Page 9 of Clint & Ivy
“We’ll figure out what you need, like a phone and shoes. That’ll probably be a whole ten more steps right there. While you’re in the shower, figure out what size shoes you need. That’ll keep your mind busy.”
Breathing easier, I smiled. “That’s a good system.”
Clint grinned at my compliment. “The day is already half over. I want to get you settled before darkness sends your mind spinning again. So, let’s get cleaned up and meet in the living room, okay?”
With me focused on my next steps, Clint left to shower. I got moving quickly, refusing to let myself worry about Uncle Dwight or consider the man in the next room.
I picked out a burnished-orange long-sleeved shirt and black sweatpants. I also discovered a drawer with underwear and socks. I set the clothes on the bed and then went to strip out of the outfit I’d been wearing on and off for four days.
Whenever my fearful side tried to distract me, I focused on what my next steps should be. My concentration broke when I caught sight of my reflection. The Ivy in the mirror was the scared woman from the Reno mansion. She wasn’t a wild child. She didn’t make big moves.Did she even believe in fate?
“You died back in the Mercedes,” I whispered to the face looking back at me. “I’m someone new. Clint is real. No more fantasizing in my head. I want to live for real. I’m never going back to the mansion or living by my family’s rules.”
My mind flashed with the faces of my family. Those memories tried to lure me back to a life filled with fear and submission.
Except no one in my family was ever afraid to enjoy their lives. Grandmother Abigail traveled the world and loved many men. Geraldine partied hard and even jumped out of airplanes. Dwight and Linus ran the streets until late at night. None of them were locked away for their protection.
But I was always treated differently. Born prematurely, I needed surgery to fix my heart. I nearly died more than once. Though the scars from my chest tube, heart surgery, and various other treatments might be faded, they were constant reminders of my precarious beginning.
Geraldine insisted I was too sick to go to school or have friends. If I caught a cold, she would blame the staff and fire them. I never had a chance to get close to anyone except for my grandmother, mom, and uncles.
But I’d finally broken free of my cage. Clint Reed was going to teach me how to be a newer, better Ivy. And nothing—not the fearful woman in the mirror or my codependency with my family—would stand in the way.
CLINT
The hot water washedaway the heat from today’s long ride. I didn’t linger in my shower like I might after a normal trip to Missouri.
I’d gone to visit Boone Chester every two weeks for the last three months. My younger club brother and longtime friend had gotten swept into a bar brawl while traveling with his father, Billy “Blackjack” Chester. The local sheriff—who was running for reelection—decided to make an example of the two out-of-towners. Fortunately, our club lawyer—my cousin and club sister, Lula—got the men’s sentences lowered to probation for Blackjack and six months for Boone.
Having one of my people locked up left me edgy. A person looking at my choices with Ivy today might claim they were a response to my unease over Boone. But I knew myself, and I didn’t make mistakes.
Ivy was special.More than beautiful and in need of help, she was mine. I’d felt it as soon as I saw her. If she were a local Missouri girl, I’d have traveled to see her until she was ready to move to my hometown.
My life couldn’t be anywhere else. My people ran this city. I wasn’t a man with any desire to start fresh somewhere else.
I wasn’t sure what Ivy needed. If she craved stability, I’d wrap her up in my power within Little Memphis. If she wanted excitement, my people loved to party. No matter what she craved, I could provide.
