11. Ava

We return to the house for dinner; all anyone can talk about is how Travis saved us from the rattlesnake. I have to admit, it was pretty hot. He was quick, confident, and fearless. The snake lurched at him, and he kicked it! Kicked it! And then, while it was still disoriented from being kicked, he somehow picked it up and threw it far away from us. He was our true hero.

Everyone was pretty shaken up over the incident, so now they"re clinging to Travis. It was scary for a minute until Travis came in and saved the day. Despite not liking female attention, I can tell Travis enjoys being the hero. He's eating it up with a spoon.

Jealous girlfriend has never been my M.O., so I'm going to let him bask in the attention. It's only a matter of time before one of the ladies takes it too far and makes him uncomfortable. Then, he'll come running back to me. Plus, I'm not worried about these ladies–they're hardly competition, given their age. And, of course, we're just pretending to be in a relationship, so jealousy would be totally uncalled for.

I've always seen myself as an independent woman. I don't need a man to come rushing in to save me from anything. But seeing Travis out there with the snake, wow–he was fearless and strong. I think I prefer a man who can handle his own out in nature. It's a very different view than from a man in an office.

We finished eating dinner, which was delicious. Some ladies returned to their rooms. Others moved out to the porch; some stayed in the living room to play games and chat. I thought Travis might have sought me out by now, but he hasn't, and I'm a little disappointed.

"Ava!" Mia calls out to me.

"Hey, Mia. How's it going?"

"Great. I can't believe we saw a rattlesnake on the hike! I've never seen one here!"

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, and Dad almost didn't let me come.

"Really? Why?"

"Homework. He says school has to be my number one priority." Mia rolls her eyes.

"Well, yeah, at your age, it should be. Did you finish your homework?"

"I was just about to do it. Want to help?"

"Sure, if you need it."

"I can always use help on the useless, time-sucking thing called homework."

"Ok, drama queen," I say with a smile.

"I am not a drama queen."

"Sure." I sit down at a table and wait for her to pull out her homework. "What do you have?"

"Just this dumb crossword puzzle. It's for our next vocabulary test."

"Crosswords are so fun!"

"Yeah, ok."

"Let's see." We get to work on the crossword.

A few moments later, I get the feeling someone is staring at me. I look around and catch Travis's eye. He smiles at me and walks over.

"Hey, girls. What's going on?"

"Just doing this stupid crossword puzzle."

"OK, well, come find me when you're finished. I'll probably be in my office. I need to talk to you both."

"Sure thing, Dad." Mia and I look at each other as he walks away. "I wonder what he wants to talk to us about. I hope we're not in trouble!" Mia giggles.

Curiosity gets the best of Mia, and she speeds through the rest of her crossword puzzle. We're heading toward the kitchen when I feel a hand on my wrist. I turn to see who it is. Barb.

"Hey, Barb. What's going on?"

"I'm looking for Travis. I thought if anyone would know where he is, it'd be one of you two. I was hoping to get a chance to thank him at dinner, but he slipped away.

"Dad's in the office getting some work done. He gets cranky when interrupted, but I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"Thanks, dear. Tell him he can find me in my room if I"m not in the living room."

"Okey doke. I'll be sure to tell him," Mia says sweetly. Once Barb is out of earshot, she says, "Not! There's no way I'm sending Dad up to her room!"

"Yeah, she comes on a little strong, huh?"

"More than a little. Dad told me about your plan. I think it's a good one." Mia winks at me.

"Let's go see what he wants."

"Ladies, come on in. Close the door." Travis ushers us in. "Pony Cottage is still out of commission. I didn't have a chance to get in there today, and I doubt I will tomorrow."

"What happened to Pony Cottage?" asks Mia.

"Oh right, you were at school this morning. The shower blew a gasket or something and flooded the place. I have to keep the water off until I can get in there."

"Oh, no! So where is Ava going to stay? In one of the guest rooms with the ladies?"

"No, all the guest rooms are in use."

"She can stay in my room! We can have a slumber party!" Mia says excitedly.

"That's very sweet of you, Mia, but no. I'm going to give Ava my room, and I'll sleep on our couch."

"No, give me the couch. I couldn't possibly take your bedroom," I interject.

"I insist. You're a guest here; I won't let you sleep on a couch."

"I really don't mind."

"I do," Travis says sternly.

"Don't argue with him; you won't win," Mia says.

"OK, well, just for tonight. I can always leave and come back after the ladies are gone."

"NO!" Travis and Mia yell at the same time.

"Ok, ok, sorry."

"OK, Mia, time for you to get ready for bed. I'm going to get some things out of my room, and then I'll come say good night. Ava, Trina already changed the sheets and put your stuff in there."

"Great. I'll just hang out down here for now. Good night, Mia."

I grab my bag from the office and make myself a cup of tea in the kitchen before heading to the porch. Luckily, no one is out there. The hike and then the excitement from the snake must have tired the ladies out.

It is a beautiful night. It's quiet and mostly dark. I pull out my notebook to start jotting down my thoughts. I'm still not sure how to write the story. After seeing Travis with the snake, I wonder if I should write more about him. It's clear he's the main attraction for these ladies. I just have to think of the right way to do it.

"There you are." Travis steps out onto the porch.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm just taking notes and collecting my thoughts."

"I can't believe none of the ladies are out here."

"I know! It's a beautiful night."

"It sure is."

"I will say it takes some getting used to."

"What does?" Travis asks.

"The quiet. The dark. The stars. I've never seen so many."

"Oh yeah. I can see that. When I go into the city, I have a hard time sleeping. It"s so loud and bright! Even in the middle of the night."

"Yeah. It's like a lullaby for me."

"So, what do you think so far?"

"Of what? Whispering Meadows?"

"Yeah. If I'm allowed to ask."

"Of course, you're allowed to ask! This isn't some secret mission. In fact, my brother pretty much said I have to write you an amazing review, which won't be hard. This place is incredible."

"Thanks. I think so, too. But please be honest. I don't want to be anyone's charity case."

"I most certainly will be. I'm still trying to find the right angle. I'm sure it'll come to me over the next few days. There's definitely something special here." It's more than the land, the animals, the quaint rooms, and Roberta's cooking. It's Travis.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Yeah, actually, you can. Tell me more about Whispering Meadows."

"What do you wanna know?"

"I'd love to know the origin story." I feel him hesitate.

"I think that's a story for another night."

"OK, well, about the future? Maybe we can start there?"

"I can't tell you what the future will bring."

"No, but you can tell me what you hope it will be."

"Ok," he starts. I hope to make it a place that holds special memories for many people. I want people to want to come here year after year—friends, families, groups, everyone. And when those people grow up, I want them to return with their kids. I want it to be a piece of their heart—just like it is for me."

"That's beautiful."

Travis sighs.

"Sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, it's not that. It's just that Lilian had dreams for this place. I want it to live on for her, but I'm afraid it will become a burden for Mia. I don't want to box her in."

"That makes sense. She seems like a very strong girl, though. I bet that once she's old enough, she'll be the kind to go after what she wants."

"But on the other hand, I feel the pressure to make this place something special to pass on to her. If she is going to stay, I want to ensure she's well taken care of. I don't want her to have to do all this work and still worry about money."

"Are you worried about money?"

"This place is one catastrophe away from going belly up. And we seem to be having catastrophes every day."