Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable Read Online Free

sleep. She kept saying you should have been home by now and wouldn’t go to bed until you did.”
    Janelle had been babysitting for Ivy the past few months. Ivy had found her through a childcare service, Nanny Services on Call, after the woman she’d been using for several years moved away. Janelle was younger, but she came highly recommended and passed all the usual background checks. Her fondness for Katie and dedication to the job were unquestionable.
    “I stayed a little longer at the party than planned. Without Mother there, it was important we have a solid presence. I left Cyrus in charge now that things are dying down.” Ivy pulled cash out of her purse and handed the young woman a few bills.
    Janelle refused to take the money. “Ms. Johnson, you don’t have to do that.”
    Ivy paid the service directly, but every now and again she gave Janelle a little something extra. “I insist. I want you to get that car you’ve been saving for.” She grasped Janelle’s hand and squeezed the money into it.
    “Thank you so much, ma’am.” Janelle smiled down at Katie. “Bye, munchkin.”
    “See, I told you she wouldn’t be mad,” Katie said.
    “I’m not happy about you being up so late,” Ivy said, “but I’ll deal with you after Janelle leaves.”
    “Aww. I was just worried, Mommy. I wanted to make sure you came home safe and sound.”
    Every so often Katie made those types of remarks. It stemmed from the fact that Ivy’s husband, Winston, had left one night and never come home. For a long time afterward, Katie had been inconsolable and clingy when it came to being separated from her mother. After Winston’s death, the grave expression on her daughter’s face had been heartbreaking. Better to see her in this state—happy, impish, the way an eight-year-old should be.
    “Off you go. I’ll be there in a minute.”
    Katie scurried to her room, her cat slippers making slapping sounds on the oak floors extending throughout their home. Ivy said goodnight to the babysitter and turned out the lights before going down the hall. She’d moved into the two-bedroom condo after her husband passed away. The back half contained the bedrooms, a home office, and a media room that separated her bedroom from her daughter’s.
    She and Winston had owned a six bedroom house, but after his death, the house had felt too large and empty. Her condo was not small by any means, however. At over four thousand square feet, the dwelling provided more than enough room for her and Katie, while giving the feel of a smaller, more intimate dwelling. The spacious living room/dining room area contained giant windows that gave an impressive view of Elliott Bay with commercial buildings in the foreground and the mountains in the background. From her bedroom she could step onto the terrace to admire the view there too, but it wasn’t necessary. More than half of the bedroom’s walls were floor to ceiling glass and provided a breathtaking panorama of the sun setting over the bay in the afternoons.
    She’d grown to love living within the city limits for its convenience. She was close to work and within walking distance of Pike Place Market, where she and the other locals would go early in the morning to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and deli items before the tourists showed up to explore and videotape the singing fish throwers. The Seattle Art Museum was another favorite haunt within walking distance, and when the weather was nice she and Katie went on outings at nearby Waterfront Park.
    Moments later, Ivy sat on the edge of her daughter’s bed, maneuvering through a negotiation about a sleepover.
    “But Mommy , all of my friends are going.”
    Ivy did her best to ignore the plaintive wail of Katie’s voice and the frown on her face. “You’re too young for a sleepover,” she said. She tucked the blanket securely around her daughter’s small body.
    “I’ll be the only one who can’t go.” Katie pushed her glasses up her