smoke stung her eyes. However pretty it looked clouding between his lips and filling the air above them, it still pissed her off a little.
Suddenly, she realized that however different things felt with Lucas, he was just like all her other boyfriends. The relationship would last a month or two at the most and then they would drift apart, one of them not quite as into the other.
This time around, it was definitely him who seemed completely indifferent.
Ivy sat up, got out of bed and started to collect her clothes from the floor.
Lucas pushed himself to a sitting position, the sheets loosely covering him from the hips down. Seeing the panther across his chest made Ivy feel even worse. It seemed to symbolize the fact that Lucas wasn’t willing to let her completely in.
“Are you going home?”
“Yeah. I should start… packing, anyway.” She pulled on her jeans and t shirt.
“I thought you said you had a few days.”
Ivy shrugged. “I should spend these few days with my niece and sister. I came here to do that anyway.”
She kneeled down to Kimbo’s level. He was sleeping on a little dog bed in the corner of the room. She scratched his ears. “Bye, Kimbo.”
Then she straightened, gave a surprised Lucas a little wave, and left.
* * * *
She walked Emma to school and picked her up without saying a word to Lucas for the next two days. At first he tried to engage her in conversation, but when she was unresponsive, he stopped trying.
Though Ivy masked her feelings under the label that she was upset with Lucas for seemingly not caring that she was leaving, she knew that really she was just afraid that their relationship was doomed to end.
She was supposed to leave that night. She had planned to start driving that Friday night so she would be back in the office on Monday morning.
Jess got home from work and didn’t even say hello before coming and giving Ivy a big hug. “Thank you so much for all this,” she said.
Ivy hugged her back. “Of course. I hope I helped out a little.”
Jess pulled away, cool and composed again. “You really did. I got a few huge projects done at work and now my boss is fine with me working fewer hours. Also, since I got so much overtime in I think I can afford some sporadic childcare for Emma if I need it. Things are really looking up.” She smiled.
Though she didn’t explain further, Ivy knew that by “thing are really looking up” Jess meant that somehow, she and her daughter were moving past Nikolai’s unexpected death.
Ivy let out a breath. Things would be just fine in Paisley if she left. Her sister and Emma would be fine. Lucas would continue being alone, but he’d be fine too.
She swallowed. She had expected him to call, text, or even just come over before she left. She couldn’t go back to the city and leave things like this with him. She checked her phone for the fifth time in the past few minutes. Nothing –nothing except a reminder that she should be packing up her car.
“I’m going to put my stuff in the car, and then we’ll have to say our goodbyes.”
Jess nodded. “I’ll go get Emma.”
Ivy lugged her suitcase and put it in the back of the car that she hadn’t needed to touch since she drove here. Paisley was so tiny she had walked everywhere or Lucas had driven her.
Lucas… Ivy checked her phone again. Nothing.
As soon as she walked back into the hallway of Jess’s apartment, Emma ran up to her and gave her a big hug. She looked up at Ivy, teary eyed. “You’re really leaving?” she asked, despondent.
“Yes, but I’ll see you really soon, okay?” Ivy picked up Emma and gave her a big squeeze.
“Okay,” Emma said dejectedly. “Are you going right now?”
“Yes, Em. I want to get home on Sunday so I can go to work on Monday.” Though the logic probably went over Emma’s head, the little girl retreated to her mother in the doorway of their home.
And Ivy’s, for the past month.
She felt herself tearing up. “Bye guys. I
Suddenly, she realized that however different things felt with Lucas, he was just like all her other boyfriends. The relationship would last a month or two at the most and then they would drift apart, one of them not quite as into the other.
This time around, it was definitely him who seemed completely indifferent.
Ivy sat up, got out of bed and started to collect her clothes from the floor.
Lucas pushed himself to a sitting position, the sheets loosely covering him from the hips down. Seeing the panther across his chest made Ivy feel even worse. It seemed to symbolize the fact that Lucas wasn’t willing to let her completely in.
“Are you going home?”
“Yeah. I should start… packing, anyway.” She pulled on her jeans and t shirt.
“I thought you said you had a few days.”
Ivy shrugged. “I should spend these few days with my niece and sister. I came here to do that anyway.”
She kneeled down to Kimbo’s level. He was sleeping on a little dog bed in the corner of the room. She scratched his ears. “Bye, Kimbo.”
Then she straightened, gave a surprised Lucas a little wave, and left.
* * * *
She walked Emma to school and picked her up without saying a word to Lucas for the next two days. At first he tried to engage her in conversation, but when she was unresponsive, he stopped trying.
Though Ivy masked her feelings under the label that she was upset with Lucas for seemingly not caring that she was leaving, she knew that really she was just afraid that their relationship was doomed to end.
She was supposed to leave that night. She had planned to start driving that Friday night so she would be back in the office on Monday morning.
Jess got home from work and didn’t even say hello before coming and giving Ivy a big hug. “Thank you so much for all this,” she said.
Ivy hugged her back. “Of course. I hope I helped out a little.”
Jess pulled away, cool and composed again. “You really did. I got a few huge projects done at work and now my boss is fine with me working fewer hours. Also, since I got so much overtime in I think I can afford some sporadic childcare for Emma if I need it. Things are really looking up.” She smiled.
Though she didn’t explain further, Ivy knew that by “thing are really looking up” Jess meant that somehow, she and her daughter were moving past Nikolai’s unexpected death.
Ivy let out a breath. Things would be just fine in Paisley if she left. Her sister and Emma would be fine. Lucas would continue being alone, but he’d be fine too.
She swallowed. She had expected him to call, text, or even just come over before she left. She couldn’t go back to the city and leave things like this with him. She checked her phone for the fifth time in the past few minutes. Nothing –nothing except a reminder that she should be packing up her car.
“I’m going to put my stuff in the car, and then we’ll have to say our goodbyes.”
Jess nodded. “I’ll go get Emma.”
Ivy lugged her suitcase and put it in the back of the car that she hadn’t needed to touch since she drove here. Paisley was so tiny she had walked everywhere or Lucas had driven her.
Lucas… Ivy checked her phone again. Nothing.
As soon as she walked back into the hallway of Jess’s apartment, Emma ran up to her and gave her a big hug. She looked up at Ivy, teary eyed. “You’re really leaving?” she asked, despondent.
“Yes, but I’ll see you really soon, okay?” Ivy picked up Emma and gave her a big squeeze.
“Okay,” Emma said dejectedly. “Are you going right now?”
“Yes, Em. I want to get home on Sunday so I can go to work on Monday.” Though the logic probably went over Emma’s head, the little girl retreated to her mother in the doorway of their home.
And Ivy’s, for the past month.
She felt herself tearing up. “Bye guys. I
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