“What do you think of this property?”
“It’s incredible,” she replied.
He smiled. “I think so too.”
Was all the nostalgia and seeing him again giving her feelings she wasn’t meant to have for him? Ava was pretty sure she’d been tasked with finding him to give him the message about death, and she’d needed God’s help to open him up to hear it. Lucas had come around, for sure, but now they were so connected she didn’t know how she’d manage leaving him. Had God done his job a little too well?
Chapter Twenty-Four
As the sun rose the next morning, Ava stared at the virtual button on her computer screen. Her favorite New York cafés where she liked to grab coffee, the static bustle of the busy streets she jogged down, her go-to Chinese take-out restaurant where everyone knew her by name—they all flashed in her memory as her hand hovered over the center of the laptop. She tapped the mouse pad, selecting the button, and a message popped onto the screen.
Congratulations! Your flight is booked. You’re going to New York!
Her flight itinerary, ticket number, and boarding information filled the screen. She’d bought her ticket home. She was leaving Nashville on Monday.
Prior to buying her ticket, Ava had emailed her doctor to see if she could finish her therapy at Columbia-Presbyterian. She’d also emailed everyone at work to confirm she’d be in the following Wednesday to give her the motivation to actually buy her ticket. Rachel was already asking to bring her coffee, and Scott said she should ease back in, coming to work for half days until she felt strong enough to manage an entire eight hours.
He was probably right. It was easy enough to take a slow stroll down a park path or lift herself up one tree, but the daily grind of New York City was another gauntlet entirely. Ava had gotten her four accounts up to date, so her workload was still low, and she’d scheduled meetings with all of the account holders the week after she got back, so she’d be sitting much of the time.
Even though she was getting her mind around returning to her life in the city, a part of her was unquestionably melancholy about leaving. She still had to help her mother make all those bags, somehow, from New York. Maybe her mom would want to come stay with her and make them in her apartment. But flying with her sewing machine and supplies might be difficult.
And there was Lucas.
He’d be okay. From what she’d seen, he’d rounded a corner. Maybe he was certain about the presence of heaven now, and he definitely had a different outlook on the future. Elise would take over from here on out. He’d buy his little farmhouse, drive his old truck, and enjoy the rest of his life. While Ava selfishly wanted him back, maybe the current outcome was what God had meant for her. By finding Lucas Phillips, she’d saved his life. She hadn’t set out to and didn’t really take credit for it, but that was how God worked—through people.
In her time after the accident, Ava had come full circle. She’d found a sense of belonging and family that she’d lost. She’d also gotten a new perspective on work, and she promised herself she wouldn’t let it consume her the way it had previously.
A knock on the office door drew her attention away from the computer screen.
“I made my pumpkin pancakes.”
Ava’s eyes widened. “As long as I’ve been alive, you’ve only made those on Christmas morning.”
“Well, like I said, with you home, every morning is like Christmas.” Her mother gave her awink. “Want some?”
Ava pushed away the regret she had over leaving. She couldn’t stay forever. She was supposed to live out the rest of her life, right?
She got up from the desk. “Silly question,” she teased, following Martha into the kitchen.
Her mother stacked two pancakes on a plate and drizzled them with maple syrup, then handed them to Ava over the counter before plating a couple for herself.
“I bought my ticket home,” Ava said, sitting at the kitchen table.
“Oh?” Martha set a cup of coffee in front of Ava and then brought her own dishes to the table.
“I’m flying out Monday.”
“Gosh, the time flew with you here.”
“Are you going to be okay on your own?” Ava asked.
“I’m used to it.” Her mother offered a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked out the window.
A light mist hung in the air, making the fallen leaves shimmer on the wooden deck outside.
“Would you like to come with me?” Ava asked.
“I’ll be busy here at the house. I’ve got all those bags to make.”