“I’m ready with my mirepoix.” Julia appeared at Zach’s elbow. Three bowls full of chopped vegetables jostled in her arms.
“Let’s talk about this later,” he shot over his shoulder and turned to show Julia the stove.
Somehow, he made it through the rest of the class. His gut churned with anger. And guilt. He should have handled that better. Learned to forgive.
When there were five minutes left, he looked up from showing RJ how to finish off his dish with a pat of butter. Ava’s workstation was empty. She must have ducked out early.
Hopefully she’d have the sense not to turn up for part two of these classes next week.
Chapter Three
Ava had survived the cooking class the week before; now she had to survive this walk. Beside her, Emily Knox added a little bounce to every step she took, her brunette curls bouncing in sync with her skort.
Sure, Ava’s ego had been stung when she realized that Zach still held a grudge against her for her review of his restaurant. But she figured she should give him a second chance. It had been a pretty bad situation. And yeah, she could see how he would blame her for the loss of his restaurant.
A week’s perspective had helped her attitude. That and the good news she’d found in her email inbox the day before.
“My Realtor emailed me photos of a house on Jonathon Island in my price range.” Ava pumped her arms in time with her legs as she power walked through her neighborhood. Tall apartment buildings rose up around them, making the street feel cramped and dark. Right now, in mid-May, she could still smell fresh air, but in the heat of the coming summer, the car exhaust would make walks like this less bearable. “I have them on my phone if you want to see them.”
“Don’t think that I will allow that as an excuse to cut this walk short.” Emily shook her head. “You always want to quit early. I’mnot falling for it this time. Besides, we’re almost to Singing the Brews. You can show me over a nonfat latte.”
“Nonfat? Why do you think I’m working so hard at seven in the morning? Give me full fat anytime.” Ava had been lucky to find Emily at work the first week in her new job. The two even lived in the same neighborhood. “I don’t know how I let you talk me into doing these power walks every morning.”
“It’s because you know you aren’t getting any younger and you refuse to drink nonfat lattes.” Emily tossed a smile over her shoulder as she sped forward a few paces.
“Fair.” Ava increased her speed to match her friend’s. A few minutes later, they entered the neighborhood coffee shop.
The morning sun had crested the tall buildings across the street in the time it took for them to step back out with their lattes.
“Should we sit at our regular table?” Ava gestured to the wrought iron bistro-style table at the end of the row. Early flowers bobbed in the planter box, marking the edge of Singing the Brews’s property. The chair cooled Ava’s heated muscles as she sat. She cupped her hands around her iced coffee, cooling her further.
She set her drink aside and pulled out her phone. After swiping it open, she navigated to the email app. The email full of photos from Mia Franklin rested at the top. “Look at this beauty. It even has a picket fence.” She made the pictures full-size and held her phone out to Emily. “Swipe left to see them all.”
Emily took the phone. “Oh, I see what you mean. Adorable.”
“It’s so much better than the drab apartment I live in now. I’ve been adding to the money Grandma set aside for me after Grandpa died. There’s finally enough for a down payment. Especially if I get a small house like this one.” Ava scooted her chair around until she sat shoulder to shoulder with Emily. Ava had memorized the twelve photos Mia had attached to theemail. Four photos of the exterior of the small bungalow nestled in the older part of Jonathon Island, on Zinnia Boulevard. Six photos of the interior of the home, including the two bedrooms, avocado-green kitchen, and a Pepto-Bismol-pink bathroom.
The final two photos were of downtown Jonathon Island. The cobblestone streets, lined with clapboard buildings sporting cheery awnings and other bunting, invited her to come explore.
“Yeesh. That bathroom is a little scary.” Emily grimaced.
“Yeah, it’ll take some updating, that’s for sure. Mia said the family who lived there have been there for many years, but all the kids moved away. The woman who owned it just passed away, and her kids don’t want it anymore.” Ava cupped her chin in her hand and rested her elbow on the table. “I can’t wait to see it in person. I’ll be putting in my offer when I’m there later this week.”
“Remind me why you want to move to a remote island in the middle of nowhere?” Emily handed the phone back.
Ava gave her friend a light swat on the upper arm. “It’s not that remote. It’s a busy tourist area. Just because you have to take a ferry to get there doesn’t make it the middle of nowhere. I went there once with my parents.” A light breeze brought the scent of lilacs from a bush at the corner of the block. “It was a rare family trip. I don’t know. I just kind of fell in love with the place. The charm, the sense of community…Nowhere else seems to measure up. And now that my grandma keeps threatening to move to Arizona, there’s not much tying me to Chicago.”
“Fine. I’m sure it’s amazing. I don’t see why you have to move away from me.” Emily stuck out her bottom lip and made puppy dog eyes at her.
“Ha. May I remind you that you are moving away from me? You started it.”
“Might be moving away. I might be.” Emily held up her right hand, second and third fingers crossed. “My last interview with theLos Angeles Journalis next week.”
“It’s going to be a slam dunk. You already know they want you. They wouldn’t have contacted you if they didn’t. Plus, it helps to have your old editor on staff.” Ava stuffed her phone back into her pocket. “I’m going to miss seeing you when I walk past the sports desk.”
“You’ll just have to come visit me. Maybe on one of your trips jet-setting around the world, tasting food for money.”
Ava laughed. “If I make it freelancing, I’ll definitely add Los Angeles to the list at least once a year.” She took a long pull of her coffee. The sweet creaminess canceled out the bitterness of the thoughts racing through her mind.What if I can’t hack it?Her future hung in the balance.
