Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I could get used to the sound of seagulls in the morning,” Nora said as she gripped her coffee mug on the porch swing the next day, a new novel nestled in the folds of her yellow sundress that was spread across the seat.
She’d slept surprisingly soundly, and waking early without an alarm had restored her. Excitement over the days ahead must have propelled them because both she and Gram had come into the kitchen before dawn. They’d made coffee and sat out on the porch until the sun had made its way past the horizon. Then they got dressed and took their books out to the porch swing to enjoy the cool breeze coming off the water.
Nora’s laptop and cell phone had been in the living room since last night, and she’d not even touched them. She couldn’t even believe she’d bothered to pack her computer. There was no need for any communication with the outside world, and she was just fine with that. She had everything she needed right here.
Gram closed her novel around her finger and peered out at the Gulf. “That view makes the whole world go away, doesn’t it?”
Nora set her novel and mug on the small table next to the swing, fluffed her dress, and leaned against the outdoor pillows, closing her eyes. “It’s amazing how quickly the real world disappears. It’s almost instantaneous.” She wriggled into a more comfortable position and rearranged the cushions behind her back, the swing shimmying with her movement. “What time do you want to go into the villages today?”
“Maybe around eleven and then we can spend the later afternoon swimming? What do you think?”
Nora turned her face toward the sun, the warmth of it making her skin tingle. “That’s a great idea. And I’d like to go for a walk on the beach before heading out.”
“That sounds divine.” Gram took a drink from her mug. “I might not be able to keep up with you the entire way, but I’ll definitely walk down to the water and?—”
They were interrupted by a sound at the front of the bungalow.
“What was that?” Nora asked, sharpening her hearing.
With the sound of the waves, it was hard to be sure, but they had both heard something. Then, Nora thought she’d heard it again.
“Was that a knock at the door?” Gram asked.
“I doubt it. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Who would be out this way?”
Knock, knock .
Gram’s eyebrows pulled together as she tipped her head toward the screen door between them and the house. “Well, something’s blowing in the wind at least. We should probably secure it.”
“I’ll go see what it is,” Nora offered.
She got up and went inside just as another knock came through from the front of the cottage. She peered through a window and froze at what was in the driveway: Ivy’s beat-up, old car. Nora flung open the door to find the girl in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a concert T-shirt, with no makeup and her pink hair pulled back into a ponytail. A canvas bag was slung over her shoulder and an old suitcase covered in stickers sat at her feet.
“I’m so sorry. I know you’re on vacation…” Ivy’s gaze dropped to her combat boots.
Nora took a step back. “Come inside.” She ushered the girl into the kitchen.
“I can’t live with my dad. I thought about going home to Fair Hope, but everyone there would send me back to him, and I didn’t know where else to go.” She locked eyes with Nora. “I don’t have anyone who understands.”
The real world collided with this dream world, and Nora forced herself back into counselor mode. “Let me get you something to drink. Want a cup of water? Juice?”
“Do I smell coffee? I need some. I’ve been driving all night.” Ivy stifled a yawn.
“I can make some.”
The back screen door opened, and Gram walked in. “I thought I heard talking.” She offered a questioning glance to Nora.
“Gram, this is Ivy Ryman. Ivy says she can’t live with her father, and she drove here.” Nora rinsed out the coffee pot and refilled it with water before pouring it into the reservoir. “How did you know where I was?”
“Remember the sheet with the rental information that was on your desk? I knocked it off and it went under the shelf in your office.” Ivy climbed onto one of the stools at the small counter.
“Yes.”
“After school, I came back to your room and grabbed it when the custodian was sweeping the floor. I got it in case I needed to get in touch with you over the summer. I figured I might because my dad doesn’t have a clue how to be a parent.” She put her elbows on the table and picked at her fingernail, frustration evident in her pout. “I knew it was nuts to crash my school counselor’s vacation, so I folded up the paper and shoved it into my dresser drawer, not planning to actually use it unless there was an emergency. I thought if things got stupid, I’d get the number and call or something.”
Nora pulled a mug down from the cabinet. “How long was the drive?”
“Seven hours. I left around midnight. I waited for Dad to go to his side of the house. He went into his office to work on some songs.”
“At midnight?” Gram asked.
“That’s when he does his best work, he says.”
Nora filled the coffeemaker with grounds and hit the button.
“While he was working, I snuck out through the side entrance, got in my car, and left,” Ivy said.
“So your dad still thinks you’re in your bedroom?” Nora asked.
Ivy nodded.
“Gram, do you mind pouring Ivy a cup of coffee? I’ll be right back.”
Ivy jumped to her feet. “Don’t tell him I’m here.”
But Nora was already halfway to the living room before Ivy had finished her plea. She grabbed her phone. She could see she’d already missed a text from Blaze, asking if she’d seen Ivy.
“Don’t call him.” Ivy surfaced at the doorway to the living room.
“Ivy, I have to. He’s your legal guardian, and he needs to know where you are.” She clutched her phone and walked over to the girl. “But I promise, I’ll try to help with whatever it is you’re going through.”
Gram summoned Ivy back into the kitchen, and Nora called Blaze. He answered, his voice sounding as if he were on speaker phone.
“Hello, I got your text,” she said. “Ivy’s here.”
“I’m on my way now. At around three in the morning I looked up from my work and went to check on her. I guess I had a hunch that something was off. Her bedroom was empty, so I checked her location on my phone. She was halfway to Florida. I’ve been following her route. I’ve got about four more hours or so. The traffic’s picked up.”
“Okay, well, take your time. She’s here with us and safe. I’ll let her get comfortable, and when you get here we’ll figure out what to do next.”
When she got off the call, Nora joined Ivy and Gram in the kitchen.
Ivy looked up from her mug apprehensively. “What did he say?”
“He’s on his way.”
“Ugh.” Ivy slumped and rolled her eyes. “Why?”
“Because he cares about you.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Ivy said through gritted teeth. “I’m just another task that he has to fit into his schedule.”
“He worked in his office until three in the morning and then realized you were gone. He’s been driving since then—I doubt very seriously he’s slept at all. That doesn’t sound like he’s fitting you into his schedule. He cares about your wellbeing enough to risk his life driving on no sleep.”
Ivy rolled her eyes.
“Did something prompt this?” Nora asked.
Ivy blew a breath of frustration through her lips. “He gave me a summer schedule, and every hour of every day was full. He’s got me doing all this charity work and camps… He’s trying to keep me busy. So I saved him the trouble and got out of his way.”
“I think he’s trying to entertain you and keep you out of trouble. He’s doing the best he can at being a dad when he hasn’t had a chance to do that until now.”
“He had his chance, and he left my mom.”
Gram fluttered her hands in the air. “Well, we’re not going to solve this now, so we might as well have breakfast. Ivy, welcome to paradise. Do you like eggs and bacon?”
“Yeah.”
“Great. Nora, do you mind cutting the watermelon and the cantaloupe? I’ll get started on the eggs.” She puttered over to the old radio from last night and flicked it on. “Oh, perfect. The Drifters.”
Ivy and Nora looked at each other.
Gram shook her head with playful irritation. “You two don’t know ‘Save the Last Dance for Me’?” She did a little twirl. “Well, you’re going to get an education today.”
As the music played, Gram made more coffee and encouraged Ivy to help cook, asking her to be in charge of the bacon. Every now and again, when a song came on that Gram liked, she’d take Ivy’s hands and give her a spin, making the girl laugh.
As they sat down at the porch table with their plates of food, Ivy said, “I doubt my dad would cook like that—dancing and all.”
“Well, we’ll just have to show him how,” Gram said with a twinkle in her eye.
After breakfast, Nora got Ivy settled on the sofa inside the cottage. She’d driven all night, and her exhaustion had begun to show during breakfast. Before they could even clean up the dishes, the girl had fallen asleep. Nora and Gram spent the next thirty minutes hand-washing everything, drying the frying pans, and putting away the plates.
“There are a couple of beach chairs on the side of the porch. Let’s go down to the water,” Gram said when they’d gotten the little kitchen sparkling. “We can sit in the sun and read until Ivy’s father arrives.”
“Should we leave her?” Nora nodded toward the living room.
Gram laughed quietly. “She made it from Tennessee to Florida. I think she can manage a walk down the dune to find us.”
“You’re right.” Nora picked up her novel from the kitchen table. “Let’s do it.”
They gathered up a beach umbrella and two chairs and headed down the wooden walk over the dune. Gram held Nora’s novel while Nora speared the beach with the umbrella and kicked a pile of sand around the base to steady the pole in the coastal wind. Then they set up their chairs and took a seat. Nora dropped her cell phone in a small pocket on the side of the chair, opened her novel, and dug her feet beneath the soft, powdery sand, the surface heat giving way to the cool compact earth beneath the top layer. Her book pages fought the wind, and she held them by the far edges to keep them from flapping madly. The sun beamed down on her legs, wrapping them in a balmy cocoon as the water lapped quietly in front of them. It was the perfect weather for their first day of vacation. While their plans for today had taken a bit of a turn, it didn’t matter what she did in this place—anything was soothing.
She scanned the words on the page in front of her, but their meaning wasn’t going in, so she tipped her head back and closed her eyes. She was too busy fretting over Ivy to read. What had the girl been thinking, driving through multiple states, down long country roads in the middle of the night? Did she realize how dangerous that could be? Especially in her old car. So many awful things could have happened. If she’d gotten stuck on the side of the road, she’d have tried to call home and everyone would’ve been asleep—and that was only if she could have got cell service. She might have even tried to call Nora, but her phone had been in the living room all night.
Nora shuddered, sat up, and tried again to focus on her book. Ivy was fine, and Blaze was on his way. But what would happen when he got there? She’d certainly find herself working Blaze and Ivy through their issues instead of relaxing on the beach like she should be doing.
When she surfaced from her thoughts, Gram was staring at her, her lips pressed together.
“Don’t say anything,” Nora said with an exhale. “I know what you’re probably thinking.”
“I’m not the one doing all the thinking,” Gram returned. “You’ve been twitching over there since we sat down.”
“Hey,” Ivy called as she came over the dune.
Nora twisted around in her chair. “I thought you were asleep.”
Ivy stepped up to them, her pajama bottoms rolled up to her calves, her white feet nearly camouflaged in the bright sand. “My phone buzzed and woke me up. I tried to fall back asleep and couldn’t.” She sat down on the beach next to Nora. She took down her hair from its ponytail, slid the holder onto her wrist, and tucked the flyaway strands behind her ears.
“Sorry again for just showing up like this.” She fanned out her feet, making an arc in the sand. “I didn’t have any friends to call in Nashville. The few people who are nice to me all know who my dad is, and I don’t know if they care about me or if they only like me because my dad’s a celebrity.” She offered up her usual eye roll.
“Why didn’t you try to call me first? It didn’t look like you tried.”
Ivy shrugged. “I wanted to get out of the situation. There was nothing you could’ve said on the phone that would have kept me there. I’m not spending every single day doing busywork.”
Gram closed her book. “Can you tell us the whole story? What happened exactly?”
“Dad told me he had a plan for my summer. He handed me a sheet of paper with a calendar on it. Every single minute of my day was set already, and he hadn’t even asked me. I balled it up and threw it at him.”
“Do you think your response helped him to understand your point of view?” Nora asked.
“Definitely. I thought his idea sucked. I made that pretty clear.” Ivy turned toward the water with a frown.
“Did you stop to wonder why he might be offering you the calendar?”
“Yeah, I told you already. He wants me out of the way so he can keep going with whatever crap he feels like doing. I’m pretty sure he never wanted a family. He made that clear when he left my mom. And now he has to deal with me. He’s all nice to you because you don’t get in the way.”
“He isn’t kind to you?” Nora asked.
Ivy folded her arms. “He isn’t nice or mean. Just absent.”
Nora pursed her lips and nodded, trying to show her support for Ivy, but she was sure the teen had the wrong idea about her dad. “Okay, so what if you’re right and he doesn’t know how to be a dad? There’s no manual on parenting, you know. He has to figure it out. And you have to figure out how to be his daughter. It’s new for both of you. What if the calendar was his attempt to show you he’s trying? He had to put all that together and organize it for you.”
Ivy’s tight lips relaxed, and her gaze dropped to the sand. “What are you gonna tell my dad when he gets here?”
“I’m not planning to make any accusations. We’ll just talk it out. But I’ll need you to be open to sharing your side too.”
“In the meantime,” Gram cut in, “you’re at the beach. Take this time and relax a little bit. Do you like to read?”
“Sometimes,” Ivy replied.
“Did you bring a book?”
Ivy shook her head.
Gram picked up her novel and lifted herself out of the beach chair. “I brought a bunch. Want to come up to the cottage and sift through my pile, see if you like any of them?” Gram turned toward Nora. “If not, we’ve still got a couple of hours before her dad gets here. Maybe we can take her into town to find a book she likes.” Gram gestured to Ivy to follow her back to the cottage, leaving Nora on her own.
Was Nora out of her league with Ivy? The girl clearly needed someone to help her through her impulsive and defiant behavior as well as her grief. Nora wasn’t equipped to do that. Nor should she have to work on her vacation. But if she didn’t, without a trusted counselor, Ivy could land in serious trouble this summer. She could turn to drugs, the wrong crowd, she might do something stupid and deface property, or who knows what else she could get into.
Nora’s cell phone buzzed from the pocket on her chair. She pulled it out to find a text from Blaze.
They’ve closed a large part of the road, and the backup is unbelievable. It’s a parking lot. My navigation says I’ve got another four hours. See you for a late lunch. Hopefully.
Nora responded and told him to be safe. She set her phone on the arm of her chair, got up, and went down to the water. The cool surf bubbled around her toes. She waded in until she was ankle-deep and put her hands on her hips, her plans of window-shopping with Gram and then floating out on this sparkling water slipping away. What would the day bring? Whatever it brought, she doubted it would be relaxing.