“He’d argue with Maggie about it sometimes,” she adds with a shrug.
Dad fought for me more often than I realized.Today’s misadventure was another example.
“Are those your only shoes?”
She points to the hiking boots I’m wearing.I nod, taking the prom dress from her and laying it on the bed.
“Ugh, okay.I’m off Sunday,” she says, glancing at her watch.For the first time, I realize she’s in her nurse’s scrubs.“I’ll come over, and we’ll deal with this wardrobe sitch.Okay?”
“I.I.I was wrong to leave Henry like that,” I say.“Back then.I should’ve… explained.I wish I could’ve explained.To him.To all of you.”
“I think I understand.You felt trapped, and you didn’t know what else to do.”
“Yes,” I sputter with surprise.
“It scared you—almost losing him.Did you think losing you would be better?”
I gape at my sister, stunned that she figured me out.“Yes,” I admit in a sigh.“Better for me.I needed a chance.I couldn’t get that here.”
“I understand.Then, this might be a second chance for all of us.”Ivy’s hand goes to my back in soft circles again as I hover over the useless dress.“You’ve been all over the world, done things I can’t even imagine.No one is braver than you, Venus.You should lean into that more.Be brave for yourself.And for him, if you think he’s worth it, huh?”
I nod weakly, and she smiles, but a glance at her watch causes her to wince.
“Sorry, sis.Gotta get back, but I’ll see you Sunday.Deal?”
“Thanks, Ivy.”
She leans up and gives me a smacking kiss on my cheek.“That’s what sisters are for, and I’m determined to remind you.”
Then, she leaves.
Sitting on my bed with the dress in my lap, I mull over her words.By typical standards, it seems brave to pick up a snake or sleep in a jungle.But those are things I understand, things that are easy for me.How brave am I really if I can’t face who I am and what I’ve done?If all I do is run?
I remember Henry coming to the greenhouse, ashamed and upset about how he’d shared our intimacy with Brock and how the story spread, entangling me in it.I told Henry the truth—I didn’t care.I didn’t regret what we did, either.I would’ve been with him regardless of the aftermath, would’ve suffered through any assault on my character, would’ve forgiven him anything.
I only wonder if he could ever forgive me.
CHAPTER11
Henry
I rush through the museum,rehearsing what I might say to Venus in my head and worried that I might lose my nerve between here and the fairy house.
How do you calmly and reasonably demand an explanation from the woman who not only broke your heart but forever rendered it partially inoperable?
And if I manage to ask, will her answer hurt worse than not knowing?
Hours have passed since Venus left, but I’m still so consumed with thoughts of her that I don’t notice the work still being done.Dot and Marnie pop up from the display case they’re working on and stop me like a wall before I can slip through the hall to the main door.
“Henry, wait,” Marnie says.
“I didn’t realize you were still here.Sorry, I have to go out,” I say.
“Yeah, you do,” Dot smirks like she knows exactly where I’m headed.
“You’ll want to see this first.”Marnie hands me a hurried sketch that makes my heart skip a beat, and my lungs tighten.
The black-ink drawing shows Venus, perched on a barstool and staring into a drink at a docked tiki bar—a place I’ve seen not far from the museum.She appears to be waiting… waiting for me.
