does it!” she shrieked, apparently at the end of her patience as well.
“Well, I'm not Sera,” I snapped. “They taste exactly the same no matter how you eat it. If you want the apple, get it from the fridge.”
My phone rang again. Agitated, I ripped it out of my pocket, answered it, and snapped, “What?”
“Well, good day to you, brother.”
Maverick's rolling voice set my teeth together. I wanted to smack the smugness out of his tone. Instead, I shoved a hand through my hair.
“What do you want, Mav?”
“Just calling to ask what the hell happened.”
My stomach clenched. “What do you mean?”
“Saw Sera at the Diner today. She looked like she'd been crying all night and Bert had her behind the counter instead of taking her usual tables. She wouldn't even look at me.”
“Sounds tough,” I muttered because I had no idea what else to say. Behind me, Ava muttered under her breath with mutinous rage as she grabbed an apple and stepped outside on the back porch.
“You're an asshole.”
“You have no idea what's going on with Serafina,” I shot back. “Why don't you reserve judgment until you have more information? Which, at this rate, will be never. I don't feel like talking to you, Mav.”
“You broke it off.”
“Not . . . exactly. You can't break what wasn't defined,” I muttered.
“Bonehead point, bro. You need her, Ben. She's a freaking angel to put up with you, first of all, and you're not going to find that again. Secondly, you love her. Try to deny it, I dare you. Third, have you thought about that little girl that also adores Serafina?”
“Why did you call?” I asked through clenched teeth. “If this is the only reason, I'm hanging up.”
“Serafina also said . . . nevermind. Listen, I had my reasons, but now I don't. Doesn't matter. Just forget about it.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Nothing you need to hear anymore.”
The anymore was overly emphasized and irritated me to the point of pain. Before I could respond, the call ended. I dropped the phone to the counter to resist throwing it across the room, then stalked to the washer. A moldy smell drifted out of the basin the moment I opened it. I swore under my breath. I'd forgotten to put the washed clothes in the dryer last night and they already smelled rank.
With a slam of my palm into the button, I restarted the load on a heavy rinse cycle and tossed some detergent in with it. Any attempts to piece together what Maverick meant were shoved aside. He could be cryptic on his own time.
Ava appeared at my side.
“Where's the rest of my snack?” she asked.
“The rest of it? Didn't you just eat an apple?”
“Sera always has an after school snack for me.” She motioned to the counter. “She puts it right there. And it's more than just an apple, which tasted old so I threw it away.”
“Then eat something else.”
“The fridge is empty.”
I blinked, mentally extricating myself from the laundry. She wasn't wrong. Of course, I hadn't gone grocery shopping on the way home. We'd been thirty minutes late leaving the MMA Center and I'd completely forgotten in the midst of Ava complaining about being there again.
“Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.” I crossed the room just in time for the rice to boil over, and barely slowed a swear word as I scrambled for a towel. “You'll be fine.”
“Dad!” She groaned, one hand on her stomach. “I'm hungry now! The apple wasn't enough.”
“Go play outside. It will distract you.”
“No!”
Her sharp reprimand was punctuated by the stamp of a bare foot against the wooden floor. A familiar glower, a near-perfect mimicry of mine, folded her face into harsh lines. Her eyes were tapered in fury. Memories of Sadie flashed through my mind, setting me on edge.
“Excuse me?” I whispered.
“I'm hungry now.”
“That doesn't mean you can speak to me like that.”
If possible, her glare deepened. Her hands propped onto her hips, leaving her elbows out like chicken wings.
“Sera gives me a snack.”
“Sera isn't here.”
“Why not?” she whined. “I like Sera's food better!”
My jaw clenched shut as I closed my eyes, pulled in a long breath, and let it back out. Impatience warred with annoyance in my chest yet again. Sera wasn't here and wouldn't be here again today, probably. Ava acting just like Sadie sent a whirl of bad memories through me. Distantly, I knew my wrathful response had nothing to do with Ava, but her attitude didn't make it any