Ava's Prize

by Cari Lynn Webb

  Ava suggested Dance-Off. Ben dropped his forehead against Kyle’s shoulder and groaned. Kyle added his own groan. Karen settled into her recliner as if content to let them decide what to watch.

  “What’s wrong with Dance-Off?” Ava said.

  “Everything,” Kyle said.

  Ben nodded. “And then there’s the whole part about the people dating and someone always cries.”

  “That doesn’t make it a bad show.” Ava leaned forward and aimed the remote at them. “I suppose you two boys want to watch Junkyard Exterminators.”

  Kyle wanted to be with Ava. Junkyard Exterminators or Dance-Off, he didn’t care so long as she was beside him. Clearly, his chocolate mousse cake had already settled into his thighs and that prevented him from moving. He’d entered food coma territory. He wasn’t staying for Ava. He could get up and leave whenever he chose. He wanted his food to digest first.

  “Can we watch Junkyard Exterminators?” Ben asked. “They built a go-kart last week and raced it.”

  “Not if I can’t watch Dance-Off.” Ava scrolled through the listing of TV shows to stream.

  “There’s a documentary about royal myths on tonight.” Karen ducked her head and adjusted her blanket, but not before Kyle caught her grin.

  Ava and Ben both hollered no at the same time.

  “It’s good for the mind to watch educational things every once in a while.” Karen sipped her tea. “We could use a little more brain power in our lives.”

  “Those documentaries are good if you want to fall asleep quickly.” Ava earned a high five from Ben.

  Ben turned toward Kyle. “What do you like to watch?”

  “I don’t think Kyle is at home as much as us,” Ava said.

  He wondered if Ava would be surprised to know how many nights he spent in front of the TV at home. Way more often than he cared to admit. Right then, there was nothing appealing about heading back to his place. Nothing at all. “It depends on my mood. I usually try to find a show I haven’t seen, then try it.”

  “What if you don’t like it?” Ben’s eyebrows pulled together.

  “I turn it off and try another one.” Kyle adjusted his feet on the ottoman. The middle seat wasn’t all bad. “But if I like it, then I stay up way too late and binge-watch the entire season.”

  “Can we do that?” Ben shifted around Kyle to look at Ava.

  “Watch an entire season of a show tonight?” Ava asked.

  Ben nodded quick and fast.

  “We have to find a show first. One we all agree on.” Ava handed Ben the remote and curled her legs up on the couch. “You can drive, Ben, as long as you find us a show quickly.”

  “Got it.” Ben bounced around on the couch. “Are cartoons in or out?”

  “Out,” Ava said.

  They settled on Everyday Family, a comedy both Kyle and Ava remembered watching at Ben’s age. Two episodes in, Kyle assumed the quiet was from everyone watching the show and reliving memories. Then he glanced at Ava. She was sound asleep, her head resting against his shoulder. Ben was wide-awake.

  Karen dropped a thick blanket over Ava, adjusting the fleece around her daughter’s shoulder and legs. She kissed Ava’s forehead, touched Kyle’s cheek and whispered, “Stay as long as you want. This is the most relaxed Ava has been in a long time.”

  Ben yawned and stood up. “After I help Ms. Karen to her room, can we watch another episode of Everyday Family?”

  Kyle looked at Karen. He had no idea what time a ten-year-old should go to bed.

  Karen smiled. “One more episode. We won’t tell your dad or Aunty Ava.”

  Ben pumped his fists in what Kyle had deemed the boy’s silent version of a happy dance and set his hand on Karen’s elbow. Together, the pair disappeared down the hall.

  Within minutes, Ben climbed onto the couch and curled into Kyle’s other side. He leaned over Kyle and studied Ava. “Do you think she’s sick?”

  “Why do you say that?” Kyle checked Ava. She looked content and peaceful.

  Ben shrugged. “She never sleeps. If she does, she jumps up at the smallest noise and tells everyone she was awake the whole time.”

  “I think she’s just really tired.” Kyle dropped his voice lower.

  “Or dead.” Ben whispered that claim right inside Kyle’s ear before leaning closer to Ava.

  Kyle struggled not to laugh, but the effort forced him to move slightly. Ava followed and curled farther into his side, as if seeking his warmth.

  Ben grinned at her movement. Satisfied his Aunt wasn’t dead, he settled against Kyle and pressed Play on another episode of Everyday Family.

  Three episodes later, Kyle found himself sandwiched between a sleeping woman and a sleeping boy. He had to leave. Instead, he hit Play on one more episode, unable to let the evening end.

  * * *

  SOMETHING STARTLED KYLE AWAKE. He had to leave before he awoke in the morning with Ava in his arms and awkward explanations expected. How was he supposed to maneuver himself free without waking either of them?

  Four tries and too many yawns later, Kyle finally wedged a pillow between himself and Ava. Then he managed to get Ben into his arms without first rolling the boy on the floor. To Kyle’s relief, Ben stretched out in the guest bed and never woke up. Kyle hesitated over turning all the lights off and finally switched on the bathroom light. He’d always slept with a light on as a kid. Even now preferred the city lights streaming into his bedroom. Back in the living room, he adjusted Ava’s blanket.

  He kissed her on her forehead like a friend: quick and impersonal. Then convinced himself he didn’t want more with Ava. That his heart was closed like it’d always been.

  If his heart was involved, he’d stay on the couch with Ava wrapped in his arms. If his heart was involved, he’d kiss Ava on the lips like he’d been wanting to since their last, and only, kiss.

  If his heart was involved, he wouldn’t be walking out the door and returning to his empty apartment.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  AVA WALKED INTO the Jasmine Blue Café. She sent another text in a series of “available-to-work” messages to her contacts, and then scanned the restaurant for Dan and her mom.

  The journey from the hospital to the café took ten minutes. She’d used the first five minutes considering her options and the last five minutes reaching out to everyone she knew for possible side jobs. All to prove to herself and her supervisor that she didn’t require time off. She’d owned her mistake. Made no excuses. But disagreed with the outcome. Now, she’d hopefully fill her free time and her checking account with temp work.

  Her mother waved from a table near the windows with a view of a cable car stop. Ava acknowledged her mom and pressed Send on her last text message.

  Dan pulled out a chair, skipped the greeting and asked, “What did he say?”

  “I’m off for the rest of the week.” Ava set her phone facedown on the table and picked up the menu. Time off without pay. She wouldn’t panic with witnesses around.

  Dan cringed.

  Karen sipped her water. “Now you can recharge, relax and rest.”

  “Except, Karen, Ava doesn’t know how to do that.” Dan drummed his fingers on his laminated menu.

  Ava lowered her menu enough to frown at Dan. “I can. I just choose not to.”

  Dan pushed her menu flat onto the table. A challenge dipped into his voice. “When was the last time you spent an entire day reading or sitting around doing nothing?”

  She’d never been able to pick up a book and immerse herself in a fictional world. The real world always intruded in the form of bills due, doctors’ appointments and responsibilities. With luck, she’d be reading a lot of textbooks soon. If she won the contest. “I might not read all day, but I can relax.”

  Her phone vibrated against the table as if to point out her lie.

 
; Her mom set her hand over Ava’s phone before Ava could pick it up. “You can’t work more, Ava. Your body is telling you to take a break and look after yourself.” She squeezed Ava’s wrist. “This is why we have the emergency savings account.”

  Except Ava had been using the money in their emergency account to cover expenses the last three weeks. And she’d withdrawn a large portion to pay the application fee to graduate school. Worse, she hadn’t told her mom about any of it. She didn’t want to talk about how careless she’d been.

  Thankfully, the waitress returned to take their orders.

  Ava guided the conversation away from the emergency savings account. “What do you suggest I do on my week off? I need to do something productive with my time.”

  “Taking care of yourself is productive,” Karen countered.

  “All I need is one good night’s sleep.” Certainly, that counted as taking care of herself. The last time she’d slept really well, she’d been sound asleep on Kyle’s shoulder five nights ago. However, a repeat of that night wasn’t part of her week-off agenda. After all, she knew the error of relying on someone else’s shoulders. Her father had taught her that lesson too well.

  “You need more than one night of good sleep,” Dan argued.

  “I’ve always functioned on less sleep than other people.” The army believed in getting more done before noon than most civilians accomplished in an entire day. She still bought into their motto.

  “But not while juggling so much.” The concern in her mother’s voice wasn’t covered by her sip of tea.

  “The contest is over in less than a week.” Regret flickered through Ava. She’d welcomed the reprieve over the past few weeks. “Then it’s back to normal.”

  “Do you want to go back to your normal?” Dan asked.

  “What does that mean?” Ava liked her life. True, Kyle opened a new door for her. But it was temporary. She’d known that all along.

  “It’s okay to have a life outside of work.” Dan leaned back to allow the waitress to set down his lunch plate.

  “And me,” her mom added.

  “I know that.” She couldn’t afford to. The contest might change her finances. Still, she doubted school or the contest was the life Dan meant. He meant a social life. But a social life with Kyle wasn’t possible, was it? Ava stabbed her fork into her salad, wanting to pop that hope bubble inside her chest.

  “You have the chance to make a life outside of work,” Dan added.

  “You aren’t talking about Kyle, are you?” She couldn’t be thinking about Kyle. He was the distraction. She had to win the contest to make everything right with her mom and finally come clean about their finances.

  “What other man is in your life?” Exasperation lowered her mom’s voice. “Dan, Ben and Rick don’t count.”

  There were men in her life, not her heart. “Being social would cut into my life too much.”

  “That sounds like something your dad would say.” Her mom glanced at her. “For the record, Kyle isn’t like your father.”

  But he could be. Though Kyle hadn’t given her any reason to believe he’d be like her dad. There was the problem. Kyle was too good to be true. Her mother had never thought her father would walk away. And that was exactly what her dad had done.

  Her mom had labeled her husband a quitter in every sense of the word. From a simple card game to life-challenging stuff, Ava’s father had simply quit and walked away. Ava pushed a wilted piece of lettuce off her plate. If Kyle walked away, the blow would be devastating. And she’d have proof her love wasn’t enough.

  Dan kept his head down and concentrated on his BLT sandwich.

  Silence had never bothered her mom. She crushed crackers into her bowl of soup. “Kyle possesses something your father only pretended to have—loyalty. Your dad isn’t as evil as you’ve made him over the years.”

  “Don’t make excuses,” Ava said.

  “I understand why he left.” Her mom cleaned her glasses with her napkin. “I have to wonder what I would’ve done if the situation had been reversed.”

  Ava gaped at her mom. Her mother’s word was her bond. In sickness and in health meant something to her mom. “You would’ve stayed.”

  “You can’t be certain until you have stood in those same shoes.” Her mom slipped on her glasses and eyed her. “I have forgiven him.”

  “I haven’t.” Ava tore a piece of bread from the small loaf and ignored the tear in her own heart.

  “You should, or it will hold you back from your life,” her mom said.

  “I have a good life,” Ava argued.

  “Not a complete one.” Her mom pointed her fork between Dan and Ava. “Neither of you have a complete life.”

  Dan finished the sandwich that had consumed his attention and wiped a napkin across his mouth. “I like my life. It’s more than full and fun.”

  “Bake sales and volunteering at Ben’s school don’t count, Dan,” Karen said.

  Ava took a bite of her salad, pleased to let Dan be the center of her mom’s attention.

  “What is a complete life, really?” Dan crunched his homemade potato chips.

  “A partner.” Her mom pushed her empty soup bowl away. “A family of your own.”

  “I’m pretty much there already with Ben.” Dan tossed his napkin on his plate. “And we’re partners.”

  Dan bumped his knuckles against Ava’s.

  “You both know what I mean.” Her mom shook her head and laughed. “Now Ava has free time on her hands.”

  “A week to have fun.” Dan rubbed his hands together. “Do something you’ve never done.”

  That sounded much too close to her list of firsts. She wanted to share those firsts with Kyle. But sharing more firsts would tempt her heart to believe.

  This week, she had to be practical and concentrate on side work. She wouldn’t regret making extra money. She couldn’t say the same about spending time with Kyle.

  “You could both use a date night.” Her mom’s voice was mild, but direct.

  Ava dropped her fork on her plate and gave up finishing her salad. Or deterring her mom.

  “No dates.” Dan dropped cash onto the table. “Dates are sticky, with too many strings attached. Keep it string-free.”

  “The only date I’m concerned about right now is the day the contest ends.” Ava added cash to the bill and pushed her chair into the table. “To reach that day, I need to get over to the development lab.”

  “Kyle asked if I’d be part of the mock panel for the practice presentations today.” Her mom smiled as if she enjoyed Ava’s obvious surprise.

  “I’m on carpool duty or I would’ve been there to be a part of the mock panel, too,” Dan said.

  Frustration rolled through Ava. She couldn’t locate the source. She was an adult, and if she didn’t want to participate in her mother’s matchmaking schemes, she didn’t have to. Now she sounded petty and mean. This was a collision of worlds.

  The development lab had been an escape for Ava the last few weeks. She wasn’t proud, but she liked her time there. Time when she could be Ava, the inventor, not the paramedic moving from one crisis to the next, not a daughter struggling to care for her mom and keep it all together. With her mom in the suite, she couldn’t forget how high the stakes really were.

  Dan handed her mom her cane and helped her stand. “Ava, you should know Kyle and your mom have a bet riding on your response to her joining the mock panel.”

  “Mom?” Ava scooted a chair at an empty table out of their path.

  “You aren’t the only one in the family allowed to place bets,” her mom said.

  “When did you talk to Kyle?” Ava asked. Why was she only now hearing about this?

  “We talk almost every day,” her mom confessed.

  “Why?” Her tone was abrupt. Her voice stiff. How long had they
been talking and about what?

  “There’s quite a lot to be done on Sophie’s gala and Kyle has been a big help.” Karen grinned as she walked past Ava out the door. “It’s also his way of checking on me without admitting it.”

  Kyle could’ve admitted it to Ava. She hadn’t asked him to check on her mom. She handled her mother’s care. She couldn’t stop the flip inside her heart at Kyle’s thoughtfulness. “I think it’s great you’re helping out, Mom. The final presentation is the day after tomorrow and I need a dry run-through.”

  Her mom met Ava’s gaze. “Kyle is worth taking a chance on.”

  Sighing over Kyle’s loyalty to her mom hardly meant Ava was pursuing something more with Kyle than their platonic relationship. She didn’t trust the gleam in her mother’s eyes, which seemed more than a trick of the afternoon sunlight. “We can leave after the dry run-throughs of the presentations.”

  “Don’t rush on my account.” Karen stepped into Dan’s truck with his help. “If I’m bored at Kyle’s, then there’s a problem with me.”

  “It’s okay for me to worry about you, Mom.” Irritated, Ava shoved open the back-passenger door. She wouldn’t apologize for being concerned about her mom.

  “Don’t for a minute think I don’t appreciate you.” Her mom’s soft voice added force to her heartfelt words. “I refuse to be the reason you miss out on your life.”

  “I’m not...” Ava let her voice drop away beneath the rumble of Dan’s truck engine. Rehashing their disagreement from lunch served no purpose. She had a life. She wasn’t missing out on anything.

  End of discussion.

  She closed her eyes. Dan turned up the volume for their usual radio karaoke session. Maybe it was her sudden indigestion or her back-seat position, but she allowed her mom and Dan to sing their own solos. She refused to believe she was taking the back seat to her own life. If her mom was right, then Ava had been missing out on her life. But she liked the life she’d built for herself. Now wasn’t the time to second-guess her choices. Being put on mandatory leave had made her doubt herself.