings, he had been busy. The ring he presented her with was a three-carat round stone in a platinum setting. Ava was happy for her friend but also felt a bit of envy. She wasn’t sure she would ever experience the love of someone enough to marry them. The man she thought she would marry was far away, and he was with someone else.
She hugged Sam and Robert; she was truly happy for them. After dessert, Sam sat next to her.
“You’re going to be my maid of honor. I hope you know that?”
“I thought you would ask Rachel or Dani since they will be your sisters-in-law.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re my best friend and the closest Keene to me.”
“Thank you, Sam. I’m honored that you would choose me.”
