Wicked Reunion

by Lily Harper Hart

  Ivy adopted an innocent expression. “Did I say that?”

  “No, but I know you. You’re not going to be able to stop yourself.”

  “I just want to see him before I mention finding him to Aunt Felicity,” Ivy volunteered. “He might not be worth her effort. I’m simply ... protecting her.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jack flicked the end of her nose. “Do what you want. The guy doesn’t have a criminal record as far as I can tell. I don’t think he’s a threat to you.”

  “Of course he’s not a threat. I’m a hardened criminal. Nobody messes with me.”

  He grinned as he grabbed the file and shifted it to the coffee table, dropping the magazine to the floor as he stretched out his legs and pulled her on top of him. “How about we focus on something else for a bit?”

  Ivy laughed as she nipped in for a small kiss. “What did you have in mind?”

  “It will lose something in the telling. I think I’m going to have to show you.”

  “Good idea.”

  2

  Two

  “So ... did we decide on Hawaii?” Jack was still confused the next morning as he helped Ivy with the breakfast dishes.

  She cast him a sidelong look. “You would think that someone who claims to be so excited about getting married would remember something like that,” she teased.

  He grinned at her and poked her side, causing her to squirm. “I can’t wait to marry you ... but my brain is a little fuzzy. You distracted me yesterday and now I can’t remember.”

  “I think Hawaii sounds fun,” Ivy said. “We can plan other trips for after ... like New Orleans.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Tennessee, too.”

  The admission caught Ivy off guard. “You have? Do you want to go there for our honeymoon?”

  He immediately started shaking his head. “There’s no way I’ll get you into a coconut bra in Tennessee.”

  “Oh, honey, there’s no way you’re going to get me into a coconut bra in Hawaii. Those things are simply for our dreams.”

  Jack grinned. Ever since they met, almost from the first night, they’d been sharing special dreams. They were magical, Ivy providing the power while he played along and picked destinations. She might not have known she was a witch at the start, but she was starting to embrace her destiny now ... which is what got her in trouble in the first place. She used her powers to track down Maisie when she was in grave danger and was now paying the price, which didn’t seem fair.

  “I can live with that.” He gave her a quick kiss and then sobered. “What are you doing today? Work?”

  “I’ll be at work later in the afternoon,” she replied evasively, returning her focus to the dishes as she stacked them in the dishwasher. “Anything good on your plate today?”

  Jack was instantly suspicious. Someone else – someone not familiar with the way her mind worked – might’ve fallen for her act, but he knew her better than anyone ... and she was up to something. “Oh, what are you going to do?”

  Ivy feigned innocence. “What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything.”

  “Yes, but you’re a terrible liar. Your face betrays every emotion. You’re planning something.” He racked his brain and then frowned. “You’re going to see Dorian, aren’t you?”

  “You know, this suspicious thing you’ve got going doesn’t seem fair,” Ivy commented, smoothly dodging the question. “I know you’re a detective and you can’t help yourself, but I’m going to be your wife and it seems to me that there should be a certain level of trust built in here.” She tapped the spot above his heart.

  His lips curved down. “I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone in my life ... and that includes my mother and sister. I know you, though. You’re up to something and I want to know what right now. The last thing we need is you getting in more trouble.”

  Now Ivy was definitely offended. “Why do you just assume I’m going to find trouble?”

  “I’ve met you.”

  She jutted out her lower lip. “Well, if that’s the way you feel ... .”

  “Oh, don’t do that.” He wagged a finger in her pretty face. He adored all of her expressions, even the pouty ones, but he was already running late for work. “Just tell me what you’re doing and we’ll call it a day. I won’t even lecture you.”

  Ivy didn’t believe him, but she was officially backed into a corner. “Fine. If you must know, I looked up Dorian’s store on the internet when you were in the bathroom brushing your teeth last night. It’s not that far away ... and I have some special decorating needs that would be perfect for him.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “You have dire framing needs, do you?”

  “I do.”

  “Right before your community service to boot.”

  She scowled. “Please stop bringing that up. It puts me in a bad mood and I don’t like thinking about it.”

  He let loose a resigned sigh. “Fine. Do what you want. Just remember ... this is none of your business. Felicity dated this man a long time ago. You don’t know that she’s still harboring feelings.”

  “I didn’t say she was.” Ivy’s tone was breezy. “Shouldn’t you be getting to work?”

  He blew out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “You’re lucky I love you.” He gave her a hard, fast kiss. “I don’t know anyone who would put up with so much work if there wasn’t a terrific reward attached.”

  Ivy beamed at him. “I love you, too. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to a framing store. How much trouble could I possibly find?”

  “With you, I don’t want to hazard a guess.”

  THE BIG FRAME-UP WAS A KITSCHY store on a quaint street in the heart of downtown Bellaire. It was nestled between an ice cream shop and a knickknack store that featured a bevy of glass turtles.

  Ivy stood outside for a long time. When she’d initially decided upon her plan of action, it seemed like a good idea. Now she was feeling nervous.

  In truth, she didn’t remember Dorian. Apparently he’d taken care of her and her brother Max numerous times when they were kids, planned endless adventures and outings, but she had no memory of him. By all accounts, he was a wonderful man and circumstances had torn him away from Felicity. Ivy had her doubts. Even if he was transferred, Jack wouldn’t willingly leave her. Of course, if it came to it, she would also leave with him. Felicity had chosen to stay when he left. Perhaps they were both to blame for what had transpired.

  Ivy firmed her resolve before pushing open the door. A bell jangled overhead and she cringed. She’d hoped she would be able to wander around without drawing attention to herself, spying on him in the process, but apparently that wasn’t going to be the case.

  “Hello.” A man appeared from the back office. He looked to be in his late fifties if Ivy had to guess, and she recognized him from the photos her mother had managed to unearth. He was largely the same, except for a few additional wrinkles and gray tinging his hair. He was distinguished and had an amiable smile. “I’m Dorian Lanning. This is my shop. Do you need anything?”

  Now that she was face-to-face with him, Ivy felt exposed. Jack was right. She was a terrible liar and she didn’t always know how to act when she was trying to fly under the radar. “Um ... I have a few projects I was thinking about and just came to get some ideas,” she replied lamely.

  Dorian’s smile never wavered. “Great. Look around. Get a feel for things. If you have any questions, I’ll be right over here. If you find something you like, let me know and we’ll go from there.”

  “Okay. Great.”

  Once left to her own devices, Ivy found that she was intrigued by Dorian’s offerings. The frames were hardly the sort of thing one would find in a regular store. They were ornate to the point of being fanciful and some of the driftwood frames were absolutely divine.

  “If I have an old painting that needs to be refinished, can you make this driftwood fit even if it’s an odd size?”

  Dorian looked up from the ledger book he was perusing a
nd nodded. “What sort of painting are you talking about?”

  “It’s something my aunt did for me when I was a kid,” Ivy explained. “The frame has not held up well at all — mostly because my brother accidentally hit it with a baseball bat when he was practicing one day — but I would love to fix it up and display it.”

  “Oh. Is your aunt a painter?”

  “Not anymore. I don’t know how long her painting phase lasted. She’s moved on to other stuff ... like candles and jewelry since then. I’ve always loved the painting, though.”

  “What’s it of?”

  “Honestly? Mushrooms.” Ivy laughed. “Morels, to be exact. I love them ... and my fiancé isn’t a fan. I think getting a new frame for the painting and putting it up would be a great joke on him ... although I really do love the painting.”

  “Morels?” Dorian made a face ... and then the lines on his forehead crinkled. “Ivy?”

  She was taken aback, her cheeks burning with color as she wet her suddenly dry lips. “I ... how did you know that?”

  Dorian took a moment to look her up and down. “It is you,” he said after a beat. “I didn’t recognize you. It’s obviously been a long time and you were little the last time I saw you. You look like your mother ... and your father actually. You grew up exactly how I thought you would.”

  Ivy wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond. Should she pretend she didn’t know who he was? Would that be more natural? She was a terrible actor, as Jack always reminded her. It was best to go with the truth. “I don’t remember you.”

  “No?” His eyebrow cocked. “If you don’t remember me, what are you doing here? I doubt you just happened to wander all the way over from Shadow Lake and coincidentally end up in my shop.”

  “No, it wasn’t exactly an accident,” she hedged, gripping her hands together. “I ... um ... learned about you recently. It sort of came up, but my mother seemed surprised that I didn’t remember you.”

  “Well, you were a small child. I mean ... you were so small I could lift you with one arm. You had wild hair even then, though, and those eyes ... they were always distinctive.” His smile warmed to the point of making Ivy blush. “How are you?”

  “I’m good. Well, other than the community service I have to start doing.” She had no idea why she blurted it out that way. It made no sense. She was a blabberer when nervous, though.

  “Community service?” Dorian was obviously taken aback. “I ... do I even want to know?”

  “Probably not.” She was sheepish. “It’s not a big deal. I just broke into a woman’s house.”

  “And why did you do that?”

  “Because she was holding the town librarian hostage.”

  “Oh, well ... .” Dorian let out a low chuckle. “Did you at least save the librarian?”

  Ivy nodded. “She’s a horrible person so I kind of wish I hadn’t done it but ... oh, well.” She held her palms out and shrugged.

  “Wait ... I heard about this.” He tilted his head to the side. “It was on the news. The police were in the house questioning the homeowner and a woman went in through the back door and freed the hostage. That was you?”

  “It was.”

  “And they’re punishing you for it?”

  “To keep the case intact, yes. Otherwise there could be due process issues.”

  “Ah.” Understanding dawned. “And you got community service out of the deal.”

  “Yeah. I’m not happy about it, but my fiancée says there’s nothing to worry about. He doesn’t think I’ll get shivved on the chain gang.”

  Dorian belted out a laugh. “Oh, my ... you’re still the same girl you always were. You never did have a filter.”

  “My father says that’s my one fault.”

  “How is your father?”

  “Good. He works with me in the nursery I own when he’s in Michigan. He goes to Florida with my mother every winter, but otherwise he helps me.”

  “And they still live in the same house? I always loved that little cottage. It was so charming, the way it was set back from the road. There was a magical quality to it. In fact, if I remember correctly, there was a fairy ring not too far away and you always took me to it for a visit.”

  “It’s still there.” Ivy beamed at him as she moved closer to the counter. “I take Jack — that’s my fiancé’s name — out there sometimes. He doesn’t get it but hangs around with me anyway. The cottage is mine now. We live there. My parents moved to a condo.”

  “That’s lovely. I think you’ll have a happy home there.”

  “Yeah, we’ve been doing renovations on the basement because we want to be able to have kids one day and there’s not a lot of room on the main floor. Jack arranged to have a door put in and everything. It’s really nice.”

  “I would love to see it one day.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” Ivy shifted from one foot to the other, hesitant. “How come you’re here?”

  Dorian obviously wasn’t expecting the question. “What do you mean? This is my store.”

  “Yeah, but ... you moved away. That’s what everyone said. You got a job in the city and had to move away because your store closed. Now you’re back with another store.”

  “Ah.” He bobbed his head in understanding. “Well, I went south and worked for a number of years. That store eventually closed and I went to Kalamazoo. By then I was sick of working for others and I’d been saving for two decades so I decided to come back here. I’ve always loved the area.”

  “Yeah, but ... .” Ivy trailed off.

  “But what?” he prodded.

  “Did you swing by to see Aunt Felicity?”

  Dorian’s smile faltered. “I thought about it. I’ve thought about her a lot over the years. I didn’t want to interfere with her life, though. I mean ... she’s probably married, right?”

  Ivy shook her head. “No. She never got married.”

  “Never?”

  “Nope. In fact, I barely remember her dating.” Ivy knew it was probably the wrong decision to spread her aunt’s personal business around willy-nilly, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “She was dating someone a few weeks ago, but he was a real tool. That’s how talk of you sprung up in the first place.”

  “I see. Not that I’m complaining, but how did you even find me?”

  “My fiancé is a police detective with the Shadow Lake department. I asked him to find you for me.”

  “And he just did it?”

  “I can be persuasive when I want to be.”

  Dorian’s smile was back. “You always had that ability. I remember you had your father — and me, for that matter — wrapped around your little finger. Even Max couldn’t stop himself from doting on you. How is he, by the way? I always loved hanging out with him. He was a little spark plug of energy.”

  “He’s good. He owns a lumberyard on the highway outside of Shadow Lake. I expect I’ll be close to his place when I have to pick up trash with the chain gang.”

  “Ah, well ... I still don’t understand how you saved a woman and yet you have to do community service.”

  “Join the club. So, about Aunt Felicity ... .”

  He snorted, delight etching through the lines of his face. “You’re not going to let it go, are you?”

  “I can’t.” Ivy opted for honesty. “I haven’t been able to think about much else besides you since I heard the stories. I’m sorry I don’t remember you. My father said I really liked you.”

  “You seem to have something specific on your mind.” He folded his arms across his chest as he regarded her. “Maybe you should spit it out. It might save both of us some time.”

  “Fair enough.” Ivy licked her lips. “I want to know why you didn’t track down Aunt Felicity. I can’t help thinking that she never got over you but that doesn’t seem to be the case with you. You obviously got over her because you don’t even want to see her.”

  “That is not true,” he said hurriedly. “I never got over her either. There have bee
n times ... I don’t know what to say. I guess I was afraid. I’m not proud to admit it, but there it is.”

  “I get being afraid. I was afraid when Jack and I started dating, too. I thought maybe I would get attached to him and he would leave ... or maybe he would get attached to me and I would find him annoying. Neither of those things happened. You don’t have to be afraid of Aunt Felicity, though. She’s still a great person.”

  “Obviously. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t care about her. I simply assumed she would’ve married. I didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes.”

  “Well, you won’t be doing that. Her store is still in the same place. You should stop by one day.”

  “Maybe I will.” His eyes twinkled. “I ... .” Whatever he was going to say died on his lips as the bell over the door jangled.

  Ivy shifted her eyes in that direction, internally cursing whoever would dare interrupt their conversation at this exact moment. All admonishment fled when she got a good look at the woman who staggered through the door.

  She was blond, dressed in disheveled clothing, and her hair was a mess. Her face was streaked with tears ... and dirt ... and other things Ivy didn’t want to think about too closely. It was obvious she was in some form of distress.

  “Help me,” she rasped out.

  Ivy took an instinctive step in the woman’s direction, opening her mouth to order Dorian to call 911 and get some help. She never got a chance, though, because another figure moved through the door behind the woman. This was most definitely a man — broad shoulders and big arms tipping her off — although he wore a mask, one of those knit ones people pulled out when they were snowmobiling in the winter.

  Ivy’s heart gave a jolt when he pulled a gun out of nowhere. She felt as if she was mired in a dream, trapped in quicksand, and her limbs refused to move as horror pinched her brain. In slow motion, he raised the weapon, and pointed it at the woman’s back.

  “Don’t!” Ivy was frozen in place and had no idea how she was supposed to react.

  Then a deafening explosion filled the air as the man fired the gun. There was no hesitation, and he didn’t stop to check out his handiwork as he calmly turned on his heel and walked back out the door.