Page 101 of Clint & Ivy

“But you keep forgetting how you’re his soulmate. He isn’t with you because you like one thing over another. He saw you and knew you belonged with him. That’s not the kind of magic that falls away because you decide to stop demanding so much from yourself.”

“I figured I’d won the lottery with Clint, so I needed to live up to the ideal me.”

“That’s all garbage in your head. You shouldn’t trust yourself yet. A week ago, you thought your heart meant you couldn’t have fun or a family. Imagine what next week will bring.”

Of course, Shay was right. Despite all her “proud ditz” talk, she was smart about a lot.

My problem was I didn’t know what to trust—my heart or my mind. They’d both steered me wrong. I was too trusting of my uncles. Hell, I should have stood up to my mom, too. Yet, I wanted to trust them, so I chose not to ask questions.

My mind wasn’t much more trustworthy. I was always overthinking things. That was why Clint and I hadn’t had sex yet. I kept chickening out about stripping down and revealing myself. We had fooled around so many times. I trusted him. He knew about my scars. I wanted to be with him. But my brain kept coming up with more “practice runs” rather than letting me have fun.

As we drove to Lula’s office in Bebe’s Escalade, I decided to trust my instincts. That was the reason I accepted the ride from Clint. My heart wanted to stay with Uncle Dwight. My mind told me to be wary of a strange man. But my instincts believed in Clint. The next time the noise in my head grew too loud, I needed to silence it by following my instincts.

That next time came quickly as Shay, Bebe, and I arrived at Lula’s office to go over information from Reno.

Lula looked extraordinary in lush, gray dress slacks, a stylish belt, and a burgundy sweater. Her dark hair was tied back in a tight ponytail. Lula was one of those women who looked as gorgeous in jeans and a T-shirt as in business wear.

In the past, I’d no doubt feel insecure around someone of Lula’s beauty. Right now, though, I viewed her as a friend more than an ideal I couldn’t live up to.

Also, I liked my quirky fashion style. My clothes fit me well. I wasn’t a doll to be dressed up, but a woman with ideas of her own. For the first time in my life, I had no reason to be jealous of anyone.

We sat in a bright office with a long meeting table. I wasn’t sure if Shay and Bebe would join us to talk about the legal issues. But Clint’s mom didn’t hesitate to get involved today, just like she had stuck close when I faced the doctors.

Lula walked me through how the trust was set up. Grandmother Abigail did her best to ensure I would always be taken care of while preventing my mom and uncles from blowing through their funds.

“I want to sell the house,” I told Lula, having talked through the issue with Clint, Elle, and Shay on different occasions.

Lula stared at me for a moment, clearly searching for the right words. Instead of easing me into her point of view, she asked, “What if you and Clint don’t work out? Wouldn’t you want a familiar place to return to?”

Without missing a beat, I replied, “If Clint dumped me tomorrow, and I had to leave Little Memphis, I could live in luxury anywhere in the world. I’d be starting over with no friends or family, whether I returned to Reno or moved to Barcelona. So, why not start over somewhere with no bad memories?”

“True, but I got the sense you were comfortable in the Reno house before the violent events orchestrated by your uncle.”

“My grandmother and mom both died in that house. I was attacked in that house. I don’t want to live there.”

“I worry you’re making a rash decision.”

“It’s a beautiful home, but it hasn’t been truly cared for since Grandmother Abigail died. I like the idea of someone new breathing life into a place that only holds bad memories for me. I know this decision seems rash, but I’d rather live in a dozen different places in the world than go back to Reno.”

“Wait, I’m confused. Are you leaving?” Shay asked and looked at Bebe for help.

Bebe shrugged and said, “Is Barcelona in Italy?”

“No, it’s in Spain,” Lula said quickly before smiling at me. “Ivy isn’t going anywhere. She only wants me to know she’s considered her options, and Reno isn’t one of them. Fair enough. We’ll need to evict your uncle, who is still living at the house.”

“Can we pay him off? I mean, if I have all this money, can’t we write him a check to get him to leave? Uncle Linus can feel happy, move out, and no longer be my problem. I also won’t feel guilty when he blows through that money and is in danger again.”

“Right now, most of your money is tied up in a trust with a representative who must approve anything beyond your monthly stipend. However, he should agree that the profits from the house sale will outweigh the cost of paying off Linus.”

“Is this representative the same one controlling my uncle’s trust?”

“Yes, and that’s why you’ve had issues with your uncles using your monthly income to pay for things they wanted. There are also funds specifically meant to be used on the mansion that were handed over to your uncles. I plan to use this fact to push the representative to give you what you want now. However, in the future, you should file to have a local person assigned.”

“Can I use that monthly income for anything I want?”

“There are stipulations, but there’s no way for the representative to control what the money is used for once it hits your account. That’s why your uncles blew theirs on playing the ponies and alcohol.”

I reached for Shay’s hand before asking, “What’s happened with Uncle Dwight’s body?”

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