Page 63 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

Her words flooded through me, releasing a heavy burden I’d been carrying for weeks.

‘Do you want to go see it? I can take you with me right now.’

She dipped her chin and looked away. ‘Maybe another day. I’m tired and I want to be mentally ready to go there. To relive the memories of Mom and Dad.’

‘I understand.’

She placed her hand on top of mine. ‘Go and apologize.’ She stood and walked into the kitchen.

‘But I feel guilty leaving you here.’

Plus, I had Jack Daniels and Jose Cuervo stashed in a cabinet near the sink that I was too afraid she might find. She still hadn’t given me a good reason for her visit and leaving her alone felt like opening a door to trouble.

‘Stop it,’ she bit out. ‘You can’t keep hovering. When we were downtown last night, I thought you were going to freak out every time we passed a bar. I know I haven’t given you a lot of reason to, but you have to start trusting me.’

‘I’m trying,’ I confessed.

She rolled back her shoulders. Gave me a steady stare. ‘I’ve got my ninety-day AA chip. It took a long time to get there and I’m not about to screw up my life again.’

‘I’m proud of you,’ I said, reaching out to grip her fingers.

‘Good. Now will you please leave.’

There was something in the way she looked away. Like she was still afraid to open up certain parts of her life to me. ‘You’re sure?’

Her head snapped up. ‘I swear to God, Beck, you better leave right now or I’m going to pull out a cast-iron skillet and whack some sense into you.’

It was impossible to hold back a laugh. Damn, it was good to have her here.

‘I’ll have dinner ready when you get back,’ she said.

‘You can cook?’

She gave me an eye roll to end all eye rolls. ‘I am capable of taking care of myself. Give me a little credit, okay?’ She stopped and placed her hand behind a cabinet door. A second later she tossed me my keys.

‘Thanks and, of course, you’re welcome to anything in the fridge.’

‘I’m not saying I’m like that Giada chick on the Food Network, but I will have some pasta ready when you get back.’

She was right. I needed to start trusting her.

‘I’ll only be gone a little while.’

‘Go already!’

I rushed out the door and hit redial on my phone. The call went straight to Torran’s voicemail again. She wouldn’t be expecting me, but I couldn’t let this day end without letting her know I could, in fact, keep my promises to her.

I edged my car to the curb. The tight knot in my chest released when I saw Sally Mae still parked in the driveway. Before I could get out of the car, my phone dinged with a picture from Piper. It showed a line of bell peppers and onions cut up by the sink. Her message read, ‘Don’t screw it up. Make sure you seriously grovel.’

I laughed and for the first time I thought maybe I could convince her to stay. That I’d made the right choice in buying the house.

Workers climbed down from the roof as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the purple-pink horizon. I moved up the path to the house trying to sort out all the things I needed to say to Torran.

When I walked in the house, Manny was at the top of the stairs with a sander. I tiptoed past him and followed the low hum of a Kings of Leon song coming from inside the gutted kitchen. So much had changed in ten years, but not Torran’s love of indie bands from Nashville. Although KOL wasn’t really indie anymore, not after their hit ‘Sex on Fire’ blasted through every radio in the country the year I turned thirteen.

I followed the music and stopped at the entrance. My hand flew to my mouth as I muffled a laugh. Torran’s body was half under the sink, her ass in perfect view. I took a long moment to admire it.

‘That’s a beautiful sight,’ I finally said.