Page 79 of Playing With Secrets
She cups her hands together and rests them on the counter as she glares my way. “Why are you laughing?”
“Because of my stupidity.” I shove the corkscrew into the cork of the bottle, envisioning it’s Ava’s head.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call you stupid. Slow, yes. Stupid, no.” She taps the counter with her pointy fingernails and dips her head to the bottle. “I’m getting thirsty. Can you hurry?”
“Anything for you, love.” Hateful sarcasm fills my words.
“Wonderful. It’s nice when we see things eye to eye. Now, would you like to hear about my trip to France or not?”
“Ava, I’ve learned my lesson in the past about brushing you off. Please, tell me about your trip, and don’t leave out any details.” I pop the cork out of the bottle and pour her a glass, wishing it was her blood that was making the wine red.
“You’re not going to run that through an aerator apparatus prior to serving such a delicate wine? Hunter, did your mother not teach you anything?” Ava leans over the bar, her ice-blue eyes freezing me with another mention of my mom.
“I haven’t seen her in twenty-four years, so I guess you can take it from there.” I slide Ava her glass.
She pushes the wine aside. “Then I’ll just have to let it breathe while we speak.”
“Can we get on with it?”
“I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing The Don this past trip, but he’s still being wonderful to your mother.”
Ava glances out the window. “Although he’s rarely around from your sweet mom’s account. That’s why this last visit wasso needed. She’s getting lonely and waiting for her grandbaby.”
“It’s not going to happen, Ava. I was twenty years old and in a world of shit. I had one way out and took it. You know all this, and I’ve made everything right since then.”
“That you have, Hunter. But your thirty-fifth birthday is coming up and our agreement was that you give me an heir by the time your birthday rolls around.”
Ava moves her wine over and swirls it around. “By my account, we have four and a half months, so we need to square away the details. I was hoping for a Christmas announcement. It would make your mother so pleased.”
I glance at the betting marker on the counter and want to burn it with my eyes. “And that’s why she gave you the chip. It’s a sign she’s behind you on your stupid plan and the conception game is on.”
Ava stares at it for a moment. “It must mean that, but she didn’t explain. She supplied me with the pictures and gave me the chip. All she told me was you would recognize it and know it was from her.”
Interesting.
Ava reaches over and takes it in her hand. “It’s practically ancient. Why use something so laced with such a grim history attached to it?”
I know exactly why my nefarious mother would use such a thing. Not only does it signal that it’s in play and the clock’s ticking, but she’s on Ava’s side.
It also means if I don’t ante up, she’ll be showing up on my doorstep along with her mobster husband. Truthfully, I’m afraid to find out what they would want from me.
“It’s nothing but a marker, Ava. If she hasn’t shared what it means, I would leave it alone.” I swallow the complete loss of control I have. “She’s never shared with you her reasons or the history of how it all came about?”
“No. I’m sure she would if I asked, but we enjoy talkingabout the important things in life.” Ava takes a sip of her wine and wrinkles her nose after she swallows. “Not the best it could be, but good enough. Now, let’s get back to the specifics of our agreement.”
“By all means. It would be helpful to be reminded of all the constantly changing requirements you have.” I pour a little more scotch into my glass, move to the sitting area, and take a seat.
I’m going to need to be sitting after all these ground rules are laid out. They seem to change every time Ava comes back from visiting my mother.
Ava follows me into the room. “Good choice. This area is much more comfortable for a discussion that will weigh so heavily on us both. As you know, you’re to provide me with an heir by the time you're thirty-five.”
“I know that, but I don’t want kids. My mind is made up about it, so how do you propose we get through that? At this point, I don’t know how giving you one is going to improve my life.”
“Let me spell it out for you, Hunter. You and I were going to end up getting married after college. We would’ve had children by now, but you made a mess of it all when you got Helena pregnant.”
“Not this again.”
“We could’ve had it all. We were in love and on our way to a very happy life.” Ava sips her wine, and for the first time in years, I see the sadness in her eyes, the sadness of a lost life she still dreams of.
