Good graces

Although Derek wasn’t the type to care about people’s opinions about him, Ava’s parents weren't just ‘people.’ They were important to her, and so he cared about impressing them.

This was why he did not like the fact that he hadn’t been prepared to meet them the previous night and he wasn’t looking his best when he met them.

He decided to remedy that the following afternoon when he went to drop off Harper from school at Ava’s place by going home early from work, freshening up, and making sure to look as dapper as he always looked.

He also came along with a gift for everyone that he hoped they would like. Sometimes, he ran into people who got offended when he tried to get them gifts because they probably felt that he was calling them poor.

He hoped to high heavens that Ava’s family wouldn’t be those types of people. He simply enjoyed giving people stuff, whether they could afford it on their own or not, and he had brought gifts for Ava's family because it was the polite thing to do.

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