Page 45 of Falling in Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings 1)

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The sun was settingas Ava walked along the path to her cabin. She wished that she could say she was focusing on the orange and purple hues in the evening sky but the truth was she barely noticed the breathtaking scenery. She still hadn’t been able to shake the conversation she’d had with Blake after the morning meditation session she’d led. As much as she’d like to say that it was the secret that the poor girl had been carrying around for a year that was haunting her, but apparently, she was a horrible human being because all her brain kept going back to was the fact that Asher still had feelings for his ex and that he hadn’t been in a relationship since his divorce.

That bit of information was annoyingly sticking to Ava’s brain like gum to the bottom of her shoe. She told herself that it didn’t matter since there was nothing going on between herself and Asher, but she just couldn’t seem to scrape it off.

She’d reasoned that Blake might be mistaken. That there was a good chance Asher had dated but just like he’d asked Ava not to reveal their past, he could have kept his romantic life private and not told Blake.

Not that it even mattered. He clearly wasn’t interested in her. He’d had her phone number for over a week and had made no attempt to contact her. Although, the reason he had her number was in a professional capacity, so maybe that’s why he hadn’t...

No! She stopped herself.

She’d spent the past seven years fantasizing about the man, and building up the connection they’d shared into something it wasn’t. Now that she actually knew him, knew his daughter, it was imperative that she nip that behavior in the bud.

It was unhealthy. Unproductive. And based solely on a version of reality that did not exist.

She needed to face reality. And the reality was, tall, dark, and dangerous was a real person with a daughter and ex-wife and zero interest in her.

Sure, he was taller than she remembered, and had a voice so deep she felt it on a cellular level when he spoke, and a smile that made her want to marry him and have his babies, but those were insignificant details.

Her shoulders dropped as she sighed; this entire ordeal had proved to be exhausting. All she wanted to do was take a nice, long hot bath. Maybe have a glass of wine, binge-watch a reality TV show, and do her best to forget about Asher Ford. But when she got to her cabin, she knew her relaxing night of solitude was not going to happen.

“Hi! What are you doing here?” Ava asked Viv who she found sitting on the porch of her cabin.

Viv stretched her arms out to her sides. “Can’t a sister just stop by to see how her sister’s doing?”

Ava just stared at Viv until she finally said, “Okay, fine. I was wondering if you’d take my shift at the coffee shop on Saturday?”

“Sure.” Ava loved being at the coffee shop. She was proud of her sisters for the successful business they’d built. And when she was there, she felt her mom’s presence. Cora Wells spirit was infused in every inch of that place from the decor to the atmosphere to the love that it was built with.

Ava unlocked the cabin and opened the door, her sister followed her inside. “You could have just texted me and asked.”

“True, but where’s the fun in that?” Viv said as she plopped down on the bed.

“So, what are you doing Saturday?” Ava could use a distraction and Viv’s life was nothing if not entertaining.

“I am going to Vegas, baby.” Viv shook invisible dice in her hands, blew on them, and then shot them across the bed.

“With who?”

“Trent.” Viv said confidently but then her head tilted to the side and her eyes sliced to her left. “Or...Tim...Trey...” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know but it started with a T, and he’s a professional poker player.”

“You don’t know his name and you’re going to Vegas with him?”

Ava had never worried about her sister’s dating habits before. Viv had always been a free spirit who had guys eating out of the palm of her hand. But after what happened a few weeks ago with a guy slipping something in Viv’s drink, she was concerned about her sister’s safety.

“I know his name. I just can’t remember it right now.”

“How did you meet him?” Ava had overheard some of the kids at the camp talking about catfishing. She’d been aware of it before, but had never given it much thought.

Honestly, she did sort of feel like she’d been living her life in a bubble. It was an Ian bubble. It was shocking to her how much of her life had been wrapped up in him.

“He was here over spring break on a wilderness adventure trip with his college buddies.”

Ava walked into the bathroom to change as her sister continued telling her about the week she’d met the poker player. She took off her shoes and socks, jeans, and T-shirt before pulling on her favorite pair of sweats and her NYU shirt.

She grabbed a ponytail holder and pulled her hair up and turned the water on to wash her hands. When she looked down, she noticed that she’d left the toothpaste sitting out on the counter after she brushed her teeth this morning. For a split second she panicked that Ian had seen it.

She wasn’t scared because Ian was Julia Robert’s husband in Sleeping with the Enemy crazy or anything like that. She wasn’t scared he’d hit her if everything wasn’t perfect. No, the sick feeling she’d gotten was the thought of him making a passive aggressive comment to her about the offending toothpaste.

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