Page 42 of Wild Hearts

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Wren

WHAT’S THE SCOOP? ISbusy on Saturday morning. With the weather outside reaching the high thirties, people are looking for somewhere to escape the heat. I’m waiting for a family to make their decisions on what flavour ice cream they want when Ivy storms in for her shift, grumbling under her breath as she heads to the office.

I offer a tight-lipped smile to the mother I’m serving, wondering what’s happened to put her in such a grumpy mood. I wonder if it has something to do with her dad and the Baptism or the new baby. I’ve been selfishly avoiding her since Brady snapped at me on Tuesday, not wanting to answer questions about his attitude toward me. I don’t know how Elouise took the news, of if they’ve even told her yet.

Ivy huffs around with a permanent scowl on her face when she’s not forcing a smile for customers. After the lunch rush, I leave the casual staff to take over while I grab Ivy’s hand and pull her through the kitchen and into the office. Closing the door behind us, I turn to face my friend.

“What’s going on?” I ask. I’m praying she doesn’t bring up the fact we haven’t spoken since I left her brother’s room.

“My brother’s a dick,” she bursts out, slamming her hand on the desk. “I swear to God if we weren’t related, I’d...” She shakes her head. “Well, I don’t know, but I’m so mad at him right now.”

I grimace, unsure if this is related to me or not. “So, what’s Brady done now?”

Ivy lets out a frustrated growl. “He’s being so difficult about Theo’s Baptism. Dad asked if we could go to Byron Bay this weekend to talk about it and maybe go shopping for clothes, but he’s still refusing to go at all.”

I pinch my lips together. I saw how messed up Brady was when their dad left. It’s what caused everything to implode between us. I still wonder what would have happened if we hadn’t fought about it, if I’d just agreed to tell someone about us. Would Brady have been my date to the year twelve formal? If so, the incident with Drew might not have happened. I would be able to be by Brady’s side now and help him through this tough time. Instead, I’m living in a constant state of fear of never being able to be with anyone again, Brady’s acting out and Ivy’s copping the fallout.

“You guys went through a lot when your dad moved out,” I say carefully. “Brady was really hurt and angry, and now your dad has just thrown this on you as well. I’m sure he just needs some time to, I don’t know, come around to it or something.”

Ivy sighs. “The baptism is in eight weeks. I guess Dad thought if he didn’t give us a lot of time to think then Brady would just go along with it, but now it’s backfired and I’m left feeling guilty for wanting to get to know my half-brother. I thought it could be a step toward moving on.” A tear slips down her cheek and I pull her in for a hug.

“You don’t need to feel guilty,” I assure her. “What did your mum say?”

Ivy sniffs. “She was upset, obviously, but she said he’s still our dad and Theo’s our brother and she would never stop us from having a relationship with them.” She steps back and swipes at her face with the back of her hand. “I just wish Brady would give him a chance so I don’t have to feel so bad about it.”

“Have you told him how you feel?”

Fire blazes in Ivy’s green eyes. “He’s been avoiding me. He shuts me down every time I try to talk to him. He’s barely left his bedroom this week, not even for meals. Mum said to just give him time, but he’s acting like a brat.”

I take a deep breath, knowing that Brady probably won’t forgive me for what I’m about to do, but there’s nothing between us anymore. I need to be there for my friend. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Would you?”

I nod and for the first time all day, a real smile graces Ivy’s lips.

She wraps her arms around me again. “Thank you so much, Wren. I’m so glad you moved here. You’re such a good friend.”

Still closely guarding the secret I’ve hid from her, her words feel like a knife to the gut. She’d hate me if she ever found out I lied to her about her brother. “It will be too late to make the shops after work, how about I pick you up tomorrow morning? Around nine thirty?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ivy rubs her hands over her face and blows out a deep breath before opening the office door. I follow her back to the front of the shop and continue serving ice-cream, all the while wondering just how pissed her brother was going to be at me, and why I couldn’t just bring myself to not care what he thinks.

ITURN DOWN AN OFFERto go to the movies with Lachy and Ivy after work. After being on my feet for over six hours, I’m exhausted. I can’t wait to get back to my apartment to take a bath and read a book. I light a vanilla-scented candle and place it on the sink as I wait for the tub to fill, adding in the lime and coconut bubble bath that Airlie gave me as a going away present. The combination of my three favourite scents relaxes my body and I close my eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths.

Once the bubbles threaten to overrun the tub, I turn off the taps and strip out of my uniform that reminds me of the candy striper hospital uniforms you see on the old American television shows. I climb into the tepid water, sighing as it cools down my overheated body.

As my body sinks down I reach over to grab my book. It’s a new post-apocalyptic series about some teenagers who get stuck in the mountains after a deadly virus wipes out the world. Rory, one of the few friends I still had back home, recommended the new indie author to me, assuring me I would be hooked.

I knew Rory was right after only three chapters in. I’m completely invested. The main character is a badass queen and I can already spot a couple of potential love interests for her. The security buzzer for my apartment goes off making me jump. Water splashes over the bathroom floor and my book.

I choose to ignore it, turning the page and trying to lose myself in the world of make-believe. The buzzer goes off two more times and my body goes cold. The rational part of my brain tells me it’s nothing, but the irrational part tells me if it was someone I wanted to see, I’d know who it was. I’m clearly right, because the buzzer falls silent and I try to return to my book, but I can’t concentrate. My eyes are constantly darting to the bathroom door as if someone is about to burst through.

Then, someone starts pounding on my apartment door and I let out a gasp, nearly dropping my book in the tub again. I freeze, my heart hammering in my chest. It can’t be him. No one would ever tell him where he could find me.

A voice calls as the knocking continues. “Rookie? Are you in there? I saw your car in the parking lot.”

What the hell?How on earth did Brady get up here? I set my book on the floor and climb out of the bath calling, “Just a second,” as I grab a towel and wrap it around me.

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