Page 46 of Aussie
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ava was hunched over her desk. There was a faint crease in her brow as she scanned through reports, updating notes and timelines on her cases. It had been two weeks since the Snowball event, two weeks of dodging calls, texts, and every attempt Aussie made to reach her.
Several times, she almost answered. She missed him—a lot, and the connection they’d started to build. But every time her phone rang with his name flashing on the screen, a wall of bitterness, pride, and something raw kept her from picking up.
The memory of him with that woman still stung, and it brought her back to every betrayal she’d endured growing up. She’d sworn she wouldn’t allow herself to be fooled again—not by anyone, especially not by a man she was beginning to care about.
She hated how the situation with Aussie was affecting Christian, too. He was trying to hide it, but she could see his disappointment. He moped around the house, half-heartedly engaging in his usual routines, clearly missing the friendship he’d developed with Aussie. And while Christian never directly asked about him, she could feel his unspoken questions hanging in the air.
Ava swallowed the guilt building in her throat and sighed, focusing harder on her screen to push everything else out of her mind.
She heard the door to her office open, and when she looked up, she was surprised to see Clint standing in the doorway, holding a few files in his hands.
She hadn’t seen nor heard a peep from him since that time she saw him before the Snowball when he asked her to give Jarod that envelope.
“You’re back. We were all getting ready to send a search party out for you.”
Clint smirked. “Funny. I got tied up at my parent’s place. But I’m back now.”
She raised an eyebrow, giving him a pointed look. “What’s that?” she questioned, pointing to the files in his hand.
“We have three new kids,” he said matter-of-factly.
Ava blinked. “Three new kids?” she asked, incredulous. “Clint, we barely have space as it is. We don’t even have enough placements for the kids we already have.” She motioned to her own file cabinet, which was brimming with folders.
Clint’s eyes shifted, a flash of something unreadable crossing his face before his usual hard expression returned. “There’s nothing I can do. Just go over the files and work on finding placements. They’ll be arriving after the first of the year.”
Ava’s mouth dropped open. Clint could be brash, but this was a new level. She’d never seen him this edgy. He looked almost nervous.
But then, as if flipping a switch, he plastered on a smile. “Speaking of which, how’s Christian doing?”
The question caught her off guard. Clint had never shown interest in her personal life before. Ava regarded him suspiciously, still unsure what to make of this strange mood. “He’s good,” she said slowly. “Keeping busy with school and the holidays.”
“Good, good,” Clint replied, his demeanor unsettlingly cheerful. “So, where are you going for lunch?”
Ava blinked again, her side-eye probably sharper than she meant it to be. “Just the deli around the corner.”
He nodded, smiling a little too brightly as he headed toward the door. “Enjoy. See you when you get back.”
She watched him disappear down the hallway, suspicion simmering in her mind. Shaking her head, she grabbed her coat and purse.
The brisk walk to the deli gave her some clarity.She needed to finish shopping for Christian’s Christmas presents. She mentally cataloged what she still needed to buy. There was a pair of blackVansthat he had his eye on, a few military books he saw when they were shopping the other day and a few other items.
By the time she reached the deli, her mind was buzzing with holiday lists. She ordered a turkey sub with a sweet tea and found a small table in the back corner. She was glad for a quiet moment away from everything.
Just as she unwrapped her sandwich and took a deep breath, she looked up to see Jarod standing in front of her, his expression one of mild surprise.
“Ava? Didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, pulling out the chair across from her before she could respond.
She clenched her jaw, irritation simmering beneath her polite smile. She’d been hoping for a quiet lunch alone, but apparently, that wasn’t going to happen.
“So,” he started, leaning back with a casual smile, “how have you been?”
“Fine,” she replied, picking up her sandwich in the hope that he’d get the hint.
“I haven’t seen you since the Snowball,” he continued, oblivious to her tone.
“I’ve been busy with work and Christian,” she said, biting into her sub.
