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“Avery,” Julie calls after me as I move across the floor. “Claire’s—”
I swing open Dex’s door, his brows jumping when he spies me, and before I know what’s happening, a tiny body wraps itself around my legs.
“Uncle A’wy! I miss you!”
I look down at my tiny strawberry girl, her bright smile, wide green eyes, and drag her into my arms. “Hey munchkin girl.” She peppers my face with kisses before I can beat her to it. “What are you doing here?”
She points at Dex. “I go to Uncle Dex house at mint night!” I think she means midnight. “He take me to McDonald’s for bweakfast.” She presses her palms to my cheeks, whispering against my lips, “I got toy.”
“Wow,” I murmur, forcing a smile. Something’s not right. “Lucky girl.”
“I figured you’d be with Claire,” Dex says, taking Vivi from my arms. “Go find Auntie Charlee. She’s getting your bag ready. You remember where her room is?”
Vivi’s head bobs before she twirls around me, sprinting down the hallway while she yells, “Auntie Cha-Chaaa, here I cooome!”
I watch to make sure she makes it to the right office before twisting back to Dex. “What’s going on? Where’s Claire and why did Vivi come over in the middle of the night?”
His brows pull together, like he’s wondering why I don’t know. I roll my eyes, not because I’m annoyed, but because I’m fucking exasperated.
“I asked Claire to move in with me last night and she lost her damn mind and ran out on me. I haven’t talked to her since.”
He looks a bit like he wants to smile, or laugh, but can’t. Instead, he clears his throat. “Gavin was taken to the hospital late last night.”
“What?”
He leans on the edge of his desk. “John—he owns the winery next door—hadn’t been able to get a hold of him. He went over there late last night to check in on him and found him unconscious on the couch. Couldn’t wake him up.”
“Fuck.” I raise a shaky hand to my mouth. “Is he…did he…” I can’t even say the words.
Dex shakes his head. “He’s alive, but not conscious last I heard. Nobody knows how long he was out for.”
I don’t know what to say. I just know I need to see Claire, hug her, be there for her, with her.
“Charlee’s heading out to the house today. Taking Vivi.”
“I’ll go with them,” I say without hesitation.
Dex offers me a small smile. “I figured.”
I move to leave, but Dex’s hand lands on my shoulder.
“Hey, Avery, listen.” He plows a hand through his hair and sighs. “I know Claire can be stubborn, but it’s because she’s been through a lot of heartache in her life. She’s constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Don’t take it personally. You know she loves you.” He squeezes my shoulder. “She might try and push you away, but she needs you right now.”
Dex drops Charlee, Vivi, and I back at my place, where my dad meets us to take Sully and Chester back to his house. I pack Claire and I a bag, not knowing how long we’ll be there for, but I’ll stay as long as we need to. Then we load up my truck and hightail it to Jordan Valley. Traffic’s moving the opposite direction, so we make it there in under an hour. Also, I’m driving twenty kilometers over the speed limit while Charlee grips the door handle with one hand and my forearm with the other, fingernails digging in. I’m honestly not sure if it’s because I’m driving fast, or because she’s on the verge of falling to pieces. If I had to guess, I’d say probably a bit of both.
We take Vivi to John’s winery, and she’s perfectly content to run around his large office with Turkey, particularly excited when John promises her pizza for lunch and a ride on his golf cart later. Then we head down to the hospital.
I glance at Charlee as I throw the truck in park. She’s been silent since we left Toronto. Her big brown eyes are filled with tears as she looks up at the hospital, hands clasped tightly in her lap.
I reach over and cover her hands with mine. “Hey. It’s gonna be okay.”
The second her eyes meet mine, those tears overflow, tracking a path down her cheeks. “The last time I was here was the day Claire’s mom died. They-they…they can’t go through this again, Avery. They don’t deserve this.” Her voice cracks on a sob and I pull her into my arms.
“Claire’s my best friend,” Charlee cries softly. “She’s my sister. I’m so…I’m so damn tired of seeing her go through heartache after heartache.” Her tears wet my neck, fingers clutching the back of my shirt. “And Casey, he…he’s spent too many years being strong for everyone else. And Vivi, oh God. She loves her Gramps so much. She’ll be crushed if he…if he…”
“Shhh.” Gripping the back of her neck, I hold her tighter. “I know it’s hard not to, but let’s not jump to the worst possible scenario. Let’s try to be positive for those Thompsons we love so much. They’re going to need us. Okay?”
Charlee nods and pulls away, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hands. “They’re my family,” she whispers, broken.
