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“She will. She’ll be fine. Auntie Shayna said she’d bring her just as soon your mom’s finished making her phone calls.”

Ashton’s grip around his neck tightened. “Do you know who she’s talking to?”

Tanner frowned, he didn’t want to lie to the kid, but the whole reason that he was bringing Ashton to the barn was so that Everly could call her dad without any chance of him overhearing.

“I’m not sure. What do you think, do you want to learn how to muck out a stall while we wait for her?”

It wasn’t the most glamorous job in the world, but Tanner was hoping to distract him from his questions.

“Sure. But do you think that she’s talking to Grandma? Do you think Uncle Joe’s okay?”

“She texted with them last night. She said that they are doing okay.”

He chuckled when Ashton took his hat off so that he could lean in to speak closer to his ear. He sobered up when heheard what the kid had to say. “Something must be going on – something not good – when everything’s okay, she makes her calls with me around.”

Tanner reached up and squeezed his arm. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. You’re fine.”

“Yeah, but is my mom?”

Tanner should have known to reassure him about Everly – the kid worried about her much more than about himself. “She is, there is nothing bad going on. Don’t worry.”

“I don’t want to, but she has lots of stuff to sort out. She’s going back to work tomorrow. She won’t let me stay home by myself, and now that Grandma’s not there…”

Tanner squeezed his eyes shut. He knew as a general concept that single parents had it tough but he hadn’t ever given it much thought. Now, he was getting an insider’s view, and he didn’t like it – not for Everly, or for Ashton.

“What stuff does she have to sort out for that?” He was supposed to be reassuring or at least distracting the kid, but now he needed to know how things were for them at home.

“I think Mel’s supposed to pick me up from school tomorrow. I think Mom has to be at work early. I think most of the week is like that, except for Wednesday. We haven’t figured out anything for Wednesday.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because Mel can’t do it. I might be able to go to Ava’s house. That’s always cool.”

“And Ava’s the one who lives on the estate – where the plane landed, right?”

“Yeah. Ava’s my best friend.”

Tanner smiled, wondering if the little girl was really his girlfriend. “How long have the two of you been friends?”

“Only since she came to our school. She was new when we were in Miss Taylor’s class. She didn’t have any friends at first, and we hung out.”

“Do you like her?”

Ashton didn’t take his question in the way he intended it. “Duh! We wouldn’t be friends if I didn’t.”

Tanner had to laugh. “True. So, what do you like about her?”

“We have a lot in common.”

“How’s that?”

“Ava’s dad didn’t want to know her when she was born – just like my dad didn’t want to know me. Then, her mom died. That’s why she came to Napa. She came to live with her Uncle Grady. They used to live close to us. That was fun. We used to hang out a lot. But then, Grady met Hannah.”

Tanner frowned to himself, wondering if Ashton had hoped that his mom might get together with this Grady character.

“And you don’t like Hannah?”

“No! I don’t mean that. Hannah’s awesome! It’s just… Ava and her Uncle Grady moved in with Hannah. And now, she’s part of their whole big family. Miss Taylor – our teacher – is with Ava’sUncle Jacob. And Ava gets to hang out with them, and her other uncle, Xander, he’s cool.”