Page 59 of Too Little Too Soon
“Good, good,” Dad said. “She may have to go straight to the house. I think we’re going to be released soon.”
“I told you it was mild,” Mother said. “Nothing to worry about.”
“If I hadn’t driven you straight here, there would have been a whole lot to worry about,” Dad replied. “And by the way, they want you to follow up with a cardiologist to discuss possibly putting in a stint.”
Mother frowned.
“What does that mean?” Maria demanded.
“It means she needs to take it easy,” Dad replied. “And stop stressing over every little thing.”
“I don’t—”
“You do,” he said with a firmness Ava couldn’t recall ever hearing in his voice before. Mother had always been the one to be firm, to raise her voice when angry. He never got upset, mostly because he was never around to do so.
“We have a two-week break,” Maria said. “If you need someone to stay and help take care of her…”
In all honesty, Ava was the most likely candidate if Dad needed assistance. Holly was the singer in her band; she had to go back on tour in two weeks. Maria was their publicist; she needed to be there too.
Ava hated the idea of being away from Travis, but she’d do it.
“No,” Dad said, shaking his head. “I’m taking care of her.”
Maria stared at him like he’d just sprouted a second head.
“What about work?” Ava asked.
“If they can’t handle things without me for a few weeks, I haven’t done a very good job managing that office.”
Whoa. Apparently, this was some sort of wake-up call for Dad. Maybe it would be for their mother, too.
A nurse popped into the room and informed them that he needed to exam their mother, and Ava and Maria used the excuse to say their goodbyes and promised to be back tomorrow.
“At the house,” Dad said, again with that firmness she’d never heard before. “Come to the house. I’ll have lunch catered in.”
“Okay.” Ava and Maria exchanged a raised eyebrow glance. “We’ll see you then.”
Ava left the hospital feeling like she’d just taken a spin throughThe Twilight Zone.
ChapterTwenty-One
“Definitely coveredmy cardio workout just climbing those stairs,” Travis announced as they entered the Airbnb Holly and Sam had claimed for the week.
This treehouse was pretty cool, although Travis was glad he and Ava had booked their own place. He liked that they could all come together to chill after that awkwardness at the hospital, but he could not lie and say he wasn’t sorry for the privacy when they’d retreated to their own rental and Ava had begged him to help her forget everything if only for a few moments.
Hell, he’d do anything she wanted at this point. Anything at all.
The six of them were sitting around in the open-air living room, drizzle steadily tapping the roof. A roaring fire chased the chill away. An open bottle of red wine and a bottle of some fancy bourbon from a local distillery rested on the coffee table. Everybody had a drink in their hand.
The atmosphere was relaxed, laid-back. Far cry from earlier in the hospital. The best part? Nobody seemed inclined to bring up the subject. Even better, because he liked it when Ava was feeling chill as opposed to stressed so much he was almost worried she’d have a heart attack next.
Maria waved her phone. “Travis, I think you’ve managed to get rid of your stalker.”
Well, hell. He didn’t want to talk about this subject either. Maybe he should deflect and bring up the hospital visit. Except he wouldn’t do that to Ava.
Instead, he grunted and took a hefty swallow of seriously excellent bourbon. He might have to have a case of this stuff shipped to his home in LA.
“Thank God,” Ava said, massaging his neck. “She was really stressing you out.”
