Better than good, in fact.
Her staring must have made him uncomfortable because he awkwardly touched his hair and then shrugged as if telling himself to stop it.
Kristen waved at Dylan, and he waved back. “Hi, Kristen. Are we still on for Saturday?”
She nodded.
When Ava sent her a curious look, Kristen said in a casual tone, “We’re going bowling.” She rolled her eyes. “Dylan thinks it’ll be a ‘fun’ way to get to know each other.” She air-quoted fun as if her sarcasm wasn’t enough.
“I didn’t say it would be fun.” Dylan made a show of cracking his knuckles. “I said I’m going to beat you soundly at bowling. Then I’m going to take you out for Putt-Putt. Once I’ve destroyed you with my master windmill Putt-Putt-one-stroke-genius, I’m going to plan a tennis outing where I’ll dazzle you with my Venus Williams–like backhand.”
“He’s getting uppity,” Ava announced. “Kristen, I hope the bowling gods shine their blessings on you.”
“Getting uppity? He’s always been that way. You’ve just never noticed.”
Dylan adjusted his tie. “At least one of you should tell me I clean up good.”
Ava pretended to suddenly see a spot on the bar that needed scrubbing while Kristen collected the tray from the sink and disappeared into the kitchen.
He sighed and took a seat at the bar. “May I have a cup of hot tea and one of those scones, please?”
“No manly coffee for you, eh?”
“Nope. I’m going full Bridgerton.”
“How about Earl Grey? That’s a manly sounding tea.” At his nod, Ava dropped the rag. “Do you want the scone warm? With butter?”
“Is there any other way?”
Ava put a scone in the toaster oven, then fixed him a cup of tea. “There you go. It’ll be another minute or so for the scone.”
“Thanks.” He picked up his cup and blew in it.
“So… it’s been a big twenty-four hours for you, hasn’t it?”
He put the cup down. “I’m a father. A dad. A pop. I’ve said it about a hundred times and I still can’t believe it.”
She leaned against the counter across from him. “You don’t seem old enough.”
“I know, right? I haven’t told anyone yet, because I felt that should be Kristen’s decision. But to be honest, it’s sort of wonderful.” He shook his head, surprise lighting his eyes. “I wish Julie had told me. I missed out on so many things. I—”
The door opened, and Ed and Maggie Mayhew came in. The owners of the local pet shop, Paw Printz, Ed and Maggie were Dove Pond movers and shakers. He was a short, wiry-haired man with a rotund figure, while Maggie was even shorter, more wiry-haired, and even rounder in size. “Hi, Ava!” Maggie called.
Ava’s heart warmed. Not everyone would come, but at least a few of her closer friends would be here. That would be more than enough.
“I hope we’re not late,” Maggie said. “Ed overbooked us for grooming.” She rolled her eyes. “Again.”
“It’s only five thirty,” Ed pointed out. “We made it in plenty of time. The opening is from five to eight, right, Ava?”
“Right.”
Kristen came out of the kitchen and, seeing the new customers, sent a quick I-told-you-so glance Ava’s way.
“Are those scones?” Ed said in a hopeful voice.
“Strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, and pecan,” Ava said.
Kristen added, “We have muffins, too. Lemon, poppy seed, oatmeal, and blueberry.”
Ed beamed. “You’re singing my song. I’ll have a raspberry scone and a decaf, please. Maggie, what about you?”
“A pecan scone and a cup of…” Maggie’s gaze went to the board behind the bar. “How about some Lady Grey?”
Kristen set about filling their order. Ava had just started chatting with them about the coming Spring Fling, one of two big Dove Pond events, when the door opened and Kat Carter and her mother walked in. Kat wore a bright red dress, but she was outshone by her mom, who wore a tight suit that showed off her figure. Even at sixty-seven and while standing beside her gorgeous daughter, Mrs. Carter still managed to be the most beautiful woman in the room.
She looked around and gave a theatrical gasp. “Why, Ava Dove, you’ve performed magic on this place! I wouldn’t have even recognized it.”
Kat smiled. “Ava’s tearoom will be the perfect place to bring our real estate customers to let them experience the flavor of Dove Pond, won’t it?”
“Indeed it will. Why, this place is darling! I love the tables, the chairs, and the—”
The door opened again, and Aunt Jo strolled in wearing her Sunday finest, a deep purple suit with a bright pink, floppy-brimmed hat. She made her way to the bar, clasped her hands together, and cast her gaze heavenward. “Lord love us, but it’s finally here.” She dropped her hands. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this day? For years, I—” She gasped. “Is that hummingbird cake I see?”
“Ella sent me the recipe last week.” Ava peeked over the bar. “Where’s Moon Pie?”
“I left him at home. He twisted his hip hopping off the couch after he saw a cat wandering across the yard. He’s laid out in his bed, enjoying the painkillers the vet gave him.”
“Oh dear. I hope he’s okay.”
“He’ll be good as gold in no time. Meanwhile, I’ll have a slice of that cake and a cup of dandelion tea.”
“Aunt Jo!” From where he and Maggie now sat at a small table across the room, Ed Mayhew held up what was left of his scone. “Did you make these?”
Aunt Jo beamed. “I am proud to announce that I am indeed the sole scone supplier of the Pink Magnolia Tearoom. The rest of this stuff is from the Moonlight and not near as good.”
“I knew it,” he said. “They’re delicious.”
Aunt Jo went to sit with Ed and Maggie while Ava fixed her cake and tea.
Moments later, Sofia arrived with her son, Noah, and husband, Jake, at almost the same time as Erma Tingle came with her partner, Christine. All of them asked for hot chocolate, saying Kristen and Missy had told just about everyone in town how good it was.
The next hour was a blur as, one after the other, the people of Dove Pond came to Ava’s tearoom and ordered food and teas, hot chocolates and coffees, and more. They sat, talked, and laughed.
Ava’s heart filled. Not just because her friends and neighbors had showed up in support of her tearoom, but because one after another, almost everyone who’d canceled their long-standing orders quietly and sheepishly reordered. Several even apologized, although Ava quickly let them know it wasn’t necessary.
A while later, Missy and her parents arrived and clustered around Kristen, ordering lattes and bear claws. Kristen, peeking over their heads at Ava, had smiled, looking so happy and at ease that Ava had to force herself not to give a happy jump.
The minutes blurred by as they grew busier and busier. And yet Ava kept looking past the crowd toward the door, hoping to see Sarah.
A little before seven Blake came in, dressed in slacks and a turtleneck. He ordered a cup of plain coffee and was immediately joined by Wilmer Spankle, who wanted to complain about his neighbor’s son’s tendency to set off fireworks.
Ava was dying to ask Blake if he’d asked Sarah out yet, but other than giving her a quick smile, he stayed away from where she was pinned behind the bar. Thanks, McIntyre. And after I gave you all that helpful advice, too.
A few minutes later, Zoe Bell, looking stunning as ever in a peach-colored sheath dress, came in with new-to-town Jessica Cho Graham.
Jessica owned the Last Chance Motel at the edge of town and was refurbishing it into a fancy boutique sort of place. While waiting on her turn to order, she looked around with delight. “What a crowd,” she told Ava. “I’m impressed.”
Zoe agreed. “This might be my new favorite place.” She crossed her arms and leaned them on the bar. “I’ll take a lavender tea and some lemon shortbread cookies.”
“Same,” J
essica said.
“Coming right up.” Ava went to the bakery case and placed the cookies on small dishes.
Jessica added, “I’m not even sure what lavender tea is, but it sounds good.”
Ava set the cookies in front of them and went to make the teas. “Thank you all for coming.”
Zoe snorted. “Like we had a choice.”
Jessica nibbled on a cookie. “We were ordered here. Like troops in a war.”
Ava, about to pour hot water into two teacups, looked over her shoulder at them. “Ordered?”
“Not that I wasn’t coming anyway,” Zoe said quickly. “But when you’re threatened to never again get a book you’ll love from the only library in town, you do what you’re told.”
Ava’s eyes widened. “Sarah?”
Jessica nodded. “We’ve all been told that if we didn’t come here today, we’d be cut off cold.”
“She meant it, too,” Zoe said. “She spent all day going up and down the street and all through town telling everyone that she expected us to be here.”
Ava’s heart swelled.
“Most of us were coming, anyway, though,” Zoe added. “Well, except my dad, but he’s a stubborn fool, so there’s that.”
Ava finished making the teas, her throat too tight for her to speak.
Zoe must have seen Ava’s struggle because she reached across the counter and patted Ava’s hand. “You had to know she’d forgive you. She just had to do it in her own time.”
Ava grasped Zoe’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you.”
“Hey, like I said, Jess and I were coming anyway, Sarah’s threats or no.”
Jess tried her tea, her eyes widening. “Oh my! I love this!”
“See?” Zoe said, picking up her cup. She looked back at Ava. “By the way, my dad said he’d canceled his tea order.”
“And his yard work, too.” Ava shrugged. “But that’s fine. I understand.”
“I don’t. He had no reason to get involved in this disagreement. None of us have. And I’m sorry I didn’t make that clearer, not just to him, but to everyone else I know. But Dad needs your tea. His knee aches without it.”
Jess grimaced. “Arthritis?”
“He’s had it since I was a kid, and it’s just gotten worse. But at least he can walk when he has Ava’s tea. Without it, his knee swells up like a football, and he’s as grumpy as a hungry bear.”
“I’ll make some more if you think he’ll use it.”
“Please do. I’ll make sure he does.” Zoe turned to Jess. “Let’s go look at those teapots we saw in the window. I may need one or two of those.”
They left, and Ava—so happy she could almost have floated—turned to the next customer. “Ellen!”
The older woman was dressed in a cream-colored sweater over a silk shirt and a pair of tailored slacks. She slid onto a seat at the counter and looked around. “I’d call this a success.”
“Sarah did it.” At Ellen’s surprised look, Ava nodded. “I was surprised, too. I think she’s forgiven me, at least a little.”
“You haven’t spoken to her?”
“I haven’t seen her yet.” From across the room, Ava caught Dylan’s gaze where he stood talking to Josh’s dad, Tony Perez, who was there with Josh’s three little sisters. Dylan glanced at Ellen and then back at Ava and winked. What does that mean?
“I’m glad your sister has come to see reason.” Ellen picked up the menu. “What do you suggest in the way of tea?”
“How about a honey mint tea? It’s delicate but strong.”
Ellen put the menu back on the counter. “Sold.”
Ava got a teacup and saucer, filled the cup with hot water, dropped in a tea bag, and slid it in front of Ellen. “I’d let it steep for three to five minutes to get the full flavor.”
“Thank you.” Ellen’s cool, clear gaze rested on Ava. “Did Kristen mention I wanted to talk to you?”
Ava looked down the bar to where Kristen was fixing huge cups of hot chocolate for Missy and Josh, who were laughing at her exaggerated attempts, which made her look more like a bartender than a barista. “She mentioned something, yes.”
“We were up late last night, trying to come up with a compromise, and we may have finally found one. But it depends on you.”
“On me?” Ava wasn’t sure what she should say to that. “How so?”
“I have a project starting April first and I have to be in Raleigh to oversee it. Kristen, meanwhile, has school through late May. I can’t let her stay alone, and Dylan and she aren’t yet well enough acquainted for her to feel comfortable staying with him. To be honest, I’m not sure I know him well enough to agree to that. However, I do know you, and so does Kristen.”
Oh wow. “You want Kristen to stay with me?”
“Just Monday through Thursday for the next few months. I’ll be here on weekends, of course.”
“I— Ellen! Of course she can! We have so many empty bedrooms, and I… I promise I’ll keep an eye on her. I’ll make sure she does her homework and lets me know where she is at all times and…” Ava didn’t know what else to say. “This is very generous of you.”
“Before you agree, you should know that she’d like to bring her dogs. Well, three of them. I’m going to take little Chuffy with me. The poor thing isn’t well.”
Three dogs. That was a lot. Ava glanced down the bar again, to where Kristen was now fixing a cup of tea for Marian Freely. Kristen was laughing at something the older woman was saying, her smile lighting her whole face.
“The dogs are welcome,” Ava said. “We’ll meet up tomorrow and work out the details.”
“Thank you. The dogs are very good, to be honest. Kristen is already giving up a lot of things, but I won’t ask her to give up her pets.”
“Of course. It sounds like you and Kristen worked everything out.”
“Not everything, but we’re getting there. During the rest of this school year, she’ll spend at least one weekend a month in Raleigh with me and get to know the town a little. We haven’t made plans for the summer yet.”
“And after that?”
“After that, we’ll see.” Her gaze locked with Ava’s. “You’re a good person, Ava. Thank you for all you’ve done for Julie, Kristen, and me.”
“I’m glad I can help.”
Ellen pulled her teacup closer. “I gave Kristen the rest of Erma’s tea.”
Ava blinked. She couldn’t imagine how much that had cost Ellen. “That was generous of you.”
“Kristen needed to see her mother.”
“That couldn’t have been easy.”
Ellen’s smile quavered, but only for a second. She used a spoon to remove the tea bag and carefully set it on the edge of her saucer. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but also the easiest. Kristen needed to see her mother one last time. I couldn’t get in the way of that.”
Ava could see the pain in Ellen’s eyes. “You’re a good mom, Ellen Foster. One of the best.”
Ellen laughed then, a genuine, soft laugh. “I’m better at it now than I used to be. That’s all I can say.” She collected her tea. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll have a chat with Kristen’s dad. It would be in all our best interests if he and I got to know each other a little better.”
Ava watched her make her way to where Dylan stood. He looked over Ellen’s head and smiled at Ava.
Ava smiled back. He was a nice guy. Really nice. And wow, he looked good in his suit.
The door opened, and Doc Bolton came in with Tom Moore, the ex-mayor-turned-fishing-guide. Doc and Tom had recently become fishing buddies. They were talking striped bass as they made a beeline to the cupcakes.
Over the next half hour, more and more people wandered in, chatting and laughing and excitedly selecting scones and muffins and various hot drinks. By the time the clock hit seven thirty, Ava’s Pink Magnolia Tearoom was packed.
The last person to arrive was Sarah. Ava, who’d been moving from group to group, grateful to her
toes for the smiles that greeted her, immediately went to greet her sister.
Sarah watched as Ava approached, no welcoming smile on her face.
Ava’s heart sunk. She’s still mad. I should have expected that. Ava took a deep breath and plunged in. “Sarah, I’m so, so sorry—”
“Shush.” Sarah grabbed Ava’s hand and held it between her own. “I already know you’re sorry. So am I. I’m sorry I got so angry. But it hurt, Ava. That’s all I can say.”
Ava blinked back tears. “I know, I know. I was so wrong. I’ll never again keep a secret from you. And I’ll never, ever give anyone a tea they didn’t ask for, you or anyone else. And I’ll—”
“Sheesh, Ava! That’s enough!” Sarah laughed, a low, wry laugh that warmed her gray-green eyes. “We need to move on, but this is going to take some time. Months, maybe longer.”
That hurt, but Ava nodded. “We’ll work on it, you and I. And I’ll do whatever I can to make things right again.”
Sarah pursed her lips. “Well… I could use some help right now.”
“Name it, and I’ll do it.”
Sarah leaned in closer and whispered, “I have a date with Blake and I need to find something to wear.”
“Sarah! That’s—”
Sarah squeezed Ava’s hand so hard it hurt. “Shhh! Keep your voice down!”
Ava swallowed the rest of her sentence. “It’s a secret, then.” She glanced across the room at Blake, who, catching her eye, lifted his coffee cup in a silent toast.
He should have told me, the wretch.
Sarah looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear and said in a low voice, “Blake and I want to try things out without everyone in town being involved. I haven’t told anyone but you.”
“I won’t tell a soul.”
“Oh, I’m sure you won’t. You’re good at secrets.”
Ava grimaced. “Most secrets are horrible. It’ll be nice to have one that’s wonderful.”
Sarah flushed, looking pleased. “You think it’s wonderful?”
“Very.”
“So do I.” Sarah’s smile bloomed. “Blake and I haven’t figured everything out yet, and who knows if it’ll work, but I think trying might be very… rewarding.”
Ava laughed. “I’m not even going to ask what that means. Oh, Sarah, it’s going to be wonderful having you back home! Did you already leave your things, or…” Her words faded when Sarah shook her head.
A Cup of Silver Linings Page 33