Page 158 of Where Roads Lead

“Of course, dear. Anytime. Our house is your house,” Mom chirped from the other side of the kitchen where she was pulling desserts from the fridge.

Ava stiffened while my mother stared between her and Elsie, trying to diffuse a match she hadn’t known had been lit.

“If you want, you can help me make coffee,” my mom suggested, seeing Elsie’s obvious need to do something and Ava’s obvious need for space.

“Oh, I can do that,” Ava was quick to add. “I know how everyone takes it.”

“Ava, dear. You work so hard. Why don’t you go sit and take a break?” My mother crossed the room, holding her arm gently. “You seem tense.”

“I’m not,” Ava lied. “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Mom relented. “Well, don’t worry about in here. We’ll get to it later. For now, I’d love if we could all talk in the other room. Get to know Elsie a little bit. Come join us.”

“No!” Ava said, plunging her hands into the dishwater.

“Ava,” Mom and I said in unison—her voice one of puzzlement, mine of warning.

“She’s been here for months,” Ava continued, shoulders tense as she scrubbed at a dish. “I know her well enough by now. I need to finish cleaning the kitchen.”

“Your sleeves are getting wet, dear.” My mother came by her side, a gentle hand on her back, but Ava stiffened under the touch.

“I don’t care,” she buzzed, transferring plate after clean plate into the drying rack with reckless speed. “I’m fine. I can clean up. I can—”

The plate she’d been holding slipped through her sudsy fingers and smashed onto the kitchen floor.

Elsie flinched, and Ava dropped to her knees at once, scooping pieces up into her hands.

“I’m sorry,” she said, voice shaking. “I’ll clean this up. I just need a broom—”

“It’s okay, Ava.” Mom’s eyes were round and worried. “Please, don’t worry about it.”

“I didn’t mean to—” She started unraveling, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ava,” I snapped, drawing her attention to me. “Go cool off.”

She stood quickly, not looking at any of us as she dropped the pieces back to the floor, wiped something wet from her eye and bounded down the steps to the basement.

Elsie’s demeanor fell, green eyes following Ava, as if she were responsible for whatever the hell was going on inside her head, while my mother looked entirely puzzled by everything that had gone down.

“What in the world is going on with Ava?” My mom’s voice was full of concern as she looked after her surrogate daughter.

“She’ll be fine, Mom. Go sit with Dad.” I nodded my head toward the sitting room, where my father was blissfully unaware of the female war raging just a few feet away from him.

Lucky guy.

Reluctantly, she went, picking up on the fact that I needed a minute with Elsie.

“Please tell me what I’m doing wrong.” Elsie laughed sardonically. “Because for the life of me, I haven’t been able to figure it out.”

“I’m sorry,” I told her, hating that she felt rejected here in my parents’ house, where I wanted her to feel nothing but loved. “But it doesn’t matter what she thinks, you know that, right?”

“She’s your family!” Elsie exclaimed. “Of course it matters!”

“What makes the opinions of family worth more than anyone else’s?”

“Because…” she started. “Because they just are!”

“Nice logic.” I offered her a smile.