“Ava needs a car. We’ll have to take one up to her when we get a chance.”
“Now?” Kyle asked as he pulled the van into the parking lot of the Beach Comber.
“No, let’s do the Chris thing first and get it over with. Actually, no, let’s take the car up first. Wait…” Alex rubbed the back of his neck. “Am I overthinking everything?”
Alex typed a message back to her as they tried to sort it out.Any excuse to visit you, Avs. Also, if you’d like a ride along on that mission, hack my system and grab the pearl tracker.
She returned his text.Sporting a new accessory, huh?
He responded to her immediately.My tribute to you, Sparky.
“I told Ava she can watch us on the Pearl cam, so no matter what we do, we need to stop by the house first.”
“Okay,” Kyle said as they slid out of the van and crossed to Alex’s SUV. “We’ll head there, go see Chris, then take the car up to Ava.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Then we can discuss what happened with her.”
Kyle pointed a finger at him as he slid into the passenger seat. “Bingo.”
Alex drove the short distance home, pulling into his driveway a few minutes later. He killed the engine, and they slid from the car, creeping into the darkened house. “Shhh,” Alex warned. “We can’t let them know we’ve been carousing around.”
“Right,” Kyle whispered as Alex eased the door open with a wince.
They tiptoed into the foyer. “Wait here,” Alex hissed. “I’ll go up and get the pearl cam.”
The lights went on, and Alex’s stomach plummeted as he squinted, whipping around to find Julia and Grant on the stairs.
Julia crossed her arms. “Where have you two been?”
“Uhh, walking the beach,” Alex said with a nod. “I’m…really upset. And I’m trying to deal with it. And Doc is…being a good friend.”
“Thanks,” Kyle said with a bob of his head.
Grant heaved a sigh, shaking his head. “I’m sorry to say this, but I think Kyle may not be being a good friend so much as an enabler. Look, Alex, I don’t know you that well, and this has all been a shock. But Julia is right. You have to face this. Arrangements need to be made.”
“Uhhhh, I don’t know–”
“That’s exactly what I was telling him, Dad,” Kyle said as he clapped Alex on the shoulder. “We need a funeral. A way to pay tribute to Ava. For the people who loved her to say goodbye. And it’s going to be hard, but we need to do it.”
Alex raised his eyebrows, sliding his gaze sideways to Kyle with a questioning glance.
“I know, Mav,” Kyle said with a shake of his head. “I know you don’t want to face this, but you have to. And we have to. I have to. Chris has to. We all have to.”
“Ohhhh, right. You’re right, Doc. And when you’re right, you’re right. We need to do this. Julia, tomorrow, we’ll plan the funeral for Ava. But for now, I just want to try to get some sleep.”
Julia shuffled down a few steps, her features pinching as she glanced at him. “Alex, I’m worried about you. You’re all over the place. Did Kyle give you something for the grief?”
“Uhh, yep. He gave me an antidepressant, and boy, is it working. I don’t feel any depression, but I also don’t feel any emotion. So…when it wears off, I’ll be really sad.” Alex cleared his throat.
“Don’t worry, Mav. We’ll keep you on them through the funeral. Once you’ve had a chance to say goodbye, then we’ll ween you.”
“Good idea, Doc. You’re a smart guy. Now, I think we’d better head to bed.”
Grant and Julia exchanged a glance before Julia sucked in a breath. “Well, okay. I guess we’ll work on all of this tomorrow. Kyle, I trust whatever you’re giving him is appropriate.”
“Thanks, Julia. I appreciate your confidence in me. Good night, everyone.”
Alex hurried up the stairs with Kyle following him and disappeared into the upstairs hall. He scurried to his room,flying inside and motioning for Kyle to follow him before he slammed the door behind them and locked it.
