Page 85 of Tempest

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Wednesday

Ivy stepped into Mama’s house and headed straight for the kitchen. Entering, she saw the two most important women in her life drinking margaritas and eating chips and guacamole. She was pretty sure that’s what heaven would be like if she ended up getting in. “I’m just in time.”

“We had to make sure that your new recipe was as good as you said,” Bea told Ivy as she filled a glass for her. “I don’t think I’ve seen you alone since you got here. Where in the world is Prince Charming?”

“He’s over at Rick’s ranch, helping out with branding or something. I gave him the day off since Sherry Lane’s still in the hospital. The detective in Austin told us that bullets from the gun she used on Monday match the ones they found in the koi pond at Daddy’s house. Apparently she suffers from Antisocial personality disorder and she’s headed to the state mental facility.”

Bea shook her head. “Bill Bellows and a sociopath, why am I not surprised.”

“You and Ryan had a good run,” Grams commented as she filled a chip with guacamole. “Shooting the bad guys right and left. It makes me proud.”

“I wasn’t planning on shooting anyone, but William had it coming. I’m sure he barely felt the bullet because of all his padding. I meant to hit him in the leg; I knew those big old thighs of his would absorb it with no problem.”

“It’s not right pointing a gun at a dog and a bunch of women,” Bea said. “It’s poor manners, if you ask me. His mama must be so ashamed.”

“So, now what?” Grams asked. “You all cleaned up most of the mess. Are you going to keep that fine young man?”

“I’m thinking about it. We’re headed to Florida on Sunday. I have a meeting with Max and Rory scheduled for Tuesday. They’re flying in from San Diego and stopping in the office on their way to vacation. I want to propose the idea of an office here in Texas, and I need to make sure that things are running smoothly with the refinery contracts in South America.”

Grams covered her hand and smiled. “Is there any chance that you’ll come home to live instead of San Diego?”

“I don’t know. I’ll talk about it with Rory and Max and see what they think. I should also see what kind of ideas Ryan has…I’ve gotten the impression that he wants to keep seeing me.”

“He wants to marry you,” Grams said loudly. “No doubt about it.”

Ivy lifted her glass and took a healthy gulp. When that didn’t seem to do anything, she took another. “I’ve never had a man show me the kind of interest that Ryan has. Who knows? Maybe we go back to work and when the excitement fades, so do our feelings. Maybe we’re both adrenaline junkies and this just fed the fire we needed.”

“Or it’s the real thing and he means to keep you,” Grams added as she took Ivy’s hand. “Baby girl, I want you to remember that life isn’t meant to be filled with an endless to-do list. There is a man who wants to give you experiences that bring you close to the sun. Whatever happens between you and Ryan is going to burn you clean. Polite and appropriate never made anyone happy. My advice to you is to stay as far away from that as you can.”

Bea nodded in agreement as she refilled their glasses. “Honey, I’m sorry that I couldn’t do better by you and give you a good example. Your daddy and I were a hot mess, and I did my best to shield you from most of it.” She leaned back, lifted her hair off her shoulders, and blew out a long breath. “Maybe it’s time I told you a little about your daddy and how he grew up.”

“What do you mean, Mama? I feel like I know everything there is to know about that man.”

“You don’t, sweet girl. You just know the man who failed you as a parent. You don’t know who he was before he got there and what helped him get that way. I believe in my heart that your daddy did the best he could with what he had. His mama and daddy were not easy people, and he never had a decent example of how to be a good husband or father. His mama was nuts and his daddy had a horrible temper. Whatever he saw as a child didn’t prepare him to become a good husband or father.”

“So what am I supposed to do…forgive him?” Ivy shouted.

“Might be a good idea. It was his story; you were just the collateral damage,” Bea said. “So was Colin. Bill Bellows’ failure as a parent had to do with his deficiencies and unwillingness to overcome them. It had nothing to do with you and how amazing, smart, charming, and accomplished you are. You are the best girl in the world, and Colin is the best boy. You all deserved a lot more than you got. But life doesn’t always work out that way.”

Sitting back, Ivy drained her glass and waited for her mama to refill it. There was an earthquake happening in her brain, and her whole perspective was shaken. Was it possible that all the things she thought had to do with her…didn’t? Perhaps, it wasn’t her movie, and she was just a supporting actor who got the crappy subplot. Was it possible her father’s failure as a parent had nothing to do with her?

Grams crunched on a chip loudly. “You won the lottery with your mama and me. We more than made up for that sorry son of a bitch.” Pointing her finger, she winked. “Colin only had you. His poor mama wasn’t up for the task.”

Bea sipped her drink carefully. “It’s time to get over it. You get to choose your own story, and I hope to God it’s with that man who came to Texas to protect you.”

“My head is spinning and it’s not from the tequila.” Ivy took another sip and let the information roll around in her brain. “I’ve spent a lot of time working my hiney off to become worthy of my daddy’s attention. I could have stayed home and gotten a job at the Tastee Freez and called it good.”

“Maybe Bill did you a favor. You fulfilled your potential and took advantage of every opportunity that came your way. Maybe that was his gift to you. He certainly wouldn’t have left you a multimillion-dollar company if all you could do was make double-dip cones,” Grams said.

“You and Colin are overachievers, and I think that had a lot to do with Bill. I’m not saying that I recommend it as a parenting technique. But it worked for the two of you. I’ll bet you both are going to do a ton of good with all that oil money. Bill Bellows may end up helping people despite his best efforts,” Bea said.

“Well, hell’s bells,” Ivy said. “I don’t know which way is up and which is down. I’ve planned my life a certain way, and it all fell to pieces over the last month.”

“The things worth having in this life are the things you have to risk everything for,” Grams said. “I’m talking about love and not money. I want to see my brave granddaughter risk heartbreak. I want to believe we taught you that going all in is the only choice. You have to be willing to feel foolish, vulnerable, and out of control if you want to win the jackpot. We raised you to be brave. Show us that we did a good job.”

“I don’t know how,” Ivy wailed.

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