“Hmm, does this wardrobe revamp have to do with Henry?”
“Well, maybe Henry likes me in dresses, but so do I.They have their… conveniences.”
Ivy pulls into a parking space in front of the store with a squeal of the tires and twists in her seat.“What conveniences, exactly?”
“Henry and I are spending the summer together,” I redirect.“He wants a second chance, and he hopes I’ll stay at the end of it.”
“HENRY SAID THAT?”she yells.
“Yes.”
Ivy bangs her hands against the steering wheel, but when that doesn’t do enough for her excitement, she jumps out of the car and dances in the empty space beside her.She wiggles her hips and turns in a circle.Another snort-laugh bellows from me.
She waves me toward her.“Get over here, sister!”
I obey, deciding that it must be true—excitement is contagious.But maybe this is what sisters do—normal sister things.Sisters dance in parking lots.
She takes my hand and twirls me around, which is awkward because I’m taller than she is.Then, she tugs me to her for a weird dip that sends my hair flying backward to the concrete.Laughing, she pulls me up into a warm embrace.
“I love that,” she whispers, holding on to me.“I love Henry for you.Do you think being with Henry for the summer will convince you to stay permanently?”
“I don’t know,” I say, honestly.
“Do you want to?”
“I want to… enjoy the summer,” I answer cautiously.
Her head tilts, and her hands rest on her hips.“What are you so worried about?What’s wrong with falling in love and living happily ever after?”
“Happily ever after doesn’t exist for me.I hurt people, Ivy.I nearly killed Henry once.Remember?”
Her features soften.“It was an accident.Don’t you know that?”
“An accident thatIcaused.I turned a sweet moment into a near-tragedy.I wasn’t thinking.”
“No one’sreallythinking at eighteen, but I understand how traumatic that was.You still don’t trust yourself, but that was ages ago, and it wasn’t your fault,” she says gently.“It’s normal to feel scared.Loveisscary.Especially at the beginning, with the nerves and uncertainty.Those feelings will settle, though, and then it turns into the most amazing thing ever.”
“It looks amazing on you,” I admit, and she beams.“But it’s an overwhelming prospect.I feel safer traipsing through jungles and hanging off the sides of mountains because, there, I can’t hurt anyone else but me.”
“I hate that you feel that way,” she says, dragging her hand down my arm.“Because it hurts more when you’re away from us.”
“Thank you.It, um, it hurts me, too.I’ve missed you and Dad more than I expected.I’ll take your advice under consideration.”
“Excellent.That’s a smart move.”She loops her arm in mine, pulling me to the storefront.“For now, though, let’s shop!”
I end up with six additional outfits plus accessories, including something Ivy says will be perfect for “date night.”We stop by the nursery to pick up the pesticide.I avoid the plant clearance section, keeping my head down as I pay and return to Ivy in the car.Then, she takes me to an Asian fusion restaurant for dinner.It’s tucked into the corner of a strip mall, but its facade is lined with gorgeous palms, Japanese myrtles, and bamboo plants, inviting us inside.We’re seated in a side room with bright, spring green walls covered in gold-framed art, primarily portraits, some nude, and I can’t stop staring at them.
“How is Gil?How’s coupling going?”I say, piecing the questions together awkwardly.
She snickers at my attempt.“I’m so glad you asked.I want us to move in together.Rephrase—I wanthimto move in withme.My place is spacious, close to the hospital, and Buster has his backyard to play in.There’s an extra office for Gil to set up all his monitors and desk toys—it’s perfect.”
“Have you asked him?”
Her shoulders sag.“Two things are holding me back.First, he’s so close with his family.Like super-close.Game nights, dinners, soccer matches.Tripp Family Farm might as well be their compound for how often they’re all together there.Gil still lives in his parents’ basement, and I doubt that’ll change without a damn good reason.That kind of closeness is beautiful but not what we’re used to.”
“Yes, but it’s what we aspire to in some ways, I think.The closeness, not the dependency.”
She nods.“Yes, good point.I believe Gil prefers Seagrove, and, honestly, I don’t.It’s too small, too quiet, and the only good shopping is at a quaint convenience store called the G&G.Ineeda decent mall, Vee.”
