Page 5 of Volatile

She snapped her eyes back to him, scrunching up her face. “Fun?”

“Yes, fun. When you’re not busy studying, what do you like to do?”

Her face darkened, and she broke contact. “I don’t—” The chime of the front office door cut her off, and she slumped forward before rising. “That must be Ivy. She’s picking me up.”

“When would it fit into your schedule to meet again?”

Lily sighed. “I’m sure my sister will be all over that since she keeps such good tabs on me.”

She grabbed her purse off the floor and headed towards the door, opening it before he had a chance to do it for her. A dark-haired woman stood in the waiting room, digging through her bag.

“Can I help you?” Jon asked, and the woman picked her head up.

“Like I said, my sister,” Lily responded, brushing past her and heading outside. “I’ll be in the car.”

“How’d it—”

“Everything’s fine, just like I keep telling you,” Lily shouted back from the pathway leading out of his office. The woman remained inside, shaking her head as she watched her go. Based on physical features alone, the two sisters couldn’t look more different.

Once Lily was in the car, she turned towards him. “Mr. Blazek.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Ivy Swanson.”

He shook her hand. “Call me Jon.”

“So, Jon... as you noticed, I didn’t get too far with Lily, so I’ll ask you. How’d it go today?”

“It’s definitely a process, and first sessions are usually a bit awkward.”

“Technically two sessions now. She’s already had one with Jacqueline Lamont.”

“Yes, well, she’s only had one with me, so technically one.”

She frowned, glaring at him a moment before digging through her purse again. “And did you find out the name of the man who assaulted her?”

“No. As I mentioned, it was just the first session. I don’t know how familiar you are with counseling and the way it works, but a certain level of trust needs to be built before any real progress is made.”

She sighed her disapproval, pulling out her phone and tapping on the screen. “I’d like to set up her second appointment now if that works for you.”

Is this woman for real? “Of course.”

“And I’m sure you won’t mind me sitting in for it.”

“As a matter of fact, I do mind.”

“Excuse me?”

Her eyes bore into him, and he was suddenly in the middle of a stare-down. The dissimilarities between Lily and Ivy went far beyond the outer layer. They were polar opposites.

Jon pressed his palm to the back of his neck. He was starting to get a fucking headache, but he had to do what he could to keep this little visit respectful. He believed that Ivy did care about her sister’s well-being, but her methods needed a wake-up call. There was no way in hell he’d ever get Lily to talk with Ivy hawking in the room.

“If I ever feel that Lily would benefit from you joining one of our sessions, I’ll let you know. Until then, I’d prefer to continue working with her one on one.”

She never broke eye contact; her irises pierced into him. They were the color of the acorns that covered his yard in the fall, complete with sharp points that stabbed his feet when he walked across the grass barefoot.

“My sister needs desperate help, Mr. Blazek, whether she knows it or not. And I’m going to make sure she gets it. What I’m not going to do is sit back and allow whoever did this to her to walk away. That is not acceptable.”

So much for a first-name basis. “I understand your concern, and I take this matter very seriously. But the best way for me to help her is for you to let me do my job. I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to resolve the situation.”

If he’d suspected even an inkling of abuse during their session, this conversation might have gone in another direction, but as it stood, that was not his gut feeling. He just needed more time with Lily to uncover answers. It was one fucking session.

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