2. Vail
2
VAIL
Ava had clung to my side from the moment I was in front of her. Tears poured down her cheeks as she gripped me tight. I had lowered us into a chair where I sat and simply held her while telling her I’d be here for her, and she wasn’t alone.
Even now, in the back of the Lincoln Navigator with Oleander driving us home, she was pressed to my side, holding me like at any second I was going to leave too.
My heart shattered for her. Not only did she lose her uncle, who she thought was a wonderful man until everything happened, but she lost her mom too, a loving, caring woman. From what I’d gathered, Celine had told Ava about her uncle and how he did terrible things to me and others.
Oleander kept glancing back at us with concern in his eyes. After what he’d been through losing his child, I could see the pain still lived in him. There was nothing I could do to ease it, just like I couldn’t ease Ava’s. I could offer them comfort and someone to talk to though.
God, how many of us were dealt shitty hands? Hands we didn’t deserve .
Pulling into the garage, Oleander parked the SUV near the elevator, left it running, and got out, but Ava didn’t release me.
My arm was around her back, letting her know I was still here. “Ava, we should go inside.”
She peered up at me with red eyes. “Are you sure it’s safe? Mama said Jordan wasn’t a very nice man, but he couldn’t be all bad if you were with him.”
“Your mom was a wonderful woman. And she was right about me not being in a relationship with Jordan if he wasn’t kind to me.” I didn’t want to lie to her, so I omitted the part about him not being nice to everyone.
“And there’s another man too, right? That you’re in a relationship with?”
“Yes, his name is Hartley.”
She nodded and turned to stare straight ahead, looking out the windshield. Fresh tears fell from her eyes as her body began to shake. Nothing I said would make her grief better. Being without a family, and having someone enter her life again after years of absence. God, I felt terrible for her.
To think I almost didn’t say yes. How could I have left her there to wait for a family member to step up while she was put in foster care?
I soothed my hand along her back. “We’ll stay out here as long as you want.”
No one was going to pressure her to go inside. She could stay here and cry or simply sit and watch the traffic drive along in front of the building. Where we were in the garage, she had a perfect view of it.
A bit after the tears stopped falling, Ava said she’d like to go inside. I opened my door, and Oleander went to the back of the SUV to collect Ava’s belongings. There was more at Celine’s apartment to pack up. The lease hadn’t run out yet.
It was another reason to hate Gil. With all the money he had, he never gave any to his sister. She worked so damn hard to take care of herself and Ava. Gil had more money than he knew what to do with. He wouldn’t hear of me bringing gifts with us when we’d visit them. Celine did the best she could, even moving to a bigger apartment in a nicer area of East Dremest when she could afford it.
Fuck, I hated Gil even more the longer I thought back to all the shit he did. How fucking selfish he was. How he truly didn’t give a shit what happened to those he was supposed to love.
The elevator waited for us when we walked to it. Oleander placed Ava’s belongings inside and held the door. She looked so tired, like her body was too heavy to keep moving forward, and she was slogging through molasses.
The higher the elevator climbed, the more alert she became. She moved closer to my side. By the time the doors opened; she gripped my hand tightly in hers.
Hartley stood waiting for us with his hand on the top of Tahoe’s head. Tahoe’s tail swished wildly on the floor where he sat.
Ava and I exited the elevator, then she peered up at me. “Can I pet the dog?” I’d neglected to tell her about Tahoe. He didn’t seem important on the ride over. Now I knew what a mistake that was. Kids loved animals.
“Go ahead. His name is Tahoe, and he’s very friendly.”
Ava moved a few steps and stopped.
“Okay,” I said, giving Tahoe the command to release him from his sit.
He darted forward with the fervor of a puppy until he could lick Ava’s hand. A soft chuckle came from her, then she kneeled on the floor. That made Tahoe’s day. He licked her face while beating Hartley with his tail.
Behind me, Oleander moved the bags inside before clapping his hand gently on my shoulder. “If you need anything, call. Day or night. I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, hoping I conveyed just how appreciative I was of him.
Moving to Hartley’s side, I watched Ava with Tahoe and how the girl, who was in tears less than a half hour ago, now wore a small smile.
Ava had her mother’s dark hair, a few shades darker than Gil’s was. It hung long and straight down her back. Her eyes were not the same as what I remembered of Celine’s. Celine’s were golden like Gil’s, while Ava’s were a chocolate brown. She must have gotten them from her father.
When Tahoe had given Ava ample kisses, he sprawled on the floor on his side and lifted his front leg so she could pet his belly better, not at all caring that she might not want to. Ava indulged him, rubbing his fur until he rolled onto his back with his feet in the air so she had better access. The dog had no shame.
Ava lifted her eyes to mine, then moved to Hartley. I was waiting until I had her attention again to introduce her.
“Ava, this is Hartley Weathers, one of my partners.”
She got to her feet. “It’s nice to meet you.” Celine had good manners, obviously passing them on to her daughter. If only she could have rubbed off on her brother too. I still didn’t know the scope of the abuse, if any, he inflicted on others. I was sure Gil slept with more men after we split up.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Hartley said. “I love your shirt. The color complements your skin tone perfectly. ”
Ava looked down, grasping the edge of the hem. “Thank you.”
Reaching over, I squeezed Hartley’s hand, grateful he spoke of something other than the tragedy that happened. While we’d be here any time Ava wanted to speak about her mother and the life they had, it was good not to see her in tears.
The sound of shoes tapping along the marble flooring had me peering over my shoulder at Jordan. He smiled softly and stopped on my other side.
“Ava, this is Jordan Altair Sr.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
“And you as well. I see you’ve already met Tahoe. He probably gave you far too many licks.”
She put her hand on her cheek. “I liked them.”
“Then be sure to get on his level and he’ll do it all the time.” God, this sweet side of Jordan, one most didn’t see, made me fall for him even more.
For so long, Jordan thought he was a terrible father. He was the best he could be for JJ. The best he knew how to be. Now he was trying to do better, trying to mend the broken relationship they had. It was working too. JJ called more, texted. Soon he’d stop by without being invited. At least I hoped he would, for Jordan’s sake. Jordan would enjoy seeing his son more.
“Are you hungry?” I asked Ava.
She shook her head.
“All right, how about I show you to your room?”
“Okay,” she whispered as she glanced around nervously.
Walking behind her, I picked up her bags and motioned for her to follow me up the stairs. Jordan had texted me, letting me know which room they had decided on for her. I hoped it was the right choice. Would she want to be that far from us, or would she prefer it? I also knew nothing about twelve-year-olds. My sister’s kids were little, so I was way out of my depth with Ava. I hadn’t even told Cat yet what was going on.
The room was warm when we entered. Even though it was mid-April, the chill still hung in the air outside. Winter tried to hold on for longer. The furniture was dark and sleek. Straight wooden lines for a modern room, very Jordan.
“We can order you new everything if you’d like,” I told Ava. “You don’t have to keep what’s in here if you don’t want to.”
“Could I have my stuff from my old room?”
I nodded. “We can get it moved here. Would you like to go with me to pick out what you want to bring?”
Fresh tears shimmered in her eyes. “Can you just bring my whole room?”
“Of course.” Jordan could have his men pack up everything in the apartment. Whatever wasn’t moving into this room could go into storage or even into the basement of my house as a place to store it for Ava until she was ready, if ever, to go through the belongings her mother had. I wouldn’t dare throw a single item away until she decided what she would like to part with, if anything at all.
Tahoe had followed us up the stairs and sat beside me, waiting for one of us to pet him again. I had a feeling he was going to spend a lot of time with Ava, which would be good for both of them. Animals had a way of providing comfort in times we needed it most, and sometimes when we didn’t even realize we were struggling.
“There you are,” Irene said, entering the room. “Hello, dear, my name is Irene, and I work for Mr. Altair. You’ll see me around the home daily, cooking and cleaning. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask me. Do you have any food allergies or allergies of any sort?” I was given information about Ava but wanted to give her the chance to answer.
“Not to food. Sometimes I get allergies when I go outside.”
“Good to know. I’ll make sure the filters are always changed on time, so you don’t have to breathe in any of that nasty pollen. It’s that time of year. Pollen drops from the trees. Green and yellow stuff everywhere. Except in here. There will be none of that, thanks to me.”
Ava twisted her hands. She wasn’t just moving in with us and had me as her guardian. She was being introduced to a lot of new people.
“Any requests for dinner?” Irene asked.
“Oh, I’m going to make something,” I told her. Irene had already prepared dinner but that was before we knew about Ava. Meal prepping was one of Irene’s many strong suits.
“No, you aren’t. I’m here. I’ll do the cooking.” She turned to Ava again. “What are your favorite foods?”
“I like chicken. And my mom used to make broccoli with it. I always ate it. My friends don’t like it but I do. I like almost everything.”
“That’s excellent. I’ll get dinner started then.” Irene left as a fresh wave of sorrow hit me. Ava wasn’t near her friends any longer.
She was set to return to school next week, but with her here, I’d need to contact the school. Maybe I could work it out so I could drive her to and from her old school every day. Jordan would want her homeschooled, so she was safer, but the longer I spent with her, I knew we had to keep some things the same to help her through this. Having her friends would be one of them.