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“Ava, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Please. White, if you have it.” She sat at the counter watching Suzanne prepare some crudite.
“So, let me see the ring?”
Ava held her hand out for Suzanne to see her engagement ring.
“Beautiful. My brother had good taste.”
“Yes, he does.” Ava started chewing on her cheek because she could feel the tension that was building.
Suzanne lowered her voice, “You two have been through a lot these past few years, haven’t you?”
Ava took a deep breath, “We have. A lot of stupid decisions and mistakes on both our parts. I don’t blame only Xander for the things that have happened between us. I’m not that arrogant or self-righteous. I accept some of the responsibility. We are trying to put the past behind us and start fresh.” She expected this statement to disarm Suzanne, but she questioned her further.
“What makes you think that these past issues won’t become a problem in the future? You’re still the same people, and I’m sure things might get dredged up especially during an argument. Do you both feel you can push these things aside?”
Ava took a long swig of her wine. She had no idea what Suzanne meant. She and Xander had discussed the past and made a decision that it had to stay there. She knew that Suzanne was protecting Xander, but he was an adult.
“Suzanne, I know you love your brother, and you want to protect him, but we have discussed these issues. We are even considering seeing a therapist to work on better communication.” The last part was a white lie. They had briefly talked about seeing a relationship therapist but hadn’t decided if they needed one. The past couple of weeks they had been getting along well. She hoped it would continue.
Suzanne smiled at her, “I hope you understand. I just want him to be happy.”
Xander wandered into the kitchen to make sure Suzanne wasn't too harsh with Ava. He kissed Ava’s head and took a sip of wine from her glass. He asked if she wanted to look around before they had lunch. He kissed his sister and took Ava by the hand to see the backyard.
The yard had a large stone patio with an in-ground pool surrounded by a glass fence. He took her through the gate, and they sat on the large wooden swing that was surrounded by large rose bushes. They were partially hidden from the windows of the house, and Xander welcomed the privacy. He tipped Ava’s chin up and kissed her passionately, his hand fisted in her hair. He broke the kiss leaving her breathless.
“What was that all about?”
“I just love you so much. Please don’t be offended by whatever Suzanne said. She is just protecting me. I was a mess when we were apart, and she was the one person I could talk to about how I felt.”
“I’m not offended, and I understand. I just wanted her to know that we are past all of the hurt. We hurt each other, you not more than me, me not more than you. We can only move forward.”
Suzanne stuck her head out the door and called them into lunch. He grasped her hand, and they walked towards the house.
Later in the early evening, they said their goodbyes. Ava felt much more comfortable with Suzanne. She felt that she made her understand that she would not hurt her brother again, not intentionally anyway.
Xander pushed the Infiniti well past eighty driving home on I-95. The traffic was light and the cars they did encounter, he weaved around. Ava was playing with the radio and not paying attention to him. He suddenly started to slow and pulled over to the shoulder.
“What’s the matter? Is there something wrong with the car?”
He turned the interior light on.
“No, there is nothing wrong with the car. There is something wrong with you.”
“What? What did I do?” She asked with alarm.
“I just noticed that the seatbelt light is on. Why aren’t you wearing your belt? I told you when you drive; you must have it on. I don’t understand why I need to tell you this all the time,” He growled.
Ava began to chew on her nails.
“Well? Do you have an answer?”
“Don’t be angry at me. I have a reason for not wearing my belt.”
“What is it? I can’t think of one good reason to jeopardize your life.”
She was hesitant, but she told the story that he might or might not have heard from his parents about the night Elizabeth Keene was killed. She had been hit by a drunk driver, and the car had spun and twisted on the road until it came to rest against a tree. It burst into flame and her belt had jammed, she couldn’t get free.
