Wrong Quarterback | ✓

6 | the runaways

The venue for the launch party is an underground bar located a stone's throw away from Main Street.

In about two hours the guests will begin to file in – and Anna, Violet and Avery have exactly that long to spruce the place up, making it worthy of the party Anna's been organizing for the past weeks.

"You've got to be kidding me," Violet and Avery snap in their heads in Anna's direction, exchanging a quick glance at the exasperated breath leaving her lips. "There's no china. At all!"

    She props her elbows up on the countertop.

"All I can find are these three bowls meant for nuts," She says, squeezing her eyes shut for a beat. "What on earth are we going to serve the food on if we don't even have any plates? Or silverware for that matter."

Violet pushes two tables together to make one and straightens up. She dusts her palms off on her trousers, carefully asking, "Why did Linda want this place again?"

"Beats me. I think this place reminds her of the theme of the novel – or something. You never heard me say this but I can't quite remember to be honest. It's a lot right now," Anna puts her palm to her forehead. "Okay, think Anna–"

    Just then the door swings open, revealing Ethan on the threshold with a cardboard box in his embrace. "You needed these?"

"Great! Thanks love," A breath of relief escapes her lips. She quickly crosses the room, motioning for him to put the box down on a table as she rummages through her purse, emerging with a ballpoint pen held between her fingers. Grabbing a napkin from the closest holder she begins to scrawl something onto it. When she's done she presses it into Avery's hands, gaze moving over to her son. "One more thing to help your mother to not completely fail this launch?"

"Do I have a choice?" Ethan's quick to hold his hands up, lips cracking into a grin. "Joking, joking. What do you need?"

"Go with Avery to get the things on that list."

At her words Avery's eyes snap to the scrawled red ink making up the list. "I think I can manage some paper plates and cutlery by myself. So if Ethan has other–"

"Nonsense. Trust me, you do not want to go on your own. Besides, Ethan's got the car," Anna says, clapping her hands together. "Okay, let's see. One hundred and four RSVP'd yes. So, let's say... 115 plates for dinner. 115 plates for dessert. The appetizers are finger food being served on trays so no need there. That should do it for plates, right? That way we have extras. And then knives, forks and spoons that'll last us for days. Oh, and maybe nicer looking napkins," She pulls her wallet out of her purse, handing Avery the T.H Publishing debit card. "Try to be back in an hour top, okay?"

♡♡♡

    "That's everything, right?"

Ethan looks from the list to the filled shopping cart. "Yeah, that's it."

A breath of relief escapes Avery's lips and she throws a glance at her watch, heart picking up speed again as she realizes they have about fifteen minutes before Anna wants them back at the bar to continue help set everything up.

She takes hold of the cold steel, stepping up onto the frame of the cart. "Let's get going then."

Ethan's brows rise but his lips curl into a small smile as he shrugs and without a word he begins to push the cart – and Avery – through the aisles towards the cashier.

Before she knows it he launches into a sprint.

Her grip tightens and she straightens up after almost falling backwards. "What are you doing?!"