26. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ava
A lopsided grin crosses my face, and goosebumps prickle my skin at the deep timbre of Duncan’s voicemail. I leave a message asking if he still needs a ride home.
I’ve missed him these past few days, and having an excuse to see him wasn’t something I wanted to pass up.
My phone dings, and my pulse races, seeing Duncan’s name.
Duncan: Just getting on the plane. Will get back to you in a bit.
Reading his message twice, I assume the generic response likely means he didn’t listen to my message but just wanted to acknowledge my call. I responded with a text letting him know the reason I called.
Me: Sounds good.
I pause a moment before typing the next message.
Me: Do you still need a ride home from the arena?
A rush of energy darts through me, and my heart races. Sliding my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, I run my hand through my hair and take a deep breath.
He probably already made arrangements for a ride home. Otherwise, he would’ve asked, right?
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so forward. What if he didn’t ask because he doesn’t want to see me? Is it possible he hasn’t been thinking about the last time we were together?
Does he regret kissing me? What if I’m making the kiss out to mean something more than it is? Is it possible for someone to kiss a person like that and not have it mean everything?
Blowing out a deep breath, I pull my bottom lip with my teeth. All of these unanswered questions leave me wishing I knew what Duncan was thinking. How he was feeling. About me.
What if the only one falling is me?
My heart sinks and thuds in my stomach. Rubbing my arms up and down, I work to get rid of the chill that runs through me at the thought of being rejected this time.
“Aunt Ava? Can you braid my hair?” Scarlett’s arms wrap around my waist, hazel eyes smiling at me, and her chin resting on my stomach.
Grateful for the distraction, I run my hands over Scarlett’s hair and grin at her. “Of course I can. What type of braid do you want?”
“Can you do a Dutch braid?” She asks, jumping up and down. “I like the way it looks.”
“You’ll take it out before you go to bed, right? That style usually gives me a headache if I sleep on it.” She shakes her head so emphatically I can’t help but chuckle. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if your head hurts tomorrow.”
“I’ll take it out before bed.” A frown mars her brow, but it’s immediately replaced with wide eyes as she leads me into the living room. Sitting on the couch, I see everything we need on the coffee table. “Will you be able to braid it again before school?”
“Of course, I can do that for you!” Kissing the top of her head, I pick up the brush lying in front of me, and start brushing out the knots. I separate a few pieces and start interlacing them in the opposite direction you would a French braid. “Something special going on at school tomorrow?”
Midway down Scarlett’s head, the braid is starting to take form and I realize that my usually talkative niece hasn’t answered me. I stop and move my face over her shoulder to look at her. The corner of my lips lift at her expression.
“So what’s his name?” I ask in a sing-song voice and watch her cheeks take on a tinge of pink.
“Whose name?” Scarlett skillfully evades. “I just want my hair braided.”
Chuckling at her response, I silently go back to braiding. A lesson that my mom taught us before life got crazy was that silence will catch the same number of bees as honey.
“I don’t have a crush on Steven,” she says timidly. “He just moved here, and I want to be nice to him.”
“Steven, huh?” I ask, a wide smile on my face. “Want to tell me about him?”
Listening to Scarlett excitedly disclose all about the new kid in class is adorable. Her voice is filled with such enthusiasm. It’s obvious that she’s completely smitten, and I love it. “Does your dad know about Steven?”
At that exact moment, David walks into the house carrying a grocery bag. “Who’s Steven?”
I can feel tension fill Scarlett’s shoulders, and in that moment, I understand how hard it is for her not to have her mom around as all of these feelings about boys start to come up.
“Just a new person at Scarlett’s school, right Scar?” I say in a way that lets her know I won’t be the one telling her secret. “She was telling me about how he just moved to town.”
“Oh? Well, that’s cool.” David heads into the kitchen, not grasping that his eight-year-old daughter has her first crush. “Scarlett, when you’re done, will you help me with dinner? I got your favorite.”
“Macaroni and cheese? Yes!” Tying off the braid with a rubber band, Scarlett bounces off the couch, turns and gives me a hug, and whispers in my ear. “Thank you, Aunt Ava.”
Wrapping my arms around her and giving a squeeze, I say, “Of course, darling girl. Your secret, for as long as you want to keep it, is safe with me.”
She kisses me on the cheek before running into the kitchen to help with dinner. While cleaning up the extra hair ties and brush, a ding sounds from my pocket. I pull my phone out to see Duncan’s name. My heart starts hammering through my body. Swallowing hard, I open his text.
Duncan: Hey. Our flight is getting in pretty late. Davidson’s gonna drop me off at home.
My heart sinks, and the amount of disappointment that weighs me down has me feeling heavy.
Me: Oh, okay. Me: I know Scarlett will be disappointed. She was looking forward to seeing you tonight.
Scarlett will be disappointed she won’t see him tonight, but I was talking about me. I’m disappointed.
Duncan: I’ll miss seeing her too.
The corner of my lip lifts as I read his words, and just for a moment, I pretend he’s saying he’s missing seeing me.
Dropping my head in my palm, I shake my head and roll my eyes.
Girl, you’ve got it bad!
Me: I’ll make sure she knows.
Duncan : Thanks. I’ll stop by tomorrow after my run to grab my car.
Me: I’ll be here with your key.
Duncan: Are you sure you still have my car? Duncan: My car doesn’t have a key.
Me: Huh? What’s that little thingamajig?
Duncan: rolling on the floor laughing emoji Duncan: Did you just say ‘thingamajig’?!
A giggle escapes me at the thought of this grumpy, brooding man laughing hysterically because of me.
Me: Duncan James, are you laughing at me?
Duncan: I would never laugh at you Ava “thingamajig” Norris. Duncan: winking emoji Duncan: grinning squinting face
Me: Hey! pouting emoji Me: If not a key, then what is it called?
Duncan: A fob.
Me: A fob?
Duncan: Well technically it’s called a key fob.
Me: Wait! squinting emoji Me: Did you just make fun of me for calling your key fob a key?
My face splits with a wide grin, and I let out a chuckle. This is the silliest conversation, and I am loving every minute of it.
Duncan: Well technically I made fun of you for saying ‘thingamajig’.
I can’t argue with his logic, and a goofy grin takes hold of my face. My cheeks are getting sore from how big my smile is.
Me: Fine. I’ll have the fob for you when you get here.
Duncan: Thank you. I look forward to it.
I go back through our messages, a smirk still on my face. I love this playful side of Duncan. I didn’t realize how much I missed this banter until seeing him again after all these years.
Another ding comes through.
Duncan: Are you busy tomorrow? Duncan: Scarlett and I will be baking dog treats for Saturday's Mile High Mutts Rescue fundraiser.
My breath hitches as I read his message. Even if I was busy, which I’m not, I would rearrange my schedule to spend time with him.
Duncan: It’d be nice if you could join us…
My heart stops and then sputters back to life. My mouth is dry and feels like I just swallowed a big wad of cotton.
Did Duncan just ask me to spend time with him?
The smile on my face does the impossible and grows even bigger.
Duncan: I understand if you’re busy and can’t, just thought it might be fun.
Me: I’m not busy. Me: I’d love to help. Me: And there is no way I’d miss seeing you in pink again. Me: wink emoji
Duncan: Well, I look pretty good in pink, even if I do say so myself…
I throw my head back and laugh. Pink isn’t his color, but even I have to admit he looks good in that apron.
“Aunt Ava,” Scarlett calls from the kitchen. “Dinner is ready! Come and grab some plates to set the table.”
“I’ll be there in a second.”
Me: wink emoji Me: See you tomorrow. Me: Good night, Duncan.
Duncan: Good night, Ava. Duncan: “Thingamajig” grin emoji
Still grinning, I slide my phone back into my pocket and all but skip into the kitchen.