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“Original, huh?”
“My father liked them too.”
Liked.
“When did you lose him?”
She stiffens in my arms. “Ten years ago.”
“I’m sorry. Losing a parent is hard.” My chest squeezes in empathy.
“I’m sorry about your mother. Your dad talks about her so much. She sounds like an amazing woman.”
“She was.” I dip my nose into her hair and inhale. “She really was. What’s yours like? I’ve not heard you mention her.”
The seat belt sign chimes off, indicating we can move around the cabin. Ava stays glued to me, her breathing slowing.
“She lives in LA. She’s an actress. She moved there after Dad died.”
My arm tightens around her, and I draw her closer.
“You chose to stay with your grandfather?”
“It was for the best. Mum wasn’t coping well with her grief.” Her voice wavers, loosening like she’s getting drowsy.
Jesus.The image of a young Ava losing her father and then her mother in a short space of time makes me take a deep breath.
“You’ll know her. Zena Hamilton.” Pride fills her voice as she inches herself away from me.
I’ve no idea who she’s talking about. She blinks, looking around the cabin with glassy eyes.
“How long do we have?”
“Another seven hours and forty-two minutes.”
“Oh.” Her lips part as she wipes a hand over her forehead. “I think the tablets are working. I feel calmer.” She gives me a woozy grin. “Like I just got off the teacups at the fair.”
I grab the bottle of water beside my seat and hold it out to her. “Drink this. And no more alcohol.”
She giggles. “No glass?”
I unscrew the lid and hold it out to her again. “I’ll make an exception. Now drink.”
Her glazed eyes try to focus on mine as she drinks until she’s finished the bottle.
“Good girl.”
I take it from her as she wipes her lips with the back of her hand.
“You feeling okay?”
She gives me a goofy grin. “I feel gooood. Relaxed.” She sways a little in her seat like she’s dancing to an invisible tune. “I told you, Jet. Herbal pills… they’re the way to go. I’ve never taken them with champagne before. It works.”
“Uh-huh.”
She sinks back into her seat with a deep sigh. When I’m satisfied she isn’t going to move anytime soon, I get my laptop out and open it up. I’m five minutes into making notes in the document when she starts giggling beside me.
“Flags…” She snorts. “Can you really skip eight hundred times in a row?”
