“That Ava is going with me when I go back to Houston,” Hunt said.

Birdie gasped. “As in…forever?”

“As in forever,” Ava said.

Birdie’s eyes welled. “This is awesome, and Mama would be so happy. I told Emma I thought you two were hitting it off, but I didn’t know this was happening.”

“Thanks,” Hunt said. “I think it’s pretty awesome, too.”

“This makes me even more determined to wait for my Prince Charming to come find me…whoever he may be,” Birdie said, then her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, then looked up. “It’s Ray. He never calls.”

“Then answer it,” Hunt said. “If it’s not important, just tell him you’ll call him back in a few.”

She nodded and picked up the call, speaking in an undertone so as not to disturb other diners.

“Hello.”

“Birdie! It’s me. I already talked to Emma but she acts like it doesn’t matter, and I’m worried. I don’t know what to do but I can’t just leave him out there in that shape.”

Birdie was frowning and starting to panic.

“Wait! Ray! You’re not making sense. What’s wrong, and leave who where?”

“Oh. Right! Junior disappeared. I couldn’t find him. I called and he finally answered. He’s out at Grey Goose Lake. He won’t come back to town. He kept talking about what a good brother Hunt was to us when we were little…how he took us fishing out there and all. He sounded all sad and said he was a loser. I got scared. He told me he wasn’t going to hurt himself—because he was too big of a coward to kill himself—but I don’t know if… He sounded lost. Emma acted like she didn’t care. But I care. What do you think I should do?”

Hunt could tell by the changing expressions on Birdie’s face that something was wrong.

“Oh my God, Ray. I don’t know. Do you think he’s suicidal?”

Hunt’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”

Birdie covered the phone. “It’s Ray. He’s in a panic. Junior went out to Grey Goose Lake because it’s where you used to take him and Ray fishing. Junior was talking about what a good big brother you were. He’s depressed and maybe suicidal, and Ray doesn’t know what—”

“Give me the phone,” Hunt said.

She handed it over.

“Ray, it’s me. Do you really think Junior is capable of that?”

Ray was startled that Birdie and Hunt were together. “Uh…I don’t know. But I’d never be able to live with myself if I ignored what feels like a cry for help.”

“I’ll take her out there. We’ll go talk to him,” Hunt said. “Here’s Birdie.”