Winter Storms Read Free Page A

to get away.”
    â€œI’m so sorry,” Ava says.
    â€œBut enough about me,” Potter says with a grin. “What do
you
think of me?”
    Ava laughs. She thinks he’s charming and smart, and she loves that he brought his grandfather on vacation.
    â€œJust kidding,” he says. “I want to hear about Ava.”
    â€œWe’d have to sail to Cuba and back,” she says.
    He says, “I like complicated women. But just start by answering me this: Are you single?”
    â€œNo,” she says. “I have two serious boyfriends.” She is embarrassed by how absurd this sounds. “I love them both. I can’t decide between them.”
    â€œWell, you know what that means,” Potter says.
    â€œWhat?”
    He winks at her.
    By the time Ava and Potter pull the boat back onto the shore, Ava has a fresh perspective: There are men everywhere—cute and smart and successful and available. Her choices aren’t limited to Nathaniel and Scott.
    She really likes Potter, for example.
    â€œDo you want to meet for a drink later?” she asks.
    â€œIt’s our last night,” Potter says. “I think I’d better keep it just me and Gibby.”
    â€œOh,” Ava says. “All right.” She feels a little… stung. How is this possible? She’s been alone with this guy for only an hour. She wonders if she said something that turned him off. Possibly the thing about two serious boyfriends.
    She hastens back to the infinity pool, where she finds Margaret lying on her chaise, eyes at half-mast. Ava is very proud of her mother. She works at her laptop for only an hour in the early morning, and she calls Drake every night before bed. Margaret is nothing if not disciplined, and on this trip she has been very disciplined about relaxing.
    â€œHow was the sail?” she asks. “Helpful?”
    â€œSort of,” Ava says.
    That night, Margaret and Ava wander down the beach to a place called Straw Hat, where all of the chandeliers are made of straw hats. It’s the most charming thing Ava has ever seen, although she wonders when the hats will catch fire.
    Ava drinks too much at dinner and starts to cry. “How did you know about Dad?” she asks Margaret. “How did you know he was the one you wanted to marry?”
    â€œI was young and in love,” Margaret says. “I didn’t think about it. When he asked, of course I said yes. Kelley was amazing. He’s still amazing. We wanted all the same things. We wanted careers in New York, we wanted a brownstone on the Upper East Side, we wanted three or four children. And guess what? We got everything we wanted, but we couldn’t handle it. One of us had to give in, to concede, and that ended up being your father.” Margaret takes a sip of wine. “A better question was how I decided about Drake, because I was very unsure for a long time. But then I realized that all marriages are a leap of faith. You love as hard as you can, you try to think of the other person first, and you hope for the best.”
    â€œWhat does it mean that I can’t pick between them?” Ava says. “I like them both exactly the same amount, but for different reasons.”
    Margaret smiles. “I think it means you should keep your options open.”
    Ava and Margaret decide to have a nightcap at the bar at the hotel—and there, sitting alone, is Potter.
    â€œActually,” Margaret says, “I should call Drake. He has an early surgery tomorrow.”
    â€œThen I’ll head up to the room,” Ava says. “I don’t want to sit here by myself.” But at that instant, Potter sees Ava and waves hello. Or maybe he’s waving her over; Ava can’t tell.
    â€œI’ll just say good night now,” Margaret says. “I’ll see you in the morning, sweetheart.”
    Ava watches her mother leave the bar and she nearly follows her out, but in another second,