Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
He knew Cammie, Dane’s personal assistant, and he remembered now that her uncle’s name had been Lochlan. Ransom had worked with Cammie on many of the projects he and Dane had been involved in. He knew, also, that they were now a couple. Having seen it coming for years, he’d always wondered why it was taking them so long. But at last they were together.
Once again, Ava impressed him. It was as if she were saying to the old lady, “I acknowledge and understand your pain that he’s gone, and I feel it myself.” She was empathetic, compassionate. Ransom had recognized that in the way she treated his grandmother, but to see her in action here, with these two delightful women, brought it home to him again.
Ava Harrington could be described in one word: impressive.
Although there were many more he could use. Gorgeous. Stunning. Amazing. Sexy. Perfect.
Chapter Eight
When the manicures were done, Ransom stood to give both ladies a kiss on the cheek. “Be sure to wait ten minutes for your nails to dry completely.”
They both solemnly promised, “We will.”
As they waved good-bye and exited the lounge, he said to Ava, “So Cammie’s uncle lived here.” She nodded. And Ransom added, “I’m glad your brother and Cammie finally figured out they were meant for each other.”
She leaned slightly into him as she laughed. “It took forever. We all knew they were in love.”
Then curiosity made him ask, “You said you helped Lochlan stay here?”
As Ava waved a hand for him to precede her into the dining room and the kitchen beyond, she said, “As I mentioned, I have a fund, a subsidy if you will, to help people stay in my facilities when they can’t always afford them. Though Lochlan had sold his home, he lived far longer than the money lasted. I wasn’t about to kick him out,” she added quickly. “And the fund helped make it possible for him to stay.”
He noted the servers clearing tables, removing the buffet pans and returning them to the kitchen. But it was Ava who held his attention. “Then you really did mean that your care homes aren’t just for the rich.”
“I help wherever I can.” She moved past him quickly, heading for the kitchen, almost as if she was embarrassed by his praise.
When he caught up with her, just before the swinging doors to the kitchen, she turned to him, changing the subject. “So where did you learn to do nails?”
He didn’t want anything from the past dipping into the present right now. He wanted Ava to see who he was, in this moment, not who he’d been. And not the way he’d failed her.
But still he smiled as he answered, “My niece is eleven now, and she’s a sweetheart. But even when she was a little girl, she wanted me to do her nails. You remember I have a younger brother? Adam?”
“I remember. Your grandmother talked about him.” It seemed as if she might touch his hand, but then she stopped the movement. “I still miss her a lot.”
His grandmother had passed while he and Ava were together. “I miss her too.”
After Grandma died, he traveled even more. And he still harbored some resentment that his mother had never come out to see the old lady. It was just another reminder that his dad had never left the restaurant. After he’d passed, his mother had done the same thing, forcing his brother into the identical situation.
Perhaps all of those emotions roiling inside him had something to do with why he’d made that offer to Ava. He hadn’t wanted to leave her behind so much. But he hadn’t considered the fairness of it, thinking only that he wanted to keep her close, that he hated the time they were apart.
And now he wanted to know so much more about her life. To know the real Ava all over again. “So how did you get so good at doing nails?” It was incredible that she, head of the company, found the time. But that was Ava.
“I used to do the old ladies’ nails at the convalescent home. They might have gnarled, arthritic fingers, but they feel so much better with pretty nails.” Which was what Edith had said. Then she added, “Your grandmother always had the prettiest nails. That’s actually what gave me the idea. I don’t know who did them for her.”
He felt a flush rise to his cheeks. “I did.”
She gaped at him again, just as she had in the lounge. “You’re joking.”
“No. She loved that. But then you took over from me, and you could do them more often. So I let you.”
His grandmother had loved the attention Ava lavished on her. Her compassion was one of the first qualities Ransom had noticed. “She always said that of all the aides at the home, you treated her the best.”