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Chapter 12
Ishuffledintothekitchen the next morning to the sound of raised voices. Growing up with three sisters, that wasn’t unusual. But instead of my family, I found Lucas and Amy disagreeing at the kitchen table.
“I never thought this day would come,” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Amy’s dad called last night.” Lucas turned his chair to face me. “He wants to reconcile over a family dinner.”
“You said no, right?” I asked.
Amy tapped her foot on her chair. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“What?” I set my coffee mug down a little too hard, and coffee splashed all over the counter. “Are you insane?”
Amy never took my enthusiasm seriously. “When I stood up to my parents at the gala, my dad basically said he was proud of me. It was one of the few times in my life that he’s ever said that. And if he’s reaching out, I feel like I need to take that seriously.”
Lucas shook her head. “You’re crazy. Even if your dad means well, I can’t believe you’d want to see your mom.”
“That’s the only reason I haven’t said yes.”
“You’ll have Lucas with you,” I pointed out. “There’s your buffer. And you could always leave if you wanted.”
“I’m glad you see it that way.” Amy started picking at the ends of her hair. “Because my dad wanted you to come, too.”
“What?” I laughed. “Is he insane?”
“It’s entirely possible.”
“Did he even remember my name?”
Amy smoothed her hair back down and looked at me. “He called you Fern again. I don’t think he’s going to remember Ivy. But at least he remembers you exist.”
I leaned against the kitchen counter, amused by Amy’s insane family. Part of me really wanted to watch the train wreck that was family dinner at the King mansion. And then I suddenly realized . . .
“Is Scott going to be there, too?” I asked.
Amy furrowed her brow. “Well, yeah. He was typically there for family dinners.”
Shoot. Being around Scott in front of his family, and especially Amy, would be a disaster. After the weird forearm-petting incident, I wasn’t sure I could handle a full dinner with her whole family. I had to talk her out of this.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s too soon.” I took a casual sip of coffee.
“That’s what I think,” Lucas chimed in.
Amy looked at both us. “I don’t want to be afraid of my parents. I want to deal with this head on. Even if you two are too scared to join me, I’m going.”
“Watch out, world. Amy learned to stand up for herself,” I said with a smile.
Lucas ran the back of his hand down the side of her face. “I’m proud of you. And this feistiness . . .” He wagged his eyebrows at her.
“Ugh. I’ve told you guys, tone it down in front of me.” I turned back to the counter to add more sugar to my coffee.
“Maybe once you have a boyfriend, you’ll be less squeamish,” Lucas said.
I whirled around and slapped a hand over my heart. “Lucas Carter, I’m offended. Ilovelove. Just ask Amy how many episodes of The Bachelor I’ve watched.”
Lucas laughed. “The Bachelor has nothing to do with love. A guy making out with twenty girls?” He shook his head. “But when you really fall in love, you’ll know.”
I put my hands on my hips in mock outrage, but I didn’t miss Amy’s analysis of my reactions. I had to be extra careful now.
