Gabe never relaxed at her family home. Her mom and dad were always welcoming. They had a ton of family that peppered her with questions about marriage and the future. Gabe always looked slightly out of place until her dad asked him to go look at something in his workshop.
At Christmas Dinner this year, she excused herself and went for a walk around the neighbourhood, being there without Gabe hurt.
She hadn’t exactly told her parents she had broken up with Gabe. Ivy figured telling her parents wouldn’t be quite the truth, so she justified not bringing it up. She told her family that Gabe was on a job.
Ivy rested her head on the steering wheel for a moment. She hoped this would be quick. Mr. Wilder took forever to pay her, and it was starting to feel like she was working for more than she was getting paid. But she didn’t have any other options. She had a mortgage and rent to pay. Following the directions Bethany sent to her phone, she passed runners and hikers on the path.
“No,” Ivy breathed, catching sight of Bethany. The influencer had some bad ideas but standing on a paddleboard under the Lions Gate Bridge topped them. Signage along the shoreline told paddleboarders and kayakers not to enter this part of the water.
“Hi, Ivy! Come on in and take a few pics of me!”
As Ivy got closer, she saw Bethany holding a pair of golden shoes. She swayed on the paddleboard, fighting for her balance.
Groaning, Ivy kicked off her shoes and waded into her knees. Ivy pulled out her phone and quickly took a few pics, zooming in on Bethany’s hands.
“Come back to shore!” Ivy called.
“In a minute! Isn’t this going to look amazing?”
You couldn’t beat the background, the still water, the sharpness of the bridge’s slope. Ivy had to concede Bethany’s risk would lead to more followers, and that’s the goal when you’re an influencer.
And she needed to eat.
“Woot!” Bethany shouted, raising her hands above her head.
“Bethany!” Ivy screamed, watching as her client landed headfirst on her paddleboard. Like a pebble skipping on the water, the shoes took two delicate tumbles, floated for a second and sunk.
“The shoes!” Bethany screamed. Straddling the paddleboard, she tried to reach for them.
“Ivy, get them!”
The cool water of the Burrard Inlet hit her thighs, and Ivy gasped. She caught one shoe by the strap.
“It’s over there!” From her perch on the paddleboard, Bethany pointed behind her.
Over here, the water rose to Ivy’s waist. Her teeth started chattering. She grabbed the shoe and marched back to the shore.
God, she couldn’t believe this was her life.
“Hey! You left me,” Bethany said.
“I’m cold,” Ivy said. She held out the sodden pair of shoes.
“I don’t want those. They’re ruined! You are going to have to tell the company. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made you pay for them.”
“I didn’t take them in the water!”
“Whatever. I’ll tell them it was my brilliant PR Strategist’s idea. They’ll send you the bill. And Ivy? I don’t like how you still have that bandage on your face. It’s been like four days. I don’t want to work with you anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t feel that you are good for my confidence,” Bethany said.
The influencer flipped her highlighted hair over her shoulder, threw the paddleboard down on the sand, and walked away.
Ivy looked toward her old condo. Her old life. Why did things keep getting worse?
The halls of the apartment building were quiet for once, except for the music blaring from their apartment.
