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