Chapter 13
MEMPHIS
I heard Dobby’s nails clicking on the tile in the hall and rolled over, trying to go back to sleep.
But then the realization that someone was in my kitchen hit me, and I sat up in bed to listen.
It took a few seconds for my sleep-fogged brain to remember that I didn’t live alone anymore and that Dobby wasn’t reacting as if a stranger had invaded his castle, but by then I was fully awake and knew there was no point in lying back down and trying to sleep.
A glance at the clock told me it was a little past six in the morning, much earlier than I preferred to wake up, but I knew my routine would be changing now that Ivy was living in my home.
It still gave me a jolt to think that not only did I have a daughter, but that she was a wild little toddler with her own opinions and attitude–which I found adorable.
I found myself hoping she’d wake up soon, if she wasn’t already awake, so I decided to see who was in the kitchen in the hopes of finding her there.
I left my room and stopped in the doorway when I saw Cassia standing at the front window with a glass in hand, looking out over the yard where Dobby was jogging the perimeter to see if we’d had any unwanted visitors during the night.
I didn’t know Cassia very well, so I wasn’t sure if her frown was due to morning grumpiness or something else.
The tension in her shoulders suggested she might be upset.
I gently cleared my throat to let her know I was there. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“I heard Dobby investigating, and it took me a second to remember I’m not the only one living here now.”
“I apologize. From now on, I’ll stay in my room until I hear you out and about.”
“Absolutely not! You’re welcome to roam as you please–and so are your sisters. Ivy, not so much, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” I said as I stepped up beside her at the window.
“That’s why I brought her old crib. She had graduated to a twin bed already, but I didn’t want to chance her roaming around until I knew the lay of the land.”
“She can’t crawl out of that crib?”
“Oh, she can do anything she sets her mind to, but hopefully before she tries that, she’ll do what she used to and yell until I come rescue her.”
Cassia turned around and settled on the deep windowsill before taking another sip of her drink. I couldn’t contain my curiosity.
“Do you ever drink coffee or just tea?”
“Our mom was British and passed on her love of tea to all of us, but each of us prefers different blends and takes it differently. I enjoy coffee on occasion–mostly with dessert–but I prefer tea, especially in the morning.”
“Why do you drink it out of a glass instead of a cup?”
She took another sip. “Iliana prefers a delicate china cup with a saucer, and Erisa likes a bulky clay mug. I don’t like mine as hot, so I use a glass.” She smiled. “Plus, I get more at once and don’t have to refill as often.”
“What’s the holder?” I asked, leaning against the window frame.
When I was working with Cyrus Conner on the house plans, I’d asked him to make sure that the windows had ledges deep enough to sit on.
I’d imagined having birds perched there.
Now I was grateful for them–Cassia looked so comfortable, framed by the dawn sky, and more beautiful than I’d like to think about.
“It’s called a podstakannik,” she said, pulling me from my thoughts.
When I was about twelve, my mom and I were antique shopping in France, and I saw this.
It brought up a memory of my biological father holding one while he drank tea.
I had to have it. When I explained why, she paid an exorbitant amount for it.
I’ve taken it all over the world since. I’ve collected others, but this one is my favorite. ”
“You lived in France?”
“For a few months while my parents were fundraising. Then we returned to the States for a short time before moving again.”
“Where did you live in the U.S.?”
“The house you came to was our home base. Dad worked at the children’s hospital where Ivy was taken, so we knew a lot of the staff–which helped, since my sisters and I were recovering in a different hospital. I was the first to arrive in Dallas and went straight to Ivy.”
“What exactly was wrong with her–or all of you?”
“Carbon monoxide poisoning. Different degrees according to where we were in the house. Luckily, there was a humidifying air filter aimed at Ivy’s bed, so she was the least affected. She was still very sick, but she’s made a full recovery.”
“What about you?”
“Iliana and I both had heart complications. Hers still affects her rhythm sometimes, but her cardiologist says that she’s in good health as long as she stays hydrated and gets plenty of rest. She developed asthma, but it’s well regulated.
My lungs were fine, but my heart issues caused low blood pressure.
That’s under control now, but I still have to be careful. ”
I glanced at her tea. “And caffeine?”
“Are you a doctor?” she asked flatly.
I laughed silently, and Cassia smiled at me before she continued. “Erisa still has problems regulating her emotions. The carbon monoxide affected her brain chemistry instead of her heart and lungs. It’s been an adjustment.”
“And Ivy?” I asked.
Cassia smiled. “She’s healthier than all of us. There are still some worries about her cognitive development, especially her attention span, but she’s only two.”
“She doesn’t speak much.”
“She talks constantly–we just can’t understand her yet. Her frustration is actually a good sign. The doctors assure me that every child learns at a different pace, and speech is included in that.”
“We have some very good doctors here in Rojo.”
“I got referrals from Ivy’s doctors in Dallas. We’ll do routine visits here, but she’ll need to go back on occasion.”
“Which doctors did they refer you to?”
“There’s a neurologist named Parker and a pediatrician named Hamilton.”
I pulled out my phone and texted Terran and Amethyst. Both responded immediately.
“As soon as the office opens on Monday, they’ll call you to make an appointment,” I told her.
“What?”
“Terran Parker is the neurologist and Amethyst Hamilton is the pediatrician at Parker Hamilton Medical Center. I sent them a message so they can get Ivy set up as a patient.”
“How do you know them?”
“Let’s just say we’re family.”
“How are you related?”
I cleared my throat before I started. I almost couldn’t finish because the look of confusion on Cassia’s face was too funny.
“Terran is my aunt’s brother, so he’s the uncle of my cousins who belong to Bird and Summer.
Amethyst is Willow’s daughter, who is Aunt Summer’s sister and also Terran’s sister, so he’s also Amethyst’s uncle, and she’s cousin to my cousins. ”
“What?”
When I burst out laughing, Cassia stared at me, her brow furrowed in confusion for a few seconds, before she ordered, “The next time I tell you to explain your connection to someone, remind me that trying to follow it gives me a pain in my left temple, so I’m better off just accepting the ‘we’re family’ reference and leaving it at that. ”
“If it makes you feel any better, trying to put it into words was painful for me too.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“It’s sort of a complicated family tree.”
“It’s not a tree. It’s a vine that’s all twisty and weird and makes absolutely no sense without a written diagram and subtitles.”
Cassia looked back out the window as I laughed at her description. I looked out, too, and watched Dobby chasing something we couldn’t see before he sprinted around the house and out of sight.
“Where do you think he’s going so quickly?” Cassia asked.
“Even though she doesn’t work at the shop anymore, my mom still wakes up really early, so my guess is that Dobby heard some movement from that direction and sensed there might be a treat available.”
“It’s not often that you find a family who lives so close together.”
“You think this is close? My brothers started a neighborhood, and it’s filled with family and friends.”
“Exclusively?”
“No. There are plenty of residents who aren’t part of our circle, but there are even more who are. Before I told the guys that you and your sisters would be living with me, they were already trying to figure out if they had homes available to put y’all in when you got here.”
“That’s nice of them,” Cassia mused.
“Do you usually wake up this early?” I asked.
“No. I usually wake up with Ivy, but I got a phone call from a friend earlier, so I didn’t even try to go back to sleep.”
“Was she checking to make sure you made it safely?”
“No. She was giving me ideas on how to make sure you don’t take Ivy away from me,” Cassia said as she turned to look at me.
“I told you I wouldn’t do that.”
“Yes, but people change their minds for various reasons. Since you have no relationship or loyalty to me, that might happen too easily, and then I’ll be left fighting a battle we know I won’t win.”
“How can I assure you that I won’t cut you out of Ivy’s life?” I asked, honestly curious because I didn’t want her living in fear of that.
Of course, if she put Ivy in danger somehow, I wouldn’t hesitate–but I could tell she loved her.
I knew from our conversations that she wanted nothing more than to keep Ivy safe and happy.
It didn’t even come into play that she wasn’t Ivy’s biological mother, or even her biological family, because I was raised to believe that family are those you share your heart with, not just your blood.
“Oksana–the friend who called–had a few ideas.”
“Share them with me, and I’ll do what I can to help.”
Cassia giggled and then put her hand over her mouth to stop herself before she sniffed and cleared her throat.
“What’s so funny?”
“Her first suggestion was arranging for your untimely death,” Cassia admitted before she started cackling. “It just struck me as funny that you volunteered, not knowing what she suggested.”