“It’s Harrison, Harrison Fellowes here, calling from Palo Alto. And I have PJ with me. We just called to say hello and to see how you’re doing.”
Harrison Fellowes? Palo Alto? PJ? Ava knows she has the ability to put this together… she just needs a minute… and then she thinks, Oh! Harrison! Trish’s boyfriend! And PJ! PJ, the total nightmare child! But wait… why are they calling her? Why are they FaceTiming her? Ava peers at the picture on her screen. Yes, it’s Harrison, and there’s a squirming presence next to him.
“PJ?” Ava says cautiously. “Hi, it’s Ava.”
She waits.
Suddenly there is PJ’s face. Possibly it’s the novelty of FaceTime that lures him in. After all, how strange is it to be able to see someone who is three thousand miles away?
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi, Ava,” Harrison prompts.
“Hi, Ava,” PJ says.
Ava feels tears welling. She can’t… this is so…unexpected, so… bizarre, really. This must be why Harrison asked for her cell number. He wanted to facilitate this impromptu meeting. It’s ingenious. Ingenious and very, very kind.
“Hi, PJ, how are you?” Ava has to come up with something else to ask. “What’s new in the world of Minecraft?”
“Something exciting happened,” PJ says.
“Oh yeah?” Ava says. “What?”
“I finished building my roller coaster,” PJ says.
“Well, all right!” Ava says. “I love roller coasters!” She can’t believe this is happening. PJ is talking to her of his own volition. Maybe Harrison has offered up a wonderful bribe, but Ava doesn’t care.
At that moment Harrison holds up the camera so that they’re both visible. Ava hungrily scans the background: They’re at home, or in a homey atmosphere. In a den or a library. There are shelves of books behind Harrison and PJ’s heads—and a trophy. Maybe one of Trish’s sailing trophies or a trophy given to Shakespeare scholars. Or a Minecraft trophy. “We called to say hello to you, our friend Ava, and also to invite you and Potter to Palo Alto for Thanksgiving. Trish and I are hosting this year. It’ll just be us, PJ, and a few fellow academics, so it’s sure to be a horrifically boring time, but we’d love it if you would join us. And yes, I do know it’s short notice and airfare will be frightfully expensive, but I know that PJ, in particular, would like to see you and his dad. Isn’t that right, PJ?”
“Yes,” PJ says. He sounds sincere.
“Oh,” Ava says. She personally can’t go to Palo Alto. She must go to Nantucket to be with her family, her father. Potter was planning on coming with her, but Ava decides right then and there that he doesn’t have to. Not only does he not have to, he shouldn’t. He should go to Palo Alto and spend Thanksgiving with his son.
Ava says, “Harrison and PJ, I ask for your understanding when I tell you that I have family obligations elsewhere. So although I really appreciate the offer, I can’t come. But I can assure you that Potter will come to Palo Alto. Okay?”
“Yes,” Harrison says. “That would be wonderful, although we’ll miss our friend Ava. Won’t we, PJ?”
There’s only a split second’s pause. “Yes,” PJ says.
“Well, we’ll call Potter and confirm that he’s free,” Harrison says.
“Yes, do that. He’s finished teaching at seven,” Ava says.
“Ah, well, I teach at four, so I’ll try him tomorrow,” Harrison says. “If you see him before I speak to him, feel free to pass on the invite.”
“I’ll do just that,” Ava says. “Thank you for calling. I mean… thank you.”
Harrison smiles. He’s such a hero! She can’t believe he orchestrated this!
“The pleasure was ours,” Harrison says. “Bye-bye, Ava.”
“Bye-bye, Ava,” PJ says.
The screen goes blank.
Ava can’t wait for seven, when Potter is finished teaching his class. He is going to flip when he hears that Ava was invited to Thanksgiving in Palo Alto.
Or is he? Ava wonders. He may be angry that Harrison, of all people, reached out. Ava never told Potter that she and Harrison had a conversation in the lobby that afternoon, and she certainly didn’t tell him that she gave Harrison her cell. Potter’s obvious first question is going to be How did Harrison get your number?
Ava’s elation subsides, then morphs into worry. She needs to think about how to handle this.
When Potter calls after class, he sounds weary. Ava forgot that it’s midterms, so he has papers to grade for two classes and an exam to administer to a third. He says, “This is why I want you to move in with me. So you’re here when I get home.”
Ava smiles. She loves that he wants more of her. “You’ll be fine. You need some sleep.”
“I won’t be able to see you until Friday. I’m coming there for dinner?”
“Yes,” Ava says. “No! Wait! I forgot Friday is my mother’s last broadcast. We’re going to the studio. There’s going to be champagne in the greenroom after the news, then Drake is taking us to dinner at Upland. Not just us, but Lee Kramer, who heads the studio, and his wife, Ginny, who is the editor of Vogue, and Darcy, my mother’s former assistant, who is flying in from Atlanta. And Roger, her wardrobe guy, and a few of the producers, and Raoul, my mother’s driver, and his wife. There will be twenty of us, I think.”
“Just tell me when and what to wear,” Potter says. “Vogue sounds intimidating.”
“You’re not intimidated by anyone,” Ava says—except, of course, his own son. Around other adults, however, he shines. She can introduce him to anyone—lowbrow or highbrow—and he always fits in. She brought him to Margaret and Drake’s wedding, where he knew no one but Ava and Margaret, and he did so well that now he is basically part of the family.
Family reminds Ava of the FaceTime call from Harrison and PJ. Clearly Harrison hasn’t reached out yet; Potter would have mentioned it. Should Ava tell him? She decides to follow her gut and think about it overnight. She’ll tell Potter tomorrow if he doesn’t mention it first.
The next day Ava gets a call from Bart saying he wants to use his Acela tickets and come to New York for the weekend. With Allegra Pancik!
“Wow!” Ava says. “So are you two a thing, then?”
“Yes, we are a thing,” Bart says. “I took her out to dinner last Friday night, and I’ve seen her every day since then, and I want to surprise her with a weekend in New York. I didn’t tell her where we’re going, but I asked her to take off of work.”
“Okay!” Ava says. She hasn’t heard Bart sound this animated since last Christmas, when he was still high on his newfound freedom. She’s happy for him, but the protective big sister in her wants to advise him not to move too fast or get too serious too quickly. Girls Allegra’s age can be flighty, shallow, and opportunistic. Allegra is very pretty and, if Ava remembers correctly, she has a wild streak; she’s the polar opposite of her serious, quiet sister. “Do you two want to stay at Drake’s apartment? Because if so, I can set that up.”