Page 50 of Love Felt Like This

Ava nods.

“Then keep on. It’s all yours.”

I rest my cheek onto my fist as she takes another bite. The corner of my mouth tips up. We may be in a new place with new people, but seeing my daughter try, and love, a new food grounds me again. It feels normal.

Except here’s Beverly, who whipped up a new character out of nowhere, even with the whole diner watching. That would have had me on edge, and I perform in front of tens of thousands. But Beverly doesn’t care how it makes her look at all. I’m not sure what to think.

Ava’s cheeks puff out with pancake as she shovels in handfuls the size of her mouth.

I stroke her hair. “Slow down a bit.”

Ava squirms in her seat, throwing another piece of pancake at Beverly’s napkin hand. I catch it instead.

“No!” Ava says through laughter. A word. A real word. It’s the first time she’s spoken since we left the car.

I pat her arm. “Let’s eat our food instead of feeding Dr. Napkin, all right?”

Beverly takes the spare moment to free her hand of the makeshift puppet, finally pulling her hair back into a ponytail with a sigh. The slender column of her neck is exposed again, and I focus on it for probably too long. By the time I look away, I notice the old woman staring at me with a beaming smile. Heat slides down my chest to my stomach, like I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t.

“I’m Alice, by the way,” the woman says. “You can just call me Nana. Everyone else does.”

“Griffin,” I answer, introducing myself. “And this is Ava.”

Nana side-eyes Beverly, and a very familiar mischievous smile rises to her cheeks. It looks exactly like Beverly’s did in LA when we agreed to this mess. They exchange a look—a silent conversation—and, despite her reddening cheeks, Beverly starts to smile. I like it when she smiles.

“Hi, sorry.” Another person stands beside me. “Are you Griffin Harvey?”

There’s nothing I want to do more than lie, but at this point it’s too obvious. My hat is useless.

“Yes,” I answer.

The woman’s jaw drops with a gasp of shock. “Wow. That’s just…” She looks from me to Beverly, but her expression changes when Nana tucks in her chin.

Beverly clears her throat. “Fran, this is Griffin and his sister, Ava. He’s here for the next couple months to work on a show with me while he writes his next album.”

Hearing Ava’s name leave someone else’s mouth feels wrong. I hold her T-shirt between my thumb and forefinger, twisting it around like it might keep her closer.

“Oh, the show?” Fran says. Her face falls. “I thought you were dating. You just said—”

“And he’s not to be disturbed or photographed,” Nana interjects. “Are we clear?”

Fran nods quickly. “Oh, of course, Nana. Yes. Absolutely.”

“And you can tell Taylor that too.”

“Right. Yeah. She’ll get the memo.” She glances at Ava and gives an awkward, breathy laugh. “Well, it’s nice to meet you two. Hopefully we see you around town.” She walks off, almost stumbling into another booth before hopping back on a stool at the bar.

Nana shakes her head. “Lord, you’d think they’ve never seen a new person in their life.”

Beverly’s eyes catch mine, squinting at the corners.

“What?” I ask.

She sighs. “I’m sorry. I…I might have done what you did.”

“What did I do?”

Beverly winces. “Tell people that we’re a couple?”