"You're not crawling back. You're deploying an asset." I caught her eye. "There's a difference."
I watched her consider it. The hesitation was there. Years of history, of hurt, of carefully constructed walls. But underneathit, I could see the resolve building. The same steel I'd seen when she refused to recant.
"Okay," she said finally. "You might be right."
Twice in one night. Twice she'd trusted my judgment.
I watched her dial, something settling in me that felt like hope.
Something warm spread through my chest as I watched her dial.
"Dad." Her voice was steady. Neutral. "You've been calling."
I couldn't hear his response, but I saw her expression shift. Surprise first. Then something I couldn't quite read. Confusion, maybe. Or wariness.
"Tomorrow," she said after a long pause. "Somewhere public. Noon." She gave the name of a restaurant in Midtown. "And come alone."
She hung up. Set the phone down carefully.
"What did he say?"
Ava's brow furrowed, like she was still trying to make sense of it. "He knows about the Langs. Says he wants to talk to me about it. That he has information."
"He's been keeping tabs on you."
She let out a humorless laugh. "You see what I mean now?"
"I see a hint of it. Yeah."
Ava took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Watson purred against her legs, oblivious to the weight of the moment.
"Just hear him out," I said. "Then if you don't like his plan, say so. You're not agreeing to anything by showing up."
She looked at me. Held my gaze for a long moment.
"Okay."
I felt my mouth curve into a grin. Probably too wide.
"What's that smile for?"
"Nothing."
"Brian."
"You're just very agreeable tonight, that's all."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm too tired to argue. Don't get used to it."
Watson meowed, demanding attention. Ava scratched behind his ears, her mind clearly elsewhere. The tension in her shoulders hadn't fully eased, but some of the fear had faded. Replaced by something that looked almost like determination.
I crossed the room and sat down on the couch beside her. Close, but not quite touching.
"Hey."
She looked up.
I reached over and gently poked the furrow between her brows. "Stop thinking so hard. You'll give yourself wrinkles."
