“AVERY!” someone shouted from the shoreline.
Ava turned to see a group of kids on the beach, one of them waving his arms to get Avery’s attention.
“Come play volleyball,” the same kid yelled.
Avery jumped to his feet, abandoning the mostly empty bag of trail mix on the dock. “Mom, wanna come watch me play?”
“Sure thing, kiddo,” Madeline agreed and pushed herself to standing. She looked back down at Ava and Summer. “I’m sure I’ll see you again before Friday,” she said, following Avery to the edge of the floating dock. Madeline pulled off her baseball cap and shook out her hair before balling the hat in her fist. “I’ll race you back, kid.”
And then they were gone as they dove into the water and took off in a race to the shoreline. Ava let herself rock with the undulating dock. She didn’t know what to make of her second encounter with Avery and Madeline.
Summer leaned over to nudge Ava’s shoulder with her own. “What are you thinking about so hard over there?”
“I’m thinking it’s weird as hell Owen’s wife is so nice to me and that she doesn’t live in Cedar Falls. I didn’t think Owen would want to be in a long-distance relationship again.” Ava shrugged with a casualness she didn’t feel.
Summer looked at her in shock, her eyebrows almost hitting her hairline. “My idiot brother explained nothing to you. What did you guys even talk about when he drove you home?”
Ava stiffened at the reminder of their conversation. “He shared his condolences about my dad, and I told him what I was doing in town. That’s pretty much it.” She left out the parts she’d rather forget and the sting of loneliness that hit her afterward.
Summer huffed and rolled her eyes. “My brother can be so oblivious sometimes,” Summer muttered. “Ava, he’s not married. Never has been. He’s basically a single dad. Has been almost all of Avery’s life.”
Ava’s jaw dropped, her brain short-circuiting.Owen is a single dad?Why does that make him even more attractive?
That explained why Madeline didn’t live in Cedar Falls and why Avery was so excited about her visit.
“Wait, so they aren’t together? Why is Owen raising Avery on his own?”
“It’s not really my story to tell, but from what I know they were friends. One thing led to another, and Maddy ended up pregnant. But you know Owen, once he found out, Mr. Responsible stepped into the dad role. Maddy does her own thing, though, so Owen has primary custody. Seems to work for the three of them,” Summer said.
Ava wracked her memories from ten years ago. She had a vague memory of Owen making a friend during his chef apprenticeship after college. And suddenly, it clicked. The reason Madeline’s name sounded familiar yesterday. But then she remembered a detail that confused her.
“Is Madeline the friend he met working at the restaurant in Portland after college?”
Summer tilted her head as she contemplated Ava’s question. “That sounds familiar. I think that might be where they met. I know they’d only known each other a few months before she got pregnant. Why?”
“Wasn’t she gay?” Ava blurted.
There was a pause, then Summer burst into laughter. Ava found herself annoyed at Summer’s lack of an answer.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh,” Summer said with a chuckle. “Yeah, she is. I can’t believe you remember that.”
“Trust me, you remember stuff like that about the woman your boyfriend is hanging around with,” Ava muttered.
Summer appraised her. Ava suspected she once again showed her hand without meaning to.
“That still doesn’t explain how she got pregnant,” Ava thought aloud.
“Girl, don’t ask me to explain what happened between her and Owen that resulted in Avery. My brother’s sex life is none of my business, and I don’t want it to be. But there is no denying those genetics.”
Ava didn’t doubt Owen’s paternity. That was as clear as the sky was blue. Her mind spun with the possibilities. Was it a moment of passion or a night when the loneliness became too much to handle? Or was it spite? She immediately dismissed that possibility. Owen didn’t have a spiteful bone in his body, unlike her.
But a very tiny voice in her brain planted an accusation that hurt far more than any other. That Owen sought Madeline out to give him the child she didn’t.
Chapter 5
The Historical Society
Owen couldn’t focus on the grant application in front of him. Defeated, he slumped against the faded and cracked leather chair he should probably replace and rolled away from the desk. He’d sequestered himself in his office at the café to work on the Historical Society renovation grant, but he was no closer to completing it than he was an hour ago when he sat down. Or even starting it. Owen couldn’t get past the first question.
