Page 77 of The Charming Checklist
It was inspiring to see how a couple who belonged together could work things out. But Max was right in one way, even if the knowledge washed over her like day-old stale coffee. Her parents had started off with common goals. When they’d hit a rough patch, they were far more disposed to work it out. And she’d known that her father would come through in the end. He loved his wife, that much was clear.
When Ava turned on her car and looked to back up, Max and Twyla were nowhere to be seen. Maybe they’d gone somewhere together, or maybe not. It was none of her business.
Not anymore.
Ava drove to her business class to forget Max and focus on something she could accept. Instead of remembering the first night that Max had sought her out on the beach and taken her home, she finally conquered a true understanding of return on investment.
The next evening, Ava was deep into her homework. A case study on branding, complemented nicely by a deep dish of Ben & Jerry’s. There was a knock on her front door.
Max? Maybe he was here. He’d seen her yesterday and maybe he missed her like she missed him. Some days she honestly believed her heart wouldn’t ever work properly again. It thudded in her chest sluggishly, like it would never be excited again. Even after coffee. She couldn’t get enthusiastic about anything, not evenChristmas, which would be here in a month. The vendors had skipped Thanksgiving decorations and were already stringing their lights out in anticipation of a month of fanfare. She could barely manage a smile.
But now, he was here. Maybe. Her heart beat so hard she could feel it hammering behind her eyelids. She would forgive him, of course. Give him time to figure this out. He loved her; she was sure. No way would those warm chocolate eyes lie to her.
It’s just that he was a dumb guy and couldn’t figure out why he loved her. Besides the crazy explosive sex, that is. Couldn’t figure out that despite their differences, they were far more alike than they were different. They both loved their families, both valued loyalty and hard work. Both regarded higher education as important.
Opening the door, she found Susannah instead. “Oh, honey, I thought you were coming to the poetry meeting with me tonight.”
“That’s tonight?”
Susannah’s gaze raked over Ava, and her own naturally followed. She had on a pair of black yoga pants and a gray shirt that said “Coffee is my superpower. What’s yours?” There was quite a noticeable chocolate stain on her shirt, just below her right breast. Nice.
“Good lord above, what is wrong with you?”
Ava ran her finger over the ice cream blob and licked it clean. “Everything...um, everything else is dirty. Laundry day.”
“You’ve got to come with me. There’s no way anyone can besadat an Almost Dead meeting.”
“Really? I mean, just the name...”
Not exactly cheerful. Then again, that was pretty much her modus operandi these days. Might as well go with it.
“You can wear something of mine,” Susannah said. “Something colorful and bright. I hardly recognized you.”
“No, that’s okay. I mean, I can...find something.”
She dug through the back of her closet and came out with the black “Audrey Hepburn” dress she wore once a year. Not long ago she’d worn this to her birthday dinner, bringing along a man who had surprised her in every way. Putting it on now made her feel somehow new again. Fresh. And you know what, maybe if she put on the tiara she only wore on her birthday, that might bring some of the perky back.
“Well, that’s more like it, Sugarplum,” Susannah said when Ava emerged. “The tiara is a lovely touch.”
Max wouldn’t think so. He’d been shocked that she would leave the house wearing a crown on her head where anyone could see it. The thought almost made her smile. He was almost charmingly grumpy...if there could be such a thing.
“Thank you. It’s noteveryonewho appreciates a little whimsy.”
Turned out, Ava was far more like her mother than she’d ever realized. Tiaras and blossoming vaginas. All good. They were both powerful women whochosethe life they wanted.
By the time Ava arrived with Susannah, the senior citizens were already in preperformance mode. They grazed on chocolate cupcakes, snickerdoodle cookies, bread pudding and lemonade, rumored to be spiked.
Ava took a sip and swallowed hard. Maybe spiked lemonade was just the thing tonight. She’d go home slightly tipsy and collapse into bed for a long sleep, no time for more thoughts of Max.
Valerie grabbed Ava in a hug. “You look gorgeous, lady. Where’s Bogie? Did you bring him with you?”
Ava snorted. “It’s laundry day and I didn’t want to wear yoga pants and a Ben & Jerry’s–stained T-shirt. Besides, it’s pretty obvious that Susannah is worried about me.”
“We can’t have that.” She led Ava to their chairs in the back after loading up with cookies. “Get ready. Tonight, Mr. Finch has got something really special. It turns out that in his latest poem, the state of Texas falls in love with the state of Louisiana. I can’t evenbeginto imagine what the voices will sound like.”
Except for the fact that Lois was originally from Louisiana, Ava couldn’t guess. Love was in the air. Mr. Finch and Lois; Mrs. Villanueva, ever in love with her late husband—sigh—Susannah and... Doodle, Etta May and...well, maybe no one for Etta May.
Same as Ava.
