Dinner at Eight-epub (2 page)

“Holy shit,” Theo breathed, staring at a point behind Ava.

She twisted to look over her shoulder toward the entrance of Chelsea’s.

“Oh, my God.” Liv’s voice echoed with delight and disbelief.

“Well, I’ll be…”

Ava wasn’t even sure who said that. Her concentration was blown, her jaw hanging open. Greg walked toward them, guided by Chelsea. But it wasn’t Greg who’d usurped her attention. Nor was it Greg who sent a lightning strike of happiness shooting through her.

Ava wasn’t aware she’d bolted from her seat until she heard the chair crash to the floor. She didn’t take the time to set it straight. She simply tore across the restaurant, joy flooding her veins with every step.

Chelsea stepped agilely aside, and Greg scampered out of her path, which left nothing between Ava and her target. She hit it at full speed, slamming into a wall of male flesh.

She threw herself into the arms of her closest and oldest friend with an excited cry. Emotion burst through her, so foreign she almost failed to recognize it. It had been a very long time since Ava had experienced unbridled joy.

With a grin he couldn’t smother, Jared Thurston locked his knees and braced for impact.

Ava might be tiny, but she smashed into him with spectacular force, tangling her arms around his neck.

He staggered back before regaining his balance, and then he was holding her, as tight as she was holding him, tighter even. He lifted her off the ground, and if not for the tables, chairs and diners filling the restaurant, he’d have swung her around with glee.

Jared laughed out loud at her enthusiasm, knowing his matched hers. Then he inhaled deeply, drowning in the scent of her shampoo. Fruity, floral and feminine, just like he remembered. The aroma hit him in his gut, and for a second he loved the fact that some things never changed.

Then he shoved thoughts of the past aside and focused on the moment, on the here and now, relishing the feel of the woman in his arms, holding her even closer.

“You’re home,” Ava exclaimed breathlessly.

“I am,” Jared whispered into her hair.

“For good?”

“For good.”

“About bloody time.” She burrowed her face into his neck, and Jared swore he felt dampness on his skin. “I missed you.”

“Missed you too, Av.” So damn much. “Hey, are those tears?”

“Happy ones,” she reassured him, but kept her face burrowed in his neck. “I can’t believe you’re back.”

Neither could he. He might have had a month to mentally brace for this moment, but nothing prepared him for the impact of seeing Ava again, for the wallop of emotion that smacked him in the chest, or the gut-deep ache seeing her again brought him.

Jared would have been content to hold her for the rest of the evening. Maybe even forever—he’d been preparing for this moment since Ava had left her asshole of a husband—but he didn’t have the option. Following close on Ava’s heels were Zoey and Liv, each demanding a hug from him, though neither with quite as much exuberance as Ava.

Reluctantly, he set her back on her feet and embraced them both happily, but he never actually let go of his friend. He left one arm wrapped around her shoulders and kept the side of her body tucked against his. This seemed to suit Ava just fine. She slid her arm around his waist and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to let go of him.

He was aware of every breath she took, every move she made. And every change in her appearance, from the lack of makeup to the nose he didn’t recognize to the baggy clothes that hung shapelessly around her body.

She was still gorgeous—just…different, something he’d have to ask her about when they got some time alone together.

Jared was determined to spend plenty of time alone with his friend. 

Ava grinned up at him as she wiped her tears away. The smile hit him like a physical blow to the solar plexus.

Even with the disparity in their height—he had at least a foot on Ava—she felt good there, fitting along the length of his body as though she’d been made to rest against him. Or maybe his body had carved out a place for her. For the longest time, he and Ava had practically been joined at the hip. Standing arm in arm with his best friend had once been as natural as breathing.

Until that moment a couple of years ago, when tucking her into his side had sucked the breath from his lungs and sent a surge of need through his blood. After that, there’d been nothing natural or easy about holding her.

“That’s okay,” Greg, Jared’s twin brother, griped as James, Theo, Levi and Spencer all came up to shake Jared’s hand and clap him affectionately on his shoulder. “Ignore me. Pretend I’m not here. I’m just the guy who brought Jared to dinner.”

Ava laughed and drew up on her toes to kiss Greg on the cheek, forcing Jared to take a step closer or lose his hold on her. “I, for one, am forever grateful. G’day, Greg.”

“G’day, Av.” He took a moment to smile down at her. The sarcasm in his tone disappeared, and his eyes softened. “You look good, Torres. Wearing my brother on your arm suits you.”

It didn’t escape Jared’s notice that when the rest of the men turned to look her way, they all regarded her with that same expression. Greg had warned him the guys were more gentle with her since she’d left her husband. Jared just hadn’t expected to notice it so quickly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity.” She squeezed Jared’s waist. “You should have told us he was coming home. Given us something to look forward to instead of springing it on us like this.”

Greg held his hands up in innocence. “I swear I would have…if I’d known. First clue I had that Jazza was back in Sydney was when he banged on my door at some ungodly hour this morning.”

“Ten thirty is hardly ungodly,” Jared argued. “Even for a Sunday.” On any given day, Jared was up and out the door before six a.m.

“It is if you’ve been up to all hours of the morning.”

“Working?” Zoey asked.

“Uh…yeah.” Greg nodded. “Working.”

Jared suppressed a snort. Working. Yeah, right.

Chelsea directed them all back to the table, calling for one of her waiting staff to add an extra place. Jared hadn’t met Chelsea until minutes ago, when he’d walked into the restaurant, but he’d heard enough about her that he felt he knew her.

She eyed him with intent as Ava tugged him into the seat beside hers. “Jamieson’s on the rocks? Hold the water?”

Jared blinked in surprise. How had she tagged him for an Irish whiskey drinker? “First guess. I’m impressed. If I were drinking, I’d order one. But jetlag and whiskey don’t mix, so just a mineral water for me.”

“Still or sparkling?”

“Sparkling’s good.”

“Be right back.”

“You’re jetlagged?” Zoey wanted to know.

“I’m buggered,” Jared confessed. “The flight from L.A. confused the heck out of me. I don’t know whether it’s day or night.”

Levi cocked an eyebrow. “And the lack of sun outside isn’t giving you any clues?”

“Maybe the candlelight’s confusing him,” Theo said.

“Guys,” Liv shushed them. “Jared never was the brightest. Don’t embarrass him.”

Jared grinned. Greg had made two trips to the States, so Jared had seen him recently, but it had been a while since he’d hung with his mates. It didn’t matter. Some things never changed. They were still perfectly comfortable taking the piss out of him. And just as soon as he managed to get a good night’s sleep and acclimatize his body to Australian time, he’d give as good as he got.

“So, Jazza, saved any kittens of late?” Spencer asked.

Jared’s grin became a full-on laugh. “One or two.”

“The last
kitten
I watched him work with had a front paw bigger than my head,” Greg said. “Fortunately, there was a brick wall and a solid glass window between us. Not to mention enough tranquilizer to take down an elephant.”

“And that was just for Greg,” Jared deadpanned. “The cat was already asleep when he arrived.”

“A lion?” Zoey asked.

“Tiger. Old man with a sad disposition.” Or maybe
defeated
was a better descriptor, thanks to a lifetime spent in a small and filthy cage.

Liv set her elbows on the table and leaned in. “Tell us about your work.”

“More importantly, tell us why you’re home,” Ava said, then rushed to add with a happy smile, “Not that I’m complaining.”

“My job was brilliant. I loved every minute.” Although sometimes, work as a vet at the wildlife refuge outside of L.A., nursing big cats back to health, had been both gut wrenching and devastating. “But when the refuge outgrew the land and was forced to relocate, I decided to come home. It was time.”

“So you’re back for good?” Theo asked.

“Yep.” Jared hadn’t left Sydney with the intention to emigrate permanently. He’d left to escape circumstances he’d had trouble accepting. His best friend—and the woman he loved—was marrying another man, someone Jared had disliked from the instant Ava introduced them. “And if you know of any practices looking for a vet, let me know. Please.” Finding work was a priority. The faster he got a job, the faster he could settle.

“You realize the number of practices in Sydney specializing in lions, tigers and cougars is limited?” Spence asked dryly. “There are maybe, I don’t know… None.”

“No worries,” Jared assured him. “I worked with heaps of different animals at the refuge. I bet I can find a practice here that deals almost exclusively with brown and black bears.” He shot Spence a cocky smile. Bears were as native to Australia as lions and tigers.

Spence laughed. “It’s good to have you back, mate.”

The waitress took their orders, and while sitting around a table that sagged under the weight of all the delicious food, Jared caught up with his friends.

Liv and James filled him in on plans for the wedding, which were flimsy at best. Apart from a date in six months’ time, they’d made no arrangements. The couple was too busy focusing on a new business venture they were beginning together—an interior design company.

Spencer told Jared that he and Chelsea had moved into Levi’s home. Spencer still loved his job crunching numbers, and Levi was working on the last chapters of the next book in his bestselling
Willful
series.

Zoey and Theo assured him nothing had changed with them in the last year and a half. Jared would have believed it too—if there hadn’t been an undercurrent of friction every time Theo sipped his beer. Come to think of it, Jared couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Theo drink anything other than wine.

Greg and Jared had spent the whole day together, so Jared wasn’t surprised that Greg took a back seat while everyone else chatted. But he was surprised to find Ava subdued.

The complete opposite of himself, Ava was a natural talker. Jared spoke when he had something to say. Ava spoke all the time. She was, unfailingly, the center of any conversation. No matter who was present, she had a knack for ensuring there was always something to discuss. Awkward silences were never a problem when Ava was around. She filled them with words and laughter and was possibly the most endearing person Jared had ever met.

Everyone responded to her openness and friendliness. They were drawn to her infectious smile and bubbly laughter. Yet tonight, Ava said very little. After the initial burst of exuberance when she’d first seen him, she seemed to become reserved.

Though she smiled often, her laughter wasn’t quite as bubbly as usual. And though she was clearly delighted he was home and sat so close their elbows bumped, she seemed to struggle to communicate with him.

Perhaps that was okay. If Ava turned her big green eyes to him or smiled at him as she had earlier—as though he were the best thing she’d seen all year—he might be forced to haul her into his arms and kiss her until they both gasped for air.

Jared watched his brother and friends interact with her with interest. Not only did they look at Ava with a gentleness that hadn’t been there before, they treated her just as tenderly. Yep, they still joked and teased and laughed with her, and sarcasm and irony still tinged their humor, but Ava was spared the really cutting remarks.

The cutting remarks had never fazed her before. If anything, they’d made her laugh louder. That was obviously no longer the case.

He noticed something else. Greg, James, Theo, Levi and Spence were on guard the whole night, constantly surveying their surroundings in a seemingly careless manner. Within fifteen minutes, Jared realized there was nothing careless in their behavior. If a male so much as looked Ava’s way, one or the other of them shifted subtly, blocking his view.

Greg had told him things had changed. He’d said Ava hadn’t been the same since she’d separated from her husband. The split had been traumatic, and she’d been sad, quiet and withdrawn for months.

As a consequence, the Dinner Club was more protective of her now.

Jared wished Ava had spoken more openly about her marriage. What the hell had happened between her and Anthony? Reluctant to relive her pain, she hadn’t offered many details, either to Jared or to their other friends. She’d just stressed it was over, she’d been hurt, and she’d made a huge mistake marrying the jackass.

The one thing everyone knew was that emotionally, Ava hadn’t been the same after. Jared had thought he was prepared for the change.

He wasn’t.

Ava was every bit as beautiful as ever. She still drew gazes and smiles without even realizing it. But she was different. It was more than the physical changes like her nose and clothes. The light that had once burned in her eyes was gone. At some point over the last eighteen months, her fire had been extinguished.

Both thrilled and terrified to spend time with Jared alone, Ava climbed into the front seat of Greg’s car and pulled on her seatbelt with shaky hands.

James and Liv had gone with Greg to a wine bar after dinner, leaving Jared with strict instructions to see Ava home safely. Of course she was delighted with the arrangements. The more time she got to spend with Jared, the better. There’d been a decided dearth of quality visitation time with her bestie this last year or two.