Little Lady Briana

4 Ava

Ava's wrists ached from the pressure she was putting on them – she ignored the discomfort and kept up her quick strides. Her irritation at Briana was ridiculous, she knew. Slightly nosy curiosity and an offer to help Ava pack had to be the mildest way someone had pointed out her disability. She could easily recall an endless stream of less polite examples. Briana had the good grace to look embarrassed about calling attention to Ava's crutches, too – so why am I annoyed? Something about the pixie-esque girl bothered her, probably Briana's obvious wealth. As she passed through the house's large kitchen and laundry – both of which were rooms that demanded servants to properly utilize – she sighed at herself.

The other two Rasmussens that Ava had met had been nice enough, and Briana was the perkiest of them all so far. That didn't mean that Briana's attitude could dilute the awkwardness Ava felt, as a woman of color showcasing a stunning dining room for the rich white girl who owned it – but had never eaten an meal there. Ava was still having trouble believing Briana had never been to the mansion before – did the Rasmussens have so many houses, that one of them could be in her early twenties and never have visited such an iconic place? Look at me, all focused on privilege and class. Maybe Leah rubbed off on me more than I thought.

"Here we are." Ava took a deep breath in an effort to keep her breath from sounding labored. Deliberately, she set aside her pique and her ex-girlfriend's worldview – to let herself enjoy sharing something she loved. "My favorite room in the house."

The stars in Briana's eyes were adorable. She looked around the dining room with the same mixture of awe and childish delight that Ava had felt upon first seeing the room. The dining table for ten wasn't a remarkable piece of furniture on its own, but it was adorned with beautiful green glass vases and globes. Painted the same mint-white color as the walls, the table looked at home in the center of the room, with generous space around it. Both short-walls of the rectangular room bore whimsical oak carvings of cherubs and ships in an art nouveau style. The trim was all in a sea green that was a perfect midpoint between the light walls and dark green glass. Shelves and china cabinets held many more pieces of green glass china, each of them hand-crafted pieces. The floor was simple herringboned brick with jute rugs, but its simplicity was a much needed counterpoint to the rest of the décor.

All that would have been impressive enough, but the stove and windows took the room to a level of fantasy. The ancient cast iron parlor stove was lovingly carved and still had its exhaust piped into the wall – not that Ava had been brave enough to try to light it, despite the engraved brass kettle that sat on it. A whole long wall of the room was made up of diamond-paned windows that looked out on the bay without obstruction. The water came so close to the house that all one saw of the shore were a few bushes peeking up and a bit of the dock – the rest was water. Ava had made a point of taking every breakfast in the Green Dining Room, where the view and the sound of waves let her pretend she was out at sea.

"Oh my gosh, this is spectacular!" Briana hopped on her toes in delight, scurrying around the room with an odd waddling gait. "I had no idea Grandma's house had a room like this – that her house was so beautiful."

"I have to ask – how did you not know?" Ava asked, taking a seat on a helpful dining chair that sat against the wall.

"I was just recently adopted. Last month, actually." Briana smiled shyly at Ava, revealing heart-rending dimples. "All Rasmussens are adopted – except for my dad I guess. She's the first one to marry in for ages."

That explains the black aunt and redheaded niece, Ava thought. It was her turn to look guilty, a look which she quickly converted to an apologetic smile. "I want to apologize – I misjudged you."

"Oh, me too! I mean, I didn't misjudge you, but I think I made you uncomfortable – and I didn't mean to." Briana's hopeful smile pushed her another level up the pyramid of cute. "I would have offered to help you pack even if you um – even if..."