Chapter 26
Ivy did not want to put Sarah on the spot, so she said, “I’ll call Daniel myself and tell him about this note.”
“It’s really not your place,” Sarah said. “I’ll talk to Holly on Monday and set up a parent-teacher conference with Daniel. I’ll also have to alert the school’s counselor. It’s the normal protocol for something like this.”
“This did not happen at school, Sarah. Even I know you’re not responsible for what your students do when they’re out of the school’s jurisdiction. I was a student once, I remember. I know things have changed some since I was in elementary school, but I’m not that old.”
Sarah nodded. “You’re right, but I feel an obligation to Holly. She’s a good girl, and I’m sure this note was written in a moment of anger. Otherwise, if these things were true, which I know for a fact they’re not, I would be obligated to report him to the authorities if I suspected there was any kind of abuse, verbal or emotional.”
“The least I can do is take the note to Daniel,” Ivy persisted. “That way, you won’t have to look at him. Can’t you have a conference over the phone?”
Sarah wiped the condensation from her glass with a napkin. “I can, though it’s not your responsibility. Besides, I’ll have to face him sooner or later.”
“Shouldn’t he know about this note now, rather than later?” Ivy asked again. Even if its contents were just the words of an angry little girl, he still needed to know—if anything, just so he could explain her mother’s death to Holly. And it was certainly necessary for him to do that as soon as possible. Just look at the result already of his not having done so.
“Yes, you’re right. I wish he would explain to Holly what happened to her mother. Poor child, she’s so needy right now,” Sarah said. “So if you want to take the note to Daniel, go ahead. Tell him you found it.”
“I can do that now, if you’ll give me his address,” Ivy offered.
Sarah got up and opened a couple of drawers before she found a pen and a slip of paper. She wrote down the number. “He’s likely to ground Holly until she’s a senior citizen, once he sees this. Though, with luck, this could be the opening he needs in order to tell Holly what happened to her mother. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this.”
Ivy was, too, but today was a fresh start, a new beginning, and it had been anything but dull. Since she had found the note, Ivy felt obligated to give it to Daniel, despite her mixed feelings about him. It would also give her an excuse to give Holly her gift when she arrived.
“I’ll drop it off on my way home.”
“If you insist, though I can take care of this on Monday. It’s been an eye-opening day, to say the least,” Sarah observed dryly.
“I’ll call you later,” Ivy said. She took her glass to the sink and rinsed it. Confronting Daniel and Holly could be therapeutic for her, and for Holly. She hoped it was positive for everyone involved.
“Yes, do. I’m anxious to hear Daniel’s explanation for keeping Laura’s cause of death to himself. I can’t believe Holly has not found this out on her own yet.”
“It’s not a topic easily talked about, trust me on that. He has his reasons, I’m sure, though that is not really an excuse.” Ivy thought about her words. They aptly applied to her as well. She had kept James’s and Elizabeth’s rooms locked up all these years for her own protection. Maybe Daniel Greenwood simply wanted to protect his daughter?
“It’s not, but talk with him if you can. You two have a lot in common, so maybe it will help you both,” Sarah said, forever thinking of others.
“I’ll touch base later,” Ivy said. She gave her friend a quick hug and, together, they walked to the front door.
* * *
As soon as Ivy left Sarah’s house, Ivy’s hands began to tremble. They shook more and more, the closer to Daniel’s house she got. She scanned the address again when she turned down a long drive that led to a two-story house painted a pale yellow, with dark green shutters. Though it was late fall, the grass was still a bright summer green, the shrubs were well tended, and Ivy saw tubs filled with annuals in the colors of autumn. Deep golds, browns, burgundies, and reds. Knowing Daniel’s profession, she had expected nothing less. She took the bag from Baubles, along with the note, got out of the car, and walked down a beautiful stone path leading to the front door.
She knocked lightly and waited, her heart hammering in her chest. The door opened, and Ivy smiled. Holly had answered, and she did not look like an unhappy, abused child.
“Hi, Ivy,” Holly said, and stood aside so she could open the door all the way.
“Is your dad home?” Ivy asked. She did not want to come inside, unless he was there.
“Yep, he’s in his den. He practically lives there. I’ll go get him. Come on in,” Holly said.
Ivy stood inside the entrance, surprised to see pots of greenery, vases with bright blooms placed strategically on shelves, tall topiaries flanking both sides of the entryway. From what she saw, the inside of the house was as meticulous as the outside. Then she remembered Holly telling her that Daniel folded his socks, and she could not help but smile.
“Ivy,” Daniel said, startling her.
Here goes. “I came by to give this to Holly.” She held out the paper bag. “Just a little something,” she added.
Holly, who stood beside her dad, took the bag, peered inside, and squealed with delight. “Thank you so much! I was afraid someone would buy them before Dad had a chance to. I’m going to put them on, I’ll be right back,” Holly said, then quickly gave Ivy a hug before racing down a long hallway.
“Come inside, please,” he said. “I was about to pour myself a cup of coffee.”
Ivy did not say anything as she followed him to the kitchen. Windows overlooked the lawn in back, which was as neatly manicured as the front lawn. Baskets of hanging flowers swayed in the late-afternoon breeze. Definitely not what she had expected. Daniel motioned for her to sit down. A math book and papers were spread across the tabletop. Ivy smiled.
“Holly is still studying, I take it,” she said as Daniel slid her papers and book aside and placed a cup of coffee in front of Ivy.
“She just finished. She’s all excited because I told her she could call Roxie,” Daniel explained as he took the seat across from her.
After Ivy showed him the note she found, she was sure Daniel would not be allowing Holly to use the phone, but it is what it is, and he needed to see this. “I saw how much she admired the barrette set, and bought it for her. I hope you don’t mind, but that’s not my main reason for coming over.”
“Is this about Sarah? I know you’re friends with her. She’s a supernice woman, a great teacher, but I—”
“It’s not about Sarah. It’s Holly.” She took the note from her purse and handed it to him. She watched as he read it.
His dark brows slanted in a frown. “Where did you get this?” he asked her.
“I found it on the floor at Baubles when I returned to get Holly’s gift. I thought you needed to see this.”
Daniel nodded. “I do, and thank you for coming all the way over here to give me the note.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He peered around the corner before he continued. “Of course this isn’t true. You would not be here if you thought I was some sort of . . . crazy psycho.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Ivy stated, but remained silent. She wanted to give him a chance to explain, if he chose to do so, even though this was not her problem, and he really did not owe her an explanation.
“Glad this didn’t scare you away,” he said. “It’s a bit complicated for me and Holly.”
“Why is that? I know it’s none of my business, and you can tell me to back off,” Ivy said.
“No, you’re fine. Really. I need to talk about Holly’s mother.”
“Don’t you think Holly should be part of this conversation? I know what happened, Daniel. It’s beyond horrific, but she needs to know.”
His jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. “Do you really know? One day, you’re a family, and in a matter of minutes, everything you have planned, worked for, hoped for, is crushed. You cannot begin to imagine how tough it’s been. Raising a child who wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
“Had Laura taken a different career path, she would be here now, and we would not be discussing why Holly is writing notes about her crazy home life. The details of which, in the main, are completely untrue.”
Running footsteps put a stop to her response before it began.
Holly had taken her hair out of a ponytail. Her long, golden, shimmery, and bronzed hair reached her waist; the sparkly barrette and headband highlighted her already beautiful head of hair. “I love it!” she exclaimed, then hurried over to give Ivy a hug. “Thank you so much for this.” Holly touched the headband.
“You’re welcome. I wasn’t sure they’d still be there, so I took the liberty of purchasing them before someone else beat me to it,” Ivy said, and that was true.
“Holly, why don’t you take your books to your room, and come back and sit with us. There is something we need to talk about.”