by Eve Gaddy
AVA HAD JUST ABOUT talked herself out of going to Mark’s party. She needed to unpack more, she reasoned, so that when she went back to work the next day she would be organized in her new home. Of course, she hadn’t brought that much with her, preferring to leave most of her things in storage until she was sure if she liked the job or not.
No, she wasn’t going because she couldn’t face rejection, and she was certain by now that Mark would never forgive her.
Her phone rang. She checked caller ID and saw that it was Mark. Sucking in a deep breath, she answered. “Hello.”
“Hi. It’s Mark.”
“Hi.” Surely he wouldn’t call to tell her not to come. Would he?
“Could you come over early?”
“To the party?”
“Of course, to the party.”
“I…wasn’t sure you’d want me there at all. Since you’ve had time to think about it, I mean.”
“Don’t be paranoid,” he said, sounding exactly like the older brother she remembered. “We need to talk. I’ll see you in a half hour, okay?”
“I’ll be there.”
She dressed carefully, if casually, in cool cotton slacks and a short-sleeved pink blouse. Checked her hair and makeup, then told herself to quit stalling. Straightening her back, she walked out the door. If Mark thought he’d push her out of his life now that she’d found him, he could think again. At least he wasn’t going to do it without a fight from her.
THE NOISE COMING FROM inside Mark’s house was deafening, even through the closed door. Several minutes after she rang the bell, then knocked, the door opened. Mark stood there holding a barefoot little girl on his hip and looking harried.
“Hi. Would you mind watching Miranda a minute while I go help Cat with Max?”
“Uh—” She knew nothing, absolutely nothing, about children. Mark took her lack of response as assent, however, and handed the child over.
“This is your Aunt Ava, sweetheart. I’ll be back,” he told Ava and disappeared.
Miranda smiled at her, patted her cheek and started babbling. And Ava fell for her instantly. By the time Mark and Cat came in with their son, she and Miranda were fast friends. The little girl had led her all over the living room, pointing out toys and talking about the parrot, whose name was Buddy and who squawked, “Hello, sucker,” several times at the top of his lungs. Apparently, Buddy had been the source of a good bit of the noise she’d heard.
“Hi, Ava. So glad you could come early so you could meet the kids. This is Max,” Cat said, motioning to the dark haired boy who had his arms wrapped around her leg. “Max, this is your Aunt Ava.”
He looked at her a bit suspiciously, she thought, but then he smiled. Oh, Lord, he was every bit as much of a heartbreaker as his sister. “Hi, Max.”
“’Lo. How come I never met you till now? I know Aunt Gail and Uncle Cameron and—”
Mark interrupted before he could continue cataloging what seemed to be a long list. “We talked about this earlier, Max. Remember what I told you?”
“Oh, yeah. Are we gonna play ball at the party?” he asked his father, clearly losing interest.
“I’m sure you can convince someone to play. For now why don’t you take Miranda and go play in your room for a while?”
Max seemed to consider debating that but apparently decided not to argue. “Okay. Come on, Miranda.” The little girl followed him out of the room.
“Your children are beautiful,” Ava said.
“Thank you,” Cat said. “Why don’t we sit down? It’s going to get crazy before long. I have no idea how many people are coming.”
Ava blinked. She couldn’t imagine having a party and not having a clue how many people to expect.
“Cat has two brothers and a sister, so Max was going to be listing relatives forever,” Mark said as they all took a seat. “You’ll meet everyone at the party. As for our side of the family, Brian hasn’t called me back yet, but I’m sure he will when he gets the message.” He stopped, hesitated, then said, “I told Mom. She wants to see you.”
Ava sucked in her breath. Jay had been adamant that he and Mark were going to tell their mother, so she shouldn’t have been blindsided by the fact that they had done so already. But she was.
“Don’t worry,” Mark added. “She won’t be here today. She and her husband are in Austin this weekend.”
“I can’t see her. I’m sorry, but I won’t.”
Mark’s eyebrows drew together and she sensed his impatience. “Look, I had problems with her, too. So I understand, I really do. But as bad as it was, it wasn’t all her fault. Jay said he told you about her illness.”
“Yes, he did. But that doesn’t absolve her from all responsibility.”
“No, I know it doesn’t.” He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “Did she do something to you, too? Or was it just him?”
Ava closed her eyes. “She didn’t do anything. That’s the problem.”
“I can’t believe she knew what the bastard did to you that night. She wouldn’t have condoned him beating you. No way. She’d have tried to stop him, I know she would have.”
Ava opened her eyes and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. She abandoned us to that sadistic bastard and I for one can’t forgive her.”
“Mark,” Cat said quietly.
He looked at his wife. She’d only said his name but they obviously shared a deeper communication.
“Okay, you’re right.” To Ava he said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Not now, anyway.”
She just wanted to forget it. She might end up having to deal with her mother, but she’d put it off for as long as possible. “That’s all right. I understand you feel like you have to try. But it’s no good, Mark. I can’t see her.”
Mark nodded. “So, truce?”
She smiled. “You used to say that to me when we were kids.”
“Yeah, I did.” He shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t try to find us.” When she would have spoken, he held up a hand. “But that doesn’t matter. What’s important is what happens now. We want you to be part of our family again, so we’ll just forget the past until and if you’re ready to talk about it.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”
Feeling overwhelmed, she blinked back tears. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to go with my wishes about this.”
The phone and the doorbell rang at the same time. “Looks like it’s started,” Cat said. “I could use some help in the kitchen, Ava. How about it?”
“I’d love to,” she said, and followed her sister-in-law out of the room. Family, she thought. She had a family again.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT WAS A GOOD THING Cat wasn’t rehabbing any birds at the moment, Jack thought. If she had been, they’d only have added to the riot of sound the partygoers were making. Adults stood around in groups, talking. Children were running wild, dashing in and out of the groups of people. Somewhere in the background a boom box blared out some of the same kind of music he heard coming out of his son’s room.
He made his way to the punch bowl, which was set up on a large picnic table that was already loaded down with food, from potato salad, to coleslaw, to beans, along with several unidentifiable casseroles people had brought. Mark was putting the burgers on the grill now. Good timing, since he was starving.
He saw Ava and, since she wasn’t holding a drink, decided to remedy that. “Having fun?” Jack asked her, handing her one of the cups he’d picked up. “I’ve been trying to talk to you all afternoon but you’ve been surrounded by people.”
She looked happy. More so than she’d been since he’d met her. She also looked a little bemused and bewildered.
“Yes, I am. Lots of fun. Thanks.” She sniffed the drink, then sipped it. “What is this? It’s good.”
“Some punch Cat makes. Nonalcoholic, since she’s pregnant. The kids think
it’s great.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the evidence all over Max’s face,” she said, chuckling. “He’s also managed to get red stains all over his father’s shirt. Cat says he has a radar about that.”
“Boys will be boys,” Jack said, remembering that Cole at that age had been the same.
“Speaking of boys, I haven’t seen your son, yet. Is he coming tonight?”
“I think he’s still with the new additions to the family. He should be here shortly, though. He wouldn’t miss free barbecue.”
A couple of kids narrowly missed them with a football.
“Let’s sit down before I get bashed in the head,” Ava said, leading the way to an unoccupied table. “Tell me about these new additions.”
“Dogs, two of them,” he said, holding up his fingers. “And his new car. Well, new to him, anyway. Today’s his sixteenth birthday.”
She tilted her head and smiled at him. “You got him puppies and a car? That’s awfully brave of you.”
“Brave or stupid,” he agreed, and he didn’t know which of them was going to worry him more. Yes, he did. The car won, hands down. “I’m taking him to get his license tomorrow after school.” Wincing, he pushed the thought of Cole driving out of his mind. Tomorrow was soon enough to have to deal with that.
So he went back to the animals. “One’s a puppy. The other’s grown.” And Cole was already crazy about both of them. So was he, Jack admitted. He thought they were going to be fun. He couldn’t think why he had resisted getting some pets for so long.
“I didn’t realize you were such a soft touch. Of course, I met your son, so I can’t blame you. Cole’s a nice kid.”
“Yeah, he is. Usually. He said you had him doing some work for you with the computer. How’s that working out?”
She took another sip and smiled. “Wonderful, for me at least. It’s tedious work, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He’s infinitely faster than I’ll ever be.” She shook her head. “It’s a little…humbling. It took me months to learn this program—Fin-Scan, it’s called. Dorsal fin recognition of dolphins. Cole had it figured out a couple of minutes after I showed him.”
“He’s good with computers and computer programs.”
“I can see that. He’s also been transforming analog pictures to digital for me so we can put them all online. That’s even more complex. But he seems to like it.”
He shot her a sideways glance before taking a sip of his own drink. “Could be it’s the teacher he likes. He’s been pretty full of ‘Dr. Vincent said this’ and ‘Dr. Vincent does that.’ I think he’s got a crush on you.”
Ava laughed. “Oh, please. I’m sure he thinks I’m ancient.”
“I doubt that. He’s no fool.” She wasn’t too old for Cole’s father, not that he intended to mention that. No, she was just the right age for him. “Nothing wrong with appreciating older women. I’m glad to say he’s got good taste.” Before she could respond, he went on. “You look different. Happier. More relaxed.”
She looked at him, considering. “I am, actually.” She looked away, fiddled with her drink, then sighed. “Thanks for talking to me the other night.”
“Not a problem.” He waved a hand at Mark. “So, I’m guessing you all worked it out.”
She looked at Mark, standing by the grill and talking to his brother-in-law, Cam. “Yeah, I think we did,” she said softly. “I’ve got a family again. It’s strange after all these years without one, but I think I’m going to like it.”
Knowing it was none of his business, he stifled the urge to ask her about her past. One that had taken her so far from her brothers for so many years. Ava didn’t strike him as the confiding type, anyway. As far as he could tell, she was a loner with a capital L. He had a feeling she’d already told him more than she was accustomed to telling most people.
He wasn’t sure why she had. Maybe he’d just caught her at a vulnerable time. Which was odd in itself, since Ava Vincent didn’t give off the vibes of a vulnerable woman. Anything but. Except for the other night, when she’d been so upset about Mark. Then she’d been hurting. And he had wanted, very much, to make it all better. Not your problem or your business, he reminded himself.
“What time do you want to leave tomorrow?” he asked, trying to rechannel his mind.
“Leave for what?”
He made a motion as if he were taking a picture. “Click, click. Pictures. You, me, the boat, the bay.”
“I knew that,” she said, and they both laughed. “Early, I guess. I’d like to have some time to upload the pictures into the program when we get back.”
“Sounds good. We’ll try to leave by eight-thirty, then. I need to get back early, too, since I’m taking Cole to get his license after school.” He glanced at Mark, who was standing by the grill waving at everyone. “Looks like it’s time for dinner. And surprise, surprise, here comes Cole. Talk about radar, that kid has one where food is concerned.”
During dinner he and Ava became separated, but he sat close enough to watch her interact with her family. It must have been a little intimidating, he thought, especially for a woman who seemed so solitary. Mark’s and Cat’s families combined amounted to a whole bunch of people. Add to that mix who knew how many neighbors and friends and acquaintances, and you had a pretty imposing group. Especially when you didn’t know any of them very well.
Ava seemed to be handling it okay, though. Or at least he thought she was until he saw an older lady corner her. After a short conversation, Ava began glancing around, clearly uneasy, but when she caught sight of Jack, her expression changed. If he hadn’t known better he’d have thought she looked at him like he was her salvation. She said something to the woman, then hurried over to him.
“Help,” she said.
He laughed. “What’s wrong?”
“She threatened to introduce me to her nephew and Cat warned me about him. Not just boring but grabby and boring. And he’s here tonight.” She clutched his arm and started walking quickly in the opposite direction. “Get me out of here and I’ll owe you a huge favor.”
“I like the sound of that.” He looked around a minute, trying to think of where they could go. “Come on,” he said, steering her to the left. “I’ll take you over to my house and introduce you to our new additions.”
“I’d be willing to meet Jaws at this point.”
They walked across the yard in the gathering twilight in a nice, companionable silence. Unlike a lot of women, Ava didn’t feel the need to chatter all the time. He liked that about her. Let’s face it, he thought. He liked almost everything he knew about her.
“They’re in the laundry room,” he told Ava as he opened the kitchen door. “We checked the fence and there are a couple of places I’m not sure about, so we decided to keep them in here when we’re gone, until I have the chance to fix it.” Hopefully tomorrow evening.
“Are they housebroken?”
“I have no idea,” he said, and opened the door. Standing in the doorway, he sniffed cautiously. “Don’t want to curse myself, but I think they are.” Both dogs looked up from the bed where they’d been snuggled together. Princess got up and bounced over to them while Lucky was a little slower to get up, but he hobbled over to them as well.
“Aren’t you cute?” Ava said, leaning down to pat the enthusiastic dog. Lucky simply waited his turn, wagging his tail, until they both petted him too.
“Princess is the puppy,” Jack said. “This one is named Lucky,” he told her, scratching behind the dog’s ears.
“What happened to his leg?”
“They didn’t know. Could have been a car accident, or maybe cancer, though if that were the case he probably wouldn’t have been abandoned. Why operate on a dog you’re going to get rid of? The people at the shelter said he came in that way.”
“It doesn’t seem to bother him.”
“I guess he’s got used to it. He gets around fine on three legs.”
She sat on the floor before he could stop her, letting the do
gs crawl over her. “You’re going to regret that. That floor’s pretty dirty.”
“Dirt has never bothered me. Look what I do for a living. You know it can be sweaty and dirty work.”
“True.” He sat beside her and pulled Lucky over to his lap. “But you’re not usually wearing nice slacks out on the boat.”
“They’ll wash. And it’s better than motor oil.”
“Hey, I apologized for that. You never have given me the bill, either.”
“No, and I’m not going to. Don’t argue,” she said when he would have.
“This isn’t over,” he said.
She ignored that, then glanced at him, her eyes sparkling. “So tell me, Jack, which one did you pick?”
He grinned. “I fell for the girl. She was in the cage next to Lucky. I thought Cole would want a puppy, but he and Lucky bonded right off.”
“I’ve never had a dog. Never had a pet, really.” She was running her fingers over Princess’s ears and the dog was sighing with pleasure.
“Never? Not even when you were a kid?”
She shook her head. “Our father…there’s no way he’d have allowed us to have a pet. He’d have gone ballistic at the very mention of it.”
“He was gone long before I knew Mark and Jay and Brian. But from what I gathered, your old man was a real son of a bitch. None of them talked about him much, but what they said made me glad I hadn’t met him.”
“That’s too nice a term for what he was. Anyway, he wouldn’t let us. You know I ran away. The people I lived with after that couldn’t keep pets. She was allergic, so we never had any. After that I moved around a lot. Even once I stopped moving so much, I just never got one.”
“You said you’d been married. You didn’t have a pet then?”
“No. We both worked all the time, so it wouldn’t have been fair to the animal. Besides, Paul, my ex, didn’t care much for animals.”
She looked so content petting the dog, he said, “You could get one now.”
Startled, her hand stopped and she looked at him. “Me? Get a dog?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“I…I live alone.”
