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She waited for him to check and watched his face as he frowned.
“I had no idea. No one told me anything.”
She sat down and put her face in her hands.
“How am I supposed to work with him around?”
“Ava, this is a place of business. You can’t let your personal feelings get in the way of what you need to accomplish. You aren’t working for him; you work for me. Just keep your distance, and you’ll be fine.”
She nodded in agreement as they heard noise coming from the hall.
They watched as workers passed and opened the office that Xander would once again occupy. They heard furniture moving around and smelled paint as it went up on the walls.
“I guess he is going back to that office,” she said as she slid folders off Jacob’s desk and exited the room. She would have to work at her desk for now on especially when he was around. The research room was even better. He wouldn’t come in there or look for her. She sat down at her desk and Sam came up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“I assume you read the email?”
“I did, and I don’t care. We aren’t together, and I don’t work for him.”
Sam narrowed her eyes at her. “You’re so full of shit. I’ve known you for almost ten years, and it bothers you. You can’t hide it from me. Remember I saw what a basket case you were at my engagement party when you saw him.”
“I’m fine now. It’s over, and I have nothing to say to him. I have work to do. I’ll talk to you later.”
She walked toward the break room, leaving Sam doubting the words that she spoke.
All day and that evening, Ava felt the anxiety rising in her. She ate nothing for dinner because she felt nauseous. She knew it was ridiculous to feel this way so far in advance; after all, it was only Thursday.
Xander would not be starting back until Monday. She tried to study but had no focus. Instead, she decided to select a book from her collection on the bookshelf. She ran her finger through several titles and stopped on Crime and Punishment. It had been several years since she last read it. She slipped the hardbound book off the shelf and brushed away some bits of dust.
She took the book to her bed and got settled in before opening it. One of the roses that she had pressed in the book and had forgotten fell into her lap. She picked it up and held the delicate flower in her hand. It was dried and pressed flat now. She searched the book for the other one and let it fall on the bed. She held them in her hand until her emotions got the best of her, biting her bottom lip as tears silently fell.
She gently placed the roses back in the book and closed it. She was no longer in the mood to read and replaced the book on the shelf. She crawled back in bed and pulled her thick white quilt over her.
The next morning she woke up feeling groggy. She had been restless the night before, waking several times. A shower did not help her feel any more refreshed, and she didn’t take a lot of time fussing with her clothing for work. She put her hair in a ponytail and only applied mascara. She was ready for the weekend and was glad it was Friday.
Ava left the apartment in a daze and almost left the building before she realized she had forgotten to feed the boys. She went back upstairs, and they were patiently waiting for her to fill their food bowl.
When she arrived at the office, there was an email from her uncle waiting for her asking for her to come to his office immediately upon her arrival. She quickly walked to his office, and his secretary motioned her inside.
“Ava, we have a favor to ask you.”
We, included Jacob and Peter.
“We need you to start working a few days full-time if not full-time for the entire week. I know your test is coming up, but you have been studying for months, and I’m sure you can spare some time here in the office.”
“I was going to take extra time to study. Why do you need me to work full-time?”
“Jacob is taking on a large case, and he would prefer that you are dedicated to him rather than bring in extra assistants for the workload. Are you able to do this?”
“I should be. He has been drilling me for the past few months. I feel ready to take the test now if you must know.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine. We need you to start on Monday.”
She nodded as a feeling of overwhelming anxiety hit her. Xander was starting on Monday, and she wouldn’t be able to escape until five or later each day. She should have said no, but she didn’t want to disappoint her uncle or Jacob.
She exited the office with Jacob close behind.
“Are you okay?”
