Starting Now (Blossom Street #9)(64)

“I … I don’t go outside much anymore. It’s better that way.”

Libby had worried that that was the case. The girl was locked up in her room most of the time anyway. This couldn’t be mentally healthy.

“Can you come see me on Monday?” Ava asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Are you taking the vitamins I gave you?” Libby asked.

“Yes, and I’m not adding salt to my food, either.”

“Good.”

“I try not to eat much at all.”

“Oh, Ava, you need to take in enough food to make sure you and your baby are healthy.” The fact that she was so afraid of eating was another worry. “Is there anything I can bring you?” She’d gotten Ava a book on pregnancy and some magazines to read. Ones she knew the teenager would enjoy. Casey had sent along a few books, too. Apparently Ava spent most of her time in her room reading.

“Could you get me some books from the library?” she asked, again in a hushed voice.

“Of course. I’ll be by after ten.” Ava’s grandmother was sure to have left for work by then.

“Thank you,” the teenager whispered, sounding close to tears.

“Ava,” Libby said, feeling she needed to offer the girl some reassurances. “Everything will work out. Don’t worry, okay? We’ll talk more on Monday, but until then know that I’m your friend and I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“I miss you and Casey and …” Ava started to cry and then abruptly cut the connection.

Libby felt dreadful for the teenager. Poor Ava. Contacting Child Protective Services had been the only way Libby could think to help her. Ava needed to see a doctor. It astonished Libby that the girl’s grandmother couldn’t see that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was becoming more obvious all the time despite Ava’s attempts to hide it.

Libby wondered if Ava’s brother had figured it out, but he seemed far more interested in playing basketball than he was in his sister. And then there was the neighbor boy. Libby grew more and more suspicious that he was the baby’s father. It certainly made sense. Ava seemed to care for whoever had fathered this child and was intent on protecting his identity. Anytime Libby brought up the subject, the young teen clammed up.

Libby’s Saturday started off with an unexpected phone call, and the one she expected didn’t come until much later. At ten, Libby got tired of waiting and phoned Robin’s cell. The phone instantly went to voice mail. Apparently Robin had been out late. Really late.

She tried again at noon and got the same result. Well, okay. She’d wait for Robin to get in touch with her. That didn’t happen until almost six o’clock Saturday night.

“It seems like you and the judge had a great time,” Libby teased.

“It was all right.” Obviously Robin was determined to play it down.

“What time did you get home?” she asked.

“Early. Eleven or so.”

Libby had left at about ten-fifteen, ten-thirty, so Robin and Roy must not have stayed much longer.

“We talked a little.” Robin didn’t sound all that enthused. Perhaps the judge had been a disappointment, but that surprised Libby. He seemed charming and likable.

“Are you seeing him again?” Libby was unsure how much to pressure Robin for information. Naturally she was curious, but she didn’t want to appear overly nosy.

“I … I don’t know.”

“He didn’t ask?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Maybe the evening hadn’t gone as well as she believed. “Do you want to get together for a movie tomorrow?”

“Maybe. Can I call you?”

“Sure.” Libby couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Clearly something was up, but she couldn’t imagine what. “If I don’t hear from you, then I’ll see you at the gym on Monday.”

“Oh, yeah, right. See you Monday.”

Robin sounded terribly depressed, and frankly Libby wasn’t in the best of spirits herself. She longed to ask what had gone wrong but hesitated, not wanting to overstep. “Do you want to talk?” she asked, hoping a little encouragement would help Robin to open up.

“Not now,” her attorney friend muttered. “Maybe later, all right?”

“Of course. I’m here if you need me.” Libby understood. She wasn’t in the mood to discuss the fact that she’d seen Phillip with some gorgeous woman draped all over him. She tried to guess what might have gone wrong for Robin and her judge and suspected that Robin had frozen up again. The poor girl had it bad.

Libby didn’t hear from Robin on Sunday and she didn’t show up at the gym on Monday morning, either. Phillip did, but Libby pretended not to notice. She caught him looking at her once but she quickly looked away, determined to ignore him. Clearly he’d moved on and pride demanded that she give the same impression.

At ten sharp Libby was parked outside of Ava’s house. As soon as she turned off the engine, Ava appeared in the doorway. She raised her hand in greeting. Libby climbed out of the car and brought in the bag of books and a fruit smoothie from the gym. She’d kept it in the freezer at home before driving to Ava’s so it was still cold.

To her surprise, Ava hugged her tightly once they were inside the house. The dear girl trembled and buried her face in Libby’s shoulder. They sat down together so close their knees touched.