did that, but she did. When she clapped, her face lit up too. “Oh God, I'm so excited.”
“I'm glad you feel that way because it occurred to me on the way over here that I should have asked you if it was okay since you’re the one that’s hosting.” I didn’t break it to her that I was pretty sure Ava wanted to be the one doing the cooking. Abigail didn’t really enjoy it, so I figured she wouldn’t feel too territorial over that particular issue.
“It’s at your house. And of course it’s okay with me. You know I really like Ava.” My sister's eyes danced. “Wait a second. Is Ava coming because you don’t want her to be alone on Thanksgiving or is Ava coming because you like her?”
“I’ve got to get back to work.”
My sister jumped off her stool and raced around the desk. She grabbed me by the shoulders. “Tyler Michael Whittaker. You tell me the truth right now. Are you interested in her?”
There was no point in lying to my sister. “Yes. I am. I finally asked her out on a date.”
Abigail squealed, right inside her own library. “I’m so excited for you. Maybe she'll be my sister-in-law one day.”
“Abigail!” I couldn’t help my sharp reply. I glanced up the stairs, hoping Ava hadn’t overheard that part. “Did you miss the part where she came here to escape career criminals? She’s not going to be here that long, so don't get attached.”
“So then why are you asking her out, and why are you getting attached? Are you planning to move to Chicago one day?”
“Of course not, I'm not leaving Pine Hills,” I said.
“You could, you know. You're a great sheriff and you're great for this town, but don't let a sense of duty keep you here. You've already served your country; you've done enough to last a lifetime.”
She was right. I could leave. I wasn't sure I agreed that I'd done enough. I had served my country but I wasn't always comfortable with the sacrifices I made to do that. “I don't want to leave you and mom here alone.”
“We won't be alone. And I lived here all my life. Mom and I will be fine.”
“I also roped Barrett into coming here. I'm not going to ditch him either.
My sister squeezed my shoulders. “Stop acting like a martyr. You know good and well Barrett wouldn't have come here if he didn't want to. He's a grown man -- he can leave if you leave.”
She was right. Barrett had options. He wouldn’t want me to stick around just for him, and neither would my mother.
If Ava and I got serious, could I live in a big city? I wasn't sure, and I also wasn't sure the question was even relevant. Ava and I were not at that point in a relationship. I wasn't even sure how she felt. She'd given no indication whether or not she wanted something permanent.
But the option was worth considering.
I wanted this to be a real date, so I waited until a Friday night. I knew next to nothing about what Ava had done for dates in the past, so I was going to stick to the kind of stuff that was popular in Pine Hills. I had a better chance of success with that, than if I tried to imitate something fancy or sophisticated.
While she was at the library, I took my truck out in the driveway and washed it really well. Then I went over to Barrett’s house and borrowed his fishing boat. He even loaded it up on a trailer for me. We weren’t going to fish, but I figured I could show her around the parts of Pine Hills that weren’t accessible by car.
I even made sure there were a few lifejackets on board, and some mosquito repellent. At dusk, the mosquitoes could get really vicious. I did not want Ava to associate our date with itchy red welts.
After we toured the Pine River, then I’d take her to dinner at the catfish house. That was about as country as you could get. And then hopefully afterward, I’d take her home to bed. We seemed to have that part figured out.
I went to pick her up, and she smirked all the way home.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“I’m just looking forward to tonight.”
“And?”
“It cracks me up that we’re going on a formal date when we already live together.”
I scowled, and she crawled over to me as I parked the truck