“So, you’re seeing someone?”
“Um…” Ivy hums, trying to think of a lie but it’s already too late.
“Who is he?”
My phone buzzes and I sneak it out of my pocket while Dottie's gaze is locked on Ivy.
Chance:
What is it that’s holding you back?
I look across the table where Ivy is pushing her food around on her plate and trying her best to dodge Dottie’s questions before blowing out a breath. There is no way in hell I’m ready to tell him about why I am the way I am. The truth is I barely know him, no matter how good it feels to talk to him and flirt with him.
Me:
Holding me back from what?
“Good gracious, girl. Just tell me,” Dottie exclaims and Ivy sighs, peeking up from her plate. She knows her time has run out and she has no other option than to spill her guts.
“Julian Henshaw.”
Dottie is quiet for a moment then recognition dawns on her face and the sober look in her eyes spells out disaster for my sister. “I see. And how did you meet him?”
“We met at a charity thing Mother dragged me to and then we kept running into each other.”
Dottie’s face remains tight and Ivy sets her fork down, reaching across the table to lay her hand on Dottie’s.
“I know what you're thinking, Auntie, and I thought the same when I first met him but he’s different. He’s not like Mother.”
“I don’t like it,” Dottie says, pursing her lips and Ivy’s face falls. I know that this was Ivy’s biggest fear, but Dottie has every right to feel the way she does. She’s known our mother since she was a teenager and she watched her change because of her greed. My phone buzzes and I slip it out as Ivy pleads her case.
Chance:
Us.
Me:
There is no us. I just met you a week ago.
I barely know you.
“Please, Dottie. Just give him a chance and you’ll see he’s not like the rest of them. He’s kind and considerate and humble.”
Dottie shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Ivy, but I don’t like this. You can’t trust those people. The money, it goes to their heads and corrupts them.”
“Aren’t you the one that taught me not to judge anyone and now you’re casting judgment on a man you don’t even know,” Ivy fires back, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Look at how money changed your mother and look what her leaving did to your daddy. He lost his entire world to her need for wealth and then he lost his life. Look at what those little shits did to your sister. They’re all the same.”
Our mother moved to New Orleans when she was ten years old and three years later, she met our father. The way Aunt Dottie tells it, it was love at first sight and they were inseparable. She said you’d never seen two people more perfect for each other than they were and they got married as soon as our mother turned eighteen. Things between them were good, great, for a long time and then they weren’t. I have no idea what changed and my mother refuses to talk about it at all but as far as Dottie is concerned, money was at the root of it all. I glance up just as a tear falls down Ivy’s face and I suck in a breath as my phone buzzes again. My heart aches but I’m thankful for the distraction as I pull up his text.
Chance:
Hence the date. Just give me a shot.
I’m a nice guy.
My first reaction is to immediately tell him no, but I can’t even make myself type the words. Blowing out a quiet breath, I stare down at the phone for a second before replying.
Me:
I’ll think about it.
“I know you think he’s different but how long have you really known him?”
“Four months,” Ivy mumbles.
“Good heavens, girl. Anyone can lie for four damn months. You don’t know this man at all and you have no idea what his intentions are.”
More tears stream down my sister’s face and my stomach knots, wishing I could make this easier but I know better than to cross Dottie, especially when she’s just trying to protect us. Plus, that little voice in my head agrees with her. Four months is no time at all and it would be so easy for Julian to trick her into moving in with him before she knows who he is. I’ve also never seen her happier but what do I know? My experience with relationships is minimal and even that’s pushing it.
“I know him. He loves me, Dottie, and he treats me better than anyone else I’ve ever been with.”
Dottie shakes her head. “Sweetie, it’s so easy to be the perfect man for four months when you’re not living with someone. You’ve never seen him angry or scared. You don’t know how he reacts when he’s stressed out. These are things you should know.”
“We are living together,” Ivy declares and Dottie pulls her hand away, staring across the table at my baby sister in shock but I see the pain in her eyes, the worry she’ll lose someone else she loves.
“You can’t… what are you thinking? I will not allow this to continue!”
Ivy gasps and blinks at Dottie in shock. “You can’t stop me. I’m an adult and I can make my own choices.”
“I do not accept this,” Dottie says, almost like she’s talking to herself and I can’t imagine how hard this is for her.
Ivy stands up from the table and tosses her napkin down as she locks eyes with Dottie. Tears stream down her face and the pain in her eyes kills me. I hate seeing my baby sister like this. “I love you, Aunt Dottie, and I really hope you change your mind.”
Without another word, she storms out of the house, slamming the door behind her and my eyes burn with unshed tears as I look over at Dottie. She meets my eyes and shakes her head.
“Help her. Make her see. Those people will only hurt her.”
A single tear slips down my cheek and Dottie stands without waiting for my reply. I watch her disappear down the hallway before standing and setting my napkin down on the table. Her bedroom door slams shut and I’m sure she’s crying but Dottie would never admit that to me. She doesn’t let anyone see her pain. My phone buzzes and I pull it out with a shaky breath as I turn away from the hallway.
Chance:
That’s all I’m asking.
I scoff and slip the phone back in my pocket. No, that’s not what he’s asking at all. I can’t help but feel like he’s asking me to hand over my fragile heart and hope he doesn’t take a sledgehammer to it.
Chapter Five
Carly
My mind is a mess today. Between Dottie and Ivy’s fight, Chance trying to get me to go out with him, and the date I’ve been avoiding all day, I’m about to fall apart. Blowing out a breath as I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and stare out at the road in front of me, I focus on the fight between Dottie and Ivy. It’s the most manageable problem of the three.
Dottie has always been the one person in this world who is there for us no matter what and we’ve never argued with her—not seriously, anyway—so it feels weird to know Ivy and Dottie aren’t speaking. I hate the tension. I may not be the one fighting with Dottie, but I’m still stuck in the middle, trying to repair the rift in our family. It’s especially hard when I think they both have valid points. Dottie shouldn’t have reacted so strongly without at least meeting Julian first, but Ivy has to see where she’s coming from. Our mother’s greed and desire for status destroyed our father until he felt like he had nothing left anymore and Dottie lost her brother so suddenly. It’s hard to heal from that.