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Chapter 10
Wespentabusyweekend gardening with Amy and Lucas. All of the summer vegetables had finally been harvested, and we started seeds for the winter.
I wished that Scott could have been there with us. He wasn’t really the type to get his hands dirty, but I was sure I could convince him to join in on the fun. Working in our hobby garden as a kid was a bonding experience for the whole family. My sisters and I would dig for grubs to feed to the chickens. Pulling up the vegetables felt like unwrapping a present; you never knew how big of a carrot you’d get, or how many potatoes would come from one plant. But most of all, I remember watching my mom and dad get all dirty and sweaty, and then my mom would wrap her arms around my dad’s waist and they’d share a sweet, romantic kiss. It seemed so gross as a kid, but now I understood the appeal. Working hard together towards a common goal, seeing the beauty of nature, and satisfaction in gardening made a little extra love build up in my heart.
One day, I hoped to have that same experience with Scott.
But now it was Monday morning, and I was all alone at home. Amy and Lucas were having a romantic morning at the beach. My mom had taken Katy to school, and Dad was at physical therapy. That was the downside of being a late sleeper: I was left all by myself. If only Scott didn’t have to work normal hours, I would have gotten breakfast with him. I surveyed the empty house with a sigh. I didn’t really know what to do with myself.
I wandered over to the dining table and the stack of bills that my mom had left there. I started flipping through the pages. Mortgage. Water. Trash. Solar panel payments, which were thankfully less than the cost of electricity. Each bill was at least two months late.
I didn’t know if they still had money coming from the insurance settlement, or if it had all run out. But these bills were more than we could afford. A chill of fear ran through me, worried that my parents could lose everything.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. It was a call from Lisa.
“Hey, Lisa! What’s up?”
“Hey, Ivy. Are you busy?”
“Nope.”
“Good, good. How’s . . . your dad?”
What was she stalling for? “He’s fine. Same as usual.”
“Mm-hmm. And your mom?”
“She’s fine. Lisa, what’s going on?”
She sighed. “I hate asking you to do so much.”
Then don’t. I smoothed the front of my hair, moving my hand on top of my bun. “It’s fine. I’m happy to help.” Was I? Only because she was like a crazy aunt to me.
“I met with Blake again today. She . . . well, she’s having a hard time coming up with a plan for the teams.”
That’s a polite way to put it.“What does that have to do with me?”
She hesitated again. “I’d really love it if you could . . . take the reins on that.”
“Which part?” I asked. “There’s a lot involved in planning a team dance.”
Another beat.
“Lisa? Do I need to come up with the whole idea—choreography and everything?”
“No, no, of course not,” she said quickly. “That would be ridiculous. She needs to do the choreography. But if you could come up with a plan for the style, music, and costumes, that would be amazing. She said the choreography will come easily to her once she knows the persona they’re supposed to embody.”
“Yeah, that sounds like something she would say,” I muttered.
“What was that?” Lisa asked.
“Nothing.” I sighed. If I didn’t have to come up with the choreography, it wouldn’t be too bad. I always had twenty ideas for music and costumes running around in my head. I could choose three of them for her three teams and call it a day. And this way, I’d ensure her dances wouldn’t overlap with mine.
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Oh, Ivy, you’re the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’re welcome. But this is it. I can’t keep working for no pay. I’m going to come up with the ideas, and then I need to focus on my own teams.”
