Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Well, thank you,” Ivy said, wrinkling her nose. “Jack?”

  “Hmm.” Her eyes – and the feeling of warmth she was bringing to his chest as he cradled her close – mesmerized him.

  “I think you should probably let me up.”

  “Okay.” He didn’t move to release her.

  “We have an audience,” Ivy reminded him.

  Reality intruded on Jack’s happy thoughts. “I’m sorry,” he said, loosening his grip and helping Ivy to a standing position. “I don’t know why I did that.”

  “Me either,” Ivy said, arching an eyebrow.

  “I know why,” Kelly offered.

  Ivy and Jack shifted their attention to the teenager.

  “You’re hot for each other,” Kelly said.

  “We are not,” Ivy said.

  “That’s absolutely the furthest thing from my mind,” Jack scoffed.

  “Whatever,” Kelly said, rolling her eyes. “Max told me you two are playing a game. I didn’t know what he meant when he said it, but now I do.”

  “We’re not playing a game,” Jack said.

  “I’m going to beat the crap out of Max,” Ivy said.

  “I’m going to help,” Jack added.

  “Yeah, I’m going to side with Max on this one,” Kelly said. “He’s clearly right about you two, whether you want to admit it or not. In fact, I’ll bet Max is right about everything.”

  Ivy made a face. “Max is not right about anything,” she said. “Whatever he tells you, do the exact opposite.”

  “He told me you would say that,” Kelly said. “When is he going to stop by again, by the way?”

  “Never,” Ivy replied. “He’s banned from my house.”

  “Do you really mean that? Would you really just stop talking to your brother?”

  Ivy stilled. “No,” she said, realizing Kelly’s upbringing was vastly different from her own. “No matter how angry I am with Max, he’s still my brother. I’ll love him until the day I die … and beyond. We like to fight. That’s what brothers and sisters do.”

  Kelly glanced at Jack for confirmation.

  “I’m going to agree with Ivy on this one,” Jack said. “My older sister and I fought like cats and dogs. That doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.”

  “I didn’t know you had a sister,” Ivy said.

  “You never asked.”

  “I … I guess that’s fair,” Ivy conceded. “Where does she live?”

  “She lives down in Macomb Township,” Jack said. “It’s a suburb of Detroit, but it’s far enough north that it doesn’t look like the city.”

  “Where did you live when you were down there?”

  “Detroit.”

  “Did you have to live in the city because you were a police officer there?” Ivy asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “You’re asking a lot of questions all of a sudden,” Jack said. “You weren’t interested in my past before.”

  “I was interested,” Ivy said, her voice soft. “I just didn’t want to … push you.”

  Jack’s face softened. “You’re not pushing me,” he said. “I … what do you want to know?” He had no idea why he was opening the door to this conversation, and yet he didn’t want to close it.

  “Did you like the city?”

  “I liked being able to go to a grocery store … or a movie … or even a gas station in the middle of the night if I wanted to,” Jack said. “You can’t do that in Shadow Lake.”

  “No,” Ivy agreed.

  “I didn’t like all of the … concrete, though,” he said. “I didn’t like all the people. I didn’t like all the smog. I didn’t like all the crime.”

  He didn’t like being stalked in the dark and shot twice, Ivy added silently. “Do you like it up here?”

  “I like parts of it very much,” Jack said pointedly, his gaze fixed on Ivy’s face. “I like the open spaces, trees, fields, and rivers. I like the quiet. I like a lot of the people.”

  “Like Ivy?” Kelly teased.

  Jack cocked an eyebrow as he regarded the teenager. She’d grown steadily more accustomed to his presence over the course of the afternoon. She wasn’t exactly comfortable with him yet, but she was getting there. “I like Ivy sometimes,” he said. “I want to strangle her sometimes, too.”

  “Not really, though?”

  “Not really,” Jack said. “I know you don’t know me, Kelly, but I would never hurt anyone. I wouldn’t hurt you, and I definitely wouldn’t hurt Ivy.”

  “Even if she … called you a name?”

  “She’s called me plenty of names,” Jack said. “In fact, she denies it, but I think she’s turned my name into an insult of sorts.”

  “I told you that I’ve been calling people jackholes since I was a kid,” Ivy argued.

  “I’m not sure I believe you.”

  “And that’s why you’re a jackhole,” Ivy said.

  Jack smirked, despite himself. “See.”

  “I think you’re nice,” Kelly said after a moment. “I think you’re nice to Ivy, too, even if you guys like to pretend you hate each other.”

  “We don’t hate each other,” Ivy said. “We’re just … combative.”

  “We’re both bossy,” Jack explained. “Ivy is used to getting her way, and so am I. When you put two people who think that way together, they fight.”

  “I think it’s more than that,” Kelly said. “I think you two want to kiss each other.”

  Ivy pressed her lips together, conflicted. “I’d rather kiss a toad.”

  “I’ll find one for you so we can test that theory,” Jack said, narrowing his eyes.

  “My foster parents never kiss each other,” Kelly said, lost in thought. “They never look like they want to either. I guess I just thought that’s how all adults acted around each other. You two are proving me wrong.”

  There was the opening he was looking for. Jack cleared his throat. “Speaking of your foster parents, I had a talk with them yesterday.”

  Kelly froze, her face a mask of fear and doubt. “W-what did they say?”

  “Well, first off, they told me you were at the library,” Jack said, refusing to lie. “When I pointed out that was impossible, they opened up about a few things. They weren’t happy about it, though.”

  “Are they going to kick me out?”

  “I don’t think you need to worry about that right now,” Jack said. “They have bigger fish to fry. Besides, I thought you were happy here with Ivy for the time being?”

  “I am,” Kelly said hurriedly. “It’s just … they don’t like it when kids make waves. They want kids to be good … and quiet.”

  “I kind of figured that out myself,” Jack said. It was now or never. “Kelly, I need to ask you a question.”

  “You want to know if they hurt me, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “They never touched me,” Kelly said. “They’re not bad people. I know you probably look at them and see … jackholes … but they’re not horrible people. I’ve been in a lot worse foster homes than that one.”

  The admission caused Jack’s heart to flip. “Well, we’re going to make sure you have a stable home when this is all said and done.”

  “Derek and Emily really aren’t bad people,” Kelly repeated. “They’re just … limited.”

  “Kelly, they’re not foster parents because they care about kids,” Jack said. “They’re foster parents because the state pays them to be. They weren’t watching out for you.”

  “No one is a foster parent because they like kids,” Kelly said. “Well, I guess there probably are some good foster parents out there. I’ve never met them, though.”

  Jack exchanged a brief look with Ivy. She looked just as upset as he felt. “Are you sure your foster parents didn’t hurt you?”

  “I’m sure,” Kelly said. “I’m not going to pretend they were great role models. I’m not going to make up a lie and say they got me a Christm
as gift every year. They didn’t hurt me, though. It’s not in their nature. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  That was a relief … sort of. “Who did … ?”

  Ivy cut off the rest of the question with a shake of her head. A quick look at Kelly’s downtrodden face told Jack she was right. Now was not the time to press Kelly further. She’d opened up a little. Now he had to reward her.

  “So, who wants ice cream?”

  “You’ve barely done anything,” Ivy said.

  “I’ve put up with you for two hours,” Jack said, chucking her under the chin. “I think that definitely means I deserve ice cream. Who wants me to make a Dairy Queen run?”

  Nine

  “How does pizza sound for dinner?” Jack asked, walking out of Ivy’s bathroom after washing his hands and face and moving toward the living room. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starving.”

  “You’re inviting yourself to dinner?” Ivy asked from the couch.

  “No, I’m offering to pay for dinner and let you eat some,” Jack countered.

  “I love pizza,” Kelly said, her gaze bouncing between Ivy and Jack worriedly. It was almost as if she was waiting for them to explode. Truth be told, Jack was waiting for it, too.

  “Fine,” Ivy said, too tired to put up a fight. A full day of potting – and verbally sparring with Jack – had left her weary. “I want my own pizza if you two are going to get meat, though.”

  “I can live with that,” Jack said. “We’ll get a large with all the fixings – including meat – for Kelly and me, and you can have some vegetable monstrosity all to yourself.”

  “Great,” Ivy said. “I love pizza when it doubles as an inedible monstrosity.”

  “You would,” Jack said. “You order.”

  “Why me?”

  “Because I’m not familiar with the pizza joints in town yet,” he said. “I figure you know which places are good and which ones are bad.”

  “That shows what you know,” Ivy grumbled. “There’s only one pizza place in town.”

  “Of course there is,” Jack said, rolling his eyes as he settled in the armchair and watching Ivy get to her feet and shuffle into the kitchen.

  “Kelly, is there anything you don’t like on your pizza?” Ivy asked.

  “I’ll eat anything.”

  “That’s not an answer,” Ivy prodded.

  “I … um … don’t like anchovies.”

  “No one does,” Jack said. “Do you like pepperoni?”

  Kelly nodded.

  “Ham? Onions? Mushrooms?”

  Kelly nodded at each question.

  “That’s what we want on ours,” Jack said. “Extra cheese, too.”

  “How can you possibly eat that and look like you do?” Ivy asked, nonplussed.

  “I work out.”

  “You wouldn’t have to work out as much if you ate better,” Ivy said.

  “No one asked for your diet critique,” Jack said. He leaned over and reached for the remote control. “Do you like baseball, Kelly?”

  “Not really.”

  “You just haven’t watched it with the right person,” Jack said. “I’ll explain the game to you and you’ll be a fan in no time.”

  “I understand the game,” Kelly said. “I still think it’s … kind of slow.”

  Ivy snorted. “She means it’s boring.”

  “No one asked you, honey,” Jack said, winking at her. “Now, be a dear and order our dinner. I wasn’t joking when I said I was starving.”

  “Be a dear?”

  “That’s what I said, honey,” Jack said. “Be a dear.”

  “I’m going to have them add spit in your pizza,” Ivy threatened, but she reached for the telephone. Kelly was having far too good of a time to end the evening now.

  “I don’t want spit on my pizza,” Kelly said.

  Ivy made a face.

  “What? You told me to tell you what I didn’t want on my pizza,” Kelly said.

  It was the first joke she’d made, and Ivy was obliged to laugh. Jack joined in, and when the three of them were done laughing, Ivy placed the call. Putting up with Jack’s mouth – and his incredible body and handsome face – was well worth getting Kelly to smile.

  “SHE seems to be adjusting,” Jack said, reclining in one of the plastic lawn chairs on Ivy’s front porch and watching Kelly as she sat on the wooden swing beneath Ivy’s massive maple tree.

  “She does,” Ivy agreed. “She’s still scared, though.”

  “She’s opening up,” Jack said. “I … was wrong about her staying with you. You’ve done wonders for her. I don’t think anyone else could’ve done what you have in such a short amount of time.”

  “Did you just admit you were wrong?” Ivy asked, snickering. “I might have misheard. I just want to make sure I heard what I thought I heard.”

  “You are such a pain in the ass.”

  Ivy waited.

  “Did you hear that?” Jack asked.

  “I did. I’m still waiting for you to say I was right again.”

  Jack sighed. “You were right, Ivy.”

  “Can I go inside and get my phone and record that?”

  “Only if you’re do the same for me,” Jack challenged.

  “I’m comfortable right here.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Jack said, shifting his eyes from Kelly’s back to the stars. “It’s beautiful here. You forget how many stars there are in the sky when you live in the city.”

  “Does the smog blur them out?”

  “Not in Detroit,” Jack said, chuckling. “Don’t get me wrong, the air quality sucks – especially when it’s hot and everyone is running their air conditioners – but it’s not like Los Angeles.”

  “What is it like?”

  “Ah, we’re back to the questions,” Jack said.

  “I’m sorry. You’re entitled to your privacy. I shouldn’t invade it.”

  “Honey, you’ve been one of the most respectful people I’ve ever met when it comes to my privacy,” Jack said. “You’ve gone out of your way to … ignore … the scars on my chest. You haven’t asked the big questions everyone else is dying to ask. Instead, you’ve just sat back and let me do my own thing.”

  “That’s because I’m an amazing person.”

  “You’re egoless, too,” Jack teased, glancing over at her. His heart almost lodged in his throat when he saw her features under the muted glow of the moon. She was breathtaking.

  Ivy shifted so she was facing him, her face unreadable. “What happens to Kelly now?”

  “Now you keep doing what you’re doing,” Jack said. “Make her feel safe. When she’s ready, she’ll tell us what happened.”

  “What do you think happened?”

  “I honestly have no idea,” Jack said, his gaze never wandering from the fathomless depths of her blue eyes. “I … oh, honey, you’re so beautiful it hurts to look at you sometimes.”

  Ivy stilled, surprised at the statement. “What?”

  “I can’t help it,” Jack said. “You drive me crazy. There are times I literally want to gag you. You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in real life.”

  “You didn’t need to add the ‘in real life’ caveat at the end,” Ivy said, her eyes twinkling.

  “I just … .” Jack leaned forward, his lips pressing to Ivy’s softly as he lost himself in a moment he couldn’t give back.

  Ivy was surprised by the kiss, but she returned it. There was something about the moon that always mesmerized her. Jack’s face was hypnotic under the worst of circumstances – and this was anything but. It was a magical night, and they both gave in to the magical moment.

  After a few seconds, Jack pulled away with a rueful expression on his face. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I know.”

  “I … why did you let me?”

  “Because I can’t stop myself either,” Ivy admitted. “It’s like I lose all sense of reason when you’re around.”
>
  “Are you admitting that because of the moon?”

  “I have no idea why I’m admitting it,” Ivy said. “I … can’t seem to lie to you.”

  “You told me you thought I was hideous with my shirt off,” Jack teased.

  “Yes, but even you knew that wasn’t the truth,” Ivy said.

  Jack sighed and leaned his head back so he could stare at the stars. “You’re ruining my plan. You know that, right?”

  “What plan?”

  “The one where I was supposed to move up here, take a job at a boring police department, spend my days and nights working on a craphole house, and never look at a woman.”

  “You haven’t exactly been good for my life plan either,” Ivy said.

  “What was your life plan?”

  “Building my nursery up to the best in the county, reading as many books as I can get my hands on, and never looking at a man again.”

  “That sounds like a lonely existence, honey,” Jack said. “I think you deserve more.”

  “See, you’re looking at me and thinking that I deserve a happily ever after,” Ivy said. “The thing is, you’re not looking at the potential men in this equation and realizing that I can never make any of them happy.”

  Jack leaned forward, flustered. “What does that mean?”

  “I’m odd, Jack,” Ivy said. “I know it, and you know it. People in town call me a witch, and for all intents and purposes, I am one. I might not cast spells. I might not ride around on a broom. I might not curse my enemies. I do believe in magic, though.”

  “Honey, every time I look at you I believe in magic,” Jack said. “I don’t think you see yourself like others see you, though. You could make someone very happy if you’d open yourself up to the possibility.”

  Ivy shifted uncomfortably. “Just not you, right?”

  “I … I don’t know what you want me to say,” Jack said, hating himself for the paralyzing fear coursing through him. “I like you. I do. You make me laugh, and you’re beautiful. I am not in a place where I can offer you what you deserve, though.”

  “I’m not saying I want you,” Ivy said. “Don’t think that’s what I’m saying, because if your ego gets any bigger it’s not going to fit on this porch. For the sake of argument, though, what don’t you have to give me?”