“I'm Ava, by the way,” I said, holding out my hand across the table and smiling. “You must be Leo.”
He stood to shake my hand, like a gentleman, and I immediately liked him even more. “Ava Fairchild? The woman who is running the appraisal at the mansion?”
“That's me.” I smiled as he sat back down. “I'm glad to finally meet you, Leo. Charlotte has only nice things to say about you.”
The kick from Charlotte connected this time, her heel digging into my shin. I managed to keep a grim smile as I glared at her. Those heels were truly wicked. She glared right back as we faced off in a silent battle of eyes.
“Have you eaten?” I asked, tearing my eyes away from Charlotte. “The special here is amazing.”
“I have actually, but thank you,” he replied politely, apparently oblivious to the kicks Charlotte was sending me under the table.
“What are you doing here?” Charlotte's voice came out squeaky and incredibly high. I was surprised Leo heard her at all. If he didn't know that she had the world's biggest crush on him, then he had to be the most oblivious man on the planet.
“I was in the neighborhood,” he replied nonchalantly. “And since I was coming out for the auction anyway, I thought I might come a few days early.”
“You flew out to a remote Caribbean island two weeks early because it was in the neighborhood? I want your job.” Damn, those drinks were stronger than I realized.
Leo looked over at me in surprise.
“Sorry.” I held up my empty drink. “Watch out, these things are strong.”
“I think I actually need another,” Charlotte said quickly. She raised her hand and caught the waiter's attention, signaling for another round.
Leo glanced back and forth between the two of us, obviously evaluating the sanity of staying with us. I couldn't blame him. We both looked a little crazy.
“That and with the new app launch, I figured it would be one less conference call with Bastian,” he explained, making the trip sound a little more logical. “Gabe is ready to murder both of us because we keep messing up the video feeds.”
Charlotte laughed, but it came out far too loud and forced. I could barely believe how nervous she was. The waiter set down two drinks, one in front of me and the other in front of Charlotte. She immediately sucked down half of hers in one anxious gulp. It didn't help that her phone started to ring.
“Here, Leo. Have mine. I haven't even finished my first one yet.” I pushed my new drink over to Leo as Charlotte held the phone up to her ear and hissed into it. Her embarrassed expression turned to worry.
“Ava, it's for you,” she said, holding the phone out to me.
“Excuse me,” I replied, taking the phone and standing up. I went to the corner next to the water where the sounds of the bar were just a little quieter, but I still had to press my finger into my ear to hear. “This is Ava.”
“Miss Fairchild? This is Dr. Verner.”
It was as if I were dunked in ice water. All the warm tipsiness of the alcohol was gone and suddenly all the colors in the room were too bright and yet had no color.
“Is my dad okay?” I whispered.
“He's having another episode.” Dr. Verner's voice was calm, and that was good. If he had sounded even the littlest bit stressed, I would have screamed. “I doubt we'll even have to shock his system, but I wanted to keep you apprised of the situation.”
“Episode...” I gasped, trying to comprehend what was going on. It was hard to breathe.
“I'm fine, Ava,” my dad shouted from the background. “The doctor is just being cautious, sweetie. Don't worry about me!”
“Should I be there?” I asked. Panic rolled in my stomach, threatening to bring everything back up. Dinner didn't taste so good anymore.
“He's doing fine at the moment,” Dr. Verner assured me. “I can speak with you in the morning.”
I looked over at Charlotte and Leo sitting at the table. They looked so blissful, with Charlotte turning a fantastic shade of crimson and purple as she attempted to speak with Leo. She looked happy, though. I knew I would be the most miserable company if I stayed.
“I'll be there in just a little bit, “ I promised. I would worry and fret if I stayed. Better for me to go home where at least I could see the cause of my worry. “Thank you, doctor.”
I hung up the phone, staring at it for a moment and holding onto the railing overlooking the ocean. My knuckles went white and I had to force my lungs to inhale. This couldn't be happening. Not again.
I walked back to the table in a daze. Charlotte looked up, her face full of concern. “What's wrong?”