"Hey, Ol." She smiles, her freckles more visible without makeup. "I miss you. When are you coming home?"
"Soon, I hope. I wanted to come home for my break, and Avery was all for it. Said he wanted to meet Mom and Dad, keep up appearances and all that," I say, while we wait for the other two to join the call.
"I don’t think that would be a good idea," she admits, right as both Jenna and Cassandra appear on the screen, their hellos colliding mid-call.
"What wouldn’t be a good idea?" Cassandra asks, her voice raspy, eyes tired.
"Olive was just saying that Avery wants to come to Grangewood to meet Mom and Dad when she has a break from tour."
Cassandra’s eyebrows almost reach her hairline. "And why would he want to do something like that?" Disapproval is evident all over her face.
"To keep up appearances," Lizzie chimes in, and I nod. "But Mom doesn’t want to meet him, and Dad…" She trails off. "Dad just wants what’s best for you."
"And he doesn’t think a fake marriage is what’s best." I laugh at just how stupid it sounds. Of course it’s not. Nobody wants that for their kid.
"It’s not that, Olive. It’s Avery’s reputation," Cassandra says.
Those words put me on the defense of my husband immediately. I don’t know why he did what he did. Hell, I’m not even sure of what he actuallydid.
But I know one thing: The version of him the media’s running with is not the Avery Jones I know.
"His reputation?" My voice comes out louder than I meant it to. "Lizzie and Jenna met him. They saw the type of guy he is." I roll my eyes in disbelief that I even have to have this conversation.
"That’s true," Lizzie chimes in. "We did, and he really did seem like he cares for her, Cass."
Thank you, Lizzie.
"Or did he show you the version of himself he wanted you guys to see?" Cassandra’s face is cold and closed off now. "Come on, be logical. Mom and Dad don’t want to meet him, Olive, and you need to respect that."
I’m not mad at Cassandra. She’s living a whole new chapter, and I’ve missed most of it.
I’d already signed the contracts before she even knew she was pregnant—there wasn’t any way around it.
Still, it stings, being on the outside of it all.
And yet, the urge I have to hang up on her is almost overpowering.
"That isn’t why I called," I hiss through my teeth. "I’m presenting at the F and T awards. Jenna, you and Cole are nominated, right?" Jenna beams with an enthusiastic nod.
"We are! Cole is nominated for Best New Actor, and the salon is nominated for Best Hair and Makeup." Her cheeks stain with a rosy shade of pink, making her face all but glow with immense pride. "Cole has the award in the bag, but we’re up against people that do all types of special effects and prosthetic makeup."
"Jenna," Cassandra says with a warning in her tone.
"I’m not diminishing my success," Jenna retorts, holding her hands up to defend herself. "I’m just stating a fact. There are a lot better people in our category, and that’s totally okay!"
My phone vibrates in my hand, with 'Strictly Business'displayed in the banner on top of my screen. "I need to get going, but I’ll see you guys soon."
"Wait, before you go." Lizzie blurts out. The rest of us come to a halt, my finger hovering over the ‘end’ button. "The award show is next week, right?" she says, and Jenna nods.
"Maybe Avery can meet Mom and Dad the night after? Hold on," she says, leaning forward to grab her laptop. The screen lights up her face.
Her fingers tap away at the keyboard as Jenna says, "Lizzie, can’t you talk and type?" But Lizzie holds her finger up in response.
"Ah huh!" She cheers. "Okay, Avery has a gameinCalifornia where the award show is taking place two days later. I assume he’ll be staying there." It isn’t a question, but I nod anyway to confirm for her. "And Olive. You have a couple weeks off tour, right? So you’ll probably be there with him?" I nod again. "I just feel like they need to meet him in a place that isn’t…homefor them, you know? And if Avery can prove to Mom and Dad that he genuinely cares about you, I would almost guarantee thatMom will end up loving him by the time it’s all over. They’ll probably even want to come to the game."
Cassandra puffs air into her cheeks, mulling it all over, finally agreeing to it with a shake of her head. "Okay, I like that idea. We’ll all be there, too. Nothing like a family ambush to get you to reveal who you truly are. Anyway, I’ve got a baby to feed."
"Love you, bye," we all say at the same time like always.
