Chapter 10
Cole finished entering the last of Ava’s receipts and had her bookkeeping for her photography business caught up through the end of the previous year.
It was easy work, but he struggled to finish.
Mainly because she had been on his mind nonstop and working on her bookkeeping kept her at the forefront of his mind.
They had made great progress over the last several days while they were sick. If he had known that was all it would take, he would have licked some handrails at the elementary school a long time ago.
The door to the back office opened, and Eli stepped inside. “Hey, do you think you could place an order for these books?”
Cole took the sheet from him and nodded. “Yep. I’ll get right on it.”
Eli leaned against the desk. “How are things going? How are you feeling?”
“A lot better. Fortunately, it was a quick illness.”
Eli nodded his head. “I saw Ava and Ruby in here. Has Ruby been spending a lot of time at your place?”
Cole sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah. Ava decided she’s going to try to get guardianship over her.”
Eli leaned forward. “Hell yeah. Good for her.”
“Don’t repeat that. We don’t need it getting back to her parents before they’re officially informed.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Hey, do you know if Jameson is coming around today? We were talking about picking his brain about the process or seeing if he could represent Ava.”
Eli’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea. Let me check.”
Eli typed on his phone and received a response only a moment later.
“He’ll be in for lunch around noon.”
“Awesome. Thanks for checking,” Cole said.
He picked up his phone and typed out a message to Ava.
Cole: Jameson will be here around noon for lunch. Want to swing by so we can chat with him?
Ava: Yes! Thank you for asking.
Cole smiled. This was perfect. He could hang out with his best friend while also getting information on something that could help Ruby immensely.
“When are you going to ask her out?”
Cole wiped the dopey smile off his face and looked up at Eli. He had forgotten he was there. “What?”
“Ava. When are you going to ask her out?”
There was no reason to deny his feelings for Ava. Apparently he hadn’t been hiding them well, so why pretend?
“I’m not. At least not right now. We need to focus on getting Ava custody of Ruby. That’s our main priority. Once that’s taken care of, I’ll ask her out.”
He nodded in understanding. “Makes sense. So let’s get her custody of Ruby so you two can finally be together.”
Cole smiled at the thought. His family would be their biggest cheerleaders, especially for getting custody of Ruby. They saw the impact Ava’s parents had on her growing up, with her dad and stepdad alike.
The next few hours passed quickly until lunchtime came around.
Then, Cole left his computer and walked out into the bookstore.
It was surprisingly busy for a weekday, but they usually did decent business around lunchtime because of the cafe.
It had been an excellent addition at the urging of Katie.
The siblings had all worked on getting a game plan together to make the business sustainable for all of them to work there once their parents retired.
And they had done a great job of it so far.
For a while it seemed like they wouldn’t be able to keep all of them busy, but Kelly always had dreams for bigger and better things.
They all knew. They all could see it. So when she moved to Montana for a job and for her boyfriend Miles, none of them were surprised.
While he missed having his twin around, he was happy for her and happy for Michelle since she could get the job she wanted in the bookstore, event planning, Kelly’s old job.
Cole spotted Jameson already sitting at a table in the cafe, so he beelined it straight to him.
“Hey, Jameson.”
Jameson smiled and stood, shaking Cole’s hand and pulling him into a brief hug. “Hey, Cole. I heard you are seeking legal advice.”
“I am. Along with Ava. She should be here any minute.”
As if on cue, Ava came through the door, and Cole watched as her eyes panned the bookstore until she spotted them. A smile lit her face with a bit of hesitancy thrown in as she made her way over to them.
“Hey guys,” she said.
“Hey, Ava.” Jameson stood and gave her a hug. “So what can I do for you?”
Ava briefly exchanged a look with Cole as she took a seat.
She leaned forward and lowered her voice so no one around them would hear.
If the wrong person heard, it would spread through town like wildfire.
“I would like to get custody of my little sister. I read about it online and found the paperwork, but it was recommended to hire a lawyer. Is this something you could help me with?”
He nodded. “I can, yes.”
For the next hour, Jameson explained the process and answered all their questions. When they finished, they all stood, and Ava hugged Jameson. Jealousy spiked through Cole. He couldn’t help it. Seeing any man’s arms around Ava would make him jealous, even if he knew it was platonic.
Jameson left, and Ava immediately threw her arms around Cole.
“Thank you.”
He wrapped his around her and was very aware of the eyes of his family members watching him. “For what?”
“For listening in and asking questions I hadn’t thought of. For trying to help me fight for custody of Ruby. For arranging this meeting.”
Cole tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I’d love to take all the credit, but Eli helped arrange the meeting.”
“I better go give him a hug too, then.”
“In a minute,” Cole said, holding onto her a bit longer.
She giggled. “I think we’re drawing stares.”
“So?”
She laughed and pulled back. “I’m going to go thank Eli.”
Cole watched her walk to where Eli stood near the back of the store watching them. Then he spotted Katie behind the cafe counter. She smiled and raised her eyebrows. He smiled back.