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“How do you know that was for you?”
“Really, Brooke? June fourth and his initials? He somehow knew that I was going to be there. Maybe he saw my name on one of the schedules or something. Also, the picture of me in my white bikini is missing from the bulletin board in the camp director’s office.”
Brooke laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Ava, you’re a beautiful woman. Anyone could have removed that picture. Why do you think it was him?”
“Because two weeks before my arrival, they had volunteers working to repair the camp. The floor in the director’s office had two new planks right under the bulletin board.”
“That could have been anyone that fixed it not just him. I think you’re reaching.”
Ava took a deep breath and lowered her voice almost to a whisper.
“Am I reaching that he sent me lavender roses for my graduation?” Ava removed the necklace from her shirt and showed Brooke the inscription on the ring.
“He put this same inscription on the card with the roses, and that was it. No signature. It was his handwriting; I remember it.”
Brooke put her hand over her mouth. “Maybe he is coming back to you?”
Ava shook her head. “If he was then why hasn’t he already? Why would he give me hope and then not show?”
Brooke could see the tortured look on Ava’s face and hugged her sister as she told her, “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something for you.”
They were disrupted from talking further as Natalia called the family into the dining room to sit down for dinner. Afterward, Ava went to her room. She was tired from the flight and decided against sitting outside with her family. She went up to her room and lay on her bed. Within a matter of minutes, she was asleep while still fully dressed, not even having removed her shoes.
When she woke up the next morning, it was early, but she had gone to bed early. The house was quiet, and since it was only her, Natalia and her father staying in the home, she expected as much. Brooke and Michael both lived in the same neighborhood in large homes, but not larger than their father’s. It was surprising to Ava that her father still lived in an eight-bedroom home by himself. It must get lonely at night.
She went to the bathroom to take a shower, feeling sweaty from the Georgia heat even though the house was nice and cool from the air conditioning. The sun was starting to rise as she got dressed. She went down the kitchen and heard the clack of shoes, the shuffling of slippers and muffled tones. She peeked around the corner to see her father kissing a dark-haired woman probably only a few years older than her brother. Ava instantly hated her even though she knew it was irrational for her to expect her father not to move on with his life.
Her mother had been gone for fourteen years. It was still natural for a child to hate the person trying to take their lost parent’s place, no matter what their age. She hid behind the wall until her father went back to his room, preferring not to have this conversation with him. Anyway, who was she to question? She would be a hypocrite if she made a big deal out of it. Her personal life was non-existent since she couldn’t forget about Xander.
Later that morning, Ava was sitting at the dining room table drinking coffee as a flurry of activity went on around her. Alicia’s sister, Ingrid, was in the kitchen instructing her catering staff. Ava’s father, as usual, had gone overboard with everything for his grandchildren’s party. A couple of men were setting up fencing for a petting zoo and pony rides.
Several workers were finishing the large carousel that they had put up yesterday. A bouncy house had been secured with stakes. A few food vendors were under tents on the perimeter of the lawn. They would be serving frozen custard, cotton candy, ice cream, kettle corn and homemade candy. There are going to be a lot of tummy aches this evening.
She stood to go to the kitchen and wash her coffee cup. Ingrid hugged her in between carrying a tray of pigs-in-a-blanket to the oven. There would be many children here today, and her father had asked for kid-friendly food. To appease the parents, he had sushi and brick oven pizza being made in tents on the other side of the yard.
Ava went out to the backyard just in time to see her brother bring the twins into the pool area. It was a very warm day, and they were whining about being hot.
She called out to him, “Michael!” He waved to her, and she joined him in the pool enclosure. Her father had hired two certified lifeguards to watch any children that entered the area. They would be patrolling the pool deck on foot. She watched at the twins slipped into the water. They swam like little dolphins back and forth even in the deep area. Ava was surprised that they were so good. Last year, Elizabeth didn’t even want to get her face wet.
“When did they start swimming on their own?”
“We took them to a swim class during the winter at the Sandy River Country Club. At first, they didn’t want to do it, but when they saw the other children, they got right into the pool. William was in the same class, and he can swim very well, too. I’m sure when Brooke gets here, he will want to join them.”
Mikey got out of the pool and while dripping wet, hugged Ava around her legs ensuring her shorts were as wet as he was.
“Mikey! Look what you did to Aunt Ava!” Elizabeth seemed mortified by his behavior. “It’s alright. It’s hot out, and it will dry quickly.”
Ava was right because as soon as he jumped back in the pool, her shorts had begun to dry. The temperature was already in the mid-eighties even though it was only 11:00 AM.
She was hesitant but decided she needed to ask her brother. “Hey, Michael,” she started, waving him to the side of the pool as she knelt down for more confidential talking, “Can I ask you something?”
Her brother moved closer and looked up from watching the children to make eye contact with her, “Anything.”
“How long has Daddy been dating?”
