Chapter 8
Ivy
Nell looks up from her coloring book and grins, completely at ease while we wait for our caseworker in his office at The Reversal of Fortune Foundation.
Paintings done by children hang on the walls, alongside photographs of grinning kids holding up awards or leaning against an older man I’ve nicknamed Keto Santa.
Potted plants bloom in the corners and a large desk consumes most of the room.
More photos of happy children adorn the surface.
The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and filled with hope.
Consequently, so am I.
“You look very pretty, Mommy,” Nell says as she selects a red crayon from the stack to color in a cape on a superhero.
“You know what? You look very pretty, too.” I boop the end of her nose. Her laugh soothes my nerves. Not by much, considering they’re running almost as hot as my hope, but I’ll take any relief I can get.
I had no idea what to expect, walking into today’s meeting. I’ve been to charity balls, but never been inside an actual charity, especially not with my hands out. It feels wrong to be here, knowing my father or my fiancé could outright buy me a house if they wanted to.
Not that they would. Just that they could.
I press my thumb to the spot where my ring used to be.
It’s been in a drawer since my conversation with Julian.
Everything he said solidified my realization that Nell and I are better off without him.
That he wraps his ugliness up in what he calls advice but is really judgment and condescension that chipped away at my self-esteem for years.
Nell took the news better than I expected, saying she’s happier at Grandma’s anyway, because she’s not so nervous all the time.
My heart broke when she said it. How could I let things get to that point?
I still have to tell Julian, but I need to know I have a place to live and a job to support us before I do. He’ll go for my weaknesses with ruthless accuracy. If I’m not bulletproof before I make that call, things will go badly for me.
The office door cracks open and I swallow hard, my spine so straight it would break if I fell over. “Miss Cole?”
A tall man, thin, with hair that reminds me of a dandelion puff and a beard that makes me think of Christmas, closes the door behind him. I take a breath and force a smile. There’s no reason to be afraid. None at all. Everything about this place screams safety.
“That’s me.”
Nell climbs onto her knees in her chair. “And me too! I’m a Miss Cole, too. I’m Nell, short for Penelope Michaela. And my mom’s name is Ivy Maria. I like that our middle nin-itial is the same.” She beams as our caseworker shakes her hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m David Doughtry and I’m happy to be working with you two lovely ladies.”
David shakes my hand, then sits across from us at the desk and suddenly, I’m sure I’ve made a mistake.
Obviously, he’ll look at my application and laugh in my face because I have so many other resources at my disposal and would have been better off if only I hadn’t made so many stupid decisions.
I swallow hard and fight the urge to grab Nell and run before the humiliation begins.
“I’ve gone over your application,” David says, and I brace, because here it comes. A reminder of all the ways I’ve failed. Julian’s voice starts listing them in my head before Mr. Doughtry begins.
Enough!
That’s enough of his voice having anything to do with how I see myself.
This is my meeting, to discuss my future, and Julian has spent enough time, twisting everything I do into a mistake.
David clasps his hands and leans on the table. “It seems you and Nell here are in need of some accommodations. There was a fire?”
“It was so scary.” Nell slides her crayon back into the box and closes her coloring book.
“I was ‘sleep, and I woke up coughing so hard I got tears and my whole room was smoking and the wall was just full of fire.” She sweeps her hands through the air, eyes wide and alive. “And I screamed and ran for Mommy—she sleeps on the couch and the living room is right by the door—so we got out of there really fast before even the fireman came to rescue Grandma. But now I sleep on the couch and have nightmares all the time and Mommy sleeps on a cot, and I feel real bad because I don’t think she sleeps good either.”
David listens to the entire story without interrupting her once, which is more than I could say for Julian. Nell can’t go more than two sentences without him telling her she talks too much.
“You don’t say.” David gives her a gentle smile.
“I do say.” Nell rests her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. “Have you ever had a fire in your house?”
“I haven’t, but if I do, I hope I’m as brave as you were about it.” David smiles at Nell who beams in return. Something about him says he has children of his own who’ve grown into wonderful adults, who still come to family dinners and bring his grandkids for weekend visits.
He turns that warmth my way. “Usually, applications like yours can take some time to process.”
And here it comes. The dismissal followed by the rejection.
I nod, eager to get this over with as quickly as possible. “I totally understand. I’m just grateful for the consideration.”
David’s smile softens, like he can see through my facade to the self-doubt swirling inside.
“We’ve gone beyond considering, Miss Cole.
An anonymous donor heard about your situation and has come forward with a proposal.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
” I swear to goodness, his eyes actually twinkle, making him look all the more like Santa who traded his love of cookies for carrot sticks.
“An anonymous donor?” Excitement has me leaning forward. I look to Nell, who’s coloring away again, but her attention is firmly locked on the conversation happening around her.
David rests an ankle on his knee and clasps his hands over his stomach.
“I want you to know you’re not obligated to take this offer, especially given the unusual circumstances.
If anything about this makes you uncomfortable, anything at all, you can turn this down, and we’ll process your application as we usually would. ”
“Unusual…?” I shake my head as if that will scatter what he’s saying into something that makes sense. “What kind of unusual circumstances?”
And what kind of donor?
And how did they hear about my situation?
And why did that inspire them to make a donation?
“My suggestion is that you listen to the offer, then take a day or two to consider.” David leans forward. “But between you and me? This really might work to your advantage.”
“I’m starting to feel really lost here.” I laugh lightly. “Can you please give me a few details?”
“Unfortunately, no. The gentleman specifically requested he be the one to explain everything.”
I turn to Nell who looks enthused. And who can blame her? With phrases like ‘anonymous donors’ and ‘unusual circumstances’ flying around, it makes a person feel special. Like maybe kindness exists in this world after all and we aren’t destined to fail forward forever.
“Okay, then.” I fold my hands in my lap. “What next?”
“Why don’t I invite this gentleman in and let him clear up those details for you.”
David stands and pokes his head out the door, gesturing for someone down the hall.
His smile is so warm, so real, I can’t help but feel like whatever’s about to happen will put Nell and me on a better path.
David seems like a good man and if whoever’s coming down the hallway has his seal of approval, then surely, everything is going to work out fine.
It feels like maybe, for the first time in years, I haven’t made a chaotic decision after all.
Like my life is finally starting to look up.
Like maybe my luck has changed.
But then the door swings open, and in steps none other than Micah Hutton, grinning from ear to ear like he’s about to announce we won a trip to Bora Bora.
He’s wearing a fitted suit, the jacket buttoned, showcasing broad shoulders and strong arms. The white shirt underneath has several buttons undone, offering a glimpse of a chest I know is glorious thanks to a certain calendar shoot I may have looked at more than once.
His dark hair is swept back, perfectly tousled, reminding me of the day I had my hands in it at the grocery, the day he kissed me like nothing has changed between us.
My heart thunders.
Our eyes lock.
My gaze slides to Nell and his follows. She’s sitting up straight, eagerly awaiting the surprise and delighted to see this giant, handsome man walk through the door, looking like the alter ego of the superheroes she loves so much.
With the two of them finally in the same room, it’s impossible to ignore how much she looks like him.
The eyes.
The smile.
The cheekbones.
The energy.
Micah’s face falls.
His lips part.
Nostrils flare.
Brows draw together.
He swallows hard and turns to me and I swear to God, you’d think he didn’t know he was a father.