Page 52 of The Charming Checklist
“We just...well, we connected. I really like him. A lot.”
Just might love him forever.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m happy for you. And so glad he threw away that silly list. I was about to hit him over the head with it.”
“I had to spend the rest of the day with my mother, and I’m determined to see Max today. But I need my car. I want to surprise him.”
“Well, Cole and I are on our way to Galveston for the day, so we can stop by on our way out. And fair warning, Max is dog-sitting for us. The guys went surfing this morning and Max took Sub home with him.”
By the time Valerie and Cole brought the car back, it was too late for Ava to make a clean getaway. She was writing a note to her mother when she walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning. Do you have plans today?”
“Well, Max and I have been talking about my coffee beans and I’ve been wanting to give him a sample. I thought I might do that today.”
“Don’t worry about me. I brought a book.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that...this was all so unplanned. And unlike you.”
“I know. You’re usually the one who goes off half-cocked.”
Ava snorted. “Not exactly. Did you know I researched small towns before I moved here?”
“No, I didn’t.”
And she’d never asked, either, what had brought her to Charming. Probably had simply assumed it had been another whim.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but I have so much going on and I can’t take time off for your visit. I have class at the community college in Houston, so I’ll be gone a couple of nights a week.”
“Carry on as if I’m not even here.”
“How about some coffee?” Ava asked.
“Please.” Mom settled on the stool near the breakfast bar that separated her kitchen from the living room. “Have you heard from Lucia lately?”
“I got a birthday card from her, of course.”
“She never forgets. All of you get a card on your birthdays. Goodness, how I miss her.”
Ava had always been proud of the fact that her mother considered Lucia to be her partner in raising her family, and not just the hired help. She doted on her, relied on her, and never felt replaced by her. Mom was too confident of a woman to feel that Lucia could be any threat.
“You hear from her, too, don’t you?” Ava asked, pressing the plunger down on the French press.
“Of course. When someone is like a member of your family for over a decade, that connection doesn’t just go away. I wish she hadn’t moved back. She’s invited me to Colombia many times. I’m thinking of going next summer.”
“Are you serious? That...that would be wonderful.” Ava poured coffee into two mugs. “She would love to have you.”
“Your father doesn’t like the idea.”
“He’d get over it, I’m sure.”
Mom snorted, not sounding like herself at all. “He doesn’t get overanything.”
While that sounded bitter, Ava told herself that her parents were a solid couple. No affairs, no separations, even though more than half of their colleagues were on second and third marriages. Over thirty years of marriage. No, they were good. Sure, they’d probably had a minor tiff over Daddy’s sudden support for Ava. Her mother would need a little time to get used to Daddy not falling in line, that’s all.
Mom had a shower while Ava cooked a healthy breakfast. Oatmeal, nuts, raisins and sliced peaches. The tub of oatmeal was probably from Mom’s last visit. Ava wasn’t a complete health nut, but she did try. Near lunchtime, Mom announced plans to take a long walk through the heart of Charming and check out all the tiny boutique stores she’d never had a chance to explore.
“Make sure you stop at the new yarn shop, and the Cutesy pet store.”
