“And I’m Olivia,” the other woman says smoothly, adjusting Jacob on her hip. “Ivy’s moral support.”
“And therapist.” Ivy nods. “And emergency snack provider.”
I laugh before I can stop myself.
They all look at me, curious. Warm.
“So, Delaney, right?” Ivy brightens. “You must be the new chef at Sunridge. Sloane told us you’d be coming.”
“How does everyone know about me?” I blurt.
Olivia smiles. “We like getting to know Sloane’s people. She said you needed friends. We volunteer as tribute.”
I blink. Hard.
Ivy leans in conspiratorially. “Also… gossip may have said something about Silas being suspiciously cheerful recently, ever since a specific night at The Hollow...”
Oh no.
My face burns.
How tinyisthis town?
I try to hide behind my coffee cup, but Olivia’s eyes widen. “Wait. Silas? Cheerful? What happened?
“Uh,” I say.
“Oh my goodness,” she squeals. “Tell us everything.”
“I…. no, nothing…”
“Did you hook up with him?” Savannah whispers loudly.
I choke. “What? No… well, yes, but… No, I mean, yes, but that was before…it was...”
Olivia grins like a cat. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
Ivy nods. “Silas is weird. You’ll get used to him.”
I cover my face. “Please tell me this is a dream.”
Ivy pats my wrist. “Sweetheart, I have three preschoolers and a dog with me. If this were a dream, I would be napping.”
Pickle barks.
Jacob throws a cracker at the wall.
Lucy yells, “I want milk!”
Mia sticks a sticker on my elbow.
Max tries to crawl under my chair.
And Ivy just sighs contentedly. “See? Perfectly normal.”
I cannot stop laughing.
It bubbles out of me, unexpected and warm, loosening the tightness in my chest.
