⩔ Ava ⩔

"Ava," mama's voice filled with resolve. "I have something to tell you. I guess it's time. What do you think about going to Provence to stay with my cousin. She needs our help on her vineyard."

I glanced at her in surprise. "Provence," I repeated. "Do you mean the one in France?" I asked, disbelief coloring my tone.

"Of course the one in France..." Mom nodded, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. "Yes, Provence. I think we need to trade the chaos of LA for the tranquility of vineyards. It's time for a change. What do you think?"

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" I asked, a mix of curiosity, sadness, and relief settling in.

"I wanted to explore all the options, make sure we had the best chance for you here," Mom explained, her gaze firm. "I didn't want you to feel stuck in the middle of nowhere, my cousin lives in village, you know. But honestly, anything's better than this rotten LA society. I want you to find a good girl, have family with her, not just spend your time on girls like your exes or such busy starlets like Bo who'd easily let you down."

I chuckled through tears, wiping my eyes. "I'm in. Let's escape to Provence and start fresh. We've been waiting for too long to burn all bridges."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded with a little sob.

Mom beamed at me, her relief palpable. "Good. Because there's a potential buyer for the café. They are interested in buying everything, including the apartment. It's from At Monica's coffee chain."

"Do they want to buy our apartment too?" I looked around our cozy little home.

"Unfortunately, yes. But the price is amazing — it will cover all our debts, and we'll be left with a significant profit."

"I don't understand why..."

"They probably want their café to have two floors. More seating, more customers, more money. The place already has some recognition. We might not have many regulars, but everyone knows there's a café here."

"I can't believe there won't be our café anymore."

"Me neither, dear, but we both know this is a dead end. And it's not just for me; it's for you too. We're stuck. It's time to do something about it. We weren't completely happy here. So many painful memories. Your father shouldn't have burdened us with this place."

"He knew it was a potential bankruptcy, but he still made sure all the problems fell on us."

Mom hugged me, and we settled on the couch.

"How about we forget about everything and watch a movie together like old times? I'll make us some herbal tea."

I nodded sadly, burying my nose in the blanket. I was still in my beautiful, sparkly dress.

ALL FINAL CHAPTERS YOU CAN FIND ON MY PATREON 🎉

SUPPORT MY WLW NOVELS 🗿

The cover and illustrations belong to ©treepipit

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved
© treepipit 2019-2024