Page 38 of Who Pissed Off Ivy Dell?

“I was here. Not a lot of options for me.”

“Why didn’t you come visit? Why didn’t you come after her?”

“I grew and changed, and I knew she did, too.”

“You’re giving me the oldwe loved each other but we weren’t in love, anymorereason?”

“It wouldn’t be such a well-known saying if it weren’t true for so many people.”

“I just hate thinking that she might’ve died unfulfilled.”

“Then stop thinking it. I told you I talked to her before she got too bad to speak.”

“Did you ask her why she didn’t come back?”

“No. That wasn’t the answer I needed. I asked her if she was at peace. She said she’d had a beautiful life.” I swipe at my eyes. “Thanked me for being a part of it. And before we hung up, she said, ‘Yes, Petra. I am at peace with everything.’”

“You believed her?”

“With all my heart.”

“I don’t know why I was so convinced there was some big secret I never knew about her life.”

I raise my eyebrows and stare at her.

Ivy laughs.

“She didn’t necessarily hide that she was a lesbian. I just didn’t see it.”

“Sometimes, when we lose someone, we fear that their life wasn’t big enough, that they missed out on too much. Maybe even start to think that we held them back. Her life was enough, Ivy. She was fulfilled. Are you?”

“No. And I don’t think I knew that until I came here.”

“That’s an important realization. I’m glad you get to take that back with you. We can’t fix a problem until we know about it.”

“What if I don’t know how to be fulfilled?”

“What if you stopped worrying about that and followed your heart?”

“You mean Jensen?”

“If that works out, it’ll fulfill a part of your life. But I meant you. What’s in your heart for you?”

“That question scares the shit out of me because I’ve been feeling a strong desire to upend my whole life. Quit my job. Take big risks. And I’m not a big risktaker.”

“You haven’tbeena big risktaker. But what I’m hearing is you might be becoming more of one.”

“I think you’re supposed to tell me not to quit my job. Remind me about health insurance and paid sick days.”

“Do I look like someone who has ever had a paid sick day in her life?”

She laughs, and even if my advice is terrible, I’m going to let myself believe I said something right, because the sorrow that veiled her eyes when she walked in has lifted.

“So, do you have something fun planned for you and Zara today?”

“Dice stole her from me at eight a.m.!”

I belly laugh at her incensed response. I’m sure Dice has his own motives, but I think he may have been trying to free Ivy up for Stinger, too. “Well, damn. I guess Ivydell is determined to work a little more magic before we shut her down.”

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