“I wish we had a zoo on the island,” Adele said next. He knew if he didn’t start moving they’d never make it out of here and he didn’t care for the looks he was getting from people either.
“Are you sure about lunch?” he asked, nodding his head at his daughter. “You might need cotton balls for your ears.”
“I’m pretty tough,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.”
He watched Ava walk away in another pair of jeans that showed off her very fit body. She had little casual sneakers on her feet this time instead of boots, but she still looked much younger than she was. Maybe more so with her hair in the French braid that he had attempted and failed at three times. He was beginning to think his hands were too big for it.
That was his excuse at least and not that a simple braid was going to defeat him.
“She was nice,” Adele said when they were walking around the store and trying to finish up. Thankfully his mother was cooking dinner tomorrow and he didn’t even have to think about that.
“She is very nice,” he said. “And if we go to lunch with Ava and she shows me how to braid, you must remember to thank her.”
“I will. I promise. Because you thank people that help you,” Adele said.
“Yes, you do.”
7
Luck Of The Draw
Ava had a wide range of emotions as she drove back to her mother’s house.
One, she was thankful her mother forgot some of the items she needed for the pecan pie she promised to make, forcing Ava to the store to get everything.
Two, she was elated over the fact that she had a reason to see Seth again and thank him for all his help with her problem. A problem that there didn’t seem to be much of a solution to right now.
Three, sadness over the fact that he’d lost his wife. She didn’t worry that maybe he was seeing anyone. His daughter probably wouldn’t have asked her to teach her father to braid if there was another woman in their life.
Four, excitement over spending time with an adult other than a family member, even if there was a child there. She liked kids and Seth’s daughter seemed to be a riot.
“Did you get everything?” her mother asked when she walked in the door.
“Everything on the list,” she said. “The store was busy and I ran into someone.”
“Who?” her father asked. He was eating a sandwich at the island. He’d been very protective of her the past few weeks along with her brothers. It was bordering on smothering, but it was better than not having support.
She looked over at her mother who was watching closely too. “Seth Young.”
“Nice young man,” her mother said again.
“Did you thank him for all of his help?” her father asked.
She wanted to roll her eyes at them but didn’t. “No. He was there with his daughter and it was busy. But his daughter commented on my hair and asked if I could show her father how to do a braid that he can’t figure it out from watching videos. It was cute.”
She could see that Seth was embarrassed, but he wasn’t put off either. She thought she was good at reading people and maybe she saw something in his eyes. Or was it wishful thinking on her part for the roller coaster her life had become?
Everyone knew she was transferring to the island in June and were asking where she was going to live. The lease on her condo was up in July and she didn’t want to renew it for another year and hadn’t planned on it, but Drew hadn’t found a place for her to rent yet either.
Though Bond Realty had a ton of rental properties and apartment complexes, they didn’t have any openings. If something didn’t happen soon, staying with her parents might become a reality she didn’t want to have to consider.
She still had about six weeks so she wasn’t going to stress too much. Something would come up, she hoped. Though Hailey was working hard at trying to clear her name, they weren’t making a lot of progress and things were slow.
The accounts that were opened without her knowledge had all been contacted and notified it was fraudulent activity. Chances were the debt would be wiped clean at some point, but her credit would take longer to clear.
Again, she had to stop focusing on that and know she had family and a job and money and would get through this. She wasn’t broke. She wasn’t on the street.
“So you’re going to teach him how to braid his daughter’s hair?” her mother asked. “What about his wife?”
“He’s a widower,” she said. “Adele—that is his daughter’s name—she told me and then she wanted me to show her father in the store. Again, it was cute and funny but other customers were bumping into us. She’d put her father on the spot.”
“And you love watching people squirm,” her father said, grinning at her. “You’ve got a horrible warped sense of humor like that.”
“I do,” she said. “And he was squirming but not enough that I caught he didn’t want to learn either. Adele said they were going to lunch next and she invited me along.”
“Ava Marie,” her mother said. “Please tell me you didn’t accept on the poor man.”
“Poor man, my butt,” she said. “He didn’t seem all that put out over it. And yes, I did accept, but I gave him an out to lose my number if he wanted.”
No reason to say Adele jumped in and wouldn’t let her father do that.
“Whenever you go, if you go,” her father said. “Just thank him again.”
“I’ve got manners, Dad,” she said, reaching over and stealing one of his chips. He only snorted at her.
“If you say so,” her mother said.
“So now we’ll see if he calls me
