Page 27 of The Parent Pick-Up
“Oh, I’ll be charging you.”
“I’ll pay anything you ask if you can get Hannah to find her love for music again.”
“Deal,” Ivy says, extending her hand.
We shake on it, then seal it with a kiss.
We open an excellent bottle of Pinot and eat pizza cold straight from the box. Ivy connects her phone to my speakers, and we take turns playing our favorite songs. We scoot our stools closer together and scroll through songs, smiling when we both pick the same one.
I could get used to Ivy’s bare knee brushing mine as we eat a post-sex meal and down half a bottle of my favorite wine.
“Can I ask you a question?” Ivy asks after we’ve finished everything but the garlic knots.
“Of course.”Anything.
She pauses for a long moment, looking into her wine glass before lifting her gaze to mine. “Why do you have condoms in your bedside drawer?”
I nearly choke on my wine. “What?”
She avoids my eyes, staring at her clasped hands instead. “You seem very prepared.”
I reach out and cover her hand with mine. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
She squints up at me, nose wrinkling. “It depends.”
I cup her chin and gently lift her face to mine. “Do me a favor?”
Her brows lift. “Right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
She gives a tiny nod. “Okay.”
“Go look under the sink in the kitchen.”
She scoots back from the counter, frustration written all over her face.
“What do you see?” I ask when she opens the cabinet.
“Cleaning supplies. A First Aid kit.” She rummages around. “A fire extinguisher.”
“Okay, now open another cabinet.”
She opens the next cabinet and sighs. “What do your labeled recycling bins have to do with condoms?”
I stand up from the table and walk into the kitchen. “I’m trying to prove a point.”
“That you’re obsessively organized?” She laughs. “I’ve seen your classroom. I think it’s the only one in the whole school with a label maker.”
“I wouldn’t call it obsessive,” I say. “I’d call it prepared.”
A lightbulb goes off behind her eyes. “Youarevery prepared.”
I open another cabinet and show her my extensive spice rack, alphabetized, of course. “You have no idea.”
Ivy pulls open a random cabinet, her jaw dropping when she sees the inventory sheet hanging from inside the door. “Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Impressive, right?”
