She smiled up at me, and for once, I spotted the smallest crack in her facade. This made it all feel much more real. “At least my parents are out of town.” Her cheesy smile wavered.
“They’ll have quite the story waiting for them.”
“All right, come on, Perkins. Really, what were you thinking?” Martinez asked as he led her away.
“That’s not really my brand,” she said.
Their voices faded away as he led her to his patrol car in handcuffs.
I felt sick.
What had I done? I had to start making things right.
Chapter 22
Owen
As soon asI finished dealing with the January payment at the home, I headed to Ivy’s room to explain why I might be late for dinner. I had no idea how long it would take to bail Bee out of jail or even what that entailed. I had shockingly little experience dealing with the Slippery Slopes Police Department in my life here, most likely contrary to everyone’s belief. Depending on how much her bail was, I might have to sell a kidney or beg for another job. After getting punched, Benny Jr. stomped off to lick his wounded pride in privacy. I’d have to beg Benny Jr. to smooth things over, I might have to grovel. I pictured Bee sitting in a jail surrounded by Slippery Slope’s roughest characters and ground my jaw. If I had to grovel, I would.
Not to sell Bee short. She could obviously hold her own. There was a fifty-fifty chance that she’d befriended everyone in there or incited a riot that would lead to more serious charges.
Maybe thirty-seventy.
I owed it to her to get her out. No matter what, I’d figure it out.
“What’s all this about you being stuck up in that death trap?” Ivy said by way of greeting.
I bent down to kiss the top of her head where she sat in her usual chair, and she cupped the back of my head with her shaky hand to receive me. Instead of stepping away, I held her warm, knobby hand for a moment longer. The relief at knowing she was safe for another month was palpable.
Only worry for Bee knotted my guts now.
She patted our linked hands and gave me a lingering inspection. I cleared my throat and acted naturally.
“News traveled fast.” I reluctantly folded myself in the too-small folding chair across from her. I was anxious to get going but could feel her studying me closely after my lingering greeting. “Everything worked out, though.”
“Okay. Then why the sourpuss?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
“I’ve told you, this is just how my face looks.”
She snapped her fingers impatiently at me. “Out with it. Talk to me.”
I glanced at the clock on her nightstand, but she wouldn’t let me go without more information. And so I unburdened myself. Just as she had since I was fifteen, I let Ivy guide me through my feelings. I explained the traumatic events of the night since I left her side—leaving out the more salacious details, of course—ending with Bee’s gut punch.
“I always liked that girl,” Ivy said, nodding her approval.
No doubt in my mind that these two would be fast friends. I imagined them, with faces close, whispering back and forth, shooting me glances before they cackled.
On second thought, maybe I wouldn’t reintroduce them.
“Sounds like you two had a real connection,” she said, breaking through my worry. “Such a rare and beautiful thing.”
“I can see myself making plans for a future with her. I’ve never felt that way about anybody. I don’t think I can go back to who I was before. She met me without judgment but also fully as her authentic self, so I felt like I saw her clearly too. Is that normal? It’s like I know her so completely but also feel desperate to learn everything about her.”
“Oh,” Ivy said softly, a smile spreading as her eyes went glassy. “Maybe not typical, but a sort of magic.”
“If she’s not in prison.”
She snorted. “Don’t be so dramatic. Javier isn’t going to let her get arrested. He just did what he needed to do to appease Benny Jr.” She referred to Officer Martinez, who was most likely also her student, at one point.
