The Game Changer (43 page)

One corner of Melody’s lips pulled in a half-smile. “All of that sounds great, but I have to go to work, and so do you.” She thought back to Julian basically telling her she should get back to her normal life, as if that would make her forget everything.

Olivia shook her head. “I called the playhouse to tell them I wouldn’t be in, then called your boss and said you were sick. You can go back to the responsible adult thing tomorrow. Today you’re all mine. And I have an idea of how you can get back into Ava’s good graces.”

That caught Melody’s attention. She sat up, leaning against her pillows and regarding Olivia quizzically.

“First, we finish her room,” Olivia said. “But since that’s sort of old news, I was thinking we could have a party for her since she’s finishing school this week. We could come up with a really elaborate invitation asking her and Rita to join us Friday night for a celebration. I could whip up a fancy dinner and a cake, we could get her gifts, and just make the night all about her. Maybe she could even finally sleep over in her new room.”

A slow smile spread over Melody’s face. “It sounds perfect. I love it.”

“I thought you might,” Olivia said with a bright grin. She patted Melody’s knee and rolled off the bed. “Operation Distraction begins in ten minutes. Get up and get dressed, we have work to do.”

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Melody called, and Olivia paused in the doorway. “You don’t have to keep me busy and distracted. You’re busy with your own stuff…work, Cameron, figuring stuff out…”

Olivia marched over to the bed and stopped at Melody’s side, sticking her hands on her hips. “Melody Anne Cartwright. Nothing is more important to me than you. When are you going to figure that out? Let me do this for you. I hate seeing you unhappy.”

Melody stared at Olivia for a long moment. Olivia stared back, her expression half-pleading and half-expectant. “Operation Distraction it is,” Melody said.

“Great!” Olivia clapped her hands and headed for the door again. “Ten minutes!”

Melody grabbed her phone and headed for the bathroom, scrolling through her emails and messages while she brushed her teeth. She froze when she noticed a message from Julian sent around six o’clock that morning. She set her phone down, not wanting to read it, but picked it up again almost instantly and clicked it open.

I’m sorry about this weekend. Please don’t hate me. I meant it when I said I need you, even though I know I have a shitty way of showing it. Let me deal with things on this end, and then I promise we’ll figure things out. -Julian

Melody’s heart beat erratically as she read and reread the message. Maybe he wasn’t such an ass-hat after all. And maybe there was hope for them yet.

*****

Melody couldn’t believe how quickly the week passed. Olivia continued with Operation Distraction, despite both of them going back to work the next day. She met Melody every day for lunch, and was home each afternoon when Melody returned from work.

“How does Cameron feel about you suddenly disappearing from his life?” Melody had asked mid-week while she and Olivia finished painting Ava’s room.

“He’s fine with it,” Olivia said, waving her free hand in the air. “He takes a late lunch, so he’s stopped by the playhouse the past two days to see me. He knows how important it is for me to be here for you right now.”

When Friday evening arrived, Ava’s room looked like something out of a magazine. Melody and Olivia had stayed up late the night before hanging artwork and making sure everything was perfect for the big reveal.

Now as they took one last look at the room, adjusting the curtains and straightening the pictures on the wall, both girls beamed with pride.

“We did it,” Melody said, slightly awestruck. “This would have been my dream bedroom as a ten-year-old girl.” She gazed around at the pale lavender walls, the single bed with a deep purple comforter that matched the curtains, the bookshelf full of books that Melody and Olivia had chosen downstairs at Green Pea’s, and the framed prints of medieval castles and Arthurian scenes. It had been a labour of love, one that had proven to be the perfect distraction over the last week.

“We did good,” Olivia agreed. She let out a satisfied sigh and leaned against Melody, bumping her with her hip. “Maybe we should become interior designers.”

“Oh god, here we go,” Melody laughed, giving Olivia a little shove toward the kitchen. “Go check on dinner.”

When Rita and Ava arrived, Melody could tell Ava was both anxious and excited, like she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high, but she couldn’t help herself. Melody made a silent wish that the room would be everything she had dreamed of and then some.

“Welcome, welcome,” Melody said brightly, hugging her mother, then giving Ava an extra long hug. She hadn’t seen her in the last week, but they had talked on the phone several times. Melody sensed that Ava had forgiven her for cancelling their plans the weekend before, but she was glad to finally see the young girl in person and really prove to her that she wanted to be a permanent fixture in her life. “Come on in, ladies.”

“Something smells amazing,” Rita commented, inhaling deeply as the three of them made their way to the living room.

“That’s all Liv’s doing,” Melody told her as they sat. She double-checked to make sure the screen separating Ava’s bedroom from the rest of the apartment was in place. She wanted to let the anticipation build a bit more.

“She’s been in the kitchen most of the day.”

“Yes, your daughter’s a slave driver,” Olivia announced, striding across the room with a tray of hors d’oeurves balanced in one hand. She gave Rita a one-armed hug, then bent to kiss Ava’s cheek. “I hope you guys are hungry. I have mini cheese quiches, stuffed mushrooms, and bruschetta to start, then roast beef with baby potatoes and asparagus for dinner, and…well, I’ll let you see dessert for yourself later.”

“Fancy,” Ava said, her eyes wide as she appraised the selection of appetizers.

“You went to a lot of trouble,” Rita said.

Olivia waved off the comment. “I love doing it. Mel and I wanted tonight to be extra special for Ava.”

Ava smiled shyly at Olivia, then cast an equally shy but pleased glance at Melody. Her sweet, angelic face was glowing with a light Melody hadn’t seen before; it made Melody realize she’d do just about anything to keep that light there.

She watched Ava as she snuck a glance in the direction of her new bedroom. Her lips twitched slightly when she spied the screen, but she quickly turned her attention back to the little plate of food balanced on her lap.

Olivia reappeared from the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks—margaritas for the adults, and a virgin Shirley Temple for Ava.

“Let’s toast to the little lady of the hour,” Melody suggested, raising her glass. “To Ava, who we’re so glad came into our lives to make things brighter and happier, and who we are immensely proud of for all she’s accomplished in the last few months.”

“To Ava,” Rita and Olivia echoed, clinking their glasses against Ava’s.

Ava ducked her head, a small smile flitting around her lips as her cheeks flooded with colour. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Looking at her niece, Melody saw her own face reflected in the girl’s. She’d seen it before, but it pleased her even more now. Jackie might not have taken her responsibility as a parent seriously, but Melody vowed to take on the role of aunt, friend, and mentor, and she knew Olivia would do the same. She hoped the days of having to prove herself to Ava were past, and that they could truly be a family now, without any fear from Ava that things would go wrong.

Before Melody could get too lost in serious thoughts, Olivia said, “I’d love to show you guys the dress I’m working on for the playhouse.”

They followed Olivia into her bedroom, where she had turned half the space into a makeshift sewing room. A headless mannequin stood near the window, draped in an exquisite gown of blue and silver, with an intricately embroidered bodice.

“You
made
this?” Ava asked, her eyes wide and incredulous. She reached out to touch the full, silky skirt, but withdrew her hand and looked guiltily at Olivia.

“You can touch it,” Olivia told her, smiling reassuringly and reaching out to touch the sleeve herself. “And, yes I made it. It’s one of the last ones for this play, and it’s been the most work with all that detail on top. I love it.”

“It’s gorgeous, Liv,” Rita said, slinging an arm around Olivia’s shoulder and squeezing her tightly. Melody noticed the look of pride on her mother’s face, and she was sure it mirrored her own.

Olivia gave Rita a dazzling smile. “I’m having so much fun. I never would have thought costume design would be something I’d consider, but it’s been amazing. It’s made me remember how much I love designing and creating.” She gave Melody a knowing look, her eyes full of affection and gratitude. “I just needed the courage to go for it. I’ve already got another costume design job lined up for spring, and after that, I think I’ll look into designing my own line. I haven’t got it all figured out yet, but it’s a start.”

“We’re so proud of you,” Melody said, and Rita nodded her head emphatically, her eyes swimming with tears. Ava looked between the three adults curiously, her bright eyes seeming to take everything in.

“Anyway,” Olivia said, clearing her throat and waving a hand in front of her watering eyes, “this is Ava’s night, and I don’t want to take away from her. Do you think we should check out your room now?”

The foursome trooped back through the apartment in a tight cluster, with Ava clutching Melody and Olivia’s hands. Melody waited for a minute until Ava was practically bouncing with expectation, then she folded back the screen and stepped aside.

When Ava let out a small gasp and her eyes turned saucer-wide, Melody knew the room was a success. Ava stepped inside, her head swiveling from side to side as she took everything in. Her fingers trailed lightly along the bedspread as her eyes scanned the windows and walls, finally settling on the bookshelf. “You did all this for
me
?”

“We did,” Melody said. “You like it?”

Ava nodded silently, her eyes still wide as she ran her fingers over the spines of the books. “I love it,” she said, rushing to Melody and throwing her arms around her. Melody was so surprised, she couldn’t help the tears that sprang to her eyes. She glanced at her mother and Olivia, who were watching the exchange with warm smiles that made Melody’s eyes water even more.

“Thank you,” Ava said, tilting her head to look up at Melody, then releasing her to hug Olivia.

With a watery smile at Melody, Olivia gave Ava a quick squeeze, then took her hand and led her further into the room to point out the armoire they’d set up as a closet.

Rita took Melody’s elbow and pulled her away, out of earshot. “Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made her?”

Melody rubbed her cheeks; her face hurt from smiling so much. “I’m so glad we could do something like this for her. I want her to know she’s a permanent part of our lives now. I don’t ever want her to think I’m anything like her mother.”

“I think she knows that,” Rita assured her. “I think she figured that out awhile ago, she just needed time to process. She had a lot of changes to handle all at once.”

Melody nodded slowly. She understood about changes. She felt a little pang of sadness when her thoughts drifted to Julian, but she pushed it aside and focused on her mother. “Ava deserves the best.”

“She does,” Rita agreed. “Which actually brings me to why I pulled you aside. I know this is your special night for Ava, and I don’t want to try to upstage you, but I’ve been thinking more and more about going to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island this summer. I’ve done a lot of research, and I really think we should go.”

Melody hadn’t thought she could smile any broader, but she did. “I think we should, too,” she said, barely able to contain the excitement in her voice. “I’ve been doing research, too, and I think it would be the trip of a lifetime.”

The two of them shared a giddy little moment, gripping each other’s hands excitedly. “Do you think we could tell her tonight?” Rita asked. “It would give her something to look forward to now that school’s over, and I think it would really cement in her mind that we’re a family.”

Melody nodded and pulled her mother back into Ava’s room. “Will you guys come sit down? We have one more surprise for you, Ava.”

When they were all settled in the living room, Ava regarded them with curious anticipation.

“Nana had this great idea a few weeks ago,” Melody began. “She’s been wanting to visit an old friend in New Brunswick, and we thought how much fun it would be for the three of us to go and spend a few weeks there.”