It sounded like a wingman gig, but I’d always liked Ross. He was worth a sacrificed Saturday night to some girl’s roommate.
But not on Ava’s first night out of rehab.
I scrolled through my phone’s contacts and tapped Ross’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey, man. What’s up? Ready for tonight?”
I winced at the friendly eagerness in his voice. “Yeah… about that…”
“Cole, no,” he groaned. “Don’t back out now. I thought you’d outgrown that.”
I frowned. “Outgrown what?”
“The homebody syndrome,” he said, as if it was obvious.
“What?”I turned my back on the thickening arrivals crowd so I could hear him better. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about. You used to do this all the time,” he said, his voice teasing, but it still held a hint of frustration. “Make plans midweek, and when the weekend would roll around, you’d say you had too much work, too many deadlines, or… how did you put it? You and Ava needed a night in.”
I blinked at his assessment. How many times had I blown him off over the years? I didn’t like to admit it, but his words struck a chord. I recognized them. Especially the ones about Ava. How many times had I cancelled on Ross — and other friends — because I felt I needed to keep an eye on her?
Trying to count them all was futile. When had I gone from keeping an eye on Ava to keeping her alive? Was it back when we lived near campus? When the drinking had gotten out of hand? Or was it after we moved downtown, and she’d discovered heroin?
I let out a sigh. “Not much has changed,” I admitted.
“What do you mean?” Ross asked, the tease in his voice giving over to concern. “You working yourself to death or you’re still your sister’s keeper.”
A bitter chuckle escaped me. “Both, I guess. But work isn’t the reason I’m calling.”
“Ava.” It wasn’t a question. When we’d made plans, I hadn’t told him about Ava and rehab, but he’d known about her problems before now.
“Yeah, she’s been… away,” I said, hedging, not ready to revisit the nightmare that had led Ava — finally — to Hazelden Betty Ford. “And I wasn’t expecting her back until tomorrow, but she’s here. In fact, she’s just landed. I’m at the airport picking her up. With the move and this change, I just forgot to call you earlier. I’m sorry, man—”
“Hey,” he broke in, “don’t worry about it. I was just bustin’ your chops. Family first, man. I get it.”
Gratitude swelled in my chest. Ross had always been a good guy. “Thanks, Ross. If it wasn’t her first night back, I wouldn’t cancel on—”
“Cancel what?”
I spun on my heels to find my sister looking up at me. Her hair was clean. Her eyes clear. And for the first time in months, she met my gaze.
“Ava.” Her name left me as more air than sound, because I hadn’t seen this version of her in… well, not in years. I stared at her in silence, humbled by the sudden blow to my sternum. I’d forgotten how much I’d missed her.
In that moment of silence, I realized my sister was looking at me with a mixture of nerves and barely controlled shame.
“Ross… I’ve gotta go.”
“Go,” he ordered. “We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah. Sorry again.”
“Don’t be. Take care of Ava.”
I killed the call and practically tackled Ava. “My God, it’s good to see you,” I said, squeezing her tighter than perhaps I should have.
She let out a squeak, but she squeezed me back. She pressed her cheek to my chest. “It’s good to see you, too,” she said softly.
I gripped her arms and set her back from me, letting my eyes have their fill. “Ava, you look great.” It was incredible, really. She looked whole. Younger even. More innocent.