“Rory, Franklin,” she said with curt nods. “And the evening is treating you well?”
“Yes, thank you,” Rory answered.
“I’m so glad you both could be here,” she said. “And on such a blustery evening.”
“We almost didn’t make it,” Ava said, turning around. “We were going to stay home and watch gay movies.”
My mouth snapped shut, and Rory’s eyes got wide. He let out a forced chuckle. “And I don’t believe you’ve met Ava, our niece. She moved here from Tucson at the start of the school year and will be living us from now on.”
She nodded curtly one more time. “Nice to meet you.”
I forced down a laugh, finally recovering from the shock of hearing Ava talk to a stranger, let alone sass her, even though it was light.
She impressed me more every day.
A man appeared by our sides out of nowhere, cutting into the small talk. He whispered something in the chair’s ear. Then she blinked.
“Daryl? My son? But he’s not even in Seattle. He’s in California.”
“It sounds like a car accident, ma’am,” he said quietly, then muttered a few other things. I caught the name of a hospital and something about broken bones.
My heart stopped. Anything else I had been feeling washed away, and worry settled in.
“I have to go,” she said quickly, turning away and disappearing before we could reply.
Rory, Ava, and I shared a concerned glance. I had a horrible moment where I imagined receiving news like that about Ava, and a shudder went down my body.
“I certainly hope that isn’t as bad as it sounded,” Rory said. “We’ll make sure to keep her in our thoughts.”
I nodded, and the lights flickered, indicating we should take our seats at the round, white tables. Rory took my hand and patted Ava’s shoulder, guiding us forward.
“Wait until you try the dessert they’re about to serve,” I whispered to Ava. “It almost makes the speeches worthwhile.”
Ava turned to meet my eye, then smiled softly and pulled her headphones over her ears.
Smart girl, I thought and joined my family at the table.
