Wild Swans - Jessica Spotswood Page 0,26
for me.
Inside, I kick off my flip-flops and pour a glass of water by the light of the stove.
“You’re late.” Granddad’s voice floats out of the darkness.
Startled, I smack my hip on the counter and cuss, then walk down the hall into the library. The lights are all off and I can barely make him out in the gloom, his white polo shirt stark against his leather recliner. I lean over and switch on the lamp. “You waited up for me?” He’s hardly a night owl, and by the end of last summer, I thought he trusted me.
“Wanted to make sure you were all right. We didn’t get a chance to talk, just the two of us, before you left.” A book is propped open on his chest, like he drifted off at some point. He’s still wearing his reading glasses.
“I’m fine. Sorry I’m late.” It’s not like I rolled in at dawn, but Granddad’s a stickler for curfew. “Claire walked me home and we ran into a heron. You know how she is about birds.”
Granddad returns the recliner to its upright position and sets his book on the end table. “Claire? Where’s Alex?”
“Still at the party.” I lean against the doorjamb, arms crossed over my chest.
Granddad doesn’t let it go. “You two have a fight?”
“Sort of. It was nice of you to wait up, but I’m tired. Can we talk tomorrow?” I am skirting the edge of politeness, but I cannot bear another confrontation or another discussion about my mother.
Granddad stands, stretches, and strides toward me. “I know this wasn’t an easy day, Ivy. It will get better. Erica just needs some time to settle in, feel accepted.”
I bite my lip, stung by the implied criticism. “I’m trying.”
“Not you, honey. That’s not what I meant. It’s me. She feels I’m still treating her like a child, and here she is with children of her own. She doesn’t want me coming between her and the girls. So she’s trying to assert herself.”
“Assert herself?” I let out a little laugh. “She was a straight-up bitch to everyone.”
“Language, Ivy,” Granddad chides. “I’m not asking you to like her or even respect her. But we need to keep things civil, at least in front of the girls. She’s their mother and… Well, I really do think she’s doing her best.”
“What if her best isn’t good enough?” I ask. “What if they’d be better off with her ex?”
Granddad runs a tired hand over his chin. “I don’t know. I think we owe her a little time.”
“I don’t owe her anything,” I snap.
He sighs. “You’re right. I misspoke. I owe her this. And I’m sorry if that seems unfair to you.” He pulls me into a hug. I lean on his shoulder and let out a sigh. I can give him this, this chance at a reunion. It’s just a few months. I can be selfless that long. Can’t I?
Granddad stiffens and pulls back, his blue eyes narrowing. “Have you been drinking?”
There’s no point in lying. “Little bit.” I lift my chin. “Nothing for you to worry about, I promise.”
“I do worry. That’s my job.” He glances out the french doors toward the carriage house. “Is that what you and Alex were arguing about?”
“No, that was—” What am I supposed to say? That was because I was making out with your work-study student and Alex got jealous. I can hardly tell him that. “The fight Alex and I had tonight… It was a long time coming. I really don’t want to talk about it.”
I blink away sudden tears. I was stupid to think things could stay the same, Ivy and Alex, Alex and Ivy. I knew how he felt. Keeping him at arm’s length was only going to keep him there for so long.
Granddad frowns. “Well, you know how I feel about you drinking. I suppose it might not be realistic, expecting a girl your age not to have a drink now and again, but your mother… A lot of the poor choices she’s made were because she was abusing alcohol. She didn’t come right out and say it, but I gather that was part of the reason she was fired from her last job. Milbourn women never do things in moderation. So there’s a history there.”
He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. “I know this is a lot to handle. Having your mother here, and your sisters, and her telling them what she did. I thought I’d made it clear, but Erica—she