Page 76 of Tempest

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Friday

Colin sat with Ivy at the island and they drank their coffee together. Ivy stared out the patio window and thought about what they had in front of them. “I’m going to be stuck here in Midland for a while. I can’t figure a way around it.”

Colin set his cup down and studied his sister. “I called my agent last night and told him to let the team know that I wouldn’t be able to begin until spring training when my contract starts. I only agreed to start working out with them early because I had nothing else going on. You can go back to work at SAI.”

Ivy set her cup down and shook her head. “Oh no, Colin. You have worked long and hard for this dream. I’m not letting you give it up because of Daddy.”

“First off, I’m not giving anything up. I’ll still play. It just won’t be until February. I’ve been playing baseball since I was eight. I can take a couple of months off.” He pointed at her and smiled. “You have your dream job, and it’s not fair that you give it up because of Bellows Energy. You’ve always taken care of me. Let me take care of this.” He stood and then grabbed the coffeepot and refilled their cups. “It’s not a hardship, because I get to spend time with the girl that I’m real interested in. Works out for everyone.”

“Are you sure, Colin?”

“Absolutely.” He lightly punched her in the shoulder. “I think people would rather see my face than yours. After all, I didn’t shoot anyone on my first day there. Do you notice how people scatter when you enter the building?”

“Oh, you be quiet. William is fine. He may end up with a limp, but that’s all.” Sipping her coffee, she looked over the rim of her cup. “He pointed the gun at Rocko. What kind of sick person wants to harm a dog?”

“Out of all of his sins, that may be the greatest,” Colin added. “I talked to Phoebe and Grace, and we’re going to stay here while we get the company ready to sell. This McMansion has plenty of room for all of us. I think Mac may be coming down from time to time to see Grace.”

“I know he’s going to be coming down. Do you see the way he looks at her? It’s like she’s the best piece of chocolate cake on the planet. I might have suggested that she needs a dog.”

“Matchmaker Ivy. I should warn people.”

“Hush. I didn’t do anything to put these two together. They did it all by themselves.”

“I never got to ask why Rocko didn’t attack William.”

“I couldn’t remember the command. He was allowed only to guard and not to attack.”

“What an amazing animal. Mac has done an incredible job with him.”

“I told Ryan that I wanted one of his dogs for Christmas. After Monday, I realized that I need one. I’ll have to figure out how to get her on the planes when I travel. Maybe she can be a therapy dog or whatever they’re calling them now.”

“That’s what you need, Ivy. Therapy.”

“I know, but I don’t have time for it. Lord knows that crazy runs in my blood. Maybe I’m taking after our late grandmother. I remember Grams telling me about Daddy’s mama and the things she used to do when she got mad. Maybe genetics is something that you can’t really escape. I never thought I had much Bellows in me, but clearly I was wrong.”

Colin laughed. “Aunt Tilly said that Grandmother Bellows was remembered best for the time she set the hairdresser’s mailbox on fire. The woman had given her a bad perm one too many times and she took it out on the woman’s house. The story goes that she was almost hauled in on a federal charge, but Grandfather Bellows called in some favors and got her community service. You can’t mess with the mail and expect to get away with it.”

“Colin, we come from a long line of crazy, and our only hope is that we can control ourselves a little better when it hits. I haven’t blown anything up or set anything on fire, so I’m holding out hope for myself.”

“Ivy, I’m a ball of fucking rage. I’m so tired of it. I have to get rid of all this shit with Dad. I can’t carry it around anymore. By accepting this money, I feel like I’m forgiving him.”

“I know,” she said as she leaned against the counter. “One way or another, you and I have to find a way past the fact that we got a daddy that never said ‘I love you’ or encouraged us in any way.”

“You’re right.” Leaning back, he crossed his arms. “Maybe Daddy finally did something good.”

“What do you mean?” Ivy asked.

“Ryan came to Texas because of what happened, and so did Phoebe. Maybe that mean SOB gave us a chance to find the people who we’re going to end up with. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants? The man who could never show love ended up bringing it into our lives.”

Ivy lifted her eyes to her brother’s and started laughing. “Damn. That is a kick in the pants.”

***

Ivy stood at the head of the table in the executive conference room and lifted her glass of sweet tea. Looking at Grace, Phoebe, Mac, Rick, Ken, her brother, and Ryan made her heart burst with happiness. “I want to thank everyone in this room for helping us. Colin and I are forever grateful and in your debt.”

Loud cheers erupted as people plunked their glasses against each other’s. “You are all not only amazing in your own right but also fun to hang out with. In some ways, I’d love to stay in Texas and keep you all close by,” Ivy said as everyone quieted down.

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