It was over before it began.
“Ava’s all grown up,” Sean says as though he’s trying to convince himself that it’s reality. “When she left New York, she was just a kid. She’s still a kid, but with longer hair.”
I shake my head. “I’m an adult, Sean.”
“Barely,” he mutters. “I heard you stopped by the office this morning.”
It’s taken all day for me to get some face time with my brother. After I signed the lease on my new temporary apartment, I called the airline in search of my lost luggage.
It somehow landed in Spain but is making its way to New York. Since I couldn’t stand another hour in that dress, I ducked into a thrift shop.
I scored a cute black leather sling bag, a pair of ripped jeans, a gray T-shirt with the logo of a college in Ohio, and a black blazer. As I was heading to the changing room to try on those finds, I spotted a pair of almost new black leather boots with two-inch heels.
I have to commend myself on the look. Sean agreed since he complimented my outfit as soon as he opened his apartment door to find me standing on the other side.
“You were busy.” I sigh. “So was Declan.”
Sean nods. “You should have told my assistant who you were. He would have pulled me out of that meeting, Ava.”
I did tell him who I was, but he didn’t care. It’s a detail that doesn’t matter at this point, so I don’t respond.
“I’m going to start dinner soon,” Callie says as she motions toward a large dining table to the left. “I know we’re celebrating your birthday tomorrow at Axel Tribeca, but we could do a birthday eve dinner too, right? I can see if Declan is free to join us. Will you stay, Ava?”
I glance around the open space.
It’s slightly larger than Declan’s apartment, but the furnishings are similar. It’s just as warm and welcoming as his place.
“I’ll stay.” I look at Sean again to find a broad smile on his face. “What’s with you?”
“You,” he says without hesitation. “I’ve missed you, Ava. I’m sorry I didn’t make it to London to see you.”
“That’s why I came to New York to see you.” I shift my gaze from him to his fiancée. “And to meet you, Callie.”
Her hands disappear into the pockets of the blue dress she’s wearing. “Sean has told me all about you.”
My guess is that amounts to my age and the fact that my brother thinks I’m a piano prodigy.
“Only good things, I hope,” I say in an attempt to change the subject.
Sean wraps an arm around my shoulders. “All the things, Ava. I told her how brilliant and talented you are. I told her you’re a shitty singer but not a bad ventriloquist.”
That lures laughter from me. “I wanted to be a ventriloquist for a week when I was eight. You remember that?”
“Remember it?” He kisses the top of my head. “How the fuck could I ever forget that?”
I glance up into his brown eyes. “It feels good to be back.”
“I hope you didn’t just show up for your birthday.” His left eyebrow perks. “Tell me you’re going to hang out in New York for at least a week or two.”
“At least that,” I whisper. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Harrison
“I was at your office hours ago, Sean.” I step aside to let him into the foyer of my brownstone. “It took you a hell of a long time to get back to me.”
“Busy day,” he quips. “And dinner with the family.”
“Thanks for the invitation to join you,” I deadpan.
There was a time when I was envious of Sean’s close bond with his brother since my relationship with Ryden has always been precarious at best.
My half-brother is a rising NHL superstar. When he signed a contract with the New York Falcons a year ago, I admit I was proud of him.
All the hockey camps he attended and workshops hosted by a handful of the best players in the sport paid off.
Ryden was ten when he confided in me that his dream was to play professional hockey. Even though he’s five years younger than I am, I made a promise to myself that I’d help him.
When I got my hands on my inheritance on my eighteenth birthday, I dumped a shit load of money into my brother’s love of hockey and his education.
Even though he believes our mother paid for it all, it was worth it.
“I’ll be sure to add you to the list for next time.” He laughs. “Do you want a beer?”
Before I can respond, he’s headed to my kitchen.
Sean knows his way around this house. He called it home for a short time a few years ago. I never asked for the keys back, but he’s never used them, either.
“I’ll take a water,” I tell him as I settle onto a stool next to the large island in the kitchen.
I had the home remodeled after I purchased it from my uncle. My mom’s brother decided to take a job out of state. I was looking to invest in real estate, so this place became the first notch in my property belt.
I don’t need this much damn space, but it’s here when anyone I know needs a place to crash.
Roxy takes advantage of that often enough that I set up a bedroom for her. Joslyn takes over one of the spare bedrooms on the top floor whenever she’s embroiled in an argument with her boyfriend, and Ryden drops by on occasion too, but that’s a rarity.
Sean opens a beer before he cracks the lid on a bottle of water and slides it toward me.
“Why were you at my office today, Harry?” He takes a pull from his bottle as he searches my face with his gaze. “You’re not a drop by for a chat type of guy unless it’s serious.”
He’s right about that, but I was passing by the building after a meeting a few blocks away, so I stopped in since I had time to spare.
“No reason,” I say before taking a drink.
“No reason?” he repeats. “You came there for something. Are you feeling all right?”
The question is expected, but it still grates on my nerves. I’ve landed myself in the hospital a few times in recent years. The last time was seven months ago when I cracked a rib while in a boxing ring sparing with my trainer. I lunged forward when I should have stepped back.
“I was there to say hello to my asshole of a friend.” I smirk. “Remind me never to do that again.”
“I love you too,” he says with a chuckle. “What’s going on tonight? Do you want to hit Easton’s Pub for some pinball?”
We haven’t done that in years.
I nod. “I’m in. What’s the wager?”
He holds his bottle in the air, tipping it toward me. “Let’s make it interesting. Best two out of three games. Winner takes a thousand bucks.”
I shake my head. “A thousand? You’re insane.”
“You’re a fucking billionaire.” He laughs. “You can cover the bet.”
I take another sip of water. “I’m in for a thousand. I’m going to change before we take off.”
He glances at the gray sweatpants and black T-shirt I’m wearing. It bears the logo of the private boarding school we attended as teens. We spent four years there with our other close friends, Graham Locke and Kavan Bane.