Ava's Prize

by Cari Lynn Webb

  Ava found Kyle interesting. Too much so. She grabbed a cold bottle of water, wanting to douse her wayward thoughts.

  “Your love life is very interesting, little brother.” Iris talked fast and moved even faster on her tall heels, handing more drinks out. She reminded Ava of a hummingbird, flittering from person to person, leaving a streak of colorful perfume in her wake.

  Iris laughed. “I was asked more than once tonight if my brother was going to be the next one to find love on the TV show Marriage Material.”

  “Are you considering starring on Marriage Material?” Karen shook her head as if she couldn’t believe Kyle would do such an extreme thing. “Ava and I have watched every season.”

  Ava ignored her friends’ laughter and shrugged. “It’s entertaining. Even Dan and Rick watch several episodes with us. Each season, I should add.”

  Rick stared at her over the rims of his glasses. His bright red hair and thick bushy eyebrows ruined the stern note in his voice. “I was tricked into watching that show. I’ve regretted letting you talk me into it ever since I set my TV to record it.”

  Iris perched on the arm of the couch and studied Ava, her blue eyes wide. “Then you believe you can really find true love on TV?”

  “Sure.” Ava straightened to add strength and confidence to her voice. “Anything is possible, right?” Except perhaps finding a man who would stick. He might fall in love, but sometimes even love wasn’t enough to make a man stay.

  Kyle crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Ava. “You’re telling me that you’d go on a TV show like Marriage Material to meet your soul mate?”

  His focus fixed on Ava as if he searched for her soul. One look that both awakened her and struck into her core. Too many emotions stirred inside her. Worse, his full attention released an inner sigh from deep inside her that softened everything within her. An all-too-dangerous sigh.

  The kind that she could become addicted to, if she wasn’t careful—very careful.

  Ava gathered that wisp of a sigh before she released it and made it into something more than a wish. She shook her head. “TV isn’t my thing.”

  Nor was Kyle Quinn.

  “Neither are soul mates.” Mia nudged Ava with her shoulder. “You can’t take offense, Ava. You know it’s true.”

  Ava pushed off the sofa, and Wyatt dropped onto the sofa in her place. Ava had never been the girl who blushed and giggled from a boy’s notice. The only problem: Kyle wasn’t a boy. And the woman inside Ava—the one she’d tried to ignore—had ideas of her own. “We should be asking Kyle if he believes in soul mates and true love. He’s the one going on Marriage Material.”

  Kyle pushed away from the pool table. “Mia, would you be interested in being my event photographer?”

  Ava took that as a definitive no. Kyle did not believe in soul mates. She wanted to ask why. Worse, she wanted to change his mind. Ava paced away from the couches.

  “Definitely.” Mia clasped her hands together and grinned at Wyatt. “Looks like I’m going to need to find an assistant after all.”

  Ava glared at Kyle. He wasn’t supposed to give Ava’s best friend work that Mia could really use to build her photography business. He was not supposed to give Ava another reason to sigh over him. Ava pressed her lips together, refusing to sigh. “Mia, I can be your assistant.”

  Everyone shook their heads at Ava.

  “Why not?” Ava set her hands on her hips and glared at her friends.

  “You already work way too much.” Mia rested her head on Wyatt’s shoulder as if she’d just decided on a movie to watch, not turned down her friend. Wyatt’s arms curved around Mia’s waist, pulling out a sweet smile from Mia.

  Something knocked around inside Ava like a pang of envy.

  But Ava had no time to cuddle and watch movies. She needed the assistant job Mia had available, not a relationship like Mia’s. She skipped her gaze away from Mia and Wyatt.

  “You have no social life,” her mom added. “It really is work and more work all the time.”

  Ava slipped off her heels and curled her cramped toes into the carpet. She had to work, not date. Working for Mia would resolve her frustrating job hunt. Maybe she could pull Mia aside and convince her friend to hire her.

  “Nothing wrong with working hard.” Rick propped his feet on the ottoman and linked his hands behind his head. “But you have to make time for fun, too.”

  What was it with everyone telling Ava that she needed to have fun? First, her mom. Now, Rick. “I’d have fun working for Mia.”

  “You don’t like photos.” Mia frowned at her. “Or standing around. You complained the last time we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge to capture the fog.”

  “The fog looked the same at the beginning and the end of the bridge.” Ava waved aside her friend’s argument. “I don’t like being in photographs.” But she liked getting paid—she preferred that.

  “My sister can teach you how to have fun,” Kyle offered. “She prefers fun over work.”

  Iris frowned at him. “It’s not unheard of to have fun at work, Kyle.”

  “Then you’ve found a fun new job?” Kyle asked. “Painting only counts if you get paid, by the way.”

  “Not yet.” Iris stretched her legs and her smile out. “But like Ava said, anything is possible.”

  “Iris, did you do the painting in the elevator?” Mia sat up, her voice almost breathless from her contained enthusiasm.

  “That was me.” Iris grinned at Mia and twisted away from Kyle. “I did the elevator and the bathrooms in the suite before Kyle could object.”

  “This is totally out of left field. Would you be interested in working with me?” Mia held out her hands, stopping Iris from speaking. “I can’t pay much, but I could really use someone with your eye for lighting and color on several upcoming projects.”

  Ava wanted to stomp her feet and yell, why her? But she knew. She’d seen the detailed artwork in both the elevator and bathroom. Mia and Iris shared that elusive quality that Mia referred to as an artist’s vision. Ava’s vision was practical.

  “You’re serious?” Iris jumped up and pointed at her chest. “You want to hire me?”

  Mia nodded, but her voice was suddenly hesitant. “Only if you have time and don’t mind poor pay.”

  “I’d love to.” Iris pumped her arms over her head, her smile infectious. “I got a job without your help, little brother. I can do one thing right.”

  Everyone around her grinned, too, including Ava. She would’ve worked hard for Mia, but that wouldn’t have helped her friend. Ava wanted some of Iris’s abandon. Her fearlessness to be herself, despite onlookers. Despite judgment.

  “Look, Iris,” Kyle started. “Maybe we should...”

  “Have some fun.” Ava cut in. She stretched her arms out in front of her and added, “Get warmed up for our Skee-Ball challenge. I’m ready to reclaim my top spot and earn the spa day that I heard was going to the winner.”

  “I’m already warmed up.” Grinning, Iris extended her arms behind her back. “But take all the time you need. I can wait.”

  “If a spa day is on the line, I want in.” Mia pushed off the couch and called for Sophie. “She’ll want in on this, too.”

  Sophie rushed over and set her hand on Karen’s shoulder. “I have another idea we need to talk about for the benefit gala.”

  Karen smiled. “Text it to me and I’ll add it to our agenda.”

  Ava lowered her arms and looked between her mother and Sophie. “Mom, when did you get an agenda?”

  “Your mother has agreed to be our liaison with the local chapter of the Institute for Multiple Sclerosis. She’s going to help with the charity gala for A City That Cares coming up next month.” Mia walked over to stand beside Sophie.

  Ava’s friends bracketed her mother as if her mom required backup.

  �
�Karen has agreed to give us advice about the decorations for the event,” Sophie offered. “I’m not the best at the silent auction setup, so I’m looking forward to her help.”

  That sounded like a lot. Too much, really. “Is it a small event?”

  “The concept was on a small scale,” Sophie hedged.

  Mia laughed. “Then somehow it ballooned, with an expected attendance of over one thousand people.”

  “The guest count keeps climbing,” Wyatt added, pride in his voice.

  That wasn’t an intimate gathering. Events like that needed event planners and full-time staff. At the very least, a large committee of volunteers. Not her mother. Ava said, “You’re planning this all yourselves?”

  “The hotel staff and events coordinator have been wonderful to work with,” Sophie said. “We’re also lining up quite the list of volunteers.”

  “I’m honored to be included,” Karen said.

  “Not as much as we are to have you on board.” Mia glanced at Ava and frowned. “You never mentioned your mom used to be the director of special events for a software company.”

  Ava nodded. “My mom is quite talented.”

  But her mom and she never talked much about the past. Never talked about what her mother used to do before MS decided to make routine appearances and alter her mom’s entire world. They dealt with the present and tried not to worry about the future. Her mom often told her that if she spent too much time looking back and wishing for a redo, she’d miss out on the moments that were given to her now. Only the decisions she made in these moments would affect her future. Ava prayed her mom’s decision to work on such a large event wouldn’t have negative side effects.

  “Well, we’re going to take advantage of those talents.” Sophie smiled at Ava, understanding in her quiet gaze. “I hope you don’t mind, Ava.”

  Yes. Ava minded very much. Her mother needed rest and calm. She didn’t need stress and pressure.

  Before Ava could respond, her mother said, “It’s nice to feel useful.”

  Her mother’s voice was soft and all the more breath stealing with her sincerity. Ava straightened as if that would open her own airways again. She wanted her mom to feel useful. Even more, she didn’t want her mom to suffer. Her mom’s tendency to overdo things while forgetting to pull back and take breaks had forced her into a very early retirement.

  Ava knew that inner drive well—she’d inherited it from her mom. But Ava wasn’t dealing with the complications of MS like her mom was. The Andrews family’s all-in attitude was both wonderful and dangerous. There was useful, and then there was overworked. Last year, her mom had started out as a volunteer for an MS fund-raiser; she’d then somehow stepped into the organizer role. After the event had ended, her mom had been bedridden for several weeks.

  The payout for being useful wasn’t worth the price.

  Ava had accepted that she’d need to be the moderator and offer common sense. She intended to put her foot down. Intended to tell her two friends to find someone else. Someone healthy and capable of meeting their demands. She’d find another way for her mom to feel useful.

  She opened her mouth, but Kyle set his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

  Ava’s eyebrows drew together, and the words backed up against her teeth. What did he know about anything? She’d been taking care of her mother with her brother’s help for years. Not him.

  Kyle said, “If you want to win that spa day, you should play now while the lanes are free.”

  The spirit of competition enveloped the women within minutes. A spa date, a lunch delivery at work and a weekend brunch on the line, the women laughed and headed toward Skee-Ball. Sophie pushed her mom’s wheelchair and called for Grant’s friends to join them. Mia and Iris debated the rules. They settled on only one: win any way you can.

  Kyle’s hand landed on Ava’s lower back, stopping her from following her friends. “Ava and I will be there in a minute. We’re going to get some things from the rooftop.”

  Speculation bounced across her friends’ faces. Ava’s gaze skipped from one person to the next. Each one, even Dan, eyed her and struggled to contain their grins, as if they’d all been let in on a really great secret. Iris tilted her head and looked between Kyle and Ava.

  Ava turned her back on the entire group and their unabashed interest. Instead, she smiled at Kyle, only to discover the worst of the speculation lingered in his solemn gaze. She forced an upbeat note into her voice. “What did you need?”

  Kyle guided her outside, into the hallway. “To tell you that we’re even now.”

  “What does that mean?” Ava tugged the door shut.

  “We stopped each other from telling our family members no. That makes us even.”

  “You didn’t know what I was going to say.” Ava followed Kyle up the stairs. “Maybe I was going to agree with their plans to let my mom help with the charity event.”

  “Your posture stiffened like you were ready for battle and your hands flexed.” Kyle faced her. “If you’d been gripping your mom’s wheelchair, you would’ve raced out of the building within seconds.”

  Had she been that obvious? She only wanted to protect her mom. There was nothing wrong with that. There was everything wrong with Kyle being able to read her so accurately. Ava planted her bare feet and her spine on the top stair. “Mia is one of the best photographers in the city. She’s also an award-winning filmmaker and has a résumé that makes most Hollywood filmmakers look like amateurs. You should be grateful she hired your sister.”

  “I know about Mia’s impressive accomplishments.” He ran his hands through his hair. “It’s why I hired her.”

  “Yet you were going to refuse to let Iris work for her,” Ava countered.

  “It’s not Mia that concerns me.” He stepped away as if only just realizing how far into her space he’d gone. “It’s my sister.”

  His sister? This was about Iris. Ava stepped toward him. “She’s lovely.”

  “She is lovely, delightful and whimsical.” Kyle crossed the rooftop, picking up empty wine bottles on his way and tossing them into the recycling bin. The glass clanged together like his words. “Except in the workforce, where she becomes unreliable.”

  “Maybe she just hasn’t found her niche yet,” Ava suggested hopefully.

  “Her most recent job ended last week, after only five days.” Kyle handed Ava a half-full case of water. “That was her sixteenth job in the last twelve months.”

  “But your sister seemed so excited about working with Mia.”

  “My sister is excited when the sun rises.” Kyle picked up a case of mixed soda and walked toward the elevator. “She gets excited about the design that raindrops make on a window pane and loves to make shapes out of the clouds.”

  “That’s not a bad thing.” Ava envied Iris for appreciating the beauty in the ordinary. That was her artist’s eye, no doubt. “She has a very positive spirit. That’s a rare trait.”

  “Well, rare traits, like believing in wishes made on falling stars, aren’t exactly what prospective employers see as strengths.” Kyle pressed the down button for the elevator with his knuckles.

  Neither did Kyle, apparently. “She’s a talented artist.”

  “Her art can’t protect her,” Kyle argued. “She needs a decent job with a decent salary. Money will give her security.”

  But security couldn’t always be bought. There was a certain security in being true to yourself and being loved unconditionally by those closest to you. Ava knew that firsthand. Thanks to her mom and her friends. “My mother never wades into anything. She jumps all in and forgets to use caution.”

  “Maybe this time will be different,” Kyle said. “Maybe this is your mother’s niche.”

  Ava’s smile was brief. She recognized the words she’d thrown at Kyle about his sister. This was exactly her mother’s niche. That was the pro
blem. “Do you think Iris will work differently for Mia?”

  “No.” Kyle shook his head. “Unfortunately.”

  “I feel the same about my mother.” Without the crowd, a breeze swept around the rooftop. The chill added a crisp edge to her concern. “It’s who they are.”

  “They could surprise us.” Kyle tipped his head toward the sky as if searching for a falling star to wish upon.

  “I never liked surprises.” Every time her father had promised to surprise her, he’d failed with the follow-through. On those rare occasions her dad had come through, the reality had never lived up to her father’s overblown hype. A promised horseback ride at the lake became a carousel ride on a plastic horse at the mall. Not that she hadn’t liked the carousel. But at thirteen, she’d wanted more than a toddler’s miniature carousel ride run by quarters. Surprises always disappointed. “I prefer to be prepared.”

  “Then we’ll have to watch out for your mother.” Kyle stepped into the elevator.

  But this was her mother. It was her responsibility to look out for her mom. Besides, Kyle wasn’t on the list of the select few she trusted to watch out for her mother. Her response came out in an irritated stretch of one word: “We?”

  “You’re going to be busy developing your idea and working.” Kyle held open the suite door with his foot. “I suppose I could get more involved with Sophie’s event.”

  Reluctance, not eagerness, threaded through his tone. She pushed, wanting him to admit they weren’t a we. Not even close. “What are you going to do? Work on the setup, too?”

  He pulled back, his eyes narrowed as if her doubt bothered him. “I have more skills than offering introductions and a donation check.”

  “But have you worked on an event like this before?” she pressed. Admit it. You don’t want to look after my mom any more than I want you to.

  He shrugged and dropped the sodas on the bar at the back of the theater room. “I’ve attended more events like theirs than I can count.”

  “Hardly the same.” Ava dumped the case of water on the bar and faced him. “You don’t really want to volunteer for Sophie’s gala.”