Page 123 of Take This Heart
We get ready and head to the park. Minnehaha Falls roars in the background, powerful after a good season of rain. Tourists take selfies nearby, and we take one of our own as we wait for Tully to arrive. I didn’t tell Tully I was bringing Milo and he grins when he sees him, giving him a bro-hug after he hugs me.
“Good to see you guys,” he says.
“Sorry to intrude on your time together,” Milo says.
“Are you kidding? This is great.” Tully grins.
I get the Crab-Stuffed Avocado for myself and clam fries to share. We’re early enough for the daily specials to still be available, which makes Milo and Tully happy. Milo gets the Sexy Ahi Burger, and Tully gets the Panko-Crusted Walleye. They get beer and I sip wine from my plastic cup, unable to stop smiling. Milo’s hand rests on my thigh beneath the table and when we’re done eating, his fingers trace little shapes across my skin.
“Here, let’s take a picture to send to Dad.” Tully holds up his phone and takes the shot, grinning when he looks it over afterward. “Yeah?” He shows us the photo and Milo and I nod happily.
“Looks good,” Milo says.
“How is Dad?” Tully asks. “Has everything calmed down around Windy Harbor, Milo?” He leans his elbows on the table and his voice drops. “With our sister?”
“I think Ava retreated. I’ve called her, but she hasn’t responded…like someone else I know.” He looks at me pointedly and I give him doe eyes.
I’ve apologized and made it up to him in the sexiest, dirtiest, most earth-shattering ways.
“And I haven’t seen her around town at all. Everett said he hasn’t either,” he adds.
He does a double take when he sees how flushed I am.
I swallow and avoid looking at him when he starts smiling. The man gives me countless orgasms and thinks he can read my mind now.
“Yeah, I’ve FaceTimed him while I’ve been here and he wants to try to get together with her when we’re all in Windy Harbor again,” I say. “Grandma Donna wants to meet her...”
I bite the inside of my jaw, trying to calm the anxious feeling that rises in my chest every time I think about seeing Ava again.
Tully puts his hand on my arm. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just not looking forward to another interaction with her. But I think I’m going to have to get over that.”
Tully nods. “I’ve talked to Dad too and he definitely wants us to give her a chance. I guess we owe Mom that.”
I look down at the table. “You’re right.” I sigh. “We do.”
“Have you found the letters yet?” he asks.
I make a face. “I will. I may have been avoiding looking very hard. I know Dad wants me to bring them back, but…it’s hard knowing there are words from Mom that I won’t get to read.”
Milo puts his arm around me and I lean into him.
“I can come help you look,” Tully says.
“No, this is the first day all week that you’ve had off of practice. I’ll do it, I promise.”
After a long goodbye with Tully, we drive across town to Milo’s parents’ house. They greet us at the door with open arms. We walk to the back patio, turning down offers of food.
“We just had a big meal,” Milo says as we sit down.
“How are you doing, honey?” Kathleen asks. “I heard about everything that happened with Ava last week.”
I scrunch up my nose. “I think I’m still processing it.”
I look at Milo and he squeezes my leg.
“That must have been quite the shock,” Kathleen says. “I know it was for me. I’d forgotten all about Bruce seeing Stella for a while. I remember that he liked her a lot, but I always thought she was too good for him.” She doesn’t say it with malice, just honesty.
