Because there would always be the elephant in the room between them. And it was Lulu. There would always be the cruel way he’d left his wife—her sister—and the havoc it had caused. And if Ava thought about it more deeply, she knew he wasn’t a safe bet. If he’d left one wife, what were the odds of him doing the same to someone else? To have loved him for so long and then have to cope with losing him? It would be crushing. Oh, she would survive. She would be stronger for it, but that little piece of her heart that she’d held in reserve for him would shrink and die and she would grow suspicious and wary and perhaps never let anyone else in ever again.
And it was unthinkable to her that she would never have love in her life; that the one person she’d really loved was never going to be hers. There was only one answer: she could never see him again. She’d thought she could work for Callum without falling deeper in love with him. She’d been monumentally wrong.
She let out a sad sigh and resolved to stop crying. If she and Andy worked all day Saturday, she could finish the job and be out of there.
Out of Callum’s home and out of his life.
For good.
Chapter Fifteen
‡
The next morning, Ava stopped on the way to Callum’s house to pick up takeaway coffees and breakfast muffins for her and Andy, and as she waited for him to arrive, she sat in the lowest of the tiered gardens and looked out to the ocean.
It was another stunning Sydney morning. Out on the water, sail boats bobbed in the waves. Seagulls flew overhead and an elderly man and a black Labrador provided some distracting entertainment for Ava while she ate her breakfast. It was hard to believe there were places in Sydney that had managed to remain this tranquil and secluded. Money talked, she knew that better than anyone, and in a city like Sydney, money didn’t just talk. It shouted. The cut of the cliffs rendered the beaches almost private, unlike Bondi or Manly, and there was no traffic noise. It was the perfect place for a reclusive businessman to hide from the world. Which was good for her, she decided. They didn’t move in the same circles. She wouldn’t inadvertently run into him at a society function or a launch at the Art Gallery or a boardroom luncheon. Once the work here was finished, their paths were destined never to cross again.
‘G’morning.’
Ava looked up. Andy was on the top balcony, looking down at her, like a reverse Romeo and Juliet.
‘I have coffee and muffins,’ she called. ‘Still hot.’
‘Low fat?’ Andy called to her.
‘Of course not. Get down here before your triple-shot espresso gets cold.’
A few moments later he was at her side and she handed him a white paper bag. ‘Blueberry.’
‘My favourite. Thanks.’ Andy took a huge bite. ‘So, I’ve been desperate to know. Tell me all about your blind date.’
Blind date? Her ill-fated dinner last night seemed like a million years ago. So much had happened since. Things she wasn’t ready to talk about, even with her best friend. Ava looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. ‘Tell me, Andy. Exactly how much did you know about this mysterious Paul before you set us up on the blind date?’
Andy paused. ‘No chemistry? Funny. I thought you two would be perfect together.’
Ava managed a laugh. ‘It seems Paul is perfect for anybody … if the price is right.’
Andy snorted with laughter. ‘You’re kidding me.’
She sipped her coffee and tore off a chunk from her muffin. Double chocolate. Exactly what she needed to soothe her aching heart. ‘Not kidding.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Andy laughed and slapped his thigh. ‘Actually, I’m not sorry. That is hilarious. That guy is good. I had absolutely no idea.’
‘I’ve got to believe you or I would never trust you again. Ever.’ She smiled at him. She hoped they would be laughing about the blind date from hell when they were old and grey, sitting on a park bench in the middle of the Botanic Gardens, admiring the views and the peace. Andy was that kind of friend for her and maybe he would turn out to be the most significant relationship she would ever have with a man. Which would be okay. Andy was the perfect man. Just not her perfect man.
‘If we put in some hours this morning, I reckon you can head off by lunchtime. We need to plant those succulents down there by the stone wall and tidy up. I’ll give everything a once over and plant out the pots on the top balcony.’
‘Thanks, Ava. Why the change of plans? Wasn’t this going to wait until Monday?’
Ava shrugged while intently studying the chocolate chips in her muffin. ‘I want to get this finished. Then we can think about Berowra Waters and a couple of other jobs I have lined up. We’re moving on, Andy. Our time here is done.’