Page 81 of Corkscrew You
She gives a small start. “Sorry. My bad.”
“Didn’t think he’d been a monk.”
“Oh, I dunno. Nate wasbornto wear a hairshirt.”
On cue, we both hear pickup tires rolling to a stop on gravel.
“He knows I’m here.” Ava answers my unspoken, but obvious, question. “I think it’ll help,” she adds, “you coming to dinner. May not seem like it at the time but trust me.”
Weirdly, I do. Nate’s sister has a natural authority.
“Oh!” I suddenly remember. “I have your dress! At least, I think it’s yours.”
I run upstairs to fetch it.
“Sorry, I meant to have it cleaned.” I hand it over.
“No problem,” she replies. “As you can tell,” she indicates her one hundred percent activewear outfit, “I don’t get gussied up that often.”
“Thanks for coming.”
I really mean it. It’s beensucha relief to be told Nate may not hate me forever.
“Don’t thank me yet.” Ava starts to go. “You’ve got a Durant family dinner to get through. People abducted by serial killers have been less traumatized.”
I see her to the door, and as I open it, we’re both startled by a figure standing right in front of us, fist up, ready to knock.
He’s equally startled. But, given who he is, all he does is blink a little more rapidly.
“Cam! Hi!” I blurt.
I glance at Ava to find her eyeing him up and down, a look of clinical appraisal on her face, like she’s a potential owner checking out horseflesh.
“Cam Hollander, this is Ava Durant,” I say. “Nate’s sister.”
“Hi.” Ava sticks out her hand.
Cam blinks a little more and takes her small hand in his giant mitt of a one.
“What do you do here?” she asks.
Cam’s eyeballs swivel my way. Translation: help.
“Cam’s our handyman, and cooper,” I explain.
“What’s a cooper?” Ava frowns.
“I make wine barrels,” says Cam.
My jaw clunks on the ground. Four words! In a row!
“Cool,” says Ava. “Well, nice to meet you, Cam the cooper.”
To me, she says, “Seven tomorrow at our place. I’ll get your number from Nate, and text you directions.”
“Do I need to bring anything?”
“Patience and stamina?” she replies. “Oh, and a safe place to store your sanity.”
