‘Not all of it,’ Ivy hissed back. ‘I saw the way he was looking at you!’
‘Can I get you a drink, Jackson?’ Mrs Abbott said.
‘No, thank you, but do any of those delicious-looking snacks have meat in them?’ he replied.
‘We’re vegetarians,’ Mrs Abbott explained.
‘Excellent!’ Jackson said. ‘Me too.’
Ivy smacked her hand to her forehead. Typical. Only she would mistake a vegetarian for a vampire.
‘But what about that burger that Curtis gave you?’ Olivia asked. ‘I believe the exact words were “hunk of cow”?’
Jackson had his hands full with crackers dipped in hummus. ‘Oh, he was just teasing. That burger is the best garden burger on the circuit – and Curtis keeps that oven just for us veggies to make sure there’s no contamination.’
Olivia let out a little sigh.
They really are perfect for each other, Ivy thought.
Jackson cleared his throat. ‘There is one other thing I would like to ask your permission for; something that isn’t on the forms.’
Ivy and Olivia watched as their parents looked at Jackson.
‘I would like to take Olivia to the movies tomorrow night.’
Olivia grabbed Ivy’s hand, and Ivy smiled. Jackson had already won over Mr Vega just by asking, and Mr Abbott stood up to shake Jackson’s hand. Mrs Abbott let out an Olivia-like squeal and went to get her camera.
‘That is, if you’ll go with me?’ Jackson said to Olivia. ‘It’s your decision, after all.’
‘Of course I will,’ she said.
Ivy plonked down on the carpet next to her dad’s chair, happy that everything had worked out. There was nothing better in the world than seeing her sister happy. Nothing could spoil things now. She nudged over a little, to avoid the airline sticker on his bag that was poking against her neck.
She pushed it away and read the letters LAX. That’s not Dallas, Ivy thought. That’s Los Angeles.
Ivy watched everyone follow each other into the kitchen for some lemonade, but stayed sitting on the couch alone. Is Dad telling us the whole truth . . .? Ivy wondered. Why would he lie?
Her phone beeped with a text message from Brendan: ‘Everything all right now?’
Ivy texted back, ‘I’m not sure . . .’
Could there be another secret to unravel?