Chapter 18: He's Embarrassingly Perfect
The smoke alarm started screaming at 6:43 a.m.
Not beeping.
Not warning.
Screaming.
Like it had personally witnessed a crime.
Ivy shot upright in bed.
"What the—"
The alarm shrieked again.
Mochi launched off her stomach.
The cat hit the floor running.
Traitorous survival instincts.
Ivy stumbled out of her room wearing mismatched pajamas and one sock.
Just one.
The house looked normal.
The alarm did not.
The sound echoed through every hallway.
Every room.
Every nerve ending.
"WHO'S DYING?" she yelled.
No answer.
The alarm continued its dramatic performance.
Then she smelled it.
Burnt food.
"Oh no."
Ivy followed the scent downstairs.
Straight toward the kitchen.
Where she found...
Grace.
Standing in front of a smoking fryin
