“The Quantum Group.”
“The construction firm? Really? That’s fantastic. A few of my friends went to work for them when we graduated, and they love it there.”
“Yeah, it’s a good company.”
She wandered close enough for her scent to drift to him, and the sweetness of it clenched his gut.
“What are you doing there?” he asked.
“I was vice president of regional operations for North America and Europe.”
Shock and excitement hit him first. His eyes went wide. “Wow, that’s—” He was going to say amazing, but changed it to “Wait. Was?”
She grinned and huffed a laugh. “Yeah. I lasted a whole week.”
His shoulders dropped along with his smile. Concern replaced joy, and he automatically stepped forward, stopping himself just short of touching her. “Why?”
She sighed, pulled her arms from behind her, and hooked her thumbs in her front pockets. She shook her head and looked at the floor. “Isaac,” she lifted her gaze to his, “I need to apologize. I’ve needed to apologize for weeks, I just didn’t know how.”
“No.” He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her forearms. Her skin was soft and warm, and his own apology spilled out of him. “No. It was me. I did everything wrong. I should have told you earlier. I shouldn’t have surprised you like that at the event. You were under so much pressure, and I was only thinking of myself. I made you believe I was one thing when that wasn’t the whole story. I should have handled things differently.”
“I overreacted.” Regret swamped her expression. “I’ve been living so long one way that when the rug got pulled out from under me, I fell on my butt and cried instead of dusting myself off and getting back up.”
“What happened to you was not as simple as a little bump in the road, Ava.”
“Maybe not, but I’m disappointed in myself for how I handled it. And I’m sorry I hurt you.”
Isaac exhaled and stroked her arms. He knew this apology didn’t mean she wanted to get back together, but he couldn’t keep his emotions inside a second longer. “I’ve missed you so much.”
She smiled, pulled her hands from her pockets, and linked her fingers with his. Leaning in, she pressed her forehead against his chest. “I’ve missed you too.”
All the hope he’d been holding back exploded in his chest, and his breath stuttered. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her so hard, she came off her feet.
When he put her down, she was laughing.
Isaac lowered his head and kissed her gently even though he was hungry enough to devour her. Ava sighed, and her body swayed into his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened to him. Her warmth and sweetness filled him to the brim with joy, and his body came back to life.
When they broke from the kiss, Isaac said, “You didn’t answer me. Why aren’t you with Quantum?”
“I thought it would be enough to fill the hole left by my family. But aft
er working there, I realized that the only reason I was in the corporate world to begin with was for my family, not me. And I don’t want to spend my life working for someone else, doing something I don’t love.”
That was a huge step. She’d just walked away from a job with an amazing company, a quarter of a million in salary, not to mention bonuses, and a hell of a lot of prestige that would have gone a long way toward getting revenge against her family.
“That is a big revelation,” he told her.
She laughed. “Tell me about it.”
He combed his fingers through her hair, surprised just how much he missed the feel of it. “Do you know what you’re going to do now?”
She sighed. “No. But…” She looked around the shop, her gaze lingering on the empty front office, then met his gaze again. “I understand you’re lookin’ for help around here.”
Isaac laughed, squeezing her closer. “Baby, don’t tease a starving man with a cut of prime USDA.”
She rocked her hips against his. “I’ve already proven I’m not a tease.”
His heartbeat kicked higher. “Why in the hell would you want to trade a Manhattan high-rise for Connecticut backwoods?”