Page 29 of Rock Me

I smile.“That’s probably frustrating.”

“Let’s go sit on the back porch.It’s gorgeous out.”Ava leads me outside to a deck that overlooks a wooded area with trees.

“It’s beautiful here,” I murmur, the air still warm.We settle into a long porch swing.

“It is.”She pauses, then says, “I grew up here… well, from my mid-teens on.”

“Really?Was your mother married to Dan?”I ask, drawing the only conclusion I can.

Ava holds back a snort.“Actually, Dan lived in a different neighborhood when Jared and I were younger, and back then we were neighbors.”She pauses, and I give her time to gather her thoughts.“My mother was… is an addict.Drugs.Whatever she can get her hands on.Dan took me in when she disappeared on one of her binges, and he refused to give me back when she resurfaced.He was a cop at the time, so you can imagine how little leverage my mother had.”She bites down on her lower lip.“Sometimes I think he paid her to go away, but he won’t admit it.”

I swallow hard.“Wow.”What do I say to that?My life has been a picnic in comparison.“I’m sorry,” I murmur.

“I got lucky having Dan look out for me, so it’s all good.I try not to dwell on my mother.”

For good reason, I think.

Ava pushes back against the floor, rocking the swing.“So how are you and Ben handling being secluded together?”Ava asks bluntly, changing the subject and taking me by surprise.“It can’t be easy living under the same roof after everything.Although, like I said, it looks like you two are pretty cozy.”

I blink.Ava obviously knows something about my past with Ben.Did he tell her everything?If so, it doesn’t paint me in the best light, but Ava is sitting here, opening up to me and expecting me to do the same.

I squirm uncomfortably as I consider what to say.“Umm… we’re managing just fine.”I don’t want to assume what Ava does and does not know, and inadvertently tell more than Ben wants her to find out.

“Good.He looks at ease, and I’m glad.He’s a good man, Summer.He doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”

“Is that directed at me?”I ask, suddenly defensive.“Because I’ve been nothing but up-front with him before and now.”I bite the inside of my cheek and decide Ava pretty much knows everything about my shared past with Ben.“In fact, I did everything I could to try and let him keep his job.I wasn’t the one who didn’t return phone calls back then, so let’s not throw around insinuations about who hurt who.”

“You pass,” Ava says.“You’re defensive for yourself, but you worry about Ben.”

“You know, I don’t appreciate being tested,” I mutter.

Ava rolls her shoulders and leans back against the swing.“That’s what friends do.Look out for each other.I hope you’ll forgive me.”

I sigh.“I’m glad he has good friends.”I have Ivy, but we are both always so busy it is hard to make time for quality get-togethers.

“Ben’s a decent guy.He was there for me when I needed him, and I’ll never forget that and always keep trying to repay the favor,” Ava explains.

I cross one leg over the other and look up at the blue sky.“Given what I know about Ben, he wouldn’t want repayment.He helped you because that’s what he does for his friends.”

“I appreciate that about him.But it’s a two-way street.”We sit in silence for a few minutes, then Ava speaks again.

“What’s it like being a pop star?Singing in front of huge audiences?”

I give the question some thought.“It’s all I’ve ever known.When I was little, I sang at festivals, in chorus at school, in local plays.I love the performance aspect and the fact that I can feed off the energy of the crowd.”

“I admire that.I can’t carry a tune, and I’m much better off in the shadows,” Ava says wistfully.

“Well, I admire what you do.Keeping people safe is no small feat.”

“Would you give it up for any reason?”Ava asks.

I’m surprised by the question.“It’s all I’ve ever wanted.This opportunity to be the opening act for the biggest pop star in the world?”I shake my head.“I can’t think of anything that would make me walk away.”

“Not even for love?”

The question blindsides me, and I sit stunned that Ava would go there.Little does she know, Ben put emotional attachment off-limits, and that is the smart way for me to think as well.I have no idea where my life is headed.

Before I can formulate a reply, the sliding glass door to the house opens, and Ben appears.