“We can check it out,” Ava suggested. “If we take an inventory of what needs to be done to get it ready, we can figure out how long it would take to earn out and start giving you a profit.”
“You would go with me?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said. “I’d be glad to. If it looks okay, we can coordinate with a property manager out there and have them help us figure out repairs.”
“You know what,” he said thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind making an extra stop, we can knock out another errand on the way.”
“Sure,” she said. “Do you think the babies will be okay on such a long car trip?”
“Oh, no,” Dax said. “I mean maybe they would be, but Carol has been begging to spend a day with them forever. I think she’ll help us out. Especially when she hears we’re picking up the Christmas trees.”
“Christmas trees?” Ava asked.
“I used to be a Tarker’s Hollow volunteer firefighter,” Dax said. “We hold a Christmas tree sale as a fundraiser every year. I used to volunteer to sell trees. But of course, with the twins…”
“I’m sure a lot of people take a break with even one baby in the house,” Ava said.
“Anyway, Harkness Farms is the local tree farm, but they let people do cut-your-own, so we usually get our supply from a place in the Poconos,” Dax said. “If we’re headed that way anyhow, we can pick them up.”
“That’s a great idea,” Ava said. “When do we go?”
“I’m thinking tomorrow,” he said thoughtfully. “Let me run and call Carol.”
He grabbed his phone from the counter, tapped a contact and put the phone to his ear.
Ava took another sip of her coffee.
Listening to Dax talking with his mother-in-law, Ava understood how close they were. It was so good that Carol could be there for him and the kids. And it said a lot about both of them, that they were able to help pick up the pieces for each other.
A little voice floated down from upstairs.
“Dah,” it said.
Dax glanced at the staircase, but clearly Carol was in the middle of telling him something.
“I’ll get them,” Ava mouthed to him, heading for the stairs.
She had never gotten up with a baby, but she figured it couldn’t be that hard.
When she reached the room, she found Mason sitting up in his crib looking disgruntled. Maddie was still sleeping hard.
“Hey, buddy,” Ava said softly.
“Dah,” he cried, looking at her in trepidation.
“It’s just me,” Ava reminded him. “Remember the wild rumpus? And Max?”
He didn’t cry out again, but his lower lip trembled.
“Daddy’s on the phone with your grandma,” Ava told him. “I’m just going to keep you company until he comes.”
Mason eyed her suspiciously.
She scanned the room in desperation. How could there not be a bookshelf in here?
A stack of foam alphabet blocks on the table next to Mason’s crib caught her eye.
Though she knew she shouldn’t, Ava found herself putting three of the blocks in her hand.
“Mason, do you want to see something cool?” she asked him softly.
He looked up at her, curiosity winning out over worry.
Ava focused on the three blocks, opening her heart to them.
They were soft, lightweight and worn. They had been well-loved. The A had a picture of an ant. The M showed a mouse. A snake swirled on the S.
When she felt she knew the blocks and understood them, she reached for them with her mind, coaxing them.
At first nothing happened, and she felt a stab of defeat.
I’m sick. I’ll never be well again.
But when Mason whimpered, she shook those thoughts clear and redoubled her efforts.
The A wobbled slightly.
Encouraged, Ava reached again, with more confidence this time.
All three blocks slowly lifted off her palm, floating gently just above her hand.
Mason made an excited squeak.
“Do you want to see them?” Ava whispered, turning slowly and taking the blocks with her. “Look.”
They both watched as the M block floated slowly into the crib and hovered over Mason’s chubby outstretched palm.
Ava smiled and sent the A to join it.
Mason laughed and lifted his other hand.
The magic was coursing through her now, as if it had never left. Ava enjoyed the rush and felt a little thrill of accomplishment as she sent the S soaring to float above the other two foam blocks.
“Hey, guys,” a deep voice said from the doorway.
Startled, she let go and the blocks fell instantly into Mason’s little hands and the mattress of the crib.
“You came up so quietly,” she said, wondering how much he had seen. Surely her body had blocked his view of what was happening.
“I didn’t want to wake Maddie,” he said with a smile. “She’s pretty serious about her sleep.”
Ava glanced over at Maddie who was somehow still asleep in spite of the noise Mason had been making and the fact that there were now three awake people in the room.
“Dah,” Mason said with a big grin, pulling himself up to stand at the railing of the crib.
“Hi, big boy,” Dax said. “Are you ready to come out?”
“Ow,” Mason agreed heartily, putting his arms up.
“Were you playing with Ava?” Dax asked him, lifting him up and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“Ay,” Mason said.
“Yeah, Ava,” Dax said. “Can you say that, bud? Like this: Ay-vuh.”
“Ay…UH,” Mason said carefully.
“Wow,” Ava said.
“Good work, buddy,” Dax told him. “Let’s go downstairs so we don’t wake your sister.”
“Carol is going to help out tomorrow,” Dax told Ava as they headed downstairs.
He began telling her about the route they would take to the cabin.
Surely he hadn’t seen anything. If he had, he wouldn’t be talking about traffic and schedules.
Ava was relieved. It was good that she hadn’t ruined their friendship before it really began.
Though if she were honest with herself, it was kind of a shame that her magic was weak enough these days she could get away with practically doing it in front of people.
Her magic had been so strong, until the cancer.
And now, even though she was supposed to be in remission, the magic was still weak and faltering.
This was how she knew she wasn’t really well - that she might never be fully well again.
Whatever took her magic was still inside her somewhere.
6
Ava
Ava spent the rest of the day alternating between playing with the babies and working through Dax’s daily budget with a cup of tea in her hands.
It was so pleasant with the light streaming through the windows and the busy energy of the children.
There was a rhythm to their day, a steady pattern of activity, fresh diapers, meals and cuddles.
After lunch, she was taking a break from her work to read another story to the twins when Dax caught her eye. He was carrying a heaping load of laundry, but he stopped in the doorway to watch them.