10. My First Clue
MY FIRST CLUE
Ivy
My fingers drummed against the steering wheel of my car. That was the only noise filling the small space of my Volkswagen Bug.
“Come on, Ivy. You can do this,” I muttered to myself.
I hadn’t seen Todd since the night we’d gotten into a fight at The Raven—a full week had passed by.
I thought about reaching out, trying to communicate, see where his head was at, but I hadn’t been able to do it.
I wasn’t even sure why. I mean, I didn’t want to break up, but I also felt like Aspen was right. I needed some time to myself.
However, the week’s worth of clothes had come and gone. I needed at least some of my stuff. Like my Kindle charger, for example. That thing’s battery was stellar, but I was at twenty-five percent now, and I’d perish if it died.
I reluctantly hauled my ass out of the car, my keys jingling in my hand as I forced my feet into the apartment building and up the stairs to the unit we’d shared for almost six months now.
My key slid in easy enough, the lock turning with it, and I pushed the door open.
“Todd?” I called out, the emptiness shouting back at me.
I tried to bite back the feelings it brought out in my chest. Logically, I knew he should be at work, so it was a good thing he wasn’t here.
Locking the front door behind me, I walked back to our bedroom, opening my closet to pull out my duffel bag. I’d only brought a backpack with me last time, and clearly that wasn’t going to cut it.
As I threw stuff in the bag, my phone started buzzing in my pocket. Pulling it out, I let out a slow breath when I realized it was Mom. Clicking the accept button, I put her on speaker and set the phone down on the side table.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hello, darling girl. I’m just checking in. I haven’t heard from you in a few days, and you’ve been down on your socials. I miss your face.”
I smiled sadly. My mom followed me on everything, sharing my posts, showing them love, telling me when my outfit was stunning or that she loved my new lip color.
The last week I’d been at Aspen’s, and I just didn’t have the heart to show up as the bubbly, happy girl everyone expected.
So a few scheduled posts went up, and that was that.
“Um, yeah. I guess I’ve just been feeling kinda blah this week with everything,” I replied with a shrug—not that she could see me, but the feelings were still there.
“Oh honey, I understand. Are you still staying with Aspen? Have you spoken to him at all?”
While Mom wasn’t the most fond of Todd, she was always sweet. Truly, I thought she liked him until she met Aspen, and I realized quickly how she acted with people she actually enjoyed in my life.
“Yeah. She and Rowan let me have the guest room for as long as I want. I think I’m going to take some time apart and just out of this apartment.
Think about things, whatever.” My voice trailed off at the end while I threw my chargers and book journal in the bag, mentally going over the things I needed to grab still.
“Well, I have to agree, Ivy. I think some space would do you good. Maybe it’ll do the both of you some good.”
Chewing on my bottom lip, I felt myself nodding along, agreeing with everything she said.
“Anyway, I’m just on my lunch break and wanted to see if you still wanted to come over this weekend? Girls’ night and all that fun stuff with your ol’ mom.”
I cleared my throat, realizing I completely blanked on those plans. “Can we rain check? I think I just want to get some extra shifts this weekend and then maybe eat a tub of ice cream in bed.”
“Of course we can, Ivy. Just let me know when you’re feeling a little better. Or maybe I’ll even ditch Dad and come hang out with the ladies,” she said with a giggle. “When you girls have movie nights, I can’t help but be jealous.”
The smile snuck up on me as I nodded. “Understandable.”
Aspen, Ember, and I had the best movie nights. Pizza, popcorn, candy, and 90s chick flicks galore. We tried to do it once a month at Aspen’s house, and we kicked all the men to the curb to go over to Wyatt or Oliver’s house so we could girl talk and spill any recent tea we may have accumulated.
We tried to invite Payton too, Rowan’s sister, but she typically rain-checked us.
I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to ignore the rumpled sheets, and talked to Mom for a few more minutes before we said our goodbyes.
Shoving the rest of my necessities into my bag, I heaved the strap over my shoulder, ignoring the mess around the apartment that seemed to have accumulated while I’d been gone.
I pulled out my phone, my fingers hovering above our message thread as I contemplated what I should do. Releasing a slow breath, I sent him a message. I’d be the adult in this—it was fine. I always said if you wanted something, you had to go after it, so here I was. Going…ish.
Hey, do you think we could have dinner one night this week?
Maybe talk about things?
Locking my phone, I shoved it in the back pocket of my jeans before I could start to second-guess things, like immaturely un-sending them.
After locking the apartment door, I was back in the car, my bag thrown on the passenger seat within a singular minute. The last thing I wanted to do was run into him mere moments after sending those texts.
Right now, I had a shift to work and anxiety to bury.
My shift was almost over, and I’d been staring at this text for the last five minutes, before my eyes finally shifted to Lucas as he wiped down the bar-top and started drying glasses.
“Can I ask you a question? As a man, that is.”
His eyes glanced over the top of the bar towards me as he stared for a moment. “Is this about the boyfriend? Because if so, nothing nice to say, darlin’.”
I groaned. “I haven’t spoken to him for a week and?—”
“Since the night y’all got into it at The Raven?” My eyes widened, and he chuckled. “Small town, Ivy.”
My head fell down onto my arms that were crossed atop the bar. Why was I even shocked? I’d lived in this damn town my entire life. Just because I’d managed to remain relatively under the radar before now, it meant little.
“Yes, Lucas, since then.”
“Oh, so you two are done?” he questioned without pause.
My eyes darted back up towards him. “Why would you ask that?”
He let out a slow breath and threw his towel on the bar before turning to fully look at me. “Ivy, men—no, let me rephrase. Real men don’t leave a girl like you hanging for a week with no contact unless it’s done. You’re better off.”
“Ugh,” I groaned once more. “So this text would be him being done, right?”
I slid my phone across the counter towards him so he could read Todd’s simple response of ‘why’ when I asked to have dinner. Lucas’s eyes glanced up from the phone and towards me, one brow arched as if to say, ‘obviously’.
“Great,” I muttered, taking my phone back to stare at the message. “Should I not worry about the dinner then? I just wanted…closure? To ensure we were on the same page. To find out if I’m being absolutely ridiculous.”
Lucas chuffed out a laugh. “He left you in the middle of the dance floor to go fuck around at another bar, Ivy. He came in with some guys the next night and all he could bitch about were his busted windows, not you. Trust me, darlin’, I’ve seen a great deal of shit in my thirty years of life. You’re better off.”
“You’re right,” I replied softly. “I’m going to go clean off some tables in the back corner so we can start the shut down.”
Locking my phone, I slid it into my back pocket and hopped off the barstool.
“Oh, can you let me know my next Saturday night off? Mom wants to have a girls’ night,” I added over my shoulder.
Lucas let out a sigh. “Yeah, it can be soon if you want. Boss man said we needed to cut down on hours for a while anyway. Shit’s been slow, and he’s starting to notice. It’ll probably just be me and Garrett during the week.”
I bit back the groan that wanted to escape, knowing I’d done plenty of that already. Garrett was the other part-time bartender that worked when Lucas couldn’t, so it made sense to just let them run it on the weeknights, but that meant less money for me.
Aspen wouldn’t be that upset; she’d been cutting back on hours anyway while school was in session and her art business had picked up a bit, but this was essentially all I had for money.
It was that realization that had me pulling back out my phone and sending a text message to the douchebag in question. I didn’t want to talk to him, but I had to be a grown up. We had split bills and an apartment together. I couldn’t just disappear on him. My name was also on the lease.
Just to talk about things. We can meet at the pizza place by the apartment if that’s easier. Tonight or tomorrow? I get off at 9.
Todd
Fine. Tonight is fine. I’m already home anyway.
Okay. See you soon.
The anxiety rolled through my veins as I sent a screenshot to the girl chat of the conversation.
Just in case he tries to off me.
Aspen
That’s not fucking funny at all. Asshole.
Ember
I will cut his dick off. I’ll be in the dumpster waiting out back. Just lure him there. I’ll do the rest.
Ember
OH! Then we’ll have Payton bring him back so I can do it again.
Payton
Ma’am. I’m a nurse. Not a surgeon. If you cut his cock off, I can’t and won’t do shit. Fuck that guy.
Aspen
This has clearly gotten out of hand.
Aspen
Let’s save it all for the ranch, not behind the pizzeria.
Ember
You’re right. Chance for evidence to be left behind. Easier to clean up at home.
You ladies are the best.
The next hour was spent deep-cleaning random parts of the bar and restaurant that didn’t get the love it needed during busy season. Pushing tables around, cleaning beneath bench seats, pulling shelving units from behind the bar. All the fun shit.
It finally hit nine, and I sighed as I clocked out.
“Do you want me to follow you home?” Lucas asked. He always offered when it was dark outside and I was alone like this.