“If you know all this, you must have had it happen to you?”
“Yep,” Ava says with a sigh. “Again—assholes. Go see Weston.”
“Our cousin Weston?”
“Yeah, he just moved back to the island after making stacks of cash in tech in America. He’s a wizard at getting into accountsand deleting things you don’t want seen. Probably very, very illegal, but he’s really good at it.”
“He’s done this for you before?”
“He doesn’tlikedoing it, but he will. He’s done it maybe…” She cocks her head and considers it. “Twice? College, mostly. Asshole guys looking for a payday.”
“Thank you,” I say, and I open my arms for a hug. “I really appreciate this, Ava.”
She sinks into my embrace longer than I expect, and when we break apart, I try to examine her for a beat. But she won’t look at me.
“That’s all you needed?” she asks, standing up, her voice a false perky tone I’ve never heard.
“Yeah, but…” I hesitate to ask. Part of me isn’t sure I can handle more drama, but Nathaniel and I have always been the fixers in the family. It’s a hard habit to break. “Are you actually okay?”
“Me? Totally.” She meets my gaze, but something isn’t right.
I just don’t have the energy to push, so I give her another quick hug and head for the door.
When I grab the handle to leave, Ava says from behind me, “Did you ever find out where Stephen went?”
I turn on my heel to take her in. She looks hopeful and a bit sad at the same time. “No. He hasn’t been in touch.”
She shakes her head, and then she flashes her hand at me. “I’m engaged.”
“Oh my god, Ava! When did this happen?”
“A while ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“I didn’t want you all giving me shit. Gage and Ember know.”
“Giving you shit about what?”
“Who I’m marrying. When I’m marrying.”
“Whoareyou marrying?”
“Raul Santos.”
My mind searches for that name, but the only one I come up with is a friend of Dad’s who has to be in his fifties or sixties. “I don’t think I know him,” I say.
“Yes, you do,” Ava says.
“No, Ava…”
“I helped you, and now you help me. Support my choices. When I tell everyone else, you need to be on my side.”
“Of course I’m on your side.”When it makes sense, I want to add. “Are you sure about this?”
“It’s a done deal,” Ava says. “It’s already done.”
“You just helped me, Ava. If you need me to get you out of whatever this is, I can help you.”
