Isaac pulled his Harley into the driveway of his parents’ multimillion-dollar home in Greenwich. Dominic and Delia Banks had worked hard all their lives, and it soothed Isaac to see the fruits of their labor providing security and comfort for his parents.

He shut down the engine, pulled off his sunglasses and looked around. Same old neighborhood, even if the homes now worth three million had been worth three-hundred thousand when he was a kid. Isaac couldn’t say it wasn’t beautiful. Couldn’t say he’d had a lousy childhood. Couldn’t say he’d had shitty parents either. But nor could he say he missed this life. A life of expectation, pressure, façades, and shallow relationships.

All he could say was that every time he came home, he wished he’d made different decisions a year ago.

Isaac climbed off the bike and started along the flower-lined stone walk to the porch. In the distance, their neighbor, Walt Henry, watered his prize begonias. Isaac paused on the steps, wearing his leather jacket and carrying his helmet, waiting for Mr. Henry to look up. When he finally did, Isaac lifted a hand and waved. “Hey, Mr. Henry.”

The man just glared.

His mother opened the front door. “What are you doing?”

“Annoying Mr. Henry,” he told his mom, grinning as he waved again. “Lookin’ good there, Mr. Henry. Your flowers too. Bet you win another blue ribbon this year.”

That earned him another glare.

His mother stepped onto the porch and glanced toward Mr. Henry, grinning. “You might have gotten more of a reaction if you’d loosened your muffler.”

Isaac barked a laugh and wrapped an arm around his mother’s narrow shoulders. “I’ll try that next time.” He looked down into her familiar blue eyes. “Hey, Mom.”

She gave him that smile filled with unconditional love that said everything from God, it’s good to see you to you don’t come around often enough. “Hey yourself, son.”

He gave her a squeeze, then let her go ahead of him into the house. “Where’s Dad?”

“In the backyard, fiddling with the pool filter.” She crossed the formal living room, passed the formal dining room, and made her way into the kitchen with an attached family room. A space that was bigger than both Isaac’s house in the country and his loft above the garage put together. “And before he comes in, I have to tell you the big news.”

She glanced out the window toward the yard to make sure he was still outside, then turned a bright smile on Isaac. “Your father’s been nominated for the International Excellence in Architecture Award.”

Isaac’s mouth dropped in surprise, then snapped into a grin. His chest filled with pride. “No fuckin’ way.”

“Fuckin’ way,” she said.

Isaac laughed and dropped to a stool at the breakfast bar. Delia opened the fridge and turned back with a Guinness for Isaac, then slid a bottle opener across the granite.

“He doesn’t know yet,” she said. “They’re going to present him with the news at the meeting next week. I’ll email you the date for the award ceremony when we find out.”

“Hot damn, Mom, that’s so awesome. Which bridge?”

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, wincing. “Oh gosh… Let me see if I can say this right. Zhujiang Kuàdù?”

“Oh my God.” Isaac shook his head as he opened his beer, laughing. “You butchered it.”

She gave a good-natured shrug. “Well, I know it spans the Pearl River, and I know it’s in China. You two spent far more time there than I did.”

His months living in Guangdong running that project felt like a lifetime ago. Or maybe in a whole different life.

He took a pull on the beer and let it bathe his tongue before he swallowed. “Man, I’m so happy for him. That bridge was a bitch, but she was amazing. He deserves that award.”

“He does. How’s business?”

“Busy. Real busy.”

“Did you find a replacement for Penny yet?”

He groaned at the thought of the sixth assistant he’d fired in as many months. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“You’re not going to grow if you don’t—”

“I know, I know. But I’ve also learned that hiring someone lousy only adds to my workload.”

“You know I’d be happy to help out until you find someone good.”

Isaac smiled. “That’s sweet, but Dad would kill me before he’d give up his entertainment goddess.”

“Pffft. It wouldn’t kill him to take his clients out a little more often.”

“No, but it might kill you. I know how much you love entertaining.”

“I love cooking. The entertaining part is a necessary evil.”

“Well, you’re damn good at both.”

She smiled wistfully. “Years of practice, son. Years of practice.”

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll find someone. I just need to keep looking.” He took another swig of his beer. “Honestly, I can’t believe the caliber of applicants I’m getting. The hourly is well above average, but I’m still interviewing women who show up in shorts, pop and smack their gum while we’re talking, and have to take a cigarette break every fifteen minutes.”

“Oh, honey. I’m sorry.” She gave him a sympathetic look as she tore lettuce for a salad. “But that reminds me—and you’ll never believe this—Carol’s husband is motorcycle hunting.”

“Little late for a midlife crisis,” he teased.

“I think it’s more like a bucket list. Would you talk to him if I gave him your number? Maybe share some pointers on what to look for?”

“Of course.”

A bucket list. Maybe Isaac should think about a bucket list. Only he’d have to add seeing Ava again to that list, and that would go against his promise to himself to stop thinking about her.

And then, “How’s Jerry?” came out of his mouth.

“Jennings?” his mother said with a little frown. “He’s having some heart problems. Marla says he’s going to retire soon.”

Marla and Delia had been friends since Dominic and Jerry started working together, decades ago.

“What’s he going to do with the company?” Isaac asked.

“Their kids will take it over.”

He lifted the beer to his lips. “Even the daughter? Guess I’m surprised a steel company would interest a woman.”

“Oh, Ava. She’s had a rough time lately. She broke off her engagement to Matthew Brauer.”

Isaac’s throat tightened around a swallow of beer, and he choked.

“Are you okay?” his mother asked.

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat, but a fist remained clenched in his gut. “Engagement?”

“Yes. Your father and I received the invitation just last month. You’ve met Matthew, haven’t you?” his mother asked. “Wasn’t he with Jennings Steel when you worked with Dad?”

“Maybe, but I don’t know him.”

“Apparently, he was in management. It sounded like he was being groomed to take Ava’s place when she took over the company with her brothers. But I guess she caught him cheating.” Her mother tsked. “Have you seen her lately? Oh, she’s such a pretty thing. And so sweet. She was at the Mother’s Day luncheon with Marla last year. Men. They can be such idiots. What possible reason would a man have to cheat on a winner like Ava?” She smirked at Isaac. “I have to admit, I always wished chemistry would spark between you two when you were younger.”

Oh, our chemistry sparked all right. Just much later and more fleetingly than he preferred.

“I had it bad for her growing up. She just didn’t know I existed.” She also didn’t know he’d been the one to push all her boundaries and drive her to heights of pleasure. And that made their night together the best dirtiest little secret ever.

“It’s too bad she’s had to go through that shit,” he said.

“She seems to be faring all right. She fired him and broke off their engagement. You know I like a girl with grit.”

Isaac smiled. He liked girls with grit too. And this news heightened his respect for her.

“Marla says she’s been killing herself while they search for a replacement for Matthew. Out of all their children, I’ve always thought Ava was the most dedicated.”

She was mired in the very life Isaac had walked away from. That alone should squelch his interest. But he found himself hoping her pressures at work were what kept her from contacting him again, not disinterest.

“Have you ever considered going back?” His mother stopped fidgeting with the salad and met his gaze. “You know, to the firm, with your dad?”

Isaac understood her desire to have her family under the same corporate roof again. He understood his father’s desire to leave a legacy for his son. Isaac even missed the work sometimes. But it wasn’t the right place for him anymore.

“Life’s short, Mom,” he told her honestly. “I don’t want to live my life surrounded by all that bullshit.” And he shouldn’t be thinking about a woman whose life was steeped in it. “When did all this happen with Ava?”

His mother fluffed the lettuce leaves with her fingers. “Let’s see, I have a hair appointment next week, which means I was in Julie’s chair when I first heard. So that would put the breakup about a month ago.”

Which would have predated her appearance at Grind by a couple of weeks. And that meant Isaac hadn’t been a fuck on the wild side. He’d been a rebound fuck. And didn’t that just ruin the plans he’d come with to get Ava’s number from his mother and give her a call. Set up a real date.

For the best. He didn’t fit into her world, and he didn’t want to. Their erotic night boiled down to absolutely nothing. He’d known that going in, but the new weight in his gut told him his subconscious had been hoping for more.

His mother added the rest of the salad fixings onto the lettuce and smiled at Isaac. “Go say hi to your dad and bring him in. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Isaac pushed to his feet and shook off the disappointing news about Ava. Hell, she’d probably already forgotten all about him anyway.