4
“You knowthat you’re completely overqualified,” Amanda repeated for perhaps the dozenth time sitting across from Ava in her office which had a breathtaking view of the resort grounds.
“I know, but I really feel like this would be a good fit for me. I’m already licensed in California because I practiced when we were in Southern California. And I’d like to get back to what drew me to psychology in the first place, and that’s working with kids.”
Growing up, Ava had always wanted to be a social worker, but Ian had talked her out of going down that career path. He’d pushed her toward couples counseling because he said that people will throw a lot of money at trying to save a sinking ship. And he said that being a social worker was a thankless job and there wasn’t any money in it.
Both of those things were true. And if Ava had cared about money or being thanked, it definitely wouldn’t have been the occupation for her. But all Ava cared about was making a difference in people’s lives. And not just any person, in children’s lives. Whitney said it best in “Greatest Love of All” the children are our future, yet they are some of the most undervalued citizens. In a lot of cases, they don’t have voices. They don’t have rights. They don’t have people that believe in them.
Ava wanted to be their voice, show them their worth, and believe in them. Which is exactly what she’d told her sisters when they questioned her about her decision to stay in Hope Falls.
After breakfast, Ava had convinced her sisters that she wanted to go back to Mountain Ridge, alone, and speak to Amanda about stepping in for Lisa. They’d all done their best to insist they come along with her, but she’d put her foot down.
Ava completely understood their overprotectiveness If it was one of them who had been left at the altar, or left before even getting to the altar, she would be worried sick. She doubted anything they could say would convince her that they were okay. But it wasn’t one of them, it was her, and she knew that she was okay. Better than okay.
“Can I be brutally honest with you?” Amanda asked.
In Ava’s life experience, nothing good had ever come after the question, can I be brutally honest with you?
“Of course.”
“I’d love to have you here. I know the kids would love you and I have no idea what I’m going to do if I don’t hire you, but…”
Ava tried to brace herself as she smiled and waited for what was to come after the but.
“I have some very serious concerns. First, I’m worried that the venue that your wedding was going to be at might not be the healthiest place for you to work right now. And also, that this might be a knee-jerk emotional reaction and tomorrow, or the next day, or next week you’re going to wake up and realize that you’ve made a huge mistake. This is a six-week commitment and I feel like, especially with the mental health program, we really need consistency for the kids. Especially for the out-of-town kids.”
Ava smiled and did her best not to sound as desperate as she felt. “I completely understand your reservations. Your concerns are completely valid and, to be honest, I’d have them too, if I were you. The only thing I can say is that I know this is a good fit. I want to put all my energy into these kids. I want to do something other than listen to rich people whine about their first world problems.”
Amanda grinned.
“This is exactly what I need. I’ll sign a contract, if that will make you more comfortable but I promise you, I would never abandon these kids.”
Amanda’s face softened and she took a deep breath as her lips split in a smile that reached her eyes. “Okay, welcome to the Mountain Ridge team! I’ll email over all the new hire paperwork. Our out-of-town staff stay here at the resort, so there’s a cabin for you if you want it. But since I know your sisters are local if you’d rather stay with the—”
“I’ll take the cabin,” Ava cut her off.
Growing up she’d shared a room with Grace. In college, she’d shared a dorm room with two other students. And she’d moved from the dorm straight in with Ian.
She’d never had a space that was all her own.
“Okay,” Amanda smiled as she pushed out of her chair. It took a little bit of effort.
“How are you feeling?”
“Huge.” Amanda sighed. “But I only have eight more weeks to go.”
“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Nope. I wanted to find out but Justin wants it to be a surprise.”
Ava had always wanted to have kids, but she could never imagine Ian as a dad even though they’d talked about having kids since they were kids themselves. That should have been another clue that maybe he wasn’t the person she was meant to be with.
“So, once we get the new hire paperwork back, you’ll have access to all the campers’ files. We have eighty-two campers this year, which is double what we had last year. I know that’s a lot to familiarize yourself with over the next day but—"
“It shouldn’t be a problem.” Ava loved a challenge and she’d always excelled on tests when she had to pull all-nighters. Plus, it would be nice to immerse herself in something that had nothing to do with the wedding or Ian.
The past year the wedding had consumed her life. It was all anyone wanted to talk about. Which she supposed would be great for some brides, but not her. It had never felt real to her. In hindsight, that was probably a red flag that something wasn’t right.