“Oh.” Realization dawned on Jack, and instead of feeling sorry for the woman who would become his wife, he barked out a laugh. “You got forced to participate in the pageant against your will? That must have been torture for you.”
“You have no idea,” Ivy said, rolling her neck until it cracked. “It was horrible.”
“It got even worse when Ivy decided she wanted to win,” Max said. “She was up against Ava and Maisie that year. They both wanted to win, too.”
“Why did you want to win?” Jack was understandably confused. “That doesn’t sound like your type of thing. Did you want the crown or something? If so, I can buy you a crown.”
Ivy’s mouth tipped down into an ugly scowl. “I didn’t want the crown. I didn’t care about the parade. I didn’t care about the fact that Maisie’s idea of talent was dancing like she had a pole.”
Max snickered. “Yeah. That was the one and only time I found her attractive.”
Ivy scalded him with a dark look. “You’re a pig.”
“Go back to the pageant,” Jack prodded, moving quickly when a squealing girl in a tight sequined outfit screeched as she ran past him. He’d never been a fan of teenagers of the female persuasion. Even when he’d been a teenager himself, the screaming and theatrics annoyed him to no end. He’d always pictured Ivy as a different sort of teenager. Perhaps he’d been wrong. “Why did you want to win, honey?”
“That’s just it,” Ivy said. “I wanted to win. I didn’t care what it was, I just wanted to beat Ava and Maisie. They were … um … not my friends.”
“They were mean to her,” Max translated for Jack’s benefit. “Even back then people knew Ivy was different. Teenagers are like chickens. They try to peck to death the thing that’s different.”
“Oh.” Jack felt mildly sick to his stomach. He knew Ivy struggled in high school because people whispered that she was a witch. It turned out she was, although she was still grappling with that new reality and refused to own up to her abilities. He knew better than pressing her on it, though. “Honey, I’m sorry that happened.”
“You don’t know what happened,” Ivy challenged.
“No,” Jack agreed. “I figured that you lost, though. Was I wrong?”
“She did lose,” Max volunteered. “Maisie won. Ava came in second. At the very end, Ivy pulled out and refused to participate. It was the very end, though. Like … five minutes before the start of the pageant. They still marked her down as a loser on the official ballots.”
“And Max ran Maisie’s campaign for her so I had to hear about it forever,” Ivy said bitterly.
Jack swung his head so he could glare at Max. “You did what?”
“She had this tiny little outfit and it made my head do weird things,” Max explained. “I plead temporary insanity. I was a teenager myself. My hormones got in the way.”
“Oh, whatever.” Jack ran his hands over Ivy’s back. “Honey, it’s okay. We don’t have to watch the pageant.”
“I hate the pageant,” Ivy gritted out.
“How can you hate the pageant?” A perky woman, dark hair falling over her shoulders, pulled up short when she heard Ivy’s declaration. “The pageant is very important to the girls in this area, Ivy. You should know that.”
Ivy’s body was stiff as she turned and the look she fixed the woman with was hardly friendly. Jack swallowed hard and risked a glance at Max. The older Morgan sibling looked as worried as Jack felt, though.
“Simone,” Ivy gritted out. “I heard you’re running the pageant this year.”
“I run it every year,” Simone pointed out. “That’s why it runs so smoothly.”
Jack sensed trouble so he interjected himself into the conversation. “I’m Jack Harker. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance.”
The woman jutted out her hand. “I’m Simone Graham. I went to high school a few years ahead of Max and Ivy.”
“And now you run the pageant?” Jack asked, casting Ivy a sidelong look full of worry out of the corner of his eye. “That must be a big job.”
“It is and I just lost one of my volunteers,” Simone said. “Jill Novak was supposed to help, but she just went into labor.”
“That sounds terrible,” Jack lied. The problems plaguing Shadow Lake’s beauty pageant were hardly his concern.
“It is.” Simone shifted a thoughtful expression in Ivy’s direction. “You know, you were in the pageant once … er, well, you trained to be in the pageant before you dropped out. You know how things run.”
Ivy’s eyebrows flew up her forehead. “Excuse me?”
“I think you should volunteer your time to help,” Simone said. “Your nursery is shut down for the winter. You have plenty of time.”
“Absolutely not,” Ivy said. “I have no interest in this pageant.”
“Then why are you here?” Simone challenged.
“Because Jack wanted to see the set-up.”
“Is that true?” Simone pinned Jack with a questioning look. “Were you that interested in seeing a bunch of teenagers in costume?”
“No.” Jack replied instinctively because he didn’t like her tone. The look on Ivy’s face told him he should’ve given the response more thought. “I mean … .”
“Whatever.” Simone tuned out whatever Jack was going to say and fixed her attention on Ivy. “Do you have a legitimate reason why you can’t volunteer your time?”
Ivy nodded. “I’m busy.”
“With what?”
“I’m getting married.”
“I heard. You’ve shown your ring to everyone in town. Just to save you some time, it’s beautiful and we’re all jealous you snagged the new guy.”
Ivy pursed her lips, mortified. If people were talking about her actions behind her back, she must’ve been acting even goofier than she originally realized. “I … um … .”
“She would love to help,” Max volunteered, taking everyone by surprise.
“I would not,” Ivy snapped, her voice rising an octave.
“I agree with Max,” Simone said, winking at him in a playful manner that turned Ivy’s stomach. “I think you want to help and you just don’t know it yet. You can start today.”
Ivy balked. “No. I … .” She didn’t get a chance to finish her argument because a warning alarm sounded in her head, something magical in origin, and she slanted her eyes in the direction of the girls practicing a dance number in the middle of the floor. They were having a good time, oblivious of what was to come, but Ivy sensed serious trouble and she knew it was too late to stop it.
“Oh, my … look out.”
“Look out for what?” Jack asked, confused.
As if on cue, one of the girls pitched forward and hit the ground face first. The other girls gasped and screamed as the girl rolled to her side and started shaking, as if she was having a seizure.
“That,” Ivy murmured as the entire room exploded in pandemonium.
Three
Jack raced forward, kneeling next to the fallen girl as he rolled her on her side and waited for the convulsions to cease. He knew better than trying to hold her still. It could do more harm than good. She had to go through it. He couldn’t save her from that.
Max admonished the girls to stop screaming, but they paid him little heed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called 911, Jack barking orders for him to relay to the dispatcher.
Simone fanned her face as she fretted, leaning close to Jack several times to encourage the girl. “It’s okay, Aubrey. You’re going to be okay. Everything will be fine.”
All the while bedlam carried on, Ivy remained rooted to her spot, fists clenched at her sides. The blood pounded in her ears and her heart raced. She felt like an interloper, a stranger in her own body. She sensed Aubrey was going to fall right before it happened. But how? Ivy didn’t know and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
Everything was a blur and she thought she might lose consciousness when she listed to the side.
>
Jack steadily watched Ivy, worry for the way she was reacting warring with his determination to remain close to the girl until her seizures subsided. When he realized Ivy was tilting to the side, Jack panicked. “Max!”
Max saw his sister sliding at the same moment Jack did and he lurched forward, catching Ivy around the waist before she hit the ground. He was gentle as he lowered her to the floor, pressing a hand to her forehead and waving fingers in front of her face to make sure she was breathing.
“What is it?” Jack’s voice caught as he fought to maintain control.
“I think she just fainted,” Max replied calmly. He knew he had to maintain a relaxed façade if he expected Jack to keep his cool. “Her face is a little warm, but she’s breathing evenly.”
“Stay with her,” Jack ordered, flicking his eyes to the barn door. “Where are the paramedics?”
“They’ll be here.” Max had no idea how he managed to maintain his cool given the circumstances. He wasn’t known as the calm one in his family. In fact, he was known as the reactionary, which was saying something since his parents were both spazzes to the utmost degree. “She’ll be fine.”
“Of course she’ll be fine,” Simone scoffed, rolling her eyes. “She’s just doing this for attention. She always has to be the center of attention. She probably sensed that Jack was more interested in what I had to say than her and that’s why she did this.”
“That’s not even remotely true,” Jack hissed, narrowing his eyes. “Shut your mouth.” He felt impotent because he couldn’t go to Ivy, which was what he really wanted. Instead he remained next to the girl, who thankfully had stopped seizing. “What’s this girl’s name?”
“What? Oh.” Simone was distracted as she forced herself back to reality. “Aubrey Daniels. She’s seventeen. She was a front runner in the pageant.”
“Which I seriously doubt she’s going to care about now,” Jack said, exhaling heavily when he saw Ivy’s eyes open. “Honey?”
“Hey, kid.” Max forced a smile as his gaze locked with Ivy’s confused stare. “How are you feeling?”
“I … you … … who … what … why?” Ivy had trouble forming one cohesive thought.
“Three excellent questions,” Max teased, propping Ivy to a sitting position and staring hard into her eyes. “What do you remember?”
“The girl passed out,” Ivy replied after a beat. “I … why am I on the floor?”
“Because you passed out, too.”
“Yes, and we’re all a little baffled about why you’re so needy you decided to pass out when Aubrey is facing a legitimate medical crisis,” Simone interjected.
Ivy scowled as she rubbed her hands over her knees. “It wasn’t intentional, you ninny.”
Jack felt some of the tension he carried in his chest loosening at Ivy’s tone. If she was feeling good enough to snap at the idiotic pageant woman, she was going to be fine. He had faith. “It’s okay, honey. The paramedics will be here any second.”
“But … what happened to her?” Ivy asked, slapping Max’s hands away when he tried to help her to her feet. “I’m not an invalid.”
Jack opened his mouth, an admonishment for Ivy to allow her brother to fuss over her on the tip of his tongue, but the instinct died as the paramedics bustled into the room and he was all business. “Seventeen-year-old female. Aubrey Daniels. She was behaving normally with the other girls and then she pitched forward, hit her head on the floor, and began seizing. The seizure lasted more than sixty seconds. She’s been quiet and unresponsive since.”
The paramedic nodded. “Okay. Give us some room. We’ve got it from here.”
Jack was relieved when he could escape. He was halfway to Ivy when Simone stepped in his path.
“You were very brave.” Simone patted Jack’s arm and then impulsively threw her arms around his neck. “I don’t know what we would’ve done if you weren’t here to help. It was all so … terrifying.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” Jack firmly gripped Simone by the shoulders and physically moved her back. “Excuse me.” He hurried to Ivy, concern etching his face as he approached. “Tell me how you feel.”
“Like an idiot,” Ivy muttered.
Jack’s lips curved as he pulled her in for a hug, cupping the back of her head as he let loose with a pent-up sigh. “You’re okay.” He could feel the steady beat of her heart against his. “You’re okay, honey.” He wasn’t sure if he kept saying the words for her benefit or his, but ultimately he didn’t care.
“Of course she’s okay.” Simone made a face as she watched the interaction, momentarily drawing Jack’s attention to her. “I think she got exactly what she wanted.”
“And what is that?” Ivy fired back.
“She has a man doting on her, doesn’t she?”
“She always has me to dote on her,” Jack said, his temper fraying. “Is there a reason you’re focusing on Ivy rather than the girl you’re supposed to be taking care of?”
“Maybe I just can’t drag my eyes away from the way you’re treating Ivy, as if she’s the one who had the seizure,” Simone challenged. “It’s ridiculous.”
Jack glared. “Go someplace else.”
“Fine.” Simone turned on her heel and stomped closer to Aubrey, whom the paramedics were loading on a gurney in anticipation of removing her from the scene.
Max smirked as he pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “Ah, Ivy, you’ve always had a way with the other women in town.”
“Shut it,” Ivy groused.
Jack kissed her forehead by way of comfort. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
“We’re going to have to take her to the clinic,” the paramedic informed Jack. “I assume you’ll follow on your own.”
“You assume right.” Jack bobbed his head. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“So will I,” Simone said pointedly.
Jack ignored her as he slipped his arm around Ivy’s waist. “Come on, honey,” he prodded. “We’ll go to the clinic. You can be checked out there, too.”
“I don’t want to be checked out.”
“Well, you’re going to be checked out.” Jack was firm as he followed the paramedics, lowering his voice so he could be sure that Simone didn’t hear the next part. “And then you’re going to tell me how you knew that girl was going to seize before it even happened.”
Ivy turned pale. “I don’t know … .”
“Shh. Not right now.” Jack kept his features placid as he led Ivy outside. “Wait until we’re alone.”
Ivy was happy for the reprieve, but she knew it wouldn’t matter in the end. She didn’t have an answer for Jack. She had no idea how to explain what happened.
JACK KEPT IVY CLOSE as he hustled across the town square and pointed them in the direction of the clinic, which happened to be located on the edge of the downtown area. Shadow Lake was small enough that it was quicker to walk to the clinic than drive.
“Tell me what happened, honey,” Jack said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Max was the only one who followed. The two men exchanged a weighted look but otherwise refrained from commenting on the situation. That could wait until later.
“I don’t know what happened,” Ivy said. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Try.” Jack was gentle but insistent. “You knew it was going to happen right before it did. Just … walk me through it.”
“I don’t know.” Tears filled Ivy’s eyes and she swiped at them, embarrassed by her reaction.
Jack read the emotion on her face and pulled up short, gesturing to Max to get his attention. “Go to the clinic and watch Aubrey. See if you can get any updates. We’ll be right behind you.”
Max was torn. He wanted to bolster Ivy, but he knew it wasn’t his place. Jack was going to be her husband. He should be the one to take care of her. Since Max was the one who looked after Ivy for almost thirty years, though, it was hard for him to relinquish the job. “Okay.” Max blew out a sigh. “Ta
ke care of her.”
Jack allowed a small smile to come out and play. He understood Max’s reticence. “Always and forever.” He waited until Max disappeared inside the clinic to speak again. “Honey, it’s okay. Just tell me what happened.”
Ivy wanted to. She wanted to bury her face in Jack’s chest, hide her eyes from his, and admit what she felt right before Aubrey lost consciousness. She knew he would understand and try to calm her. A small part of her – a very small part – worried he would have to hide his disgust at what a freak she was turning in to, though. That small part fueled her now.
“Honey, please tell me.” It took everything Jack had to remain calm. “I swear it’s going to be okay. You need to tell me, though.”
Ivy made up her mind on the spot. They were going to be married. He loved her. She had no doubt about that. Even if he did think she was a freak, he would still love her. It was simply the way he was built.
Besides, ever since they met weird things had been happening. First he called her to his dreams and they walked through his memories and fears together. Then she saw a ghost. She’d also had several psychic flashes. He took all of it in stride. This was no different.
Ivy sucked in a steadying breath. “I don’t know how to explain it,” she started. “I was standing there listening to Simone be a first-class pain in my rear end and then it … um … happened.”
Jack stroked his hand down the back of Ivy’s head. “What happened?”
“I heard this … buzzing … in my ears. I don’t know how else to explain it. My ears went a little numb and I heard the buzzing and then … somehow … I just knew that she was going to fall over. I saw it in my head.”
Ivy expected Jack to react with horror or revulsion, but he was calm and collected. “Do you know the girl?”
Ivy shook her head. “I think I’ve heard her name once or twice, but I don’t know her.”
“And when you saw it in your head, did it happen exactly the way it happened in real life?”
Wicked Fun: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 7-9 Page 41
