she talked about her terrifying encounter with a mall Santa, or the time she and her siblings snuck into the closet and peeked at their presents early one year. Ivy had, without even knowing it, managed to alter his perspective. One that had been etched in stone until now.
“I have to tell you,” he said, “when I see life through your eyes, the way your childhood was, it gives me hope. What you had, it’s very different from my own experience. It’s a stark contrast from the life many of the kids who come through here have known as well. That’s why it’s been easy to convince myself that happy families don’t really exist.”
Ivy tipped her head, her expression turning thoughtful now. “Yes, I’ve been fortunate. Of course, coming from a big family has its downsides.”
“Like what?” he wondered.
“Being the youngest,” she started, “I felt I was miles behind everyone, you know? I was barely starting to learn one thing, and all of my siblings were mastering bigger, more impressive feats. It just seemed like no matter what I did, I couldn’t get them to notice or…” She dropped off there and shook her head. “It’s a stupid complaint. In comparison to what other people deal with…”
Other people. As in him. She was recalling their interview, no doubt. “Comparison doesn’t make what you went through irrelevant, Ivy. Compared to kids with violent parents, my life was a walk in the park. You see?”
She nodded, but the conflicted pull at her brow remained.
“Go ahead,” he urged. “Believe it or not, this type of thing helps with my job. I’m not one of the therapists, obviously, just a survival specialist. But sometimes, for that very reason, the kids open up to me all the more. I’ve had a lot of them say they feel invisible next to their high-achieving siblings. People handle that in different ways,” he explained. “Many simply get into trouble to get the attention they want.”
How true that was. One kid in particular came to mind. A bright young man named Aaron. He’d been given every opportunity in the world to achieve greatness, but the combination of hurt, jealousy, and the need to be seen resulted in a deadly stream of behavior that almost killed him.
“I guess that’s true,” she said, reluctant to give herself any credit. “In my case, it’s made me determined to achieve greatness. At first, that greatness was getting good grades. Then it was getting a job with Channel 13. Once I achieved that, my goal was to work my way up to a direct position with Marsha Langston, the network’s top reality TV producer, which is what I do now. But since none of those accomplishments have impressed anyone a whole lot, I’m aiming to become her number one assistant, so…”
Easton realized something as she dropped off there and nodded her head. “You don’t enjoy your job?” he asked.
Her mouth snapped open, but nothing came out. She pinched her lips together for a blink, seeming to consider it. “I liked it better when I didn’t feel like I was competing for more all the time,” she finally said. “But there are still things I like about it.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“The interview part has always been my favorite,” she said without hesitation. “I love getting to know people. Having them open up about their life. Of course, if I get the promotion I’m going for, I won’t do many of those any more.”
He held her gaze for a blink, then reached out to slide a finger along her cheek. “Sounds like you might want to reconsider the position.”
She nodded, but stayed quiet, biting at her lip in contemplation. “Maybe.” A wry laugh slipped from her lips. “You ever allow volunteers at this place?”
Her question surprised and pleased him all at once. “Yes,” he said. “We rely on them, in fact. You have to pass a background check, of course. But we have a lot of volunteers come through here.”
“I think it’d be rewarding work,” she said. “You get to play a part in changing lives, at a crucial time too. It’s neat. Admirable.”
“I’m fortunate,” he agreed. “And for future reference, if you do decide to volunteer here, I’ve got a few words of wisdom. First, wear boots without those little heels in back.”
She laughed. “Right.”
“And second, steer clear of the moonshine peaches.” He winked at her. “You get enough of those things in the two of us, and we might just wake up in the