Tuesday — 9:38 a.m.
Ava's POV
“Are you hiding from Mom?”
Dad looked up from his coffee.
“No.”
I glanced around his empty office.
“Then why's the door closed?”
“Because it's my office, Princess.”
“Interesting defense.”
He leaned back.
“What do you want?”
“Coffee.”
“There's a whole pot in the kitchen.”
“Yours tastes better.”
“Same damn coffee.”
“Then you won't mind sharing.”
I grabbed the spare mug from his desk and settled across from him.
Dad watched me.
“Something on your mind?”
“Actually, yeah.”
“What's going on?”
“Nothing bad. Just something I've been meaning to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you send Blaze to find me?”
Dad lowered his coffee.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
“What brought that up?”
“Curiosity. I've never gotten a straight answer.”
He rubbed
