Chapter 9
"I want you to get her settled in while I talk to Ivy. Do you think you can handle that, Jess?" Sam asked.
"Oh, I'm sure we'll do just fine," Jessica smiled. Glancing over at her mother.
Kay stood a short distance from her father and sister. Her arms crossed around her chest. Smirking triumphantly at Ivy.
Ivy took a shaky breath and turned away. There was so much.hatred.in those dark eyes. She stuffed her soiled lace handkerchief into her purse and zipped it slowly. This was not happening. Grace Bennett was not smiling in the company of her son and brother-in-law. Grace Bennett was dead.
"Ivy? Are you okay?"
Ivy met Gwen's blue eyes. Smiling slightly at the concern she saw in them. "I'll be.no. No, I'm not okay. My fiance's 'dead' wife reappeared in Harmony more than a day ago, and I'm just now finding out," she said shortly.
"I'm sure Sam was going to tell you," Gwen placated.
"Gwen's right," Sam interrupted.
Ivy's blue green eyes searched out Grace's slight figure. Watching it as it got smaller and smaller. "Really, Sam?"
Sam looked at Gwen out of the corner of his eye.
"I.I have to go now. If you need anything, Ivy.just call."
"Thank you," she cried. "Sam," she said icily. "Were you ever really going to tell me? Or were you secretly hoping someone else could do it? Take the pressure off of you?"
"Ivy," Sam said in an exasperated voice. "It wasn't like that. Not at all. True.I didn't know HOW to tell you. But I never wanted you to find out this way."
"I can't deal with this right now."
"Ivy! Wait! Where are you going?" Sam asked. Grabbing her by the arm.
Ivy yanked her arm from Sam's grasp. Honestly.she didn't know yet. "Anywhere but here," she growled.
Sam clenched his fists and swore under his breath as he watched her hurry away blindly. Was she so desperate to get away from him? What now?
"Dad.Dad everything's going to be fine now."
He pulled his eldest daughter close and clung to her for strength. Somehow he didn't quite think so.
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"Aunt Paloma? Is Aunt Whitney sick?"
Paloma glanced at her little nephew through the rear-view mirror. "She just had a bad day," she said softly.
Matthew pondered her words. His tiny finger posed on his chin thoughtfully. "Those are the worst," he finally said. "Aunt Paloma? Where are we going?"
Paloma bit her lip to keep from laughing. "To Uncle Miguel's house."
"Uncle Miguel!" Matthew said excitedly. "Yay!"
This time Paloma did giggle. Miguel and Matthew.well, they shared a special bond it seemed. "Yes," she smiled. "Aunt Charity invited us over for dinner."
"Aunt Paloma?"
"Yes," Paloma answered. Turning on her left blinker and making the turn at the road that would lead them to Miguel and Charity's house.
"Is Tessa going to be there?"
"Of course, silly. Why?" she asked with a laugh. "Don't you like your cousin? You do like Tessa, don't you? Matthew?"
Matthew bowed his dark head and twiddled with his teddy bear's button eyes nervously. "I guess. But Aunt Paloma.Tessa.she's weird, Aunt Paloma."
Paloma choked on her own tongue. "Matthew.that isn't very nice," she chided. She waved distractedly at her brother as the car rolled to a stop. She released her seat belt and turned around in her seat to look at her nephew. "Matthew.you don't mean that."
"I'm sorry, Aunt Paloma," he apologized without meeting her eyes.
"It's okay, kiddo," she smiled. "What are you waiting for? We're here." She opened her door and climbed out of the car.
Matthew uncrossed his fingers and whispered to his teddy bear. "I didn't really lie, Teddy. Honest." He unbuckled himself and slid out the open door.
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"Wow! Sugar Bear! You look.amazing! When did you go and grow up on me, Sweetheart?"
Simone smiled at her father in the mirror's reflection as she fastened the gold hoops in her ears.
"Daddy.you have to say that."
T.C. grinned. "It's a totally unbiased opinion. I swear. So.where are you off to tonight?"
Simone slipped her purse on her arm and adjusted the skirt of her boldly colored dress. "Hmm. Nosy, aren't we?"
T.C.'s eyebrows shot up, and he laughed. "Busted. Really. Hold that thought. Someone's at the door."
The door swung open slowly to reveal a rather nice-looking young gentleman that looked oddly familiar.
"You don't recognize me, do you Coach Russell?"
T.C. rubbed his chin. It was right there. On the tip of his tongue. Why couldn't he.
"It's me, Coach Russell. Reese. Reese Durkee."
Simone burst into laughter at the look of complete disbelief on her father's face. "I can't believe you, Daddy. You don't see it?"
T.C. chuckled in embarrassment. Now that he thought about it."Reese. Come in. It's time for the mandatory talk about the rules."
"Daddy," Simone rolled her eyes. "Daddy, I'm not a teenager anymore. I'm in my twenties." How embarrassing is this? She could die from the mortification right here and now.
"It's okay, Simone. Coach Russell, I promise I will take the utmost care of your daughter and treat her like the lady she is."
Someone wipe that idiotic grin off my dad's face, Simone thought to herself. She pretended to look at the time. "Oh my goodness! Reese! We're going to be late. Bye, Daddy," she said. Kissing his cheek in her haste.
"Bye, Coach Russell."
T.C. laughed to himself when the door shut behind the pair. Late? "Sugar Bear.you weren't even wearing a watch."
"I want you to get her settled in while I talk to Ivy. Do you think you can handle that, Jess?" Sam asked.
"Oh, I'm sure we'll do just fine," Jessica smiled. Glancing over at her mother.
Kay stood a short distance from her father and sister. Her arms crossed around her chest. Smirking triumphantly at Ivy.
Ivy took a shaky breath and turned away. There was so much.hatred.in those dark eyes. She stuffed her soiled lace handkerchief into her purse and zipped it slowly. This was not happening. Grace Bennett was not smiling in the company of her son and brother-in-law. Grace Bennett was dead.
"Ivy? Are you okay?"
Ivy met Gwen's blue eyes. Smiling slightly at the concern she saw in them. "I'll be.no. No, I'm not okay. My fiance's 'dead' wife reappeared in Harmony more than a day ago, and I'm just now finding out," she said shortly.
"I'm sure Sam was going to tell you," Gwen placated.
"Gwen's right," Sam interrupted.
Ivy's blue green eyes searched out Grace's slight figure. Watching it as it got smaller and smaller. "Really, Sam?"
Sam looked at Gwen out of the corner of his eye.
"I.I have to go now. If you need anything, Ivy.just call."
"Thank you," she cried. "Sam," she said icily. "Were you ever really going to tell me? Or were you secretly hoping someone else could do it? Take the pressure off of you?"
"Ivy," Sam said in an exasperated voice. "It wasn't like that. Not at all. True.I didn't know HOW to tell you. But I never wanted you to find out this way."
"I can't deal with this right now."
"Ivy! Wait! Where are you going?" Sam asked. Grabbing her by the arm.
Ivy yanked her arm from Sam's grasp. Honestly.she didn't know yet. "Anywhere but here," she growled.
Sam clenched his fists and swore under his breath as he watched her hurry away blindly. Was she so desperate to get away from him? What now?
"Dad.Dad everything's going to be fine now."
He pulled his eldest daughter close and clung to her for strength. Somehow he didn't quite think so.
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"Aunt Paloma? Is Aunt Whitney sick?"
Paloma glanced at her little nephew through the rear-view mirror. "She just had a bad day," she said softly.
Matthew pondered her words. His tiny finger posed on his chin thoughtfully. "Those are the worst," he finally said. "Aunt Paloma? Where are we going?"
Paloma bit her lip to keep from laughing. "To Uncle Miguel's house."
"Uncle Miguel!" Matthew said excitedly. "Yay!"
This time Paloma did giggle. Miguel and Matthew.well, they shared a special bond it seemed. "Yes," she smiled. "Aunt Charity invited us over for dinner."
"Aunt Paloma?"
"Yes," Paloma answered. Turning on her left blinker and making the turn at the road that would lead them to Miguel and Charity's house.
"Is Tessa going to be there?"
"Of course, silly. Why?" she asked with a laugh. "Don't you like your cousin? You do like Tessa, don't you? Matthew?"
Matthew bowed his dark head and twiddled with his teddy bear's button eyes nervously. "I guess. But Aunt Paloma.Tessa.she's weird, Aunt Paloma."
Paloma choked on her own tongue. "Matthew.that isn't very nice," she chided. She waved distractedly at her brother as the car rolled to a stop. She released her seat belt and turned around in her seat to look at her nephew. "Matthew.you don't mean that."
"I'm sorry, Aunt Paloma," he apologized without meeting her eyes.
"It's okay, kiddo," she smiled. "What are you waiting for? We're here." She opened her door and climbed out of the car.
Matthew uncrossed his fingers and whispered to his teddy bear. "I didn't really lie, Teddy. Honest." He unbuckled himself and slid out the open door.
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"Wow! Sugar Bear! You look.amazing! When did you go and grow up on me, Sweetheart?"
Simone smiled at her father in the mirror's reflection as she fastened the gold hoops in her ears.
"Daddy.you have to say that."
T.C. grinned. "It's a totally unbiased opinion. I swear. So.where are you off to tonight?"
Simone slipped her purse on her arm and adjusted the skirt of her boldly colored dress. "Hmm. Nosy, aren't we?"
T.C.'s eyebrows shot up, and he laughed. "Busted. Really. Hold that thought. Someone's at the door."
The door swung open slowly to reveal a rather nice-looking young gentleman that looked oddly familiar.
"You don't recognize me, do you Coach Russell?"
T.C. rubbed his chin. It was right there. On the tip of his tongue. Why couldn't he.
"It's me, Coach Russell. Reese. Reese Durkee."
Simone burst into laughter at the look of complete disbelief on her father's face. "I can't believe you, Daddy. You don't see it?"
T.C. chuckled in embarrassment. Now that he thought about it."Reese. Come in. It's time for the mandatory talk about the rules."
"Daddy," Simone rolled her eyes. "Daddy, I'm not a teenager anymore. I'm in my twenties." How embarrassing is this? She could die from the mortification right here and now.
"It's okay, Simone. Coach Russell, I promise I will take the utmost care of your daughter and treat her like the lady she is."
Someone wipe that idiotic grin off my dad's face, Simone thought to herself. She pretended to look at the time. "Oh my goodness! Reese! We're going to be late. Bye, Daddy," she said. Kissing his cheek in her haste.
"Bye, Coach Russell."
T.C. laughed to himself when the door shut behind the pair. Late? "Sugar Bear.you weren't even wearing a watch."