the Castle on the Hill

Chapter 4

Ava was finishing up an email to a new client finalizing an appointment for later in the week when Enzo approached her desk. She hadn’t seen him since earlier when Sofia was with him. 

“I need you to look this over. I also have dinner reservations for us tonight if you are available.” Handing her a paper. Ava looked at him puzzled. 

“I have a few things to go over with you. It could be done tomorrow, but I would like to talk as soon as possible.” 

Her mouth fell open a bit. She wasn’t used to being given an option of when to have a conversation. 

“Dinner is fine I guess.” She said. 

“Great. The address is at the bottom of that paper.” He walked away. 

Now she was really puzzled. She had obviously never been to this restaurant, she had no idea what to wear. She looked in his office to see if he was busy. He was sitting at his desk, back to the door looking out the window. He seemed to be on the phone. His hand moved up and he ran his fingers through his loose waves, seemingly irritated. He jumped to his feet and she could hear a muffled yell in italian. He turned to see Ava looking through the door. He said something in italian and put his phone on his desk. 

“I didn't mean to interrupt.” She said. Ava half expected him to throw something across the room but his laptop was the closest thing to him. 

His eyes softened and he ran his hand through his hair again. 

“No, it’s fine. What do you need?” He said. 

“I was just wondering what to wear to this restaurant. It’s italian, so is it fancy?” She asked. 

He chuckled. She wasn’t sure if he was chuckling out of irritation or because he truly thought she was funny. But she liked what she saw when his lips turned upward. His smile was as warm as the Seattle sun. Hopefully it wasn’t as rare, she thought. 

“It’s business casual. We can just go as soon as we are done for today.” He rolled his cuffs up letting his tattoo show. 

“We’re going together?” She asked. 

“Unless you want to find your way on your own.” He gave her a smile. 

“No, together is fine. We can go together.” She winced at her words. 

“I mean, we can ride together. Not be together.” She tripped over her words. 

His smile got bigger. Butterflies swirled in her stomach, causing her core to ache. 

“I knew what you meant. I have about thirty minutes left and then I will be ready. Nobody saved me any food from lunch, the bagel I had for breakfast is wearing off.” He sat at his desk. 

She mentally face palmed herself. She didn’t save her boss any lunch. Instinctively she jumped into apologizing. 

“I am so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I have an apple, I will be right back.” She turned to run to her desk. She stopped in her tracks when she heard his laughter. 

“Ava, I am fine. I was just giving you a hard time.  I can wait until dinner.” She could see him still smiling, thoroughly amused by her reaction. 

Right. She gave him a half smile. Was he amused by her because he thought  making her feel bad about herself was funny or because she genuinely cared about him eating? She didn't know. 

“Not everyone is like Seth.” She reminded herself. She needed to stop thinking everyone was out to torture her the way he did. She was far away from him. She was safe. 

“Ok, if you change your mind, let me know.” She said as she sat down at her desk. He looked down at his papers, still amused. 

Ava finished her emails, tidied up her desk and still had a few minutes to spare before Enzo was done. He had gone to another lawyer’s office to get some advice on a case, so Ava decided to go ahead and tidy up his desk for the day as well. She picked up a stack of folders and one caught her eye. 

AVA WILLIAMSON was written on the tab. What the hell? He had a file on her?! She was fuming. He walked in the office. 

“Ready?” he asked. 

Ava placed the files back on the desk. 

“Yes, let me grab my purse.” She said as she scoot past him. She reminded herself that he did background checks on all his assistants, probably because they would be handling such sensitive documents. It was probably nothing, just standard procedure. Enzo came from his office, phone in his hand. He seemed frustrated. 

“Let’s go.” He said, seemingly forcing a smile. 

The car ride to the restaurant was awkward. She was still getting used to having a town car usher her all over the place, and adding a man to the car ride wasn’t helping her adjustment. Being alone with Enzo felt like she was breaking a rule, like she was doing something she shouldn’t be doing. 

“Duh. He’s your boss and he has a girlfriend.” She mentally stated. Looking out the window, Ava noticed the sun was hiding behind clouds. The rain was coming back apparently. Whenever they stopped at a light Ava noticed all the people on the sidewalks, the change in weather didn't seem to bother them. Glancing at Enzo, she noticed he was staring at his phone, brow creased and frustration apparent. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ava whispered. 

He looked up and looked out the window. 

“No, just some different things. Nothing that isn’t able to be fixed.” He said as he slid his phone into his pants pocket. 

“You? You seem deep in thought.” He said looking at her. His eyes studied her face, as if he was trying to read her mind. 

“I just can’t get over this beautiful city. I can’t believe I had never been here before.” 

“Yes, the city is beautiful.” 

“I bet you’re used to beautiful cities. You’re italian right?” She asked, hoping she wasn’t overstepping any boundaries. 

He nodded and his face radiated the pride he felt in his heritage. Ava smiled. 

“I am. I grew up just outside of Milan, a small little village.” 

“I bet it’s beautiful there. I’ve never been.” The conversation was beginning to take the edge off. 

“It’s a different kind of beauty. Here, everything is naturally beautiful. The trees, the sound, the mountains. In Italy it’s more the buildings and architecture, the history. I’m more interested in natural beauty.” He said, glancing over at her. 

She blushed at his words. 

The car came to a stop outside what appeared to be a shopping mall. 

“We are here.” He said, opening his door. Ava followed suit and climbed from the car. The sidewalk was bustling with people. She still didn’t see a restaurant. 

“This way.” He said. She followed. They walked deep into the shopping center. Walking past the stores it would make sense Enzo would come to a place like this. Designer everything. She would never be able to afford these stores. This made her uneasy. Where was he taking her for dinner? It was clearly going to be expensive.

 She felt out of place and very uncomfortable. Much like she always felt in San Diego. Whenever Seth would take her to his work functions, she always felt so out of place. She was to be seen and not heard. Smile, make him look good. That was her purpose. She was always surrounded by these designer tags at those events, rubbing elbows with the elite of San Diego. Fake smiles, hers included. She always dreaded those evenings. She would spend all day getting pampered.  The only time she ever felt special or appreciated by Seth were those days. He always made sure she was  massaged, her nails were done, her makeup perfect, not a hair on her head would go out of place. She always thought that maybe, maybe he had come around and things would change. But then the limo would arrive and she would quickly find out that she was living in a fantasy all day. Things were not changing, she would always be an accessory to him, something to pull out whenever he wanted to put on a show for his colleagues. 

Enzo put his hand on her back, quickly snapping her out of the memory. “This way.” He said as they walked into a restaurant. The smell of homemade pasta immediately took her by surprise. Her stomach growled at the smell. She felt bad for not saving Enzo anything from the lunch buffet now. She had eaten and she was starving now, she can’t imagine how he feels. 

The waiter showed them to a table in the middle of the room. Taking a seat, Ava took in her surroundings. A mural on the ceiling above them looked as though it belonged in an Italian cathedral.  Italian music serenaded the guests from the speakers, and a wall of wine made Ava’s mouth water. She looked at Enzo in disbelief. 

“It’s on the company, so order what you want.” He smiled at her as he handed her a menu. 

Taking the menu she smiled back. 

She was going to like working for this man.