13
Ava sat at her desk working on her most recent photo shoots. She needed to get the rest of the edits off to her clients soon in order to stay on track. She had several more shoots coming up and a large wedding at the local hot springs resort, Rousseau Paradis.
The year was proving to be her most successful thus far. Even though it was only early February, she was booked out more this year than she ever had been before. Her cell phone vibrated on the desk and she picked it up without looking at the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Ava, it’s Jameson.”
Her eyes widened, and she sat up straight. “Hey, Jameson.”
“I wanted to give you the good news. You have temporary guardianship of Ruby until the court date.”
Ava damn-near screamed in excitement, but contained it. Instead, she did a dance in her chair. “Oh, my God. Thank you so much.”
“Of course. I will email you a copy of the paperwork. If you have any issues with Tonya or Frank attempting to get Ruby, you can call the police and show them this paperwork.”
“Thank you. Seriously, Jameson, that was the good news I needed today.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’m shooting the paperwork over now. Let me know if you don’t receive it.”
“Will do.”
They said their goodbyes, and Ava immediately jumped up and ran out of her bedroom. She stuffed her feet into her boots and tried her best not to run to her car in the snow. The walkway was pure ice, and the last thing she needed was to fall and break an arm.
She drove over to the bookstore and managed not to speed. A parking spot right in front was open, and she pulled into it quickly before rushing inside. She had been into Storyville’s Stories more times than she could count and didn’t need to be told where to find Cole.
She rushed to the back of the store and burst through the office door. Michelle sat at the main desk, and her eyes widened when Ava burst in. She put a hand to her chest and leaned back.
“My Lord, Ava. You scared me.”
Cole sat at the corner desk and stood just as she rushed over to him. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
She tossed her arms around him with such force he stumbled a few feet. “I got temporary guardianship of Ruby until the court date.”
“Oh, my God. That’s amazing. Congratulations!” He held her tightly, and they remained in each other’s embrace just like that for several minutes.
Ava briefly heard Michelle say something about getting coffee before she left the office, shutting the door on her way out. When they pulled apart, they still kept their arms around each other.
“I was just so excited and needed to tell you,” she said.
“I’m so happy you did. We should celebrate tonight.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Maybe with ice cream.”
Ava nodded. “Ruby would like that.”
“Are you going to tell her you have temporary custody?”
“I think I need to. That way she knows she isn’t supposed to leave with Mom or Frank.”
Cole nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best. She’s going to be happy.”
“I hope so.”
He pulled her tighter against him. “She will.”
