Page 9 of Aussie
Ava’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel for a second. She had almost forgotten about the number Aussie had casually slipped her before they parted ways. “Christian, stop it,” she said with a chuckle, though a part of her couldn’t deny the idea was tempting.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but Christian wasn’t letting up. “I’m serious, Ava. You should totally call or text him. I think he’s into you. And he’s way better than that other guy you were seeing. What was his name? Oh, yeah. Jarod.”
Jarod.
The name sent a flicker of tension through her. She’d been dating Jarod on and off for the last year. He was a county judge and was ten years older than her. He was good-looking and had a solid career. He had everything you’d think a woman would want. But there was something about him that always made her hold back.
Maybe it was the fact that being around Jarod felt more like an obligation than anything else. He checked all the right boxes, but there was no spark, no real excitement when she thought about seeing him. They were supposed to have dinner next week, and the idea of it didn’t exactly fill her with anticipation. If she was honest with herself, she wasn’t even looking forward to it.
“You don’t like Jarod?” Ava asked, raising an eyebrow.
Christian shrugged, looking out the window for a second before speaking. “I don’t know. There’s just something about him that seemed off the few times that I met him. He’s nice enough, I guess. But I get bad vibes when he’s around.”
Ava glanced over at Christian, surprised by how serious he sounded. She knew Christian had good instincts. He’d been through enough in life to read people well. And the fact that he didn’t like Jarod struck her as something she couldn’t ignore.
But before she could dive too deep into those thoughts, her mind drifted back to Aussie. His easy smile, the way he’d seemed a little shy when he introduced himself, that hint of an accent that somehow made him even more charming. And unlike Jarod, Aussie’s presence had excited her and made her heart race in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.
She found herself smiling as she pulled the car onto the road.Aussie.
Christian noticed the grin and nudged her playfully. “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”
Ava laughed, shaking her head but not denying it. “Maybe,” she admitted, a warmth spreading through her chest. “Maybe I am.”
Christian grinned, looking victorious. “Told you.”
Ava tried to push thoughts of Jarod out of her mind, and it wasn’t that hard. She didn’t want to think about her lackluster relationship with the judge right now. Not when the thought of a certain Navy SEAL with an accent could make her smile like this.
As they drove home, Christian rambled on about what they should make for dinner, excited to cook something together. But Ava’s mind kept drifting back to Aussie—his smile, his rugged charm, and the phone number burning a hole in her pocket. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to take a chance on something new.
For now, though, she would focus on making dinner with Christian and enjoy the present moment. But she couldn’t help but wonder what might happen if she dialed that number.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ava sat across from Jarod at a candlelit table, the hum of chatter and clinking silverware filling the air of the upscale restaurant. The atmosphere was cozy, the lighting warm, but her thoughts were elsewhere, or she should say they were on someone else.
Jarod was speaking, but the memory of Aussie drowned out his voice. That rugged, charming Navy SEAL with the soft Australian accent kept creeping into her mind. It had been a few days, and she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d smiled at her and how attentive he was to Christian. It felt fresh, different from this stagnant, predictable routine with Jarod.
“Ava,” Jarod’s annoyed voice cut through her thoughts, sharper than before. She blinked and refocused, realizing she’d missed the last part of whatever he had said. His dark, manicured brows were furrowed, and the muscles in his jaw were clenched. He hated it when she wasn’t paying attention to him.
“Sorry, what did you say?” she asked, trying to mask the distraction with a polite smile.
Jarod gave her an irritated look, his lips tight. “I said I heard that you took in that boy.” There was a hint of accusation in his tone, something that instantly set her on edge. “Everyone around the courthouse has been talking about it.”
Ava forced herself to relax, shrugging it off. “So what? And theboyhas a name. It’s Christian, and he needed a place to stay. It’s really not a big deal.”
Jarod’s eyes narrowed as he leaned in, lowering his voice, though the sharpness didn’t diminish. “It was a stupid move, Ava. Getting involved with a kid like that.”
Her heart sank, a ripple of anger flaring in her chest, but she kept her face calm. “What do you mean, a kid like that?”
“You know exactly what I mean,” he said, a sneer creeping into his voice. “Kids like him have no stable family and no real upbringing. They always end up in trouble. Or in jail. They are failures. I see it every day in my courtroom.”
Ava’s blood boiled, her grip tightening on the edge of the table.This man—how had she ever thought they could have a future together? She took a slow breath, steadying herself before replying. “You realize that I used to be one of those kids, right?”
Jarod’s face paled slightly as if realizing he had made a huge mistake. He instantly tried to backtrack, his voice softer now, more appeasing. “Ava, that’s not what I meant. You know that I wasn’t referring to you and your past.”
She raised her eyebrow at him. “Really? Because thosekidsyou talked about were me fifteen years ago. Some of us don’t have a choice, and we are just shoved wherever there is a room.”
“Ava—” Jarod started to say, but Ava was done. She didn’t want to hear some lame apology. She had now seen his true colors. And what a shame, considering he was a judge who ruled on juvenile cases.
