There was silence on the other end of the phone. Ava tugged on Nathan's sleeve, giving him a look to suggest he be less blunt, but Nathan ignored it. He genuinely believed that his grandmother had completely fallen under Natalie's spell, unable to tell right from wrong. He couldn't understand what kind of charm Natalie had cast on her.
Evelyn was taken aback by Nathan's words. She had only felt sorry for Natalie and wanted Ava to help out; she hadn't thought it through beyond that. But after Nathan's blunt remarks, her face grew warm with embarrassment.
"Grandma, please don't take it to heart. Nathan didn't mean anything by it. He's not blaming you, so please don't overthink it..." Ava tried to smooth things over, but Nathan's words had been so sharp that she didn't even know where to begin.
Evelyn sighed softly. "Ava, I'd like to hear your thoughts."
