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.It didn’t pay much more than what he’d earned washing dishes at Cozy’s but it fit his nurturing character and would look better on a résumé later.As she maneuvered the curving, slippery roads between Waller and Brag’s Hollow, Ava thought of all that had changed in her life over the past months.The most obvious being Bryan’s new strong body, of course, but other things as well.Mason had moved in.Mom moved out and, fingers crossed, was staying sober.Both Mason and Ava had taken out student loans and started classes at the community college near Brag’s Hollow.It was amazing how much more a person could accomplish when there was another adult to depend on in the house.Mason took up the slack for Ava, helping with laundry and housework and giving time and attention to Bryan.His income and hers added together gave some breathing room as far as paying bills.She could cut back on her work hours enough to fit in those preliminary classes for the degree in physical therapy she hoped to achieve some day.The convenience of a two-partner home was only about logistics and didn’t begin to touch on the emotional part of having someone in her life to rely on, someone to love and be loved by.With every passing day, she felt it more—the commitment, the connection between her and the man she’d once imagined would be “just a fling.” Hah! It turned out Mason was the special person she’d hoped for, the one she’d never quite believed she’d actually get.Snow was falling again by the time Ava reached the restaurant in Brag’s Hollow.It floated down in oversized pillow-fight flakes, muffling sound and covering the parking lot and all the cars in a skim of white.Her nearly bare legs were freezing as she hurried inside.She stomped the snow off her boots, then swapped them out for the high heels from her parka pockets, before putting her outerwear in the coat closet—that’s how fancy Schneider’s was.In the back party room, all her friends were already gathered.Deb and her partner, Suzanne, sat at the head of the table, heads close together, laughing about something.It had been a relief when the pair made up, affirming Ava’s belief that there could be a happily ever after.Stella Rae and her husband, Mike, were grimly focused on eating their way through the hors d’oeuvres heaped on their plates.Ava knew Mike about as well as she did Stella Rae, which was not much at all despite years of working together.Ava imagined the silence in the house those two shared, a compatible indifference that passed for a marriage.But hey, it seemed to work for them.Nash was talking to the dishwasher, Ralph, and to the new guy who’d taken Mason’s place at the diner, Devon Tate, brother of Jill Tate, who Ava used to go to school with.Devon was fresh out of jail and looking to make a new start.When he saw Ava, Nash lifted a hand in greeting.Frannie jumped up from the table and came over to her.“’Bout time you got here.I thought I was going to die of boredom.I didn’t know you were coming alone.We could’ve carpooled.”“Sorry.I didn’t think to call you.Anyway, Mason’s joining me as soon as he gets out of class.I thought you were bringing that new guy you’ve been seeing.”“My plus one called at the last minute to cancel, and then, for good measure, he broke up with me.”Ava gave her a hug.“I’m sorry.That sucks.”Frannie grimaced.“That’s life.Or at least my life.The guys I meet are incapable of committing.I’ve got to date a better class of men.”“I believe you’ll find someone when you least expect it,” Ava said.“I didn’t think that before, but I do now.”“You sound like my mother.But I’m sick of waiting for my fucking prince to come,” Frannie complained as she led the way toward the table.Ava greeted everybody and thanked Deb for throwing the party.She put in a drink order, sampled some of the snacks, and was just beginning to worry a little about how late Mason was with the roads so slick, when he entered the room.His hair was damp from melting snowflakes and his cheeks red from the cold, and he looked more delicious than the appetizers.She hurried over to him.He pulled her into a hug, the cold from outdoors chilling her through her dress.“You look so gorgeous,” he murmured into her ear.“Can we skip this party and go home so I can take you out of that little black dress?”“Weather’s getting worse, so we have an excuse to leave early,” she promised.“And by the way, you look gorgeous too.”Mason laughed.“It’s these dramatic white streaks.I’ve been told they make me look distinguished.Is that supposed to be a compliment?”Ava stepped back without letting go of him, to study the white that popped against his dark hair.She’d heard of people going gray overnight due to some big trauma.Turned out it was a real phenomenon, except it didn’t happen overnight.Mason’s white had become more pronounced within a week after that last big healing
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