?
Logan, Ava, and I leave the hotel together after saying goodbye to everyone. They sleep most of the way home. Ash calls while they are zonked out and says she’s staying for a few days to get her head straight. Then I wake the kids so she can talk to them. They make plans for next weekend.
Ava laughs when they end the call. It isn’t a funny kind of laugh; it’s laced with hurt.
“I’m going back to school. Does she not know this?”
“She’s got work to do—”
“Yeah,” Logan grumbles. “Busiest secretary I’ve ever met. Shit, you’re the CEO, and you don’t even work as much as she does.”
I manage to pull another award-winning performance out of my ass.
“Four years of school versus two. Remember that, boy.” I pat his knee and laugh, making light of the situation.
What else can I do?
TEN
NORMAL
The next few weeks, we’re living in perfect harmony. Except the part that I sleep in Ava’s room while she’s at college after Logan has gone to sleep and wake up at five to ensure he doesn’t see me.
Ashley told our son the reason she was staying home was to spend more time with him. She does pretty damn good, too. She cooks dinner, attends school functions, and she even learned how to use the Xbox controls and tried to learn how to play his favorite games. She’s putting forth effort. Just what I wanted her to do. But it makes my stomach curl. He doesn’t seem to notice. He seems good. He isn’t staying after school to work out after baseball practice anymore. He even brought a girl home. First time ever, too. He says they are just friends, but I’m not buying it.
This afternoon, while Logan is at school, I run up to Alex’s clinic. The old farm is now the town’s only veterinarian clinic. I walk in and look around, but he’s nowhere to be found. I’m about ready to send him a message when the phone rings in his office.
“Uncle Alex?” I hear when I answer it.
“Harper, it’s Lucas. Is everything all right?”
“Yeah. Is Alex around?”
“Nope. Haven’t seen him yet. I just stopped by to see if he had any of that flea and tick ointment for Jades dog.”
“So, no one is there?” She sounds upset.
“Harper, tell me what’s going on.”
“Mom went out for a run. Told Tomas if he didn’t come back here, he was fired. I’m just worried.”
Tomas is her father’s assistant or, more accurately, his G-man.
“I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I know. It’s just—”
“She upset, Harper?”
“Yeah. Well, she was last night.”
“Okay, you relax, and I promise I’ll call you back in fifteen minutes. I’m pretty sure I know where she is.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, let’s just say I pissed your mom off a lot many years ago. Two places she would go then. She hasn’t changed much, so if she’s not at camp, she’s down by—”
“The falls.”