Ava (Halliday Hotels Book 1)

Ava By Elizabeth Lennox Register for free stories at http://www.elizabethlennox.com/subscribe Follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Author.Elizabeth.LennoxOr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ElizabethLenno1 Copyright 2023 ISBN13: 9781950451739 All rights reserved This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited, unless you have the direct consent of the author. Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Epilogue Excerpt from “Felix” Chapter 1 “I don’t want his help!” Ava hissed, pacing across the lush courtyard filled with trees and flowering bushes. And yet, she turned, pressing her hands against her eyes and forehead in a futile effort to find another solution. “There has to be another way!” “Perhaps, if you asked nicely, I could offer an alternative.” The deep, harsh voice and clipped tones stopped her in her tracks. In fact, the sound stopped her heart. Before she spun around, Ava prayed that the familiar voice didn’t belong to him! But when she turned, it was clear her prayers had been ignored. “Grant!” Ava whispered, blue eyes wide as she took in the man’s broad shoulders and towering height. Her two older brothers were several inches over six feet in height, but for some reason, Grant Hanover intimidated her in ways her brothers never had. A dark eyebrow lifted as he gazed at her, hands tucked in the pockets of his immaculate, charcoal grey suit. “You’re surprised to see me?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “Did you fly twenty-three hundred miles to meet someone else?” His features were rougher now, she suddenly realized. Better defined. His nose was sharper and it had clearly been broken at some point. His chin had been hidden under a rough beard when she’d last seen him, but he was clean shaven now. There had always been an aura of intensity, of power, about Grant. With an unexpected shiver, Ava noticed that it was still there, but it was tempered by…patience? Intelligence? Or perhaps it was merely the absolute conviction that he had the ability to crush anyone who dared to put an obstacle in his path? Focus, she mentally admonished. Blinking, Ava smoothed a hand down over her outfit, even though she couldn’t remember what she’d donned this morning. Lifting her chin, she tried to pretend a level of confidence she didn’t feel. “I came here to...,” Ava swallowed hard, then abruptly stopped fidgeting. Staring into his uncompromising features, she wondered if she should admit anything now that she was face to face with him. That ominous dark eyebrow lowered, but the sharply intelligent, green gaze narrowed. Something in his body language subtly shifted, but Ava couldn’t quite define what had changed. However, his voice was gentler, gruff, but softer as he stated, “You came here to speak with me. To ask me for help.” Ava was startled by his calmly worded statement and almost stepped back. How in the world could he know that? Ava looked around, searching for the hidden cameras. “They aren’t there. I was arriving just as you walked into the building and I followed you here. I’ve been listening to you argue with the tree for the past five minutes.” Ava swallowed again, feeling more than a little foolish. “It’s a nice tree,” she replied, then barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes at herself. “Is it?” he asked, looking up at the tree with sudden interest. It was a ficus and very leafy, but other than that, there wasn’t anything special about it. “I’ll mention to my gardener that he’s doing a good job, then.” His teasing tone reminded her of…too many things. The memories came rushing back to her and she…Ava sighed heavily, her too-slender shoulders slumping. “This was a seriously bad idea,” she muttered. “I’ll head home now.” She’d lost weight over the past few weeks. The stress of trying to resolve this problem, and not coming up with any possible solutions, defeated her. Before she could reach the exit, his voice stopped her. “How is Pierce?” he asked, referring to Ava’s oldest brother. Confused, she turned back, tilting her head slightly. “Pierce?” she parroted, confused. She lifted a shoulder and shook her head slightly. “He’s…fine, I guess.” Grant nodded slightly. There was an awkward pause. “He’s still running Halliday Hotels?” Ava nodded, crossing her arms over her stomach. “Yes. We’re up to three hundred hotels and we’re international now.” “That’s good.” He nodded slowly, as if that information was somehow profound. “Your family had just the one hotel outside of Seattle when we met, correct?” Instantly, more of those memories flashed through her mind. The lake and the forests, the terror of those years after everyone left. One by one, the people in her life had left her. Her mother had died of cancer. Pierce had gone to Harvard. Felix…he’d joined the Navy. And Grant. “Yes,” she nodded, her body stiffening with the pain lashing at her from those memories. “Just the one. Originally.” More nodding, but this time, he added a slight uplift of one side of his mouth. “Impressive. Your brother had just returned from Harvard at the time, correct?” She nodded again, gripping her elbows tightly. “Yes.” She swallowed and, because he just kept standing there, his hands still shoved in his pockets, she added reluctantly, “That was the reason I couldn’t go with you. Eight years ago.” She squinted slightly as the sunshine suddenly slipped out from behind a cloud. “I had to help.” When he didn’t react, she continued but her tone sounded defensive now. “We were all struggling back then.” He nodded once more, a slow, almost disbelieving gesture. Had his