Every Kind of Heaven (12 page)

“Did ya bring lotza mexifries?” he asked as he charged Brice's way. “Aunt Ava says I gotta have lotza mexifries or I'll get shorter insteada taller.”

Yeah, he could see Ava telling that to the little guy. Funny. “Don't sweat it. I got the largest tub of them.”

“Whew.” As if that had been a big worry, the kid pulled back his chair, climbed up and settled into his booster seat.

Brice wasn't around kids very much, but this one was cute. He started unpacking the food. “You like tacos, kid?”

“Lots.” The preschooler rested his elbows on the edge of the table and propped his chin on his hands. “Are you a fireman?”

“No. Are you?”

“Yep. I put out lotza fires today.”

“Good work.” Brice pulled the boxed kiddy meal from the giant bag.

He felt more than heard Ava's approach. It was as if his spirit turned toward her, recognizing her and only her. She had a curly-haired little girl on her hip, and the sight did something to him. She had the little girl laughing, her chubby cheeks pink with delight.

“Aunt Ava! Aunt Ava!” The boy shouted, holding up three sticky-looking fingers. “I put out three fires today.”

“Sorry, I can't hear you,” she teased as she slid the little girl into a high chair. “I'm deaf from you yelling so loud.”

“Oops. My bad.”

Brice didn't need to wonder where the kid had learned that—his gaze landed on Ava again as she
double-checked the little girl's lap belt on the high chair, and satisfied, straightened. “Brice, I hope you brought a lot of mexifries. We don't want anyone at this table to get any shorter than they already are.”

“I brought the biggest tub.”

“My hero. It's hard for a girl not to like a guy who knows what's important in life.”

“Mexifries are one of the real secrets to true happiness.”

“Exactly.” She peered into one of the food bags. “Nachos. Burritos. Tacos. I'm speechless with gratitude.”

“Not hunger?”

“That, too. Let me get milk for the kids. If you want to start doling out the food?”

“Sure.” As he got to work, the little tot across the table stared at him like she wasn't too sure she approved of his presence.

“Aunt Ava! Aunt Ava!” The boy twisted around on his knees and hung over the back of his chair. “I getta say grace! I getta say grace!”

“Okay, okay. But what's your mom's rule?” Ava asked from behind the refrigerator door.

“Umm.” The kid appeared to be thinking extremely hard.

This was not his experience of a family, Brice thought as he put the tubs of mexifries in the middle of the table. His mom would have a coronary at the noise level. No laughing at the table. No yelling.
Sitting like a little gentleman—always. Use our best manners all the time.

All that had its place, but this was better. Comfortable. Fun. That was one of the things he cherished about Ava so much. She could make the simple things in life, like settling down to the dining room table, feel like a refreshing and cheerful kind of heaven on earth.

Ava slid a plate and a cup of milk in front of the boy. “No hats at the table, Tyler.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” He handed her the bright red fireman's hat. “Can I say the blessing now?”

Ava dropped the hat on the back of the couch and returned to hand out another plate. “Brice, do you mind if Tyler does the honors?”

He could tell by the twinkling humor in her eyes that the boy's blessing was cute. Call him curious. He took the offered plate. “Sure.”

“
Now,
Aunt Ava?”

“Hold on a minute.” Ava rolled her eyes as she slid a cup on the toddler's tray.

“Now?”
The kid sounded as if he were about to spontaneously combust.

“Now.” Ava dropped into her chair.

Before Brice had time to bow his head, the little boy started in.
“Thanks for the eats, Lord. God bless us every one!”

“Dickens'
A Christmas Carol
has made an impression on him,” Ava explained after they'd muttered a quick “Amen.” “He keeps watching this
wholesome cartoon version of the movie over and over and it's driving Danielle insane.”

Before Brice could answer, the boy hollered. “Aunt Ava! Hurry, I need mexifries. I'm shrinking.”

“We can't have that. Brice, you look a little shorter, too.”

He held out his plate. “Load me up.”

What else could he say? This was exactly what he expected of an evening spent with Ava. Maybe not what he'd planned, but that didn't matter. All that mattered to him was being with her. For now and, he suspected, for his lifetime to come.

 

“I can't believe you're still talking to me,” Ava said in the quiet of the warm night standing beside her SUV. It was dark out. Almost eleven o'clock. “Especially after Tyler squirted you with the hose.”

“We were playing fireman, and it was an accident. I dried out pretty fast.”

“You handled being drenched from head to toe in your snazzy clothes pretty well. Most men would have gotten really angry.”

“I'm not like most men.”

“I'm noticing that.” It was hard not to.

Don't think about how perfect he is, she warned herself. That would just start making her nervous. Look at him, Mr. Fantastic, nice, wealthy and kind. He liked fast-food mexifries and went to church faithfully every Sunday. They'd talked about that after the kids had been in bed.

And after discussing faith, they went on to talk more about his family and hers. Chloe was still honeymooning in Fiji. His mom was ready to drive him nuts now that his sister was married off and she kept making elaborate plans for his upcoming birthday, and his dad was holding open a position at his investment firm, which Brice still didn't want.

She told of Katherine's upcoming wedding and all the planning that took, that she still hadn't picked a cake yet. She talked about their cousin Kelly who'd gotten married and was living in California on base with her marine husband. Then she mentioned the stress of owing her grandmother so much money.

Somehow they'd managed to avoid the more personal side of their conversation. Like, did he want kids? How many? She wanted children, but she had to find someone to get married to first. And wasn't that practically impossible? Certainly not a topic for a first date. If seeing her taking care of kids hadn't totally scared him off, talking about marriage and wanting kids would.

Then again, why risk it?

She dug through her purse for her keys. “It looks like you need a ride home.”

“Nope, Rick should be arriving here in the next few minutes.”

“Well, I don't want to leave you standing here alone.”

“It's late. You've got to be tired from running after the kids. Go home.” He smiled his billion
mega-watt smile with the double dimples. “I'll be fine. I want you to drive safely.”

“That's always my plan. I might not be the best driver, but I've never hit anything. Except for Grandpop's St. Bernard. I didn't see him in the rearview mirror.”

Brice burst out laughing. “Does anything normal ever happen to you, or it is always a circus with you?”

“Always a circus. You've changed your mind about dating me. By the way, I didn't hurt Tiny at all.”

“Tiny?”

“The St. Bernard. Not even a bruise. He didn't want us to leave and I couldn't see that he'd planted himself behind the car to stop us from going. He must have been in a blind spot because I checked the mirrors before I started backing up. There was this horrible thud. You should have seen the damage to Dad's bumper, though. It was the family car, and because they didn't want the insurance premium to go up, he didn't get it fixed. My family never let me live it down.”

“And Tiny?”

“He learned to keep away from me when I was behind the wheel. I miss that guy. He passed away a month after Grandpop did.” The pain of the loss still stole her breath. “Your grandparents are alive and well?”

“Thriving. They're vacationing at their home in Italy. They like to travel. They should be back for my birthday this week.”

“I'm glad they are enjoying their lives. My grandparents always meant to do that, but they never got to travel much before they ran out of time to do it together.”

“Our grandfathers were very close friends. I know he still advises your grandmother on her investments. Is she still living in Arizona?”

“She's stayed away since Grandpop passed. She said the house had too many memories of him, so she moved to their home in Scottsdale. They'd only had it for a few years, so I guess there weren't as many memories there. I think it helps her to be away, although we miss her. Dad's down there now, too, with Dorrie. They're all coming back at the end of summer for Katherine's wedding.”

“My grandparents can't seem to breathe without the other. Were yours like that, too?”

“Gran said that losing her husband was like having her heart cut out. She's never been the same. They were very much in love. The real way.”

“The way it's meant to be. My parents never managed to find that with each other.” He shrugged. “They get along all right, they're compatible, but it's not what my grandparents have. They're tight.”

“I know what you mean. Gran has always said Grandpop was her gift straight from heaven. She had all the best blessings in him.” Okay, this was getting dangerously close to the topic she wanted to avoid, because she did not want to mess this up with Brice.

And yet, she couldn't seem to stop herself. “I've always thought they were the happily-ever-part of the fairy tale. You know, after Cinderella gets her shoe back
and
her prince, and Snow White is awakened by her prince, they end the stories. But I knew that kind of love was real because my grandparents lived for each other. They breathed together. It's what I always wanted.”

Great going, Ava. She held her breath,
waiting,
just waiting, for him to start moving away.

But he didn't. “Me, too.”

Headlights broke around the corner at that moment. It was Rick with his fancy limo and he pulled right up to the sidewalk, so Ava didn't know what else Brice had been about to say.

He brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Good night, beautiful.”

Her soul sighed. “Wow, aren't you Mr. Perfect?”

“Oh, so it's working. Good to know I'm charming you.”

“Only a tad. A smidgeon. A pinch.”

Okay, that was an understatement. If she could measure how much Brice Donovan had impressed her, it would be the distance from the earth to the moon and back six hundred times.

Then he was gone, leaving her there in the light of the moon, unable to stop the full-blown wishes rising up from her soul.

W
ith hopeful cheer mid-afternoon light tumbled through the new larger front windows of her shop. But was she feeling hopeful? No. Astonished would be one word. Overwhelmed would be another.

She couldn't stop staring at the two dozen yellow, red-tipped roses Brice had sent. What was a girl to do when her hopes were already sky high, tugging like a helium balloon against the string? With every breath she took, she drew in the delicate fragrance of the lovely bouquet and tried to convince herself she wasn't scared.

The door behind her whispered open and there was Aubrey hefting a really big box. Ava caught the door, holding it as her twin tumbled inside.

“Whew, it's a scorcher out there. The air conditioning feels nice.” Aubrey slid the box to the ground. “Those flowers are gorgeous. From Brice?”

It wasn't exactly a question. And it wasn't exactly what Aubrey was asking. Ava could feel their shared brain cells firing. Her sister knew how she felt. She knew what those roses meant.

It was a shocker how calm her voice actually sounded. “Yes, they just arrived. Isn't it a totally nice gesture?”

“Nice, sure. But a bunch of daisies is nice. Roses say something much more. Like the
L
word.”

“The
L
word is none of your business, nosy.” No sense in getting into a blind panic. “Brice and me, we're in that awkward more-than-friends stage, but not totally committed stage. Who knows how it's going to work out? Doom might be lurking out there somewhere, just waiting.”

She had to be prepared for it, if it was.

“What doom? There's no doom.” Aubrey went straight to the roses and inhaled deeply. “A man doesn't send something like this unless he's trying to sweep you off your feet.”

“Yes, well, it's working.”

“So, you called him to thank him, right? What did he say? Is he taking you out soon?” Aubrey pulled a pint carton of strawberry milk out of the box, still cold from the grocery store. She opened the spout and held it out for Ava to take. “What? You're just standing there not saying anything. You've called him, right?”

She took the milk. “Uh, I haven't got there yet.”

“And you're procrastinating because…?”

“Okay, I can admit it. I'm a big chicken. Babysitting with him at Danielle's went so great. I mean, he was really Mr. Perfect. What if I mess this up?”

“Ava, Ava, Ava.” Aubrey was using her gentlest voice, the one that was filled with so much unconditional sisterly love. It just proved that Aubrey was blinded by flaws, too. “This romance with Brice is totally new for you. You've finally found yourself a perfect guy.”

“And it's too good to be true, right? That's what I'm afraid of.” And much, much more, but could she admit that to Aubrey?

No.

“You are perfectly lovable. Mom was wrong to say that to you when she left. To blame you for her unhappiness. It wasn't true then.”

“We're talking about men, not Mom.”

“Okay.” Aubrey's heart was showing. “Don't you think the crazy accusations would have scared him off if he was going to be?”

“I can't believe he helped me babysit. He said
my family is important to me, so it's important to him.
”

“See? How many signs do you need?”

“I don't know if there could be enough.”

Aubrey traced the pattern of the tiny intricate roses carved into the trim of the gleaming, perfect case. “I really think his heart is true. I think he's the right man for you. Why don't you grab hold of this blessing the Lord is placing before you? Brice might be the happily-ever-after I've been praying
for, for you. Just believe that God is in charge and embrace this chance.”

“I'm scared I'm going to mess this up. That he's going to get a good look at me and see that I don't fit into the right image. That's what Brice is looking for. He wants someone from the same background and compatible lifestyle. Look at me, I'm not exactly mink-wearing, symphony-going material. You heard him talk about his fiancée.”

“His ex-fiancée. Didn't you listen to him at all?”

“It's hard to hear really well with all this panic racing around inside my head.”

“You're a nut.” Aubrey rolled her eyes. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Not much. You're stuck with me.”

“That's just my good luck.” Aubrey smiled. “Call him. Take a deep breath and do it. Take the next step forward.”

“Sure, what do I have to lose? It's only my heart at stake.”

“Do you know what I think?” Aubrey knelt and began unpacking the box. “I think you're
more
scared this is going to work out.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Go in the kitchen and call him. I'll watch the front. Oh, and I'll put up all this stuff I brought.”

“Okey dokey. You're wonderful, you know that?”

“I do. Now go.”

“Thanks, Aub.”

Her cell was ringing as she streaked into the kitchen. Her heart jumped with jubilation when she saw Brice's name and number on her screen. Talk about perfect timing. Okay, she was scared, but this
had
to be a sign. She hit the talk button. “I love the flowers. Thank you.”

“I know red roses are expected, but when I saw these in the florist's case, I thought of you. Bright yellow like the sunshine you are.”

If he kept talking like that, he was going to scare her even more.

“What are you up to this morning?” he asked.

“No good, as usual. I just finished making a ballet shoe cake, it's for one of the construction dude's daughters.”

“That was really nice of you, including certificates for a free birthday cake for everyone.”

“It's the least I could do. My new kitchen is wonderful to work in. The question is, have you recovered from the trauma of babysitting?”

“No trauma to recover from. I'm made of tougher stuff than that. Remember how I said I had plans in place that we postponed?”

“You know I do.” She heard a slight tinkle of chimes and peered through the open doorway. There was Aubrey hanging a beautiful ceramic bell over the door.

“I've been able to push those plans back a few weeks. I wanted to give you plenty of notice this time. I thought we could combine it with celebra
tions for the Fourth of July. You wouldn't be interested in spending that weekend with me would you?”

“Uh, did I hear you right? The entire weekend?”

“Now, before you start jumping to conclusions and questioning my morals, let me explain.”

He was laughing, remembering their unforgettable first meeting when she'd told him to get some morals. At least he thought it was funny. That was a good sign, right?

“Okay, I'll wait for the explanation before I start firing insults.”

“I have some property near Glacier National Park, and we won't be alone. I plan to invite my sister and her husband. My grandparents will be there, too. I was going to suggest that you invite Aubrey. We'll have a big cookout and watch fireworks over the lake. It'll be fun—and well chaperoned. What do you think?”

“Do you mean like going camping, or something? Because I try not to go too far out into the wilderness.”

“Why? You're not a backcountry kind of girl?”

“If I tell you, then you'll stop dating me. Years from now you'll tell your friends it was a good thing you dumped me when you did.”

“Not a chance, gorgeous.”

She was in big trouble because her high hopes were rising higher than the galaxy. She was in bigger trouble because the logical part of her was drowned out by those rising hopes.

“Tell me about this story of yours, Ava. I gotta know.”

“My dad loved to camp and he'd haul us all up to one of the national forests and we'd do the tent thing and the catch trout for supper thing and cook over an open campfire thing.”

“Uh oh. I'm starting to see what might have been the problem here.”

“I accidentally started a forest fire. It wasn't my fault. And it was only a little grass fire, but I never lived it down. Over the years the story has grown to gargantuan proportion and when Dad tells it now, you'd think I burned down half the western forests in the United States.”

“And you started it how?”

“My marshmallow caught on fire. I was seven. I was afraid of flame, mostly, so I was sitting farther back than everyone else from the campfire. And Aubrey leaned over to say something to me and I forgot to watch the stick. It was sort of top heavy because I was holding the very end of it and it just sort of dipped into the fire.

“When I noticed that my marshmallow was turning black and spewing flame, I screamed and gave it a big shake. Blazing marshmallow fluff flew off the stick and onto Mom and Dad's tent. It caught fire, of course. It was a total disaster. Luckily, Dad followed the forestry rules of having so many buckets of water and dirt handy, whatever, and he got it put out with hardly any damage to
anything but a piece of scorched earth where the tent had been.”

“I'm beginning to see why your family calls you a disaster magnet.”

“To this day, Spence will not let me be in charge of any fire-related thing. No barbecuing, no campfire, no lighting the Yule log in the hearth on Christmas Eve. It's embarrassing.”

“You
are
a disaster.”

“Don't I know it. You're going to hang up now, aren't you? You've changed your mind about me, about spending time with a big dope like me.”

“Hey now, I don't think you're a dope.”

It was his kindness that got her. His unending, constant kindness, even when he should be agreeing with her. Then it hit her. Duh. Could it be any more obvious? “Oh, no. I can't believe this. You have it, too.”

“What do I have?”

“The flaw-blindness. Otherwise, you could see it.”

“See what?”

He didn't know? That was only further proof. He was as fault-blind as she was. Unbelievable. “My faults? You can't see them, can you? All six hundred thousand of them.”

“Nope. You look perfect to me.”

“Then we're doomed. This is only a matter of time.” She rolled her eyes, trying to make light of things. But that wasn't how she was feeling. Not at all. Suddenly it was so clear. His devotion, his
kindness, his affection and his romantic gestures would last only as long as it took for him to realize the truth about her. “We might as well accept it now. One day you'll look at me and decide you can't take it anymore. Then the more-than-friends aspect of our relationship will be done. A great big crash and burn. Ka-blew-y.”

“No crashing and burning. No ka-blew-y. I like you exactly the way you are, Ava. I like
who
you are. Or I wouldn't be inviting you to my birthday party either.”

“What?”

“You know I'm turning thirty-one on Tuesday. I've finally talked my mom into just having a small family dinner at home. My grandparents are coming. I want you there, too.”

This was such dangerous ground. This was like the camping trip. Everything was great and happy. Everything finally looked promising, like it really was going to work out. And when you stopped expecting it, when you were sure it was smooth sailing ahead,
that's
when disaster struck. Like a category five tornado touching down right where you're the most vulnerable.

But what did she say? This sounded like the next step—a serious step. “Did I hear you right? You want me to come to your birthday dinner?”

“I'm asking you, right?” Brice adjusted his Bluetooth headset before he slowed his truck to pull into the left hand turn lane at the red light. Rex was
in the backseat, panting extra loud, as if he were in agreement. See how Ava improved their lives? Just talking to her lifted their spirits. “You'll come?”

“As long as I get to bring the cake.”

“I'd love the dump truck cake.”

“Anything else you want with it?”

“Nope. As long as you're there, what else could I want in this world?”

“Oh, you are totally Mr. Irresistible, aren't you? You keep saying things like that, and I'm going to have to start liking you.”

“
Start
liking me?” Brice chuckled. “I thought you were already in that pond with both feet.”

“You must be mistaken. I
hardly
like you at all.”

He could just imagine her rolling her eyes, looking so sweet and sparkling, the way she did when she smiled. In his opinion, they were right in that pond with both feet together. It was scary, but nice. “I'll pick you up Tuesday at six-thirty—” His call waiting beeped. His mom. “Can I put you on hold for a few minutes?”

“Okey dokey.”

Ava. She put a smile into his heart and made everything better. The sun in his eyes was brighter than he'd ever noticed. The greens of the lawns and trees in his neighborhood more vibrant. Greener than he'd ever remembered.

He hit the garage door opener and switched over to answer the call. “Hi, Mom.”

“Brice? Is that really you, or just my imagination. I can't believe I'm not getting your voice mail.
Again.
”

Uh-oh. She didn't sound happy. He racked his brain but he couldn't think of a thing he'd done. “I've been busy finishing up a project.”

“Yes, your father mentioned that. For that baker. That friend of Chloe's.”

He pulled his truck into the garage, not missing the disapproving tone in his mother's voice. “Ava McKaslin is a friend of mine, too.”

“I know Chloe did her a favor by letting us overpay her for that wedding cake.”

“Mom, you can't fool me.” He cut the truck's engine and swung open the door. “Ava didn't charge Chloe—or you—for that cake.”

“And how do you know this?”