So you think you're OK

 "Oh, you should talk to her," Bom texted back when Ivy mentioned Rachel was pregnant.

"Really?" Ivy's eyes widen as she read her friend's message. Bom was only downstairs but they managed to text between cleaning house and catching up on talk shows while at home.

"Yes, of course, you need to be her friend," Bom informed her. "Dan and Jory made up. It's the least you could do."

Ivy squinted hard thinking she wasn't up for making new friends. She'd hid here most of the summer and managed to do a few hours of work from her laptop. Finally, she nodded and texted back, "OK."

This would take courage. Of course, her mind felt it took everything in her to find her bra. She couldn't go to Rachel's without a bra. Naturally, she gave up looking for one, three minutes later. She didn't care. She needed to get this over with. She slapped her phone in the back pocket of her yoga leggings and grabbed Hope from her crib, even if she was sleeping. No way did she want to be locked out of her apartment while the baby was sleeping. About then she felt for her keys on the lanyard around her neck.

Suddenly, she felt herself shake with nervousness. What would she say? What would Rachel think? Holding this sleeping baby nursing in a dream. Ivy pressed her lips tight and went directly to Rachel and Jory's ..pounding on the door.

"OH MY GAWD! What happened?" Rachel said immediately, pulling Ivy and the baby both in as if she might need to help Ivy with the baby.

"Nothing." Ivy was in a nervous laugh. She shook her head no.

"But..but you banged on my door..like...like it was an emergency?" Rachel winced with a sigh as she crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry..I'm.." Ivy sighed. "I..I didn't mean to scare you..really."

Rachel said nothing but looked Ivy over. 

"I..I just noticed your home, are..are you doing OK?"

This gave Rachel a laugh.

"Actually, I was sick, but now I'm starving," Rachel told her. "I was going to fry up some zucchini. You want to stay for some?"

"Zucchini?" Ivy didn't know what that was. "Oh, sure." She went to make herself comfortable at the dining table while Rachel started to fry the floured veg.

"I like it with ketchup." Rachel went to get the red bottle out of the fridge.

"Me too." Ivy nodded knowing ketchup was good on everything but mashed potatoes.

"So are you breastfeeding?"

"Kind of," Ivy didn't know how to explain it. She usually nursed Hope at night because she was lazy and Jay only gave the baby formula. "I mean, I..I plan to stop soon, but we, you know." She winced a smile.

"It's probably a good thing."

"I guess." Ivy tensed. By now the baby was fully awake watching Rachel. "Dan said-"

"What? About the baby?" Rachel's brow furrowed. "Jory told  him?"

Ivy nodded. Rachel only sighed as she went to turn the veg in the sizzling oil.

"I swear he can't say a whole sentence to me, sometimes, and then he goes off and tells Dan everything."

"Is everything OK between you and Jory?" 

"We're working on it," Rachel told her. Ivy guessed marriage didn't fix everything.