“Would that be a bad thing?” Maybe she’ll be pleased to see me? Maybe she’ll make me finish off what I started in her bedroom.

Or maybe she’ll punch me in my stupid face and swear like a trooper.

“Sit,” Sam orders, pulling up a stool beside me, getting close, like he senses I’m a flight risk and needs to be nearby to tackle me to the floor when I try to escape. I drop to the stool on a sigh. Then get back up when the most brilliant idea comes to me. I start pacing again, pulling up my contacts. “What are you doing?” Sam asks tiredly.

“Making a call.” I dial, putting the phone at my ear.

“I strongly advise against it. Don’t suffocate her.”

I dazzle him with a mammoth smile. “I’m not calling Ava.” The call connects as Sam frowns. “Jay,” I say, and realization catches Sam. His head goes straight into his hands in despair. I ignore him. This might be the only thing that gets me through the night.

“Ward? What can I do for you?” Jay asks.

“You working tonight?”

“I’m always working.”

“Good. Have you seen two women? One dark-haired, beautiful, willowy. The other is a fiery redhead with a ton of attitude. Mid-twenties.”

“Hey,” Sam pipes up, his face appearing from its hiding place. “I love that attitude.”

My eyebrows shoot up, and Sam frowns. Thought so. I’m not the only one who’s spellbound around here but, and I don’t mind admitting it, Sam’s handling the stab of Cupid’s bow a lot better than I am.

“Yeah, I know them,” Jay says. “They arrived not long ago. Giggly little things, aren’t they?”

She’s having fun without me. Well, that sucks. “Keep an eye on them, yeah? Text me the consumption levels, and if any blokes sniff around, I want to know.” I’m still mindful that Ava’s ex is on the prowl trying to make amends.

Jay laughs deeply. “You’re a fuck-up, Ward.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” I hang up, smiling down at the screen. “My work here is done,” I murmur, slipping my mobile onto the counter and taking a seat. I reach for my tea and take a sip, happy with myself. I can feel Sam staring at me, and I look up over the rim of my mug. “What?”

He shakes his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Or just creative?”

“No, just neurotic. And what’s with this big age secret?”

My tea pauses on its way down to the counter. “What do you know about the big age secret?”

“That it’s no fucking secret,” he says over a laugh. “Only to Ava.”

“Wait, did you tell Kate how old I am?”