Surviving Ivy

by Rayne Rachels

  Forrest knelt down next to Ivy. “Are you okay?” he asked as he helped her to stand up.

  “Not exactly my most graceful move.” She winced as she straightened her legs. She glanced at her knees. The good thing was blood wasn’t seeping through the denim of her jeans. Holding onto Forrest’s arm, she carefully bent one knee and then the other. They hurt, but nothing felt broken and so far they weren’t bleeding. Both she considered a huge plus in her favor.

  “Are you sure you are okay?” Concern filled his face.

  “As good as I can be. My knees hurt and they are going to be really sore tomorrow, but luckily nothing is broken or bleeding.” She gave him a half smile. “There’s no way to put it nicely, but I’m a klutz. I seem to be always tripping on something. The only thing that really hurt is my pride. I’m embarrassed you had to see that side of me.” Her face felt hot. Ivy knew it had to be deep red.

  “Do I need to have the stuff inside the duplex wrapped in some sort of bubble wrap or maybe I should just have everything rubberized?”

  “Ha. Ha. You’re so funny. I’m bad, but not that bad.”

  Forrest looked doubtful. “Are you ready to try and navigate down the steps?”

  Ivy nodded.

  “All right. One step at a time.” He took her arm and helped her down the steps and to her car. Forrest looked at the car and whistled. “Nice Bel Air. A fifty-six isn’t it.”

  “You’re good.”

  “I had better be since I’m one of the owners of a customs shop.” He laughed.

  “And then there’s that,” said Ivy. “It was my high school graduation gift from my grandmother. It originally belonged to my grandfather. He died several years before I was born. Grandmother had it restored.”

  Forrest let go of her arm and walked around the car, checking the lines of the vehicle. “Whoever did this, did a fantastic job. Why black with silver? You don’t see too many in these colors.”

  “Black and silver happen to be two of my favorite colors.”

  Forrest opened the driver’s door for Ivy. “Are you okay to drive?”

  “It’s automatic, so I don’t have to shift.” She slid in behind the steering wheel.

  “Okay. Just follow me when I come back around with the truck.” He closed the door and jogged around the side of the building.

  Ivy started the car and waited. In a few minutes, a very large, dark blue truck came around the building and stopped at the end of the parking lot. Ivy maneuvered the car out of the parking space and pulled up behind the truck.

  She followed the truck as Forrest led her into Bryant Station. The old buildings she saw were beautiful. Trees lined most of the streets, and there were sidewalks on both sides of the road.

  A few minutes later, Forrest turned right on a side street and several blocks later, he pulled into the drive way of a very cute gray bungalow style house with a huge porch wrapping around three sides of the house.

  Ivy parked behind Forrest and got out of her car. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “The previous owners remodeled the inside, turning it into two duplexes. Other than the second door on the right, you really wouldn’t have a clue that it was two apartments,” said Forrest as he walked over to where Ivy was standing. “The left side is a two bedroom with one bathroom, but it is rented. The right side is a one bedroom with one bathroom. Obviously, it’s the smaller of the two.” He led Ivy up the porch steps and to the front door of her new home.

  If he rented the apartment to her, Ivy knew she was taking it. It already felt like home and she hadn’t even seen the inside. “Is there parking around back?”

  “Parking and a rear entry for each apartment.”

  “Anything I should know about my neighbor?”

  Forrest shook his head. “Your neighbor is Ben Anderson. He’s about a couple of years older than you and works in the garage. I doubt you will have any problems from him.”

  Ivy couldn’t believe her luck. The goddess was definitely smiling down on her. “I know this is going to sound strange, but I’m ready to put down the deposit and first month’s rent without even seeing the inside.”

  “Without even looking at it?” Forrest raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

  “It already feels like home.” A huge smile covered her face.

  “Okay. I have the paperwork in the truck and the addresses for utilities and cable. Here are your keys.” He held out a set of keys to Ivy.

  She took them. “Are you that sure about renting it to me?”

  Forrest winked at her. “I’m a pretty good judge of people, and I like you even though you won’t go on a date with me.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes.

  “Besides, someone needs to look out for you.” He smiled at her. “If you’ll follow me to the truck, we will get everything signed and squared away.” He walked back down the steps and to his truck.

  Ivy smiled and nodded. As she turned and followed Forrest to his truck, she started making a mental list of errands she needed to take care of before she could start moving in the things she brought with her.

  Chapter 3

  Ivy slipped the paperwork from the utility company into her oversized bag as she came out of the utility company. Changing the water and electricity into her name had taken longer than she had expected, but it was finally done. Ivy sucked in a deep breath of fresh air and slowly let it out.

  All the utilities were in her name. She felt a large sense of accomplishment. In just a few hours, she had rented a duplex in a really cute old house that spoke to her soul, she had the utilities in her name, but best of all she had found her mate. Now, she just had to figure out how to properly introduce herself to him and hope he felt the same as she did.

  Ivy pulled out her notebook and put check marks by the items on her list she had completed. Carefully she studied the items still left. She still needed to contact the cable company about cable and internet services. She would give them a call when she got home.

  When she got home.

  A smile flickered across her lips. All she needed now was for her mate to be waiting for her when she got home. She just hoped her dream didn’t end up being just a dream.

  Ivy turned her attention back to her list. She needed to finish unpacking her car. After she signed the rental agreement and paid the deposit and first month’s rent, she made a quick run-through of the duplex, taking note of items she needed to buy. Forrest said the place was partially furnished, but what Ivy found was way more than partially furnished. It looked as if someone was expecting her. She could unpack what she brought with her and not worry about having to purchase anything until she was ready.

  She rolled her shoulders, which were a little stiff.

  Before she left the duplex, she had unloaded everything from the passenger and back seats of the car. She would need to unload all the stuff she had crammed into the trunk.

  Ivy snorted.

  Crammed was right!

  The cool thing about Bel Airs was that they typically had very large trunks, and she had filled every bit of space with her stuff. It would take her a couple of days to unpack and organize everything, but for now, she figured she would stack everything in the living room. “I’ve got a plan.”

  Her stomach growled loudly.

  “Well, almost a plan.” Ivy drew a small box and next to it wrote “buy groceries.” She hadn’t really thought about it, but now that her stomach was growling, she realized it was a good idea to pick up some food so she could eat supper in her new home, and have stuff to cook for breakfast.

  Ivy pulled her smart phone out of her bag as she got into her car. A quick search found three grocery stores and several small stores that were also gas stations. Ivy picked one of the stores and in seconds had the address of the one called Minimax plugged into the maps app on her phone. She studied the directions for several minutes and realized she was only a few blocks away from the store.

  I think I’m going to like having everything just blocks apa
rt. She dropped her phone and notepad back into her bag. Turning her attention to backing the car out of the parking space, she drove out of the parking lot.

  Her stomach growled again.

  Ivy grinned. Groceries were definitely at the top of the priority list.

  Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into a parking space at the Minimax. Ivy grabbed her bag as she got out of the car. The parking lot was filled with a variety of cars and trucks. A few people walked out of the store in different directions as they headed back to their vehicles with their purchases.

  Walking across the parking lot, Ivy nodded and smiled at some the people she met. Just outside the automatic doors, she pulled a shopping cart out of the que of carts waiting for shoppers and pushed it inside the grocery store.

  Ivy moved out of the traffic flow and gathered her bearings as she studied her surroundings. To her left was a row of checkout stands and to her right was the meat department. She figured it had been strategically placed there to accommodate the shifters living in town. In the near future, she and Ben Anderson would probably do most of the shopping in the meat department due to the fact he was a shifter and she loved steak and hamburgers. Who was she kidding? She loved food in general and it showed. More than once she had heard comments about her weight, but she chose to ignore them.

  Ivy sighed. She just hoped he liked curvy women, because there was no way she was going to starve herself for anyone.

  She liked her curves.

  Moving through the store, Ivy tossed more items into her basket. By the time she got to the produce at the other side of the store, her basket was almost full. Quickly selecting her favorites, Ivy made a quick stop by the ice cream in the frozen foods. She searched through the sections, reading the labels. So many of the flavors sounded delicious, but just were not what she was looking for.

  “There you are! Come to mama,” crooned Ivy when she finally spied the pints of coffee and toffee ice cream. She opened the glass door, grabbed two pints, and tossed them into her basket. She started to leave but stopped and stared at the ice cream.

  “No, I’m not going to do it. Two pints is plenty of ice cream.” Ivy took about five steps away from the ice cream and stopped. “Don’t do it,” she warned herself. She closed her eyes, telling herself she really didn’t need any more ice cream.

  She took another step away from the ice cream but stopped again. “Fiddlesticks!” Ivy rolled her eyes as she pulled the shopping cart back to the ice cream section. Opening the same glass door again, she grabbed two pints of the pumpkin cheesecake ice cream that was sitting on the shelf just below the coffee and toffee ice cream. She added the two new pints to the contents of her shopping cart and before the urge to throw anything else into her cart hit her, she quickly headed for the front of the grocery store and into line behind an elderly lady at one of the checkouts.

  Ivy unloaded the contents of her shopping cart onto the conveyor belt. When she finished she put the divider stick behind her items so the person behind her could put their items onto the belt. As she waited for the cashier to finish the transaction with the elderly woman in front of her, Ivy’s thoughts drifted back to Ben Anderson. Because of her dreams, she had already fallen in love with him, but what she had seen in her dreams was nothing compared to the man she had seen in the garage. The man was much more handsome.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why didn’t I just go into the garage and actually talk to him? She beat herself up for not taking action when she had the chance.

  Ivy sighed.

  She knew exactly why she didn’t rush into the garage. She was afraid of the possibility he wouldn’t feel the same way about her because of her curvy figure. She saw nothing wrong with her curves or the extra weight she carried. It wasn’t like she was the size of a barn or anything like that. But she knew some men wanted to play and use curvy women without any thought to how the woman felt. Ivy was sure thinner women probably had some of the same problems, but it felt more amplified when you had the extra stuff…as if you weren’t really a human with feelings. And then there was the fact she was a witch.

  “How are you doing today?” asked the teenage girl behind the register.

  Ivy blinked and smiled. “I’m doing good. How are you doing, Haley?” She saw the name on the badge on the girl’s shirt.

  “Good, thank you,” said Haley as she started scanning the groceries. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you new in town?”

  “Just moved here today.” Ivy watched the running total of her groceries go up with each new item that was scanned.

  “Cool. Bryant Station is a neat place. Just don’t expect any big city excitement. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of fun things to do but some of the people who move here sometimes have expectations of big city life.” Haley’s cheeks turned bright pink.

  “I’m already in love with the town’s charm. It almost has a magical feel,” said Ivy.

  Haley paused and looked at Ivy for a couple of seconds. “You’re right,” she finally said. “The town is almost magical.”

  The older woman in line behind Ivy snorted. “In more ways than anyone realizes.” She looked at Ivy with crystal clear eyes. “You will have no problem finding your place in this town. I believe there are big changes in store for you. Just be ready for them.”

  “Miss Martha, how are you doing?” asked Harley.

  “I’m doing well, Harley. I’m just glad to see a new young person in town. We need fresh blood to liven up things.” The older woman’s eyes sparkled. She held out her hand to Ivy. “I’m Martha Holiday. Everyone calls me Miss Martha.”

  Ivy shook the woman’s hand. “Ivy Braxton. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Braxton. You wouldn’t happen to be kin to Beatrice Braxton?” asked Miss Martha.

  “She was my grandmother, though she actually raised me.” Ivy’s looked at the woman. She didn’t remember her grandmother ever mentioning anyone named Martha Holiday.

  Miss Martha nodded. “Good. That son and daughter-in-law of hers aren’t worth much, even though they pretend to be important big wigs in town. I’m sorry to hear about Beatrice’s passing. She was a wonderful lady.”

  “Thank you.” Ivy wasn’t sure what else to say. If Miss Martha knew her grandmother like she said she did, it was very possible she knew about the Braxton’s being witches.

  The woman looked into her shopping cart. “Looks like I forgot a couple of items I need for the soup I’m making. You have a good day, and don’t worry about anything. Some things are beyond our control and other things happen as they are meant to be.”

  Ivy watched the older woman disappear down one of the aisles with her shopping cart. “Is she always like that?”

  “Pretty much. But she is cool to be around.” Haley continued scanning the items. She paused when another teenager walked up and started putting the groceries into plastic bags. “Jerry, make sure you put all the cold items together, and any nonfood items need to be bagged separate from the food.”

  The boy glared at the cashier. “You are not my boss or my mother. You don’t get to tell me what do. Do you hear me, Haley?” He started shoving items into a plastic bag without even looking at them.

  “Take everything out of that bag and start over.”

  “Make me,” dared Jerry. He didn’t seem to care that Ivy was standing there.

  Ivy watched the exchange and got the distinct feeling Jerry was someone who didn’t care about anything or anyone but himself. She cleared her throat. “I think I have to side with Haley. You need to take more care as to how you bag my groceries. I don’t think your boss will be too happy with you if I have to lodge a complaint because some of my groceries were damaged due to your negligence.”

  Jerry stared at Ivy. “Why are females so picky?”

  “Probably because males are so careless,” said Ivy, causing Haley to snicker.

  The boy grumbled, but started sacking the groceries more carefully.

  Haley smiled at Ivy as she went back t
o scanning the groceries. “So what brought you to Bryant Station?”

  “I decided I needed a change of scenery and Bryant Station seemed to be the perfect town for what I was wanting.” She tried to keep her answer as vague as possible. She didn’t want anyone to know why she was really here.

  “I hope everything works out for you.” Haley scanned the last item. “Your total today is $147.29.”

  Ivy pulled out her debit card and swiped it through the credit card machine. After a few seconds, the machine asked her for her pen number. She punched it into the machine. In seconds, her transaction was approved.

  Haley tore off the receipt and handed it to Ivy. “Do you need any help with your bags?” she asked.

  Ivy shook her head. “I’ve got it, but thanks.”

  A huge smile covered Haley’s face. Even her eyes sparkled. “Welcome to Bryant Station, and come back to see us.” The girl waited for Ivy to put away her debit card and wallet before she started checking out the next person in line.

  Ivy swung her bag onto her shoulder. Jerry, the bagger, had already disappeared even though there were other customers waiting in line. Ivy shook her head and pushed her shopping cart of groceries out of the store. Half way to her car, the shopping cart’s front wheel got stuck in a pothole just big enough for the wheel to fit in. Ivy pushed the cart, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Why me?” she asked as she walked around to the front of the shopping cart. Ivy grabbed the wire basket and pulled it out of the hole. She made sure the wheel was nowhere near the hole and continued her journey across the parking lot.

  Once she reached her car, she unlocked the passenger door and started putting bags on the floorboard. Twice she turned back to get bags out of the shopping cart, only to find it slowly rolling away from her. Frustrated, Ivy put her foot on the bottom of the cart to keep it from rolling away. Ivy final picked up the last two plastic bags. One was really light, but the other seemed extra have. Just as she had it out of the cart, the bag made a ripping noise. Two seconds later, everything fell out of the bottom of the bag.