Page 28 of Diving In

“I’ll be impatiently awaiting your next phone call. You’d better keep me posted. Promise?” she asked.

“I promise.” I laughed. “I love you, Ivy.”

“I love you too.” She paused. “And G? It’s going to be okay. All of it. You’re the strongest woman I know, please don’t ever forget that.”

CHAPTER 12

Late morning quickly turned into late afternoon, which was no surprise seeing as losing track of time was a rite of passage on this island. As much as I didn’t want to, I knew I needed to head back to the house and figure out my next move.

The gravel road crunched under my bike tires as I pulled up to Jack’s house just before high tide. I trekked up the front steps, walking through the entry, into the kitchen, and out onto the balcony.

It had always been my most favorite time of the entire day, something about how the beaches got a little quieter and the water a little closer. I hadn’t seen it in years, but this spot, up here on Jack’s balcony… Well, I’d give Jack credit where credit was due: he sure bought the house with the best damn view of the entire island.

The wraparound balcony was situated perfectly, the height of it almost perpendicular to the horizon. I could’ve stayed there for hours if not for the noise running through my head.

Living in New York, I never really had any quiet time to myself. Even if I was sitting alone in my apartment, there was still noise coming from the streets—sirens, car horns, millions of people talking. For me, I needed that ambiance. That was the noise that allowed me to stay in control of my thoughts, because when silence filled the air, so did my fears and anxieties, and they were able to take the reins.

I tried to focus on the sound of the ocean only a few feet away from the balcony, but it didn’t bring the same hectic disturbance that New York City sounds did. In fact, the ocean didn’t offer any interruptions. Instead, it brought stillness, leaving me a servant to my own thoughts. It was wild how much solace I found in the ocean as long as I wasn’t within its grasps.

Flipping through the things I needed to do, I walked back into the kitchen to grab one of my chocolate chip cookies that I didn’t have a chance to taste this morning becausesomeonehad distracted me. I knew the most important thing on my to-do list was calling my mom.

We usually chatted at least once every day under normal circumstances, so I knew she’d be eager to talk again, even if just for a few minutes. As I clicked her name in my phone, I took a seat in a comfortable-looking, wicker lounge chair with a thick and fluffy tan cushion.

“How are things? How are you?” Mom asked, her tone cautious but impatient.

“Things have been hectic here, but I’m fine.”

“Well, that’s better than I expected you to be. What messes did your dad leave behind for you?”

“No messes yet, just letters,” I breathed out.

“Letters?”

“I don’t have the mental capacity to go into detail right now, and to be quite honest, I don’t really know much yet."

“G, are you sure you’re okay? I know things are tough down there, but I’m always here to listen if you need me,” she said, worry evident in her voice.

“I know you are. I’m okay, I promise. But it’s been another long day. I’ll call you later. I love you, Mom, way past heaven.”

“Way past heaven, G.”

I clicked the phone off and immediately noticed the “3” hovering above my messages. As my fingertip clicked the green button, the knot in my stomach grew seeing all three of them were from Ian.

Ian:

Hey, G. I haven’t heard back from you since my last text. I’d really like to talk. Miss you.

Ian:

We fucked up by ending things between us. I know you’ve got a lot going which is probably why you acted the way you did. If we could talk, I think you’d see that you’ve made a mistake. Please text me back, G.

Ian:

I was thinking about trying to catch a flight down to Sullivan’s Island to come and see you? What do you think?

I panicked as I read his last text. Absolutely fucking not. Ian was not coming to this island, that much I was sure of. My fingers typed at turbo speed.

Me:

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