She’s too prideful.
Catherine is getting visibly agitated, and I don’t blame her. She cares for her mother and wants the best for her, and Rose is doing nothing to help herself. I feel frozen watching this all unfold. I’m still trying to comprehend all of the information being thrown around.
“I will not kick Ivy out on the streets. We have a lease agreement. And I wouldn’t do that to her even if we didn’t,” Rose goes on.
I need to not be here. I need to find somewhere else to live. I’ll panic and freak out about this later, but right now? I need to lie through my fucking teeth to unburden one of my closest friends for her own good.
I clear my throat, and all three women whip their heads in my direction.
Oh god, Ivy what are you doing?
“Actually, I have a solution.” I look at Rose, and force a smile to my face. She looks skeptical—rightfully so.
Steeling myself, I straighten my shoulders and go for it. “Wes actually asked me to move into his house to be a full time nanny for Delilah.”
Rose looks shocked at my announcement. Her surprised expression quickly morphs into one of suspicion. I ignore it, and charge on. “Yeah, he’s going to be super busy at work, and his schedule is going to be unreliable for a while. He just asked me yesterday, and I was coming home to talk to you about it. He wants me to move in ASAP. I hoped you wouldn’t mind if I moved out, but still paid my rent here.”
“No need to pay rent, I’ll cover that cost,” Catherine interjects, an urgency in her voice, like she’s grateful for the lifeline I’m throwing her.
“Ivy, if you’re lying I will–”
“Tan my hide, yeah yeah,” I joke, hoping it will throw her off my trail.
“See, Mom? It’ll all work out. Tara will move into the studio. You won’t need to worry about the cost, or theloss of rent Ivy pays. Please, Mom. I’m begging.” Catherine looks at Rose with pleading eyes.
I look too, heart pounding, realizing I don’t have anywhere to live. I’ll just have to look around town for new places to rent. I’ll need to be stealth, so word doesn’t get out to Rose. It would break her heart, and she would undoubtedly kill me.
“Fine. But Tara gets the boot until Ivy is ready to move out,” Rose barks.
“I’m actually leaving tonight,” flies out of my mouth.
That’s not exactly what I had planned but it just slipped out.
“Great.” Catherine looks so relieved.
Rose looks pissed.
“Are you going to be okay?” I ask Rose quietly. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”
“Stop it right now. I will be back on my feet in no time, just you watch. Then the apartment is yours whenever you need it again. Got it?” Rose demands, not asks.
I look at her, and feel my nose start to tingle. She gave me a place to start over. She was my friend when I had no one. I will forever be indebted to her. She helped bring me back to life.
“Got it.” My voice cracks.
Rose grabs my hand, and gives it a tight squeeze, shaking it for emphasis. “Tenant or not, you are still my Ivy. Okay?” Her voice is stern and comforting, leaving no room for argument. Like she knows I need to hear it.
“Okay,” I choke out.
“Right. Well, Tara, hit the bricks until Ivy is ready,” Rose orders, popping our heartfelt bubble and making Catherine groan.
“I just need a few hours and I’ll be out of your hair.” I stand, wipe under my eyes, and make my way to the door. I turn and point at Rose, a bit of humor in my tone, but I mean every word. “And don’t think you’ve gotten rid of me. I’m still letting myself in whenever I please.”
“Yeah, yeah, go on,” Rose says and waves me off.
Four hours later I have everything I own in the backseat and trunk of my car. The apartment came furnished so Tara had everything she needed. Catherine thanked me profusely, and I hugged Rose for a long, long time. I know it’s not goodbye forever, but it feels like the end of an era. I got back on my feet there. I healed there.
As I pull out of Rose’s neighborhood, I’m wracking my brain of what to do, where to go. While I was packing, I went through all of my options—turns out, they’re grim. I was going to call Sophie, but she only has a one bedroom little bungalow, and her vintage couch is essentially plywood. Plus, she would just tell Wes I was crashing on her couch, and I definitely don’t want him to know.
