Waiting Fate Read Online Free Page B

blue eyes sparkled, and Ivy laughed at her enthusiasm.
    Hmm. Go hang out with friends from high school or go home and do my homework like a good girl. She should go home. She had a paper due next week and a test on Friday. But if Kate found out she was behaving like an old woman again, she would be disappointed. She might even call Kim for reinforcements. Having both her sisters on her case was never a good thing. Given that thought, Ivy shrugged. “Sure, why not? I just have to swing by my house and grab my bag.”
    It was like stepping into the past as she and Gigi walked up to Jay’s front door. Ivy had been to Jay’s house a few times when they were younger. Like many things in her life, the house, on the outside, seemed exactly the same.
    A big jeep swung recklessly into the driveway and slammed to a stop. Ivy spun on her heel, wondering if she should dive for cover. “Hey Gigi,” the driver said as he jumped out of the lifted vehicle, his voice slow with a drawl that could only be found in a pure country boy.
    “Gunner?” Ivy asked in disbelief. She hadn’t seen him in over five years, and he hadn’t changed a bit. He was still tall and lanky, with light brown hair and kind eyes. Ivy remembered he had always been smiling; his lips forever quirked up in a grin.
    Ivy bounced on her toes, half-nervous, half-thrilled to see Gunner again. He’d always been such a sweet boy and a good friend.
    “Who are you?” he asked as he strode across the lawn toward them.
    Gigi laughed. “This is —”
    The front door swung open and Jay appeared, silhouetted, in the doorway. “Ivy Bleu.” Other than being taller and broader, he hadn’t changed either. Same sarcastic smirk, pretty brown eyes… Can I call a boy’s eyes pretty? And the same tight, curly hair. Ivy had always thought he looked like her favorite country singer, which may or may not have been why they had dated briefly when they were both too young to date.
    “Ivy? Serious?” Gunner’s eyebrows shot up.
    “Hi.” Ivy waved, self-conscious.
    “Wow. I heard you got married and moved out of the country,” Gunner said, peering at her through the darkness like she was some sort of undiscovered bug species.
    “Alaska.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot, wishing she could be anywhere else in the world.
    “Are you gonna let us in, Jay, or are we doing homework out here?” Gigi asked, shivering, although Ivy wasn’t sure it was for real or for effect. Was it cold here? She was used to Alaska winters, and this felt pretty mild in comparison. She wasn’t even wearing a jacket.
    “Sorry. Come on in.” Jay grinned as he stepped out of the way.
    “Ladies first.” Gunner bowed as they walked by.
    “Thanks,” Ivy said, following Jay into the living room.
    “Gigi. It’s been a while,” Jay’s dad said from the kitchen, and Gigi abandoned Ivy to join him. Ivy sank onto the couch, shoulders tense as she admired her tennis shoes. They were falling apart, but new shoes were only in the budget for Desee. Plus, they were pink, and she liked pink.
    Gunner sat on the couch opposite her, and Jay lounged on the floor. “Whatcha been up to for the last seven or so years?” Jay asked.
    Ivy forced a smile. She hated that question. Oh, you know. Living through Hades. Running for my life. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I got married right out of high school. Husband couldn’t keep a job, we got pregnant on accident, he joined the Army, and we moved to Texas and then Alaska. Now I’m getting divorced so I’m back home.” She nodded, agreeing with herself and out of breath.
    “You’re getting divorced?” Jay and Gunner both said in unison, but she could distinctly hear the disapproval in Jay’s voice. His parents had been in a nasty divorce before she’d known him, and he had been against it ever since. She sort of remembered that from high school, although she’d never known the details. Only that he’d blamed his mother for leaving, and no force