Page 4 of Frosted Torment

She dropped her hands to her side, and I grabbed my new comforter as a distraction. Throwing it over my shoulders like a cape, I twirled around the living room. Anything to ease the seriousness that our conversation had become.

“You worry too much, Ivy. Dropping by once or twice aweek is all Dust Bunny needs.” I laughed and kept spinning until she broke.

Her shoulders finally relaxed as she grinned under suspicious eyes.

Then she pulled me onto the couch into a hug. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me.”

“Won’t be for long, but I know my mom’s killers are still out there, and now I can try to do something about it. Like,reallytry.”

“You think so?” Ivy asked.

I sat upright and pointed to my chest. “This full-fledged adult knows so.”

Ivy didn’t understand my need to figure out the truth behind my mom’s murder after all these years, and it was murder. If I couldn’t prove it, I didn’t know how my state of mind would be in the end, but I had to try. And maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to move on from the pain and the guilt that had consumed me for so long.

Ivy looked up at me, and I bit the inside of my cheek as her gaze lingered too long. She flung her hair back with a look of exasperation, then placed a hand on my calf.

“Enough of the serious. Have you heard from Jack and Claire?” she asked, shifting the topic.

“Multiple times,” I replied, twisting a loose thread on the comforter while my mind wandered. “They’ve been calling, but I don’t answer.”

“And when was the last time you talked to them?” Ivy’s curiosity spread across her face.

Eyes squeezed shut, I cracked one open to meet her gaze. “Too long. Disrespectfully too long. I’m a horrible person for ignoring my godparents, aren’t I?”

“I wouldn’t say?—”

Ivy began, but I cut her off with a sharp, “Then don’t.”

A laugh bubbled up from deep within me, startling us both. As it reached my lips, the washing machine thumped with a force that drew our attention to the sound. Ivy jumped up with such speed that I nearly toppled off the couch.

“Why, Ivy Sazerac, I had no idea you knew anything about unbalanced washing machines!” I teased.

She rolled her eyes and straightened, extending a hand to signal for me to stay put. “And Noa Drake, you’d be surprised at what I know,” she declared.

Ivy moved clothes around inside the machine with unexpected ease. Then, with a satisfying click, she closed the lid and turned back to face me. Then, a series of quick, loud knocks rattled the door. She walked over to check the peephole, and her shoulders slumped with a resigned sigh.

CHAPTER 2

Atall man with a fiery, crimson ponytail beamed. His head poked above a mountain of clothes spilling over his arms, and I let out an elated squeal, much to Ivy’s amusement.

“Joss! You actually made it,” I exclaimed.

“Just your friendly neighborhood delivery service,” he chuckled.

Next to him, a jewelry satchel sat on top of a makeup case that stood as tall as his hip. I rushed over to relieve him, shoving my comforter into Ivy’s hands. Jossy unloaded everything on top of the blanket, including matching lace undergarments, which Ivy then dumped onto the couch. Jossy’s impeccably tailored navy suit clung to him with a flawless fit as I leaped up to embrace him.

I straightened his crisp jacket when my feet touched the ground again. “Lawyer things look good on you, but you should’ve told me you were coming.”

He planted a gentle kiss on my forehead. “And ruin the surprise? Happy birthday, Noa.”

“Let’s get started,” Ivy announced, clicking open her extensive makeup kit.

My hands grew clammy as Ivy held up potential outfits against my frame. As she deliberated over eyeshadow hues to best accentuate my features, I batted them away, uncertainty gnawing at me.

“Wait a minute,” I stammered. “It’s too early for all this. You guys got here way too soon.”

“Thank goodness!” Ivy scrutinized me with pursed lips before recoiling from my scent. “First things first, you desperately need a shower.”

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