Page 12 of The Parent Pick-Up
Blue fire sparks in her eyes, but it’s pain, not anger. “The spotlight didn’t feel like a dream anymore. It felt like a trap.”
She doesn’t say anything about Olivia, but I can do math. Ivy’s daughter must have something to do with her disappearance from the stage.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here.”
She smiles wistfully, turning her face to the bay. “Me too."
We fall back into that easy silence that’s so quickly developed between us. Our shoulders are so close, we’re nearly touching.
I glance down at her, eyes tracing the curve of her cheek, the slope of her jaw. She’s so close. I could just—
I lean in, slowly. She doesn’t move away.
Her lips part slightly.
And then my phone rings.
I check the screen and sigh. “It’s Hannah’s mom.”
Ivy pulls back. “You should take it.”
I nod, already missing the comfort of her next to me. “Yeah. I’ll just… be a minute.”
She reaches for the wine bottle and refills her glass, her expression unreadable.
And all I can think is for the first time in years, I wanted to kiss a woman. It’s like discovering myself all over again.
Chapter Five
Ivy
Inside,the elementary school smells like floor wax and cheese. Olivia has the map of the school and refuses to allow my input. She confidently navigates the halls, turning into a crowded stairwell. We follow behind a group of parents and children until we exit into a long hall.
Ten minutes later, we’re still looking for her classroom.
“Weren’t we supposed to be on the third floor?” I ask.
Olivia consults her colorful map with a frown. “I thought this was the third floor.”
My stress is dialed to eleven, and even Olivia’s excitement from earlier has dimmed.
We are lost, and every turn makes us more confused. Amid the cheerful chatter of clearly comfortable families in little clusters, we are the obvious outsiders. Everyone else has known each other forever and have been navigating Starlight Bay Elementary together for generations.
My heart squeezes as I imagine what it might have been like if we’d a traditional family like everyone else.
Maybe if we hadn’t moved so many times, we would have a community of friends, or at least know our way around the school. A wave of frustration washes over me as we take yet another wrong turn that leads us to the end of a hall with no stairwell in sight.
I see that Olivia is near tears, and I grab her hand and squeeze. “Don’t worry. We’ll find our way.”
They are words I’ve told myself a million times when I’ve been feeling devastated by the options in front of me. I’ve forged a path through life on my own since I was eighteen, and I can’t stop now.
I choke back emotions and remind myself I’m a strong, capable mother, who just happens to be lost in a new place.
It happens to everyone.
We’ll find our way.
And then I see a familiar face. There’s no mistaking Owen, my kind, generous neighbor who put us up on our first night in Starlight Bay.
