Page 2 of Cruel Expectations

Her father insisted that she take a backup, and she hugged him hard and thanked him before she boarded the plane bound for Europe.

With an apologetic shake of her head, the woman slid the card back to her. “I’m sorry. That isn’t working either.”

“Please excuse me while I step out and make a phone call.” Ivy stowed the cards in her purse and walked out of the hotel. The wide veranda was the perfect quiet spot to call her father. But before she could even dial the number, another call came through.

The name on the screen left Ivy feeling a little shaky as she raised the phone to her ear. “Meadow.”

Her sister’s voice filtered into her ear. “Ivy! Thank god you answered.” The edge of panic in her big sister’s voice sent her heart into a quicker pace.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Daddy. He had a heart attack.”

Her own heart gripped. “Oh god! Is he all right?”

“They took him straight to surgery. He’s been in the ICU for days.”

“Why are you just now calling me?”

“I tried to get in touch with you, but my calls weren’t going through.”

Instant tears swam at the back of her eyes. She held her eyes wide, staring at the old stone wall of the hotel but seeing her father as he looked when they were last together. Saying their farewells. The entire family devastated, crippled by grief over Forest. Yet her father gave her that small tilt of his lips that was the only smile she’d ever seen him wear since their mother’s death.

“But he’s alive? He’s going to make it?”

A beat of silence met her question. “Ivy, I wish I could tell you that he will be okay, but I don’t know that for sure. I think it’s time for you to come home.”

Her mind backpedaled to a few minutes before when her cards got declined.

Her only two sources of money.

How was she supposed to get home without funds?

“I’ll book a flight as soon as I can. Today,” she said with determination. Her brain was going haywire, though. She did possess a small chunk of money, but had no access to it.

When she began her social media vlog, she started earning pretty quickly. Problem was, the money was in an online account, and since she didn’t have the physical card in her hand—it was sent to her home address of Montana—she had no way of verifying she was the owner of the account. Therefore, she had no access.

Meadow sounded so frazzled. After all their family had been through, Ivy wasn’t going to add to her sister’s stress.

“I’ll be in touch with the details, Meadow.”

“I’ll pick you up at the airport. Call me, sis.”

“I will. Give Daddy kisses from me.”

“Of course.”

“And Meadow—”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“Love you too. Get here safe.”

After the call ended, she stood there for a long minute, mind blank. Then all at once, she realized what she could do to get that money.

She had collected some amazing items on her travels through Europe—vintage clothes and jewelry, all designer. She could hock those for enough cash to get home.

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