Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The rest of the drive was quiet. Blaze drove to Jake’s house to make sure he got in safely. Then he drove Nora and Ivy back to the cottage. The minute they parked, Ivy jumped out and ran inside.
Nora lingered, waiting for Blaze. His hands were still gripping the top of the steering wheel. Then he dropped his forehead onto his knuckles and closed his eyes.
“You know, she didn’t run away tonight,” Nora said quietly. “ Tonight , she was being a typical teenager. Sure, she shouldn’t have gone out, and she should face a consequence for not telling you, but she was asleep on a blanket on the beach with a new friend. There are worse things she could’ve been doing. I understand, though, why it was so scary.”
He sat up, his chest filling with air. He breathed out slowly. “When Ivy ran away from home to come here, I was completely panicked.” Letting go of the steering wheel, he turned to her, looking utterly exhausted. “But once I knew she was with you—and after I had the long drive to calm down—I was able to show up and not lose it.” He shook his head. “I can’t keep it together when all her offenses continue to stack up and fill my mind every minute. I don’t know how to parent her by myself.”
Nora reached over and took his hand. He peered down at their intertwined fingers, unsaid thoughts in his eyes.
They sat together in the car, without any further explanation. Nora sent silent support with a little squeeze. A couple of times, his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but then he closed them again. Given the night’s drama, she didn’t press him. He had a lot on his mind.
“We should probably go inside,” he finally said.
“Okay.” She let go of his hand. Just as they got out of the car, Nora pointed to the orange-and-pink horizon. “Look. Sunrise.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets and turned his face toward the orange glow. Then he looked down at her, those gray eyes full of deliberation. Without divulging any of it, he nodded toward the front door of the cottage.
When they entered, the savory scents of bacon and eggs mixed with the buttery sweetness of pancakes and syrup. Ivy sat, slumped, at the bar and pushed her eggs around her plate with her fork.
“Good morning,” Gram said as Nora and Blaze sat down at the bar beside Ivy. “I got your note and figured since the sun had risen and you were yet to be home, that at the very least I could have breakfast waiting for everyone.” She took the pan off the heat and scraped the eggs into a serving dish. “I made Ivy’s favorite: pancake sandwiches. She told me the other day she likes those.”
Nora tried to smile, but given the situation, it probably came out as more of a grimace. “Ivy’s a ball of excitement. How are the rest of you?” Gram asked.
“I think we need to get on the road and head home,” Blaze said.
Ivy snapped up. “What?”
Nora wanted to stop him, but this was his decision. It was probably better anyway. She was a school counselor, not their family therapist. While she wanted him to stay for personal reasons, that probably wasn’t a good idea either. They had nowhere to go from here.
Ivy folded her arms. “I’m not leaving.”
“You’re leaving if I tell you we are.” Blaze’s voice was controlled, his eyes on her with laser focus.
Ivy turned to Nora. “Ms. Jenkins, tell him we can stay.”
“If your dad says it’s time for you to go, then it’s time.”
Rejection flashed across the girl’s face.
“Everyone at least eat first,” Gram said.
Ivy picked up her plate and stomped out to the porch. Through the door, she faced the water and wiped a tear away angrily.
“You’ve barely slept,” Nora said quietly to Blaze. “You know how hard it is to go all day when you haven’t had enough rest. Why don’t you at least give it one more night and then you can go first thing in the morning?”
“So Ivy can get her way?”
“You and Ivy will have the same issues tomorrow morning that you have now,” Gram cut in, “but you’ll have a good night’s sleep and a few more meals under your belts.” She slid a plate of stacked pancakes with drizzled syrup, eggs, and bacon his way. Then she set a mug of black coffee next to it.
Blaze took his plate to the table and sat down, his attention on Ivy through the back door. Nora shot Gram a worried look. She shrugged as if to say she didn’t have an answer, and went to make Nora a plate while Nora poured herself a cup of coffee.
With a heavy heart, Nora took her plate over to Blaze and sat down. “Life’s not like those happy love songs, is it?”
He looked up from his pancakes. “No, it’s not. It’s damn near impossible.” He stabbed a bite of pancake. “What do you do when you’re in an awful situation? How do you calm down?”
She picked up her coffee. “I suppose I find a quiet spot and read a book or something similar where I can lose myself for a while. Then when I come back to the problem, I’ve given my mind a rest, and I can try to tackle the issue with a wider perspective.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I usually write songs or put together melodies.”
“Ivy likes to write songs too,” she offered. “She’s a lot like you.”
He ate silently, but he was definitely thinking over his next move.
Nora picked up her plate. “I think I’ll go out to the porch with Ivy.”
He didn’t answer.
Nora went outside.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
Ivy didn’t answer either.
She sat down across from the girl. “I’m trying to convince your dad to at least wait until the morning to go home.”
The girl frowned. “I haven’t made a single friend since I moved to stupid Nashville, and the minute I find a friend here he makes me leave. He doesn’t care whether I’m happy. He just wants me to fit into his life.”
“He does care. He cares so much that he stayed up all night last night trying to find you, terrified.”
Ivy pouted.
“I know your mom gave you a lot of freedom. And you’re right that your dad doesn’t know you as well as she did. You need to get to know him and show him who you are. And the more you can prove to him that you’re capable and worthy of his trust, the more he’ll let go. He’s never had to be your parent before, and he’s scared to death that he’ll do the wrong thing by you.”
“Shouldn’t he know? Isn’t he the grown-up?”
“Sure. But there’s no instruction manual on how to raise a teenager. You could offer a little insight.” She offered Ivy a small smile.
Ivy stared out at the water, not budging.
Nora pointed to the horizon. “The horizon seems like the edge of the world from here, doesn’t it?”
Ivy nodded.
“The world just keeps going no matter what. Isn’t that amazing?”
Ivy eyed Nora, clearly wondering what her point was.
“The world will continue whether you and your dad get along or not. Life continues to move forward. And at the end of the day, he’s all you’ve got, and you’re all he has.”
Movement at the door caused Nora to turn. Blaze was in the doorway.
“She’s right, you know.” He sat down next to Ivy. “I don’t know what the heck to do, but I’ve been around for a few more spins of the earth…” He waggled a finger at the horizon. “I can help with giving you my perspective. But you’ve gotta let me.”
“I don’t like it when you yell at me. Mom never yelled at me.”
“Did you drive across three states in the middle of the night without telling her?”
Ivy shrunk back, defeated.
“I’ll bet you were a different person for your mom than you are for me.”
Ivy twisted in her chair and squared off in front of him. “Why didn’t you try?”
Her question seemed to come out of left field for Blaze.
“What do you mean? I’m trying like crazy.”
“For Mom? You chose work over her. Why didn’t you love her enough to try?”
His shoulders fell, and his forehead softened. “I tried the only way I knew how at the time. I was the breadwinner, so I worked all hours to provide for you two. Balancing work and family was an impossible task for a young kid that didn’t really know how to be a father.”
“Why didn’t you come see me?”
“She wouldn’t let me. And because I wasn’t there, I thought I’d be more of a nuisance than a help. I saved up all the child support your mom wouldn’t take. It’s in an account in your name. I sent you gifts every year for your birthday and Christmas, and they were returned unopened. She didn’t want me in your life, and I didn’t think I was a good enough father to push back. She knew more about being a good parent than I did.”
Ivy’s lips parted in shock; this information was evidently new to her.
“Your mom and I both made mistakes. I don’t think there’s a clear winner in either of our battles. But we both wanted nothing but the best for you. I wasn’t there for you growing up, but I can be here for you now. You just have to let me.”
Ivy didn’t say anything, but that defiant frown had melted away.
With Blaze offering that kind of honest reaction, Nora could only guess that they’d eventually figure out where to go from here.
* * *
After getting ready for the day, Ivy came out of the bathroom, and Nora had to stifle a gasp. The teen had on another sundress, this one white cotton, and she ran her fingers through a head of shiny auburn hair, the deep color making her gray eyes sparkle.
“I bought some wash-in hair dye when we were in town yesterday.”
“The color suits you,” Nora said.
“My gosh, you look gorgeous!” Gram padded over to her and tussled the ends of Ivy’s silky hair. “Who knew that stunning babe was under all those baggy clothes.” She winked at Ivy, making the girl’s cheeks flush.
“I asked Jake to help me pick out the hair color and the dress.”
“He knows what looks good on you,” Gram said.
Ivy wrinkled her nose at Gram and curtsied. “Did you know, he lives close to us? He’s from Brentwood.”
“Who’s from Brent—” Blaze stopped on his way into the kitchen, his mouth hanging open. “What supermodel swallowed my daughter?”
Ivy chewed on a smile. “I wanted to try this hair color. It’s just a wash-in, but if I like it, I can get the permanent version.”
“You look beautiful,” Blaze said.
Ivy’s cheeks flamed. “Thank you.”
Blaze took a seat on the sofa. “So Jake is from Brentwood? Is that what I heard?”
“Yeah, we only live about thirty minutes from each other. It’s like it was meant to be.”
“Are you two an item?” Gram asked, picking up her novel from the coffee table.
“Kind of. We exchanged numbers, and he said he wants to see me again. He’s a junior at Brentwood Academy, Dad. It’s a private school.”
“Yeah, I know it. Not too far at all.”
“Do you think I could go to school there?”
“We could look into it.” His gaze fluttered over to Nora.
“Can we please stay today? Jake was going to take me into town. We’re going to get lunch, and then we’re going book shopping in Seaside. He’s leaving tomorrow too. He has summer baseball practice. He’s on the elite team.”
Blaze stared at his daughter. “Only if you promise me you’ll never scare me like that again.”
Ivy gave him an honest look. “I promise.”
“All right. Keep your phone on so I can get in touch with you if I need you, okay? And tell Jake I’m sorry I flew hot on him.”
Ivy smiled. “I will.” She picked up her big sack of a bag, looked down at her new dress, and abandoned it. Then she walked out the front door.
“Well, how about that?” Gram said.
“One boy can cause a change in my daughter that I’ve been hoping would happen for an entire year?” Blaze said.
Nora laughed. “That’s the way with teenagers. But if you think about it, Jake seems to be a great influence on her. He’s driven—he’s on the elite baseball team; he’s thoughtful—taking her out to see the stars at night and book shopping; and he’s got a great sense of style.” She winked at him. “Ivy hasn’t connected with a single person until now, but when she does, it’s someone like Jake. She might just be on her way to being all right.”
While Blaze seemed to agree, and it looked as if things were moving in a good direction, he didn’t look relieved. A niggling worry crawled around at the back of Nora’s mind: if Ivy left Oakland High, that would mean no more meetings with Blaze. And she wouldn’t see Ivy again either. And Ivy had become the light in her day.
* * *
That afternoon, Nora, Gram, and Blaze sat on the beach under the umbrella. After a while Gram reclined her chair and fell asleep.
Nora put down her book. “It’s hot. I think I’m going to get in the water and cool off,” she announced. She didn’t want to admit it, but she hoped Blaze would go down to the water with her.
“Sounds good,” he said, his eyes on a magazine he’d brought down from the cottage.
Nora chewed on her lip, lingering for a tick, but when he didn’t look up, she stood, slipped off her cover-up and padded down to the surf.
The cool Gulf splashed and gurgled around her as she waded in. Gently, she laid her palms on the sparkling surface. Through the clear water, she could see all the way down to the white sand under her toes. The coastal wind tickled her wet skin, giving her goosebumps. She bent her knees and dipped down until the salty water was at her shoulders then picked up her feet and ebbed and flowed with the pull of the tide.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Blaze was still reading his magazine. There was a time when she’d worried about being in front of him in a bathing suit. Now that she finally felt comfortable, he hadn’t even looked up. Something was eating at him, but it wasn’t her place to ask.
The rest of the afternoon and evening went about the same way. Ivy stayed with Jake, and Blaze kept to himself for the most part. Nora was quiet as well, spending time with Gram. With everything that had happened with Ivy, they hadn’t had a chance to talk about the letter Nora had found in the trash, so she struggled to make conversation. With nothing else to do, she had lost herself in her book most of the day.
For dinner, they’d all made sandwiches and leftovers. Blaze turned on the TV, the local news and weather filling the empty void of conversation. A couple times, throughout the evening, Gram sent Nora a questioning glance, but Nora just shrugged discreetly.
Ivy walked in around eight thirty. “Hey.”
Gram smiled, and Nora waved as Blaze greeted her.
“We should probably make sure we’ve got all our things packed,” he said. “And then we should head to bed to get a good night’s sleep before we go tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Ivy said.
He waggled a finger at her. “No leaving the house tonight, do you hear me?”
“I won’t,” she replied. “Jake’s getting his rest, too, so he can make the drive back. He and I are going to follow each other home.”
“That sounds like a plan. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“I can make you some breakfast sandwiches and put them in the fridge,” Gram offered.
“Don’t put yourself out. We can grab something on the road,” Blaze said.
Gram tutted. “Nonsense. I’ll make you something. Maybe a pancake sandwich.” She winked at Ivy.
Ivy flashed a smile, oblivious to Blaze’s about-face. “Thanks, June.”
Blaze stood up from the sofa and stretched. “Well, I’m heading to bed. Thank you both for having us.”
“It was no problem,” Nora said.
Real life had crept in before Nora had even finished her vacation. But Blaze’s aloof behavior was probably for the best. They needed to keep things professional. She’d already found herself having feelings for him, and that was the last thing she needed.