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I motioned to a booth and waited for her to sit then slid in next to her while Becca sat across from her. “Did something happen?”
“Shep and I had an argument,” she said, one side of her lips crooking up. “I know you think that’s probably not unusual, but we actually rarely fight.”
I put my arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “Your relationship with Shep is between you guys. You don’t have to explain yourself to us.”
“I’m not,” she said, sighing. “It was just my way of saying we rarely ever disagree about anything, so it threw me for a loop.”
“Was it something big?” Becca asked. “Is Lucy okay?”
Ivy held up her hand and nodded. “Lucy is fine. Actually, the argument was about Lucy, or rather more Lucys.”
“I see,” I said with a nod. “I suppose she’s at that age now where it’s time to start thinking about a brother or a sister.”
“For Shep, anyway,” she agreed. “For me, not so much.”
“There’s nothing wrong with waiting, Ivy,” Becca said. “You have a lot going on here.”
Ivy motioned at her as if to say,exactly. “That’s what I told Shep. I was so sick when I was pregnant with Lucy and I can’t do that right now. Honestly, I would love to adopt a sibling for Lucy. After witnessing Holly blossom by having a family and community to love her, that’s something I want to be part of too.”
“That’s a great idea,” I agreed, hoping to buoy her spirits.
“Shep didn’t think so.”
“That surprises me,” Becca said. I could hear the hurt in her voice with those three words. She was a foster kid her entire life. No one wanted to adopt her because she was an amputee and when she was a teenager, her foster family did terrible things to her.
Ivy sighed. It was heavy and sad. “Not like that. Just that he didn’t want to hear my ideas after I told him I wasn’t ready for more kids. He just dropped this wall down between us and then he stormed out of the house in an angry tirade.”
“Oh boy,” I muttered, and her head nodded as a tear fell. I wiped it away with a napkin from the table. “It’s okay, Ives.”
“He was so upset he had an asthma attack. He’d walked all the way to the city shop without premedicating. Thank God he had his meds there.”
“Is he okay?” I asked, turning her to me. “We can reschedule this meeting.”
“He’s fine. I picked him up from work and made him go to the emergency room. They gave him a breathing treatment and sent him home. He’s sleeping now, as is Lucy. Since I had to take her out, her sleep got interrupted too. He apologized for storming out, but we never talked about the rest.”
“He’ll come around. You both need to get some sleep before you talk again,” Becca said.
“I know you’re right, but when you’re tired and worried about someone you love, that makes it harder to be logical and not lead with emotion.”
“You’re welcome to lead with emotion anytime you need to when you’re with us,” I said, giving her a squeeze. “How about if I grab us some food? We can talk over breakfast and then you can go home and rest.”
Her shoulders sank and she shook her head. “No sense. I have to be with Lucy today since Shep works at nine.”
“I’ll take Lucy today,” I said without hesitating. “After this meeting, I’m off until Lance is done at four. Then we’re going to Saginaw. She can help me make some donation drop-offs at the school and then I’ll take her to Mrs. Beesweasel’s for girl time.”
“You’d do that?” she asked in surprise.
“Absolutely.”
Becca pointed at me. “And if you come out to the farm after her nap, she can see Bradley and ride the wagon, since Cam is training new kids how to chaperone our rides through the tree grove.”
“Now that’s a solid yes,” I agreed with laughter. “I love Bradley and the wagon rides as much as Lucy does.”
Bradley was a four-pound terrier Cam had found sleeping under his tractor a few years back. He was the favorite animal on the farm for the three and under crowd.
“You guys are the best,” Ivy said, resting her head on my shoulder. “Normally, I would say no, but I’m worn out, so I’m going to say yes this time. Self-care, right?”
“Mom care, and we’re here for it,” Becca said. “You’ve saved our butts more times than we can count. This is the very least we can do. Besides, who doesn’t want to spend the day with Lucy Lund? Well, as long as you’re well rested.”
