Tori primly rose from the chair and shot Owen a grin full of promise. “I look forward to our meeting tomorrow and spending time with you on this renovation. It will be ameatyproject to sink my teeth into.”
On that uncomfortable note, she exited his office after a wink in his direction. Her red heels clicked on the tile floor.
Owen leaned over the desk and took out his phone to snap a picture of the approved grant form, then shot it in a quick email to Matt. He folded it into thirds and shoved it in his back pocket before going back to the counter.
A flash of blonde captured his attention through the front windows. Ava rushed down the sidewalk, her laptop bag slung over her shoulder. The entrance door was still slightly ajar from her quick departure. In the opposite direction, Tori walked to her car with her clipboard clutched in her manicured hands.
Between Ava’s presence in town and renovating the Agatha Building, for the first time in years, the prospect of a busy summer awaited him.
How had everything become so complicated in a matter of days?
Lost in thought, his fingers drummed a steady beat on the counter.
Owen relaxed in his favorite chair in the living room, listening to Maddy and Avery’s muffled voices as they read together in his room. Reading was how the two of them bonded, even when Maddy was away. They’d take turns reading passages from the same book over the phone, slowly making their way through a series about a young wizard going to a magical school.
He closed his eyes and soaked in the moment of contentment. Their voices grew softer and softer until the whir of Avery’s white noise machine turned on and the creak of his bedroom door whined from Maddy leaving his bedroom. A few minutes later, Maddy joined him in the living room balancing two open bottles of beer. He opened his eyes to acknowledge her and accepted the beer she held out to him.
“Cheers,” Maddy said before taking a sip. They settled in comfortable silence, the kind that came from the surety of years of friendship. The soothing white noise playing in Avery’s upstairs room mixed with the steady buzz of cicadas outside, relaxing Owen further. The peaceful moment ended all too soon.
“I have to leave in the morning,” Maddy said.
Owen sighed. “You have to tell Avery.”
It was Maddy’s turn to sigh. She picked at the label on her beer bottle. “I know, I will. I can stay for breakfast and leave after. An instructor broke their leg, and they need me to come back early to cover.”
Owen narrowed his eyes at her, concern gnawing at him. “Did it happenon the water?”
“Not sure on the details, but you have nothing to worry about, O. I’m safe out there. I know what I’m doing,” Maddy assured him.
Concern still burrowed its way behind his ribcage, not wanting to release its hold. It was his job to worry. “Avery needs his mom. He needsyou. Which meansIneed you to stay safe.”
“I hear you. I do. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about,” Maddy said.
She took an extra long gulp of her beer. Owen knew she was more affected by his words than she let on. She set aside the bottle and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “So tell me. Are you actually concerned for my safety or is this how you’re channeling your anxiety about Ava being in town?”
Owen gave her an unimpressed look, the kind he usually reserved for Avery when he tried to talk his way out of trouble. Unfortunately, he got his attitude from his mom, and she was equally unaffected by his glare.
“We might as well address the elephant in the room. Or excuse me, theBirdiein the room. That’s what you used to call her, right?” she pressed.
He heaved a heavy sigh and fidgeted with his hair. Loosening the strands and sifting his fingers through it to tie it up into a knot again, all the while debating how to respond.
“I can’t seem to escape her. For ten years, I didn’t see her. No contact, social media, pictures, anything. Now she’s suddenly everywhere.” He paused, wanting to unload everything now that he’d started. “And I’m worried I made a mistake buying the Agatha Building.”
“Why? It’s too late now, but why do you think it’s a mistake?”
“It was the building Ava and I wanted to buy together. I never expected her to come back, now she’s here and what if I can’t keep it asecret from her? Renovations are going to start in a matter of weeks,” he said.
“Does it have to be a secret?”
It felt like a secret. A giant one he couldn’t contain. So many memories of Ava were tied up with the building he bought. He still hadn’t unpacked his motivation for buying it.
“I don’t know,” he confessed. “It feels like one.” Owen took a long drink of his beer, nearly emptying the bottle. He swirled the remaining liquid.
“Look, you don’t have to tell her anything. You don’t even have to interact with Ava if you truly don’t want to. But what’s done is done. You bought the building, you secured the funds, and Ava is in town for the foreseeable future. The Owen I know doesn’t back down when things get hard. The baby daddy I know, and love, takes care of shit without second-guessing himself.”
Owen let out a painful groan, the memory of his encounter with Ava earlier that day catching up with him. He buried his head in his hands. “I saidbaby daddyin front of her today,” he moaned.
Maddy burst into laughter, adding to his embarrassment. It was her fault for calling him that at all. “You didn’t,” she managed between laughs.
