Claudia swallowed hard. “Is that so?”
“It is. And the songs Zane is credited for in their earlier years all have the same signature. Unusually poetic for a rock band. Rich in metaphor—often to do with water. The chorus explodes the same way every time,” he said. “Did you ever meet Zane’s first wife? Angela?”
She found her keys and unlocked the door. “No. Never.”
“She’s a poet. She’s published a few books of her work. Lots of water metaphors,” Jay told her, opening her car door for her. “You might want to grab a copy because if I figured it out, it won’t be long before someone like Quinn does too.”
SIENNA
“Hurry up!” Sienna shouted, leaning forward as if those extra few inches would help her voice make it to Ivy’s bedroom.
“I’m not going!”
“You are so!”
Ivy poked her head out of her door. “I hate it there. It’s depressing and weird. And I hate Dad too. He doesn’tdeserveto have us on weekends.”
Sienna groaned in frustration. If she was going to drop the girls at Zane’s, then make it to Parker’s judo tournamenton time, she had exactly five minutes to get out the door. The freeway would be clogged with rush hour traffic, so she and Parker might be late, even if they had left already. Every muscle in her body tensed up the way it did when one of her children’s needs threatened those of another. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her voice. “Ivy, please. We’ve talked about this. You can’t come with me because you’ve got too much homework and there’s nowhere quiet to do it at the tournament. After last night, I’m certainly not leaving you home alone and you’re not ready to look after Poppy for an entire weekend.”
Ivy folded her arms across her chest. “Of course I am. I’m seventeen. Lots of girls have their own children by now.”
Which was exactly why Ivy wasn’t going to stay home unsupervised. “But Poppy is not your child. She’s your sister who won’t listen to a word you say. If I leave you two alone for two nights, one of you will be dead by the time I get back. And my money’s not on you as the sole survivor.”
Scowling, Ivy said, “Are you serious? You think that little pipsqueak could do anything to me?”
Deciding to give humor a try, she offered her daughter a conspiratorial smile. “As someone who’s been woken countless times with her standing over me in her nightgown, yes, I do. She’s terrifying. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” She glanced at her watch. “Now, quick, pack a bag because we’re leaving in four minutes.”
“No, it’s not fair to make me go. Parker doesn’t have to.”
“Parker’s gotjudo,” she said, shifting back to full-on exasperated.
“But you haven’t made him go once, and we’ve had two super-depressing Dad weekends already!”
That’s it. Nice, calm, funny Mom had left the building. Sienna stormed past her daughter to her walk-in closet. Shegrabbed a carpet bag off a shelf and started filling it with random shirts and socks and underwear. “Parker is not ready to spend time with your father. He’s far too upset with him.”
“I’m far too upset with him too,” Ivy answered, rushing over and taking her shirts out of the bag. “He’s ruining all our lives, not just your precious son’s.”
Sienna grabbed the clothes out of her daughter’s hand, shocking them both. Instead of apologizing, she leaned in. “I might have let you stay alone this weekend if I didn’t know you were planning to invite Xander to sleep over!”
“It wasn’t a plan! It was a…thought,” Ivy yelled, her face turning red. “And you wouldn’t even know about it if stupid Poppy hadn’t invaded my privacy in theworst way possible!”
The night before, Poppy strolled into Ivy’s bedroom and read her diary. Then she proceeded to find Sienna in the living room (while holding the red faux leather book tucked against her chest) and asked, “Mommy, what does virginity mean and why would someone want to lose theirs?”
Ivy, who was within earshot, appeared out of nowhere. “Oh my God! You read my diary?!”
Poppy looked up at her. “You left it on your night table. And my teacher said I should start reading books for older kids, since I’m such an advanced reader. So I thought I’d give this a try.”
Ivy yanked the book out of her little sister’s hands with enough force to cause her to lose her balance. Then she lowered her face to hers and screamed, “YOU CAN’T READ OTHER PEOPLE’S DIARIES, YOU IDIOT!!”
And that was it. The night was ruined. Ivy shouting, Sienna scolding Ivy for screaming at her sister then yelling at Poppy that she wasnever to read someone’s diary again, Poppy bawling, Sienna demanding to know what she wrote abouther virginity. This was followed by Ivy crying and Sienna screaming at her that shesure as hell wasn’t going to leave her alone all weekend so she could get herself pregnantand Poppy asking how a girl could getherselfpregnant and Sienna telling her tonever mind! You don’t need to know everything already. You’re only seven!
And now, they only had two minutes until they had to be on the road. Parker appeared in the doorway, his overnight bag slung on his shoulder. He was wearing that same cold expression he’d worn ever since she ordered their silence about his half-brother. It gutted her every time she saw it, and she ached to shout that shewasn’t the one who made the mess, she was the one left to clean it all up, and besides she was doing this for him!The fact that she hadn’t yelled all this at himyet was a mini-miracle. “Hey, Mom, shouldn’t we get going?’
“Yes, please find Poppy and get in the car. We’ll be right there.”
“’Kay.” He turned and walked away, and she sighed, knowing it would be another dreadfully quiet car ride to and from San Diego.
She turned back to Ivy. “Please. I ambeggingyou. Hurry up and get in the car. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to call your father to come get you girls, and I’ll have to explain that the reason is because I’ve lost control over my family, and please, Ivy,pleasedon’t make me do that. Okay? Woman to woman, I can’t fail at the only thing I’ve ever done in life. And I certainly don’t need your father—the living legend—to know I’m failing miserably at my only job.”
