The hopefulness was making its way into her words, no matter how hard she tried to hold it back.
“No,” I said. “I had no idea she was coming back. There would be no reason for me to know considering up until the interview, we hadn’t spoken in years. And just so everybody is clear,” I raised my voice so everyone could hear, “she isn’t planning on staying forever. She didn’t move back. This is a temporary thing so she can help out her parents until her father gets better.”
“But she is back in town,” Mom said.
“Who is?” Dad asked, opening the sliding glass door that led into the house and stepping out.
I rolled my eyes. This was just getting better by the second.
“Ava,” Mom said, getting up to make him a drink.
“Ava Williams?” he asked.
As if there was another Ava who would warrant a conversation.
“Yes,” Mom said. “She’s back in town and working at the bar with the boys.”
“Have you spoken to her yet, son?” Dad asked.
“She’s working at the bar, Dad. I’m the one who hired her. So, yes, I’ve spoken to her. And as I was just telling everybody else, she’s only in town for a short time. She’s here because her father got hurt and her mom needs help taking care of him.”
“That’s right,” Dad said. “I heard Wayne had a bad fall. It’s good his daughter came back to help.”
He didn’t have to say it for all of us to know he had Tom on his mind when he said that.
“So, she will be here for a while?” Mom said hopefully. “You should ask her to come over for dinner.”
“No, Mom. That’s not why she’s back here,” I said.
“You two were always so sweet together. Maybe now that she’s back in town….”
I shook my head adamantly, interrupting her train of thought. “No. No, Mom. That’s not going to happen. It’s not even something to consider. She came back here to help her parents and for no other reason. Besides, she’s an employee. And even that was a coincidence.”
“How was it a coincidence?” Dad asked.
“She was just looking for a job and happened on the listing. She didn’t know we own The Hollow, and Tyler didn’t realize it was her when he called to offer her the interview. It just happened to work out that way.”
“That’s not a coincidence. It’s everything working out the way it’s supposed to,” Mom said.
“She’s an employee,” I repeated, emphasizing each word in hopes it would end the conversation.
Instead, my mother scoffed. “That won’t stop things from happening. I was your father’s secretary.”
That was a story I didn’t need to hear again.
“It’s not the same thing,” I said.
“But it could be. Something drew you two together.”
“Yes, her need for money and my need for someone to work at my bar. Look. Ava left me. Or don’t you remember that? Without any consideration, without even a thought. She just left. She didn’t even say goodbye. As far as I was concerned, she was my past and I didn’t want anything else to do with her. She ended up working at the bar out of necessity, but that’s it. And it’s all it’s going to be. Now please drop it. Nothing is going to happen between us,” I said.
“Fate finds unusual ways to work sometimes,” Mom insisted.
I chose to ignore the comment.
But I couldn’t ignore the thoughts of Ava. Even after I managed to redirect the conversation, she stayed in my mind. I thought about her for the rest of the time at my parents’ house, and the images were still there when I got home.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how gorgeous she looked. The years had done well for her. She was beautiful when we were younger, but she was stunning now. The years had matured her features and filled out her body in all the sexiest ways. Being near her at the bar woke my body up and stoked desire that only strengthened with every new thought and image.
Getting into the shower to get ready for bed only intensified the need. The water streaming down on me made me hard, and I couldn’t ignore it. With thoughts of Ava’s sweet mouth fueling me, I wrapped my hand around my cock. Soap made my hand move smoothly as I stroked hard and fast, bringing myself to a shuddering climax. I leaned against the wall and let the water wash over me as I enjoyed the aftershocks. Ava always had that effect on me. I didn’t know how I was going to deal with her around all the time.9AvaAfter my first week working at the bar, I felt settled into the position. The tips I got went straight into a jar when I got home every night, and the deposit I made into the bank at the end of the week convinced me I’d made a good move accepting the job. I wouldn’t say I was rolling in money, but it was definitely something. It motivated me to keep working harder and find ways to make more.