Page 27 of Where Are You Now
“You just drove thirty minutes to get here,” Ava countered. “At least stay long enough to make it worth your trip. If we’re going to stand outside and fish for an hour or so, snacks might be nice.”
He looked unsure.
While her mother let herself into the house, Ava nodded toward the shed nestled in the woods that sat a little distance from the yard.
“Are your work shoes okay in that brush?”
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
She started walking, and Lucas followed. She clenched her fists to help manage the pain while they trekked through the vegetation. When they’d made it, she jiggled the latch to open the door, but it was stuck. Her sides ached trying to pry it open.
“Hang on,” Lucas said. “Don’t hurt yourself.” He fiddled with the latch. “It’s rusted. Stand over here.” He pointed to an old stump along the side of the brush.
Ava took a seat on it.
Lucas reared back and kicked the handle, jostling it loose. He flipped it up and opened the door, then fanned his palm toward it. “After you.”
Ava got up and went into the musty shed. It was full of paint cans, yard tools, and bags of mulch. Her old canoe sat covered in the corner. She pushed past an extra piece of lattice leaning against the wall, rooting through her father’s old tools until she saw what she thought might be his fishing poles, still wrapped in paper from the move. She stopped, taking it all in.
This place held so much of her father. As the two of them stood among his things, she could almost feel him there. The familiar lump rose in her throat. She swallowed to clear it.
“Can you get two of those?” she asked Lucas. She pointed to the rods in the corner.
He reached around her, his face next to hers, and retrieved them. In an attempt to keep herself from tearing up, Ava focused on the supplies they needed. She grasped the handle of her dad’s tackle box.
They took the fishing gear out of the shed, and Ava latched the door behind them, allowing a sniffle. Lucas seemed to notice her rise in emotion, sending glances her way as they walked to the house. The last time she’d cried in front of him, they’d been fifteen. Her eyes stung as she blinked to clear the emotion. What was wrong with her these days? The accident had broken the tough, stoic spirit she’d always been so proud of.
After they carried the gear inside, Lucas leaned the poles against the wall in the kitchen, and Ava set the dusty box next to them while Martha moved around between the fridge and the counter. Lucas’s gaze fluttered over to Ava, and she almost swore she saw that protective look in his eyes that she’d seen as a kid. But he tensed and turned to the view through the double doors as if to avoid it.
“I didn’t know what you two were in the mood for,” her mother said, her gaze lingering on him, “so I have a few options. Ava, could you help me decide? Lucas, would you like something to drink? I’ve got water, juice, wine?”
“I’m fine right now, thank you.”
“Please. Get comfortable. Enjoy the view.” Her mom waggled a finger at the door.
Lucas let himself out onto the deck while Martha retrieved a block of cheddar from the fridge. Through the window, they watched him walk to the edge by the water and slip his hands into the pockets of his trousers.
“We could do cheese and crackers with fruit, and I alsohave all the fixin’s for s’mores if we light the firepit—it’s cool enough today. Think he’s up for it?”
Ava peered out at him. “I don’t know.”
“I also have a bottle of zinfandel. It might go well with the sharpness of the cheddar, and the alcohol could relax you both. We could always make some coffee after.”
“I’ll be lucky if I can get him to stay long enough to cast a rod. Something’s definitely bothering him.”
Her mother handed her the box of crackers while she retrieved the cheese slicer from the drawer. “I’ll stay inside. He might be more candid without me there.”
“Thanks.”
When they’d finished preparing the tray of cheese, crackers, and grapes, Ava took it out to him. “My mom went a little overboard.” She set it down on the bistro table under the tree.
That heaviness she’d seen in the office was apparent now. He turned back toward the water.
Ava went into the kitchen once more. “I’ll need the wine.”
Her mother poured two glasses and slid them over. Ava returned to Lucas while Martha discreetly placed the rods and tackle box outside the door.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Lucas said.
