Ava walked down an aisle of bedroom supplies and looked around. The options were slim, but anything they couldn’t find in person, she decided she would order online.
“What about these?”
Ava turned around to find Cole holding up pink curtains with colorful butterflies all over them.
“She’d love that,” Ava said.
Cole looked proud as he set them inside the cart he was pushing.
Ava then reached for a matching lamp and turned to show it to Cole.
“Yes, perfect,” he said. “Oh, we could go with a butterfly theme.” He picked up some butterflies that attached to the walls with magnetic pushpins.
“We'd better be careful or I am going to spend a ton of money.”
Cole tilted his head. “I’ll pay for it.”
Ava giggled. “I was joking. And no, you aren’t paying for it.”
“Why not?”
“Because she isn’t your sister or your responsibility. Plus, I haven’t been paying extra rent to have her stay in Kelly’s room. Which is completely unfair to you, by the way.”
Cole rolled his eyes. “I don’t care about that.”
“I know. But I’m just saying that you’re doing enough. You don’t need to buy her bedroom supplies too.”
“I do what I want.”
Ava snorted. They picked out a matching bedspread and a small area rug to match before deciding they had gotten enough. Ava paid for the items and then Cole carried them out to her car, putting them all in the trunk.
“Let’s grab lunch before heading back,” Cole said.
“Sounds good. What are you feeling?”
“Nothing in particular. Maybe the diner?”
Ava drove them over to the small diner and parked. They had eaten there several times before. Sometimes it was nice to get out of their town and eat somewhere different, but this was the first time it had been just the two of them in a very long time.
They were seated at a corner booth and looked over the small menu. They both ordered burgers and milkshakes before sitting silently across from each other.
“This is nice,” Cole said.
Ava smiled. “It is.”
“How are you feeling after yesterday, and the chat with Jameson this morning?”
“Does it make me a shitty person to say that I’m extremely excited that my mom screwed up so bad?” While she never would have wished her mom to make a scene in front of the school, and definitely wouldn’t have wished Ruby to witness it, she was happy it would help her gain guardianship in the end.
“Nope.”
“You seem so sure.”
“That’s because I am. Iknowyou’re a good person, and you have Ruby’s best interests at heart. Tonya and Frank do not.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “Thank you for believing in me.”
Their moment was interrupted when their food arrived. Ava pulled her hand back and smiled at Cole.
