“What do you mean?”
“That company my son works for is another family. I know a lot of places say they have a work family, but it’s different for the McKay-Taggart people. So many of them didn’t have a place to go, didn’t have family who loved them or truly understood them. They made their own. I’ve found that for some that lasts for a few years, but it’s been over a decade. They’ll be family all of their lives, and it’s given their children something they wouldn’t have had without them. Sophy has grown up with sisters and brothers. They simply aren’t blood. I often wonder if Michael feels more at home with them than he does with us.”
It was said with a wistfulness that made Vanessa’s heart ache. “He talks about you a lot. You and your husband and JT.”
Ava’s lips turned up but not quite in the same high wattage as before. “I’m glad. He’s been distant lately.”
“I think that’s more about his wedding falling apart than anything.” She’d put a few things together over the last week. Michael didn’t talk about his ex-fiancée, but he did talk about calling off the wedding. He told her it had been for the best, but the way he said it made her think. It was also there in the way he talked about his twin brother and his family. “I think it bothers him that JT has a family of his own and it hasn’t happened for him. I know he made choices that made their paths diverge, but he loves his brother.”
“You’ve made a study of him. That’s very astute of you.”
She wasn’t sure that was a good thing. Ava might think she was making a study of her son so she could take him for everything he had. It might be best to be upfront about their relationship and herself. It was likely why Ava had sent Sophy out. She was about to get a very polite warning off from this lovely woman in front of her. “I’m not interested in your son for his money. I didn’t realize he had money when I met him, and honestly, the money is something I would like to stay away from.”
“The money is a part of who Michael is.” The kettle started to sing, and Ava shut off the stove, transferring the water into the teapot.
“He’s more than money. I was surprised when I found out his family was wealthy. He’s a very hard worker.” She felt herself flush. She shouldn’t have put it that way. “Not that wealthy people don’t work hard. Many of them do.”
“And many of them don’t,” Ava replied in her crisp British accent. “I wasn’t implying Michael is dependent on his family’s money. I was saying he comes from it, and it’s part of who he is. I grew up in a wealthy world. I’ve found we tend to come in two types. My parents were the first. Money was everything to them. Money, and more importantly, their place in society. Meeting my husband was a revelation. He didn’t care at all what a person’s family history was. He cared about the person in front of him. He judged a man or woman on their character and not how closely placed they were to a throne. My husband’s family has had money since the 1800s. He never wanted for anything, but he also understood that the money he was surrounded by didn’t make him better or worse than any other person, merely luckier in some ways since he hadn’t been the one to make the money. He taught me to become a caretaker of the wealth we’ve been given. Part of caretaking is giving away a decent portion of it.”
“Michael told me you do a lot of charity work.”
“I do. I find it very satisfying, and not merely in a fund-raising way,” Ava explained. “I like to donate time as well. I live in a rural community. Getting out and helping is a part of the way of life out there.”
“I used to love working in this soup kitchen in inner-city LA. It made me feel good to get in there and actually help.” Right up to the moment she realized her presence was doing harm because the press would follow her inside.
Ava put a teacup and saucer in front of her. “You would like to do some work with addiction, right? Michael mentioned something about your plans. Could you tell me about them?”
This felt far too good to be true, and there was a part of her that wanted to push and prod until she got this nice bubble to burst. Because it would.
But she thought about the fact that Michael was right outside, and he’d brought his mom back here. He’d kissed her in front of his brother. He wasn’t hiding their relationship.