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“A about your life third or fourth hand,” her mother chastised

“Yeah, so why don’t you tell us firsthand how in the devil you hooked up with a bull rider?” her father pro again “I take offense to your ter”

“I er Paulson I traveled with him on the rodeo circuit for a feeeks and he caerous job”

You don’t know the half of it

“What’s he like?” her mother asked “Because I’m sure the pictures in the papers don’t do him justice He looks buff Mysterious”

“Oh, for the love of God, Eileen, really? This is the direction you’re taking this conversation?” he deraphic details you want to share with your mama about that hot cowboy’s attributes, we’ll kick hilad as I a up” Click

Her uts because this Chase guy He’s the one, isn’t he? That’s the reason you’re keeping him to yourself”

Just like that, Ava broke down She wished she could crawl through the phone line onto her ht I’d find someone like him He’s the best friend I’ve ever had and he drives me crazy He’s bossy and so sweet that I melt whenever he touches me even when I want to scream at him I’m so in love with him it’s scary And funny And pathetic And what the hell aonna do?”

“Does he feel the same way?”

“He says he did, until… I don’t kno to explain because it still doesn’t feel wrong to , but he’s pissed off And he just left”

“Tell me what happened” After she finished, her ood way

“What?” Ava blew her nose “Am I a spoiled brat who doesn’t think of anyone but s, we’re all like that I understand why he’s upset You took so public without consulting hi yourwith him this entire time”

Ava felt like she could throw up because Chase had said that very thing “I wasn’t I love him I told him I love him And he took off anyway”

“Isn’t that callback fro for?”

“Yes, but—”

“This is his career, Ava You, of all people, should understand that If the situation were reversed? If your agent had called during the fight? What would you have done? Taken off, the sa Chase did”

“Don’t be so sure about that”

Silence “Really? Well, that’s new Tell me about it”

Ava talked about what she’d seen and experienced over the last feeeks and how it’d changed her, not only personally but career-wise It felt good to bounce ideas off her mom, because she defined savvy businesswoman