Blown Away by Cheryl Douglas Page B

be back in a few
hours. Or not.”
    ***
    Ava was on her
way out for lunch when the elevator revealed Brent. He looked
incredible in faded jeans, a tight grey T-shirt, and cowboy boots.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
    “I needed to
get out of the office for a while. My housekeeper packed some lunch
when I went home to change.” He smiled. “Care to play hooky with me
for a few hours?”
    Ava remembered
that look. She’d seen it when they were in college. He was upset or
stressed about something and needed to talk, but he wouldn’t admit
he needed to vent until she pried it out of him. She should keep
her distance since he was technically her client, but she’d never
been able to turn her back on someone in need.
    “Sounds good.”
She looked down at her fitted blue dress and high heels. “I feel a
little over-dressed.”
    “No problem. We
can swing by your place so you can change.”
    Ava couldn’t
remember the last time she’d taken off in the middle of a workday.
She was usually the first one into the office and the last one to
leave. She deserved a few hours of good food and relaxation in the
company of a handsome man. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.” She
stepped on to the elevator.
    “Not at all.”
He punched the button for the lobby and stared at the overhead
numbers as the doors closed. “I was expecting to hear from you…
about the date.”
    “Tara and I
were going through your options today.” She forced a smile. “I
think I’ve found someone who would be perfect for you. She’s a
personal trainer, owns her own gym in fact--”
    “I really don’t
want to talk about that today.”
    She frowned at
his stunning profile. “But you were the one who brought it up.”
    “I know,” he
said, sticking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Just
forget I said anything.”
    “Okay.” They
rode the rest of the way in silence, and she knew it would be one
of those times when she had to pry the truth out of him. “Is
everything okay, Brent?”
    “Yeah.” He
closed his eyes. “It’s just been one of those days. I’m tired, bone
tired.”
    Ava was tempted
to reach out and ease the tension from his shoulders. She’d never
seen him so forlorn. He was usually a dynamo, fixed on the next
challenge. She wanted to ask him what had happened, but she trusted
he would tell her when the time was right. “Where are we
going?”
    He couldn’t
carry his heavy burden alone. He needed to talk to someone, and
he’d chosen her. She didn’t want to acknowledge the warmth that
spread through her at that realization, but it was difficult to
ignore. He reached for her hand and she would have pulled away, but
when she saw the uncertainty in his eyes, she couldn’t.
    He said, “It’s
a place I fell in love with a long time ago. I haven’t been out
there in… too long.”
    “Sounds
intriguing.” She squeezed his hand and hoped that would earn a
smile, but it didn’t.
    They walked in
silence until they reached his sleek, polished black car. He opened
her door and waited until she was buckled in before he closed it
and rounded the front. Slipping his Versace sunglasses in place, he
said, “Thanks for coming with me today, Ava. I really needed a
friend.”
    “My pleasure.”
She knew what needing someone felt like, and she wanted to be there
for him for reasons she couldn’t begin to understand. He turned the
music on and navigated the busy afternoon traffic. Within a few
minutes, they pulled into her parking lot.
    “Do you want to
wait here?” she asked when he parked near the front doors. “I won’t
be more than a few minutes.”
    “Are you sure
you don’t want me to come up?”
    She smiled and
pointed to his phone in the cup holder. “I’m sure you’re dying to
check your messages by now. Have at it. I’ll be right back.”
    Ava returned
less than ten minutes later wearing a summer dress and flip-flops.
Her hair was in a ponytail, and she felt younger and more