Mary’s eyes flicked to the ceiling before looking back at Ava. ‘And is he still here now? Is that him?’
‘Yes, he went to shower.’ Ava regretted saying it the moment the words left her mouth.
‘What the hell, Ava! Are you literally sleeping with the enemy?’ Mary cocked her eyebrow, and as she caught sight of the T-shirt draped over the back of the kitchen chair, her expression turned to a disapproving glare that suggested she wanted an explanation.
‘Not here, come to the lounge.’ Ava was not going to have raised voices near Myrtle and her puppies, and she could tell Mary wasn’t going to be easily appeased. When she got to the lounge, she turned to her friend, but it was Mary who spoke first.
‘What the hell are you doing? I don’t know what I’m more shocked about, that you would do this to Gino, or that you are doing it with the person who wants to undo everything we’ve worked for! Seriously, Ava, I don’t know what is going on with you. How could you? What would your mum—’
Ava held up her hand. ‘Don’t, don’t go there.’ Ava took a breath. Mary was, without doubt, a wonderful friend, but she had also been her mum’s apprentice, and while Ava loved her, the fact she sometimes made claims about what her mum might think, feel, say or do, as if she didn’t know herself, hurt. Ava was tired. She very much still wanted to be wrapped in Henry’s arms, and she really didn’t want Mary to tell her how she may or may not be letting her mum down. Mother’s Day was hard enough, without throwing guilt into the fusion of emotions.
Ava looked into Mary’s eyes and spoke in a hushed tone. ‘The charity is safe. Henry has assured me of that. And as for what I am doing, or not doing with him, that is none of your business. But as I told you, he has been here all day. He helped deliver the puppies and—’
‘Then you thanked him, by what? Getting cosy behind Gino’s back?’
Ava was taken aback by Mary’s words. ‘What are you talking about? Why would Gino care who I see or what I do with Henry?’
‘Ava! My God, you’ve changed since Lord Shagling—’
‘Stop with the names. You know he’s called Henry!’ Ava looked at Mary exasperated. Maintaining a lowered voice and cool façade was becoming increasingly difficult in the face of her erroneous barrage of accusations.
‘OK, so sincehe’sbeen back, you’ve been behaving strangely. You’re less committed to the shop. I’ve tried to stay neutral about it, but you stupidly let your dog get pregnant when there are more puppies in the world than owners to love them. You’ve slept with Gino and done goodness knows what with sex toys, and now you’re cheating on him with L —Henry!’
Mary made air quotes as she spoke his name, while Ava’s mind scrambled in an attempt to fathom the implications of her words.
‘You’ve got it all wrong.’
Mary looked at her, eyes wide, disdain etched in the tightness of her jaw and her tight lips. ‘By all means sleep with him if it saves the charity, but don’t do it behind Gino’s back. He deserves better than that.’
Ava attempted to take a breath. Her chest felt tight. She had never seen Mary so angry.
‘Mary stop! You know I love Gino but I—’
‘I am going to go.’ Henry spoke the words from the doorway of the lounge, as both women turned to look at him. His hair was wet from the shower, and he was dressed and wearing his T-shirt that Ava had left on the chair in the kitchen.
She could see confusion in his expression and hurt in his eyes.
‘It’s been a long day. I’m glad I could help.’ He swallowed. ‘Good luck with the puppies.’ His eyes flicked in the direction of the kitchen, towards Myrtle and her litter before he added, ‘I’ll write, about Critters’ Lodge, but, as I said, it will be OK.’ With that, he turned and left.
Ava attempted to call him back, but in a few strides he was through the hall and had shut the door behind him. She felt hot tears sting at her eyes. How could the most wonderful day of her life have turned to this? Mary had goodness knows what opinion of her, and Henry . . . She didn’t know what Henry had heard but whatever it was, it had caused an expression in his eyes she wouldn’t forget any time soon.
Ava took a breath. She and Mary had argued over small things in the past. Ava knew it was all part of loving someone passionate about her beliefs and individual sense of right and wrong. But this felt different. Mary had gone too far. She turned to face her, forcing herself to lift her chin.
‘You’ve got it wrong. You’ve got it all so wrong.’ Ava saw a hint of uncertainty flick across Mary’s face.
‘It looks . . . it looked . . . I thought.’
‘I think you’ve made it clear what you thought. And if that is truly your opinion of me, then I think you should go.’ Ava swallowed against the tightness in her throat. She didn’t want to lose her friend, but she knew she had to stand up for herself, and for Henry. They’d spent too long living in the wake of others’ opinions of them. She knew she loved him, she always had, and if he felt the same for her, she was determined not to let anyone stand in their way. Not this time.
‘Ava! I’m sorry, but you’ve got to admit . . . you know—’
Ava cocked her eyebrow, halting her friend mid-sentence, as she emulated Mary’s disdain filled expression of earlier. Ava felt thankful her bravado was making her appear more together than she felt. She was tired, she physically ached from the tension she’d held in her body for much of the day, and she longed to be back in Henry’s arms — in their shared moment of serenity after the puppies had been safely delivered.
Instead, she was reeling from Mary’s words. The responsibility of the charity shop and keeping her mum’s legacyalive was a lot to bear. And maybe Mary was right; perhaps she had let that slip a little over recent weeks, but she was loyal, and she was trustworthy. She had kept her promise to Gino; she hadn’t done anything to let him down. Despite what Mary might think, she loved him as a friend and welcomed the closeness they’d come to share.Friends are the family you choose.Mary’s words, shared at less complicated times, slipped into Ava’s mind.
Mary took a breath, and began again, ‘He was in your shower. His T-shirt was discarded in the kitchen. You’ve been behaving . . . You look . . . I don’t know, different!’
‘So what? I must have slept with him?’ Ava scoffed, despite being aware that the incredulity of her tone belied her earlier actions. If they had been left alone, she knew she wouldn’t have held back.
