“Yes, I remember.”
“I’m sorry if I caught you at a bad time.”
I realize then how bad this may sound, calling me later at night on Saturday with the sound of music blaring behind me.
“Yes, sorry. I’m out playing laser tag with a friend. Give me a moment to get somewhere quieter.”
I mouth to Ivy, “It’s about my mom.” Unbuckling my vest, Ivy grabs it from me, urging me to go take the call as I jog toward the exit in search of somewhere private to talk.
“Sorry about that. Is everything okay? Is she alright?”
“Yes. I just wanted to call you about an incident that happened today. She walked out; said she wasn’t going to commit to the program. Like we said when you brought her here, she’s an adult, and there’s nothing we can legally do to keep her here if she chooses to leave. She took off around one o’clock this afternoon and came back shortly after dinner time. It was clear she had been drinking when she was dropped off, but the good news is she came back.”
Despite being frustrated she left, I’m relieved she made the choice to return, even though she had been drinking.
“We have her here. The next few hours will be hard for her as she battles with the urge to keep drinking. She has a dependency on alcohol, so it’s almost like her body needs it to function or she feels crummy, but we’ll help her through that process. I just wanted to reach out to you, so you were aware. She’s here though, she’s okay.”
“Okay,” I sigh, trying to process everything he just said. In the end, I focus on the fact she’s back there. Travis and I both said we wanted her to choose this or it wasn’t ever going to be effective.
“Thank you for giving me a call.” I massage my fingers into my forehead as Ivy joins me, running her hand over my back, easing the tension I feel rising up in my body.
“Everything okay?” Ivy asks when I press the end button.
Sliding my phone back in my pocket, I take a deep breath wrapping my hand around her neck, pulling her into me and kissing her softly. Her hand grips my wrist, holding onto me when I tilt my head back.
“It’s not right now, but it will be.”
Eighteen
Ivy
I’m standing in the bathroom, putting the finishing touches on my makeup while talking to Kyla on speakerphone, when I hear Brix traipse through the front door.
She had just finished telling me about how Tysin was waiting beside her car when she got off work. Once I hear him, making an entrance like he always does, my mind zones out on everything she’s saying.
“Get your sweet ass down here!” Brix shouts.
By the long pause on the other end of the line, I’m guessing she heard him, too.
“Was that Brix?” Kyla asks, in the middle of her sentence.
Shuffling my stuff back in my makeup bag, I swipe my phone off the counter, shoving everything in the linen closet. Stepping out of the bathroom, he mutters something about smacking my ass when he stops in his tracks, eyes falling on the phone in my hand.
“Yeah, it was.” My eyes widen, trying to signal him to zip it.
I haven’t quite made it to telling Kyla about what’s been going on with the two of us. I guess in my mind, I’m still waiting for the moment things inevitably change. For the other shoe to drop, so to speak.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
I mouth Kyla’s name, pointing to my phone. He doesn’t seem to give a shit, cornering me against the wall, sliding his arms around me, kissing my neck.
My body trembles, reacting to the feel of his hands and lips on my skin.
“Uh, yeah,” I stammer. “Everything’s great. Just perfect.”
I playfully push away from him, and he stumbles back. The look in his eyes shifts, as he quirks his eyebrow up challenging. He stalks after me into my bedroom.