“Maybe he was desperate … and his family was going hungry,” he continued. “Maybe he was being threatened by some evil megalomaniac, right? Oh, don’t bother denying it, honey. I know the way your mind works.”
Ivy managed a sheepish grin. “Am I that transparent?”
“You’re that sweet and dedicated to helping those in need,” Jack clarified. “Ivy, I want you to get your answers, but you need to brace yourself in case they don’t come. Sometimes there is no reason for a person to do something cruel or stupid … and yet they’ll do it anyway.”
“I know that.” Ivy licked her lips. “Maybe it’s because of the time of year or something, but I want to believe the best about people. I can’t help it.”
“I don’t want you to change so if that’s what you want to believe, then do it. Just … try to relax. Take a long bath and then we’ll go to bed. Hopefully you’ll feel better in the morning.”
“Yes, because one night is all I’m going to need to forget that a man died in my arms,” Ivy muttered.
“That’s not what I meant,” Jack argued. “I simply meant that I want you to rest and then hopefully eat tomorrow morning. That’s all I’m looking for, honey.”
“I know.” Ivy was instantly apologetic. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or accuse you of anything. I’m simply … discombobulated.”
Jack smirked. He couldn’t help himself. “Only you would use a word like that after the day you’ve had.” Jack leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Take your bath. I’ll make you a mug of tea. Then we’ll go to bed.”
“It’s not very late,” Ivy pointed out. “That seems unfair to you.”
“Honey, I just want to hold you,” Jack countered, gently brushing her hair away from her face. “I was so afraid when I got the call, and even though I knew that Detective Crawford said you were fine, my mind ran away with me during the drive over there. I’m tired, too.”
Ivy pressed her lips together and nodded as Jack shuffled toward the door. Before he could disappear, she called out. “Jack?”
“What, honey?”
“I love you.”
Jack’s expression softened. “Honey, I love you more than anything. We’re going to get through this. It’s going to be okay.”
JACK FOUND Max sitting on a stool next to the counter when he shuffled into the kitchen to start a kettle to boil. He didn’t so much as blink in surprise when he caught sight of the man.
“What are you doing here?”
“Checking on my sister,” Max replied without hesitation. “How is she?”
“Traumatized.”
“You’re going to need to expand on that,” Max noted, his expression unreadable. “Is she so traumatized she needs her big brother to stand guard beside the bathroom door, or is she only traumatized enough that I need to run to the market and buy her chocolate cake and a gossip magazine?”
Jack barked out a laugh, the simple act relieving some of the pressure from his chest. “Neither, although now that you’ve mentioned that, cake sounds really good.”
“I could go buy some,” Max offered.
Jack shook his head. “Ivy isn’t hungry. Her stomach is upset. She’s taking a long bath and then I’m going to force some chamomile tea down her before we go to bed.”
“It’s like six o’clock.”
“I don’t care,” Jack said. “She needs to put some distance between her mind and this day and sleep is the only thing that will help.”
“Are you going to take her on a dream date?”
Jack shrugged, noncommittal. “We’ll see what happens when I get her in bed,” he answered. “If she wants to dream walk, we’ll dream walk. I’ll pick a quiet place, maybe take her on a picnic, and see how things go.”
“If you really want to relax her, you’ll take her morel hunting,” Max suggested. “She would spend five hours straight doing that when she was a teenager and it always put her in a good mood. She likes being in the woods. She thinks easier there.”
Jack tilted his head to the side, considering. “That wasn’t on top of my list of things to do, but it doesn’t sound like a bad idea given what she’s gone through today. I’m willing to try anything as long as it helps her relax.”
“Yeah, don’t start talking about anything kinky in front of me,” Max warned. “I know that you’re going to be my brother-in-law, but she’s always going to be my baby sister.”
Jack scowled and cast a worried glance over his shoulder in case Ivy had suddenly appeared, but the hallway remained dark and the bathroom door shut. “Be careful what you say.”
“Relax.” Max rolled his eyes in dramatic fashion. “I’m not going to ruin your surprise. I’m not a total jerk.”
“Not total,” Jack teased, rubbing the tender spot between his eyebrows.
“While we’re on that subject, I brought you some files,” Max said, gesturing toward the neat stack of colored files on the corner of the counter. “That’s five different contractors who have stellar reputations. There are samples of their work inside.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “Thanks.”
“I’ll help you contact them once you narrow it down. I’m guessing you’ll want to bring them into the basement so they can see the project up close and personal.”
“That sounds good.” Jack gathered the files and moved them to the table, sliding them into the bag that housed his work laptop. “I probably won’t get a chance to look at them until tomorrow. Ivy is my primary focus tonight.”
“That’s exactly how it should be,” Max said, getting to his feet. “Part of me wants to see her, but I can tell by the look on your face that’s a bad idea. I am going to go out of my way to spend time with her tomorrow if I feel it’s necessary. I just thought you should know that.”
“I’m grateful you’re giving her the space she needs tonight,” Jack said. “As for visiting her tomorrow, that might be exactly what she needs. I will keep you updated on her mood in the morning.”
Max nodded as he shuffled toward the door. “I think you should dream walk whether she wants it or not. I know she saw something terrible today. You should give her something better to dream about than that.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Jack conceded, his eyes involuntarily glassy. “I don’t control every aspect of the dream walking, though. She supplies the power. If she’s too tired I’m not going to press her.”
“Just take care of her,” Max instructed. “She takes things like this to heart. She can’t seem to help herself.”
“Yeah, I’ve figured that out myself.” Jack bobbed his head in appreciation. “Thank you for being a good brother, Max. You always go out of your way to do the right thing by her.”
“And thank you for being a good boyfriend and soon-to-be husband,” Max shot back. “You make her happy and that’s the most important thing in the world to me.”
Jack returned Max’s small smile. “It’s the most important thing to both of us.” He meant the sentiment with every fiber of his being. “Now go. I don’t want Ivy to feel as if she’s an animal on display at the zoo.”
“Nobody wants that.”
IVY JERKED awake the next morning, running from the nightmare before it could chase her into the bright light of day. Jack was already awake, his hand comforting on the back of her neck.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her forehead as he moved to press her head back to his shoulder. “I’m right here. You’re okay.”
Ivy heaved out a shaky sigh. “I know. It wasn’t a bad dream. It just … could’ve become a bad dream.”
“Okay.” Jack petted the back of her head. “I was hoping you would sleep a bit longer, truth be told. Can you go back to sleep? It’s only seven.”
“I slept for twelve hours,” Ivy reminded him. “That’s more than enough sleep.”
“Yes, but you were very active when we dream walked,” Jack pointed out. “You were running around like you didn’t hav
e a care in the world. I’ve never seen you that active before.”
Ivy snorted. “I think you just called me lazy.”
“Not even close.” Jack tapped the end of her nose in warning. “I simply meant you seemed to have a good time last night.”
“I did,” Ivy confirmed, bobbing her head. “Whatever made you think to take me morel hunting?”
Jack shrugged. “I guess it was just divine inspiration.”
“You hate morels, though, and you still took me mushroom hunting. It means a lot.”
“Honey, I definitely think that morels taste like feet, but I have no problem hiking through the woods with you,” Jack countered. “Besides, it was a dream. I didn’t have to eat the feet-tasting mushrooms.”
Ivy giggled and the sound was enough to warm Jack’s heart. “In a few months it will be morel season again. Are you going to go hunting with me?”
Jack pursed his lips and shrugged. “I’ve had worse offers. I think you’ll probably be able to convince me to hunt for some mushrooms with you … as long as I don’t have to eat them.”
“But I was planning on making that pasta for you again,” Ivy teased. “I thought that should be a yearly thing since it was the first meal we ate together.”
“You’re so very manipulative,” Jack said, lightly smacking her rear end. “You know I’ll pretty much agree to anything right now so you’re trying to lock me in.”
“That’s a terrible thing to say about the woman you love.”
“And yet I stand by it.” Jack smacked a loud kiss against Ivy’s lips before sobering. “You seem okay. Other than the almost nightmare, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, Jack. I’m not going to fall apart.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah?” Jack cocked a challenging eyebrow. “I’m not sure I believe that. For now, though, I’m starving.”
As if on cue, Ivy’s stomach growled in agreement.
“I think you’re hungry, too,” Jack said. “Do you want to cook something here or go to the diner in town?”
Ivy balked at the suggestion. “I don’t want to go to the diner just yet. People will ask questions.”
“How will they know?”
“It’s Shadow Lake. The only thing that moves faster than gossip in Shadow Lake is Maisie Washington when a new man arrives on the scene.”
Jack chuckled heartily. “I guess I can’t argue with that. Would you like me to cook you some pancakes?”
Ivy shook her head. “I’m going to cook you eggs, hash browns, and toast.”
“You don’t have to cook me breakfast.”
“I want to. It will make me feel more … normal, for lack of a better word.”
Jack sighed, resigned. “Okay. I’m going to hop in the shower while you do that. How does that sound?”
“Good.”
Jack kissed her forehead before sliding out of bed, stopping at the end of the bed long enough to grab one of Ivy’s bare feet as it poked out from beneath the covers. “Speaking of things that taste like feet … .” He pressed a kiss to the bottom of her foot. “Your toes are icy. Why do you poke your feet out every single night no matter how many times I cover them?”
Ivy shrugged. “I sleep hot.”
“You are hot,” Jack corrected. “Now, go cook some breakfast because I’m starving and your stomach is practically singing an entire opera it’s so empty. After that, we’ll discuss what we have on our agendas for the day.”
Ivy rolled her eyes, not missing the meaning behind the words. “Does that mean you’re going to try and handle me?”
Jack’s eyes lit with wicked intent. “As many times as humanly possible.”
“You’re a sick man.”
“Sick with love for you,” Jack said, squeezing Ivy’s behind as she wiggled it while climbing out of bed. “Now, get moving, woman. We both need some nourishment.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I know you meant that to be snarky, but it kind of turned me on,” Jack offered, causing Ivy to scowl. “That frown turns me on even more.”
“You’re definitely sick.”
“Oh, honey, you have no idea. I’m happy to show you a preview after breakfast, though.”
Five
Ivy hummed to herself as she cooked breakfast, sliding her feet against the ceramic tile floor as she chopped tomatoes and onions to mix with the hash browns. She was a vegetarian – although not vegan – and Jack spent a lot of time conforming to the way she ate, rather than the other way around. She went out of her way to prepare steaks and chicken for him at times, but he often was perfectly happy eating vegetarian and never offered up a word of complaint.
Even though she always slept barefoot, Ivy slapped on a pair of fuzzy slipper socks and enjoyed sliding from one side of the kitchen to the other as she dumped a bag of hash browns into a frying pan. She felt better, lighter than she had the previous day. When her thoughts shifted back to the man who died in her arms, she felt inexplicably sad, but she tried not to dwell on him. He made his own decisions, after all, and no one had been seriously hurt other than him. That was a good thing.
Ivy was lost in her own little world as she waited for the potatoes to brown and she drifted over to clear off the table so she and Jack could eat in the cozy little nook. Jack left his laptop bag open, so when Ivy grabbed it a stack of files spilled out. She internally cringed when she heard the items hit the floor but was relieved to find nothing inside the files fell out during their short fall. She bent over to retrieve them and curiosity got the better of her. She flipped open the first file, but before she got a chance to see what was inside Jack made his way into the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” Jack barked, racing forward and grabbing the folders from Ivy’s hand.
Ivy jolted back, Jack’s loud reaction catching her off guard. Even though she knew she shouldn’t feel guilty, her cheeks flushed with color and she lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry. I accidentally knocked the files out of your bag when I lifted it off the table.”
“Not everything is your business.”
Ivy’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “I understand that. I wasn’t trying to be nosy.” That was mostly true. Ivy would never purposely go through Jack’s work files without permission. That didn’t mean she wasn’t occasionally curious. “I said I was sorry.”
“I just … .” Jack licked his lips as he organized the files and returned them to the laptop bag, this time making sure to zip it shut. “You shouldn’t go through my stuff.”
Ivy made an annoyed face as she flounced over to the stove to flip the hash browns. “You don’t ever have to worry about me going through your stuff again. Don’t worry. Your stuff is safe.”
Jack gaped after her, realizing he had not only overstepped his bounds but also hurt her feelings in the process. He moved the bag to the chair in the corner of the room and followed his fiery girlfriend. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know exactly what you meant.” Ivy kept her back to Jack. “Perhaps you shouldn’t bring your stuff to my house any longer. I would hate for my dimwitted ways to ruin something for you.”
“I … .” Jack broke off, swallowing hard. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I mean you obviously have something very private in there,” Ivy supplied. “You’re almost acting as if you have a second girlfriend on the side or something. Do you snap at her when she goes through your stuff? Do you have an Ivy folder so you can remember the things I like?”
Jack let loose with a long-suffering sigh. He loved Ivy with everything he had but when she dug her heels in and picked a fight, she became increasingly hard to deal with. “When do you think I have time for this fictional girlfriend I keep on the side? We have lunch together practically every day and we spend every night together.”
Ivy shrugged. “Perhaps you take a nap with her in the afternoons before coming home to me.”
Jack snorted, legitimately amu
sed. “Yes, that sounds exactly like me, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t think it’s funny.”
“I don’t think it’s funny either,” Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest as he rested his hip against the kitchen island. “Honey, I’m sorry I snapped at you. I just … not everything is for your eyes.”
“You’ve made that perfectly clear,” Ivy sniffed, clearly in no mood to accept his apology.
Jack pursed his lips. “Most days I don’t care if you go through my stuff – no matter what it is. You know that.”
“Today is different, huh?”
Jack growled, the sound low and unnatural. “Ivy, has it ever occurred to you that we’re really close to Christmas and perhaps I might have a few secret things hidden in my belongings?”
“I … .” Ivy worked her jaw, her eyes dawning with understanding. “Oh.”
“Oh.” Jack bobbed his head as he shuffled a bit closer. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. That was unfair and the last thing I wanted this morning. I swear it.” He ran his hand up and down her arm as she turned to the eggs on the stovetop. “I swear I only love you and don’t have a girlfriend on the side.”
“I … well … I didn’t really think you did.” Ivy was sheepish.
“I know you didn’t.” Jack swooped in and kissed her cheek. “I can barely keep up with you. A second girlfriend would kill me.”
Ivy’s elbow flew toward Jack’s stomach, but he was expecting the move so he caught her before she could do any real damage. He flipped her around, ignoring the way she brandished the spatula, and made yummy kissing noises as he kissed her neck.
Despite the fact that she wanted to at least pretend she was still angry with him, Ivy couldn’t help but giggle. “I really am sorry,” she offered after a beat. “I accidentally knocked the files out of the bag when I moved it and then I just looked inside out of habit.”
Jack shoved her morning-tousled hair away from her face. “I’m sorry, too. I overreacted. There’s nothing in the files, but when I saw you had them, I couldn’t remember where I hid a specific something and flew off the handle. It’s not your fault.”
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