Ivy slowly entered her home. Residuals of black magic were everywhere. Carefully she checked the entire duplex. Someone had definitely been there, but as far as Ivy could tell, nothing was missing and nothing was out of place.
Ivy closed her eyes and let her sense reach out. Slowly, she recited a cleansing spell. Before she was finished, the residuals of black magic drained away like water draining out of a bathtub, and everything felt clean and fresh as if the black magic had never been there.
Ivy opened her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. She reached for the crystal pendant on the necklace she always wore. Rubbing it between her thumb and forefinger, she cast a simple protection spell around the entire house to keep out all black magic. She didn’t know if the person had been in Ben’s duplex or not, but she didn’t want to take any chances. The spell wouldn’t harm him in anyway, and it made her feel better knowing there was some protection around him when he slept. Ivy blinked several times. Her magic wasn’t backfiring on her like it normally did. Something really rotten was going on. She shook her head. It’s probably a funny story, she told herself. Something I shouldn’t be worrying over.
She closed the front door and turned her thoughts to tomorrow and her new job.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Ivy put on jeans, a light weight t-shirt, and a pair of comfortable running shoes. She grabbed her phone and checked the temperature. Though it was early spring, the weather was still playing tricks and throwing cold temper tantrums. The temperature was cool enough for a sweater, but later this afternoon she wouldn’t need it. Ivy slipped the phone into her back pocket as she went to the closet. After a short debate, she took out her favorite long black sweater. She looked at the now full closet, glad she had spent yesterday afternoon unpacking her clothes. Digging through the suitcases would have sucked.
She slipped on the sweater, grabbed her big bag, and the car keys, as she headed out the door. Her first stop was the little drive-thru coffee stand she had seen yesterday. A quick internet search last night had told her The Grinder not only had regular coffee, but made several lattes and blended iced coffees. She hoped the reviews were right and the coffee was as good as everyone made it sound.
When she reached the coffee stand, luck was with her. A car was pulling out just as she was pulling in.
“Welcome to The Grinder. What can I get you?” asked the man at the window. He gave Ivy a huge smile that showed his teeth. He looked about her age, and was definitely cute. She wondered if he was a shifter too. So far all the shifters she had met were extremely good looking.
“I would like a large, blended mocha. No whipped cream.” Ivy smiled back at the man.
“That will be four seventy-five.”
Ivy handed him a five.
“I will have that right out to you.” He handed her a receipt and a quarter.
“Thank you.” She watched the young man turn and grabbed a large clear plastic cup off the top of a stack.
About two minutes later, the man returned to the window. “Here you go. I hope you enjoy it. Come back to see us,” he said as he handed her the blended coffee drink.
“Thanks.” Ivy took a drink. “Yummy! This is good.”
The man winked at her. “I’m glad you like it.”
Ivy waved as she drove away and another car took her spot. Busy little place. Looks like they are going to be even busier with me coming to see them. She took another sip of the drink as she drove to Durant Customs.
*****
The parking lot was empty when Ivy pulled into it, but then it was still early in the morning. She parked her car at the corner of the building, the farthest from the garage area as she could get without driving around back. She definitely needed to ask Forrest where she was supposed to park. She didn’t want to take up customer parking. Ivy carefully walked up to the front door. She was paranoid she was going to trip and fall again. It was bad enough she had done it after just meeting Forrest. She didn’t want a repeat; not on her first day of work. A sigh of relief escaped when she safely made it into the front office.
“Hello.” No one came out of the office. “Okay, he knew I was coming,” she muttered. Where is everyone? Ivy walked around the desk and peaked into the office. The desk was cluttered with files and papers. She turned and looked at the front desk. It was just as bad, if not worse. She had the feeling it would take her forever to organize the mess. “Great blooming ice sticks! What have I gotten myself into?”
The telephone started ringing.
She raised an eyebrow and waited for someone to come and answer it, but no one did. Finally, Ivy shook her head as she rolled her eyes. Dumping her bag on the floor next to the desk, she reached for the telephone. “Durant Customs, how may I help you?”
“I’m waiting for one of the guys to get over here and pick up these parts. I don’t have all day to wait on them. If Hank doesn’t want them, I have other buyers who do.” The rude man on the other end of the line acted as if he was purposely being made to wait.
“If you will give me your name and location, I will have someone over there to pick up the parts within the hour,” said Ivy.
There was a short pause.
“Excuse me? And just who in the hell are you?” asked the man.
“I’m the new office manager. I suggest you don’t use that tone with me or you will be delivering those parts here instead of us wasting our valuable time chasing after you.” Ivy used the same tone the man was using with her.
The man grumbled. He quickly gave her a name and an address, which Ivy promptly wrote down on a sticky note she had found under a pile of what looked like bills.
“Someone will be there within the hour. When we get the bill for the parts, there had better not be any delivery charges, seeing that we are picking up the parts. Do I make myself clear?”
The man let out a string of curses.
Ivy rolled her eyes. “If you continue with that language and tone you’re using with me; we will find another supplier.”
“You can’t do that. You don’t have the authority. You’re just the receptionist.”
Ivy heard the contempt in his voice. “Excuse me?” She dropped the tone of her voice. “Now, I can either have someone pick up the parts in an hour, or you can get on your phone and try selling the parts to someone else. Should I send someone to pick up the parts, or should you find another buyer?”
“Just have someone here within the hour.” The man hung up without saying good day or anything else.
Ivy shook her head as she put the phone back on its receiver. She looked around. The only other place the men could be was in the garage area. She glanced through the windows looking into the garage area. At first she didn’t see anyone, but then she saw the hint of a blue shirt behind one of the cars. “Gotcha now,” she said as she walked into the garaged.
“What the hell were you thinking Forrest?” demanded a cold, hard voice.
The hard, loud voice caused Ivy to stop dead in her tracks.
“I did what I thought was best. You need to start trusting my instincts as well as your own.” Forrest’s voice was calm and level.
“To hell with instincts! What do you know about her? Did you even bother to do a background check?” asked the angry voice. “And what is this about you hiring her to run the front desk?”
“Hank, you need to calm down. We do need someone to answer the phone and help with the filing,” said a third voice. Ivy thought Forrest’s voice was rich and smooth, but this voice was smooth like a really rare whiskey.
“Forrest should have consulted us before he took it upon himself to make any decisions that affect all of us!” bellowed the angry voice.
“The point is mute. What’s done is done. Forrest rented the apartment to her and gave her a job,” said the rare whiskey voice.
“Then he needs to figure out how to undo it,” said Hank. A loud bang of a fist hitting metal followed.
Ivy shook her head. The duplex…the job…she shoul
d have known they were too good to be true. Her eyes burned with unshed tears that suddenly formed. So much for being next door to Ben or being able to watch him at work. She looked down at the note in her hand and started to crumple it but stopped.
She stared at the note.
Ivy stood up straight and squared her shoulders. She walked through the garage, directly to the three men who were arguing about her.
“Ivy, what are you doing here?” asked Forrest.
She heard the guilt and sorrow in his voice. “I’m here to give you a message you obviously missed because you were fighting over me, the duplex, and this job.” She held out the sticky note with the message written on it. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it’s hard not to when you were yelling loud enough that the people in the next county can hear you.”
Forrest took the note and looked at it before he handed it to Hank. “When did he call?”
“About five minutes ago. Someone needs to go pick up the parts. You have about fifty-five minutes to get there. Also, he has been charging you for delivery, and since you are picking it up, there should be no delivery charge. I told him he will get paid when we see an invoice with no delivery charges on it.”
Hank’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know he was charging for delivery?” he growled.
Ivy looked at him without flinching. “When cash is given, some sellers tend to add extra charges to the price, especially if its specialty or rare items. But without the invoice, you can’t track those charges and refute them. Plus, he was rude.”
“How did you know that?” Hank growled again.
“I assume it was a cash deal. Have you gotten an invoice in the past?” Ivy stared at Hank. “And don’t growl at me.” She looked at Forrest. “Thank you for everything. I will have all of my stuff moved out of the duplex as soon as I can. If you have any leads on another rental, I would appreciate them.”
“Ivy, you can stay as long as you want. Ignore the growling beast. He’s just grumpy without his coffee.” Forrest took a step toward her, but Ivy held up her hand to stop him.
“Your growling beast needs to stuff it long enough to go get his parts or he is going to lose them. The seller made it very clear if no one shows up, he will sell them to someone else who is interested in them.” She looked up, way up, at Hank. How fricken’ tall is he? “Make sure the price you agreed upon is a reasonable price and check the invoice for any hidden charges. And I wouldn’t call you a growling beast. You’re more of a bucket head, or maybe a douche bag. I haven’t decided yet.”
Hank stared down at her. “You don’t trust people, do you?”
“Very few, because I’ve learned from experience, most people would rather use you for what they can get out of you.” Ivy’s eyes blurred with unshed tears. “On that note, I think it’s time for me to leave. Good luck with finding a new renter, and someone to take care of that mess you have up front.” She turned and walked straight into a metal pole.
“Ivy, are you okay?” Forrest was at her side before she even had time to breathe.
“Freakin’ fudge bananas! Who put that blasted pole in the way?” Ivy gingerly touched her nose. It was sore but not broken.
“Come on honey, we need to clean your left cheek and see how bad the cut is?” Forrest wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Cut? I’m bleeding, aren’t I?” Ivy’s shoulders slumped. She was so tired of things always happening to her. She was definitely a super klutz, and that was one identity she wished she didn’t have.
“You are. We’ll get you to my office and take care of it.” Tucking her close, he started leading her toward the door leading to the front.
They hadn’t even taken two steps when the door crashed open and a very angry looking Ben filled the entry. “Get your hands off of her!” he growled. His voice sounded more animalistic than human.
Forrest instantly released Ivy. “Stay calm. He won’t hurt you,” he whispered to her. He took a step away from Ivy and held up his hands. “She walked into a pole. I was just taking her to my office so that I could clean the injury and bandage it.”
Ben sniffed the air and growled.
Her body reacted and ripples of desire zipped through her. Ivy licked her bottom lip without even realizing she was doing it. She wanted to rub her body against his and feel his arms around her. She took several deep breathes. Her desire and need for her mate were stronger than they had been yesterday. Ivy stared at Ben. The things she was feeling for him would never diminish. They would only grow stronger.
“Ben, we understand, and no one is trying to take her from you,” said Hank. He glanced at his brothers. “But she is injured and something has to be done to stop the bleeding.”
Ben took a deep breath. “Mine.” His voice sounded more human.
“She is yours,” said Hank. His two brothers nodded in agreement.
Ben moved slowly toward Ivy, but it looked more like an animal stalking its prey.
She trembled with anticipation. All rational thoughts told her she should be afraid of this side of Ben, but she wasn’t. This was her mate. Ben’s eyes were a swirling mix of green and silver, and she stared at them as he came toward her. He didn’t stop until he was inches from her.
Ben gently put his hand under her chin and lifted her face so he could see the damage. “How did you do this?”
Ivy shrugged her shoulders. “I’m a klutz.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “Did one of them hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No one hurt me. I turned to leave and walked straight into the pole. I told you, I’m a klutz. I can trip over a paperclip or slice my arm open with a piece of paper.”
Without any warning, Ben picked her up and cradled her against his chest.
“Put me down before you hurt yourself.” Ivy was stunned. No one had picked her up since she was a child.
“I’m not injured and you’re the one who is bleeding.” Ben rubbed his cheek against the side of her head. “Why were you here today?”
“She was delivering a phone message about some parts that someone has to go pick up,” said Forrest as he held open the door for them. “The med kit is in my office. Take her in there and I’ll grab some tissues from the restroom.
“Why did you have the phone message about the parts?” asked Ben. He stared into Ivy’s face.
“Because she is the new front counter person, and she just started this morning,” growled Hank before Ivy could answer. “I have to go get these parts.” He turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
“I guess everything’s okay with him,” said the man with the deep whiskey voice. “I’m going to work on the Mustang.”
“Was there a problem?” asked Ben as he carried Ivy into the front.
“Just Hank being his usual growling, sour face self.” Forrest shook his head. “As for Wes, no clue what’s bothering him? I’ll wet a couple of paper towels and bring some dry ones.” He let the door close and disappeared toward the back room behind his office.
“You can put me down. I can walk. Besides, I’m too heavy for you or anyone to be carrying,” said Ivy. She really didn’t want out of his arms, but she didn’t want him to hurt himself because of her weight.
“I like carrying you. Besides you are not heavy, so quit trying to use that as an excuse.” He toed open Forrest’s office door and gently sat her on one of the black leather chairs. “This place is a mess. Make sure they pay you hazard pay. You’re going to need it.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “I’m such a klutz, they may not want to keep me around.”
Ben just shook his head. He tilted her face to get a better look at the bleeding cut on her cheek.
“Here’s the towels.” Forrest held out a wet paper towel and a couple of dry ones.
Ben took the towels and handed the dry ones to Ivy. “Hold these while I clean the blood off your face. It’s going to sting when I get closed to the cut.”
Ivy nodded. Her face was already starting to throb, so she figu
red a little stinging wasn’t going to add much more to the pain she was already feeling.
“The cut is small. You won’t need any stitches, but you will need a small bandage and probably a couple of painkillers.” Ben took dry paper towels and gently patted her cheek dry.
“Here’s a small bandage with some antibacterial cream on it.” Forrest held out the small tan colored bandage.
“Thanks.” Ben took the bandage and carefully put it on Ivy’s cut. “It should heal without a scar,” he told Ivy as he caressed her uninjured cheek. “How am I going to keep you safe?” He brushed her lips with a light kiss. Ivy instinctively leaned into the kiss, craving more than he was giving her.
“On that note, I’m out of here.” Forrest closed the med kit. “Don’t forget you need to finish sanding the ‘Cuda so Wes can paint it tomorrow.” He closed the door as he left the office.
“I’m okay. This was actually minor compared to some of the accidents I’ve had over the years.” It was difficult to speak. Never in her life had she felt anything so intense. “I thought you didn’t like me,” she whispered. “You left without an explanation. I know you don’t owe me one.”
Ben pulled her up out of the chair and wrapped his arms around her. “What I’m feeling is more than just liking you. I left yesterday because I didn’t want to frighten you. What I’m feeling for you is extremely intense, but I wanted to give you the chance to get to know me first. The other reason I left, is I had a prior engagement I had to deal with.”
“And now?” Ivy’s heart pounded against her ribcage.
“When I saw Forrest with his arms wrapped around you, my—I lost it. You are my mate, and you probably don’t know what it means, but believe me when I say you are the only woman for me. I have a lot of things to tell you and a lot of it will sound strange, even crazy. Do you think you can be open-minded?”
“There’s a connection between us. I can feel it.” She tilted her head back so she could see his face. “I know there are things in this world that defy explanation. I have seen a few of them. Whatever it is you need to tell me, I will understand.” She smiled at him. I just hope you are as understanding when I tell you that I’m a witch. “Fate has worked hard to bring us together.”
Surviving Ivy Page 6
