“I’m not sure I’m supposed to share private medical information with you,” Jack said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. “That’s against procedure … and with you being mad and all … well, you know.”
“Are you sure this is the hill you want to die on, son?” Brian asked.
Jack ignored him as Ivy scowled.
“That’s just mean,” Ivy said finally. “I’m not asking you to give me down and dirty details. I’m asking if she’s going to be okay. Nothing more.”
Jack was taken aback by her attitude. “She’s going to be fine. She was just dehydrated.”
“Great,” Ivy said, blowing out a heavy breath and glancing toward the closed hospital room door. “Is she staying overnight? Does she need anything?”
“Her parents are handling that,” Brian said. “She’s not accepting visitors … so you might as well go home.”
“Um … okay.” Ivy scuffed her foot against the floor as she trudged toward the door.
Jack watched her, a mixture of amusement, irritation, and adoration flitting across his face when he was sure she wasn’t looking, but his smile slipped when something occurred to him. “Where is Max?”
“Max? He’s … um … otherwise engaged.”
“What does that mean, Ivy?”
“It’s the barn’s annual holiday beer night.”
“Was that supposed to be an answer or something?” Jack asked his partner, confused.
“It’s kind of a Halloween singles mixer,” Brian explained. “All the young people who are hot to trot and unattached get dressed up in costumes and attend the barn’s beer night.”
“And Max just abandoned you in town to go there?” Jack was annoyed.
“He didn’t want to stay and I told him he could go because he was desperate not to miss this year’s honeys. It’s really my fault.”
“Uh-huh.” Jack had no idea what he was going to do, and when he spoke again, even he was surprised by what slipped out. “Oh, well, that’s too bad. Now you’re going to have to walk home.”
Brian’s mouth dropped open, stunned disbelief coursing through him. Jack was usually the first one to acquiesce to all of Ivy’s pouty moods. He held his ground this time, though. It was mighty impressive.
“Fine.” Ivy was stubborn in her own right. If Jack thought the threat of a cold-weather walk was enough to cause her to give in, he was sadly mistaken. She would wade through a foot of snow before admitting defeat. “I guess I’ll … see you around, huh?”
Jack’s heart twisted at the words even as his temper flared. “I guess so.”
Ivy pressed her lips together and nodded, faking a smile for Brian before heading toward the door. “Have a nice night.”
“You, too.”
Jack maintained his composure until she was out the door and heading for the sidewalk. Then he kicked one of the metal lobby chairs and sent it careening across the room.
“That woman is the most stubborn creature on the planet!”
“Calm down,” Brian chided. “It’s not as if you were on your best behavior either.”
“I did not create this situation and you’re the one who told me I had to be strong if I didn’t want her to gain all of the power in the relationship. I was just following your advice.”
“Huh. I did say that, didn’t I?” Brian rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been known to be wrong a time or two.”
“I knew it,” Jack muttered, striding toward the door. “Now I’m going to have to beg her to forgive me. This is all your fault!”
“Just pick her up,” Brian suggested. “It’s cold tonight and she’s wearing a light coat and open-toed shoes. She’s going to be frozen by the time you get to her.”
The reality of Brian’s words caused Jack’s heart to flip. “Now I’m really mad at you. You know that, right?”
Brian shrugged. “I don’t care if you have to walk home in the dark. She’s a different story. There’s a murderer out there, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Jack wanted to throw up. “Son of a … !”
“GET IN the truck.”
Jack drove five miles an hour down Main Street, his head poking out the open window of his truck as Ivy stomped along the sidewalk a few feet away. The downtown was mostly abandoned, but they still got the occasional stare from passersby.
“Oh, no. I’m walking. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“No, that’s not even remotely what I want.”
‘That’s not what you said.”
“Get in the truck, Ivy,” Jack snapped, averting his gaze as Henry Higgins, the owner of the local bookstore, looked up from the walk he was sweeping and watched the show. “It’s freezing and you’re still getting over being sick.”
“You didn’t care about that ten minutes ago.”
If Jack thought she was stubborn before, she was downright mulish now. She was digging her heels in and he was going to have no choice but to grovel. He just knew it.
“Do you want me to leave you here?” It was Jack’s last-ditch effort to get her to come to him. “Is that what you want?”
“I … .” Ivy shifted her eyes to the trees on the other side of the street and frowned. Ever since the previous day, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched … and she didn’t like it. The idea of walking past those trees by herself was daunting … and that was on top of the steadily dropping temperature.
Jack recognized the fear on her face and hated himself for making her go through it. “Honey, please get in the truck,” he pleaded, adjusting his tone. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to fight. I want to take you home and make sure you’re warm.”
“And then what?”
“I … don’t know.”
Ivy pressed the heel of her hand against her cheek, uncertain. “I don’t want you to take me home and then leave.”
Jack was surprised by the admission, but he was pretty sure it was the closest he was going to get to a compromise tonight. “I’m not leaving. Depending on how mean you are, I might sleep on the couch, but I won’t leave you.”
Ivy licked her lips and nodded as she headed to the truck. She wordlessly opened the door and hoisted herself inside, fastening the seatbelt before she spoke again. “I don’t want you to sleep on the couch either.”
“We still have a few things to talk about,” Jack warned.
“I don’t care. I … .”
“It’s okay,” Jack said, reaching over to capture her hand and finding it ice cold. “Oh, you’re freezing.” He turned up the heat and moved her hands in front of the vent. “I’ll start a fire when we get to your house.”
“Can we cuddle under a blanket while we fight?”
Jack weighed the question from both sides. “Absolutely,” he said finally, cracking a grin. “You have hot chocolate and cookies, too, right?”
Ivy nodded.
“What about my pie?”
“We’ll see how the night goes.”
“GIVE ME your feet.”
Jack stoked the flames until the room was practically roasting and then placed a blanket on the floor in front of the stone fireplace and motioned for Ivy to join him.
“What do you mean?” Ivy was puzzled.
“You were out walking in the cold in open-toed shoes, and I’m going to make sure your feet are warm,” Jack said. “You lose most of your body heat through your head and feet. Both of yours were uncovered.”
“This seems silly, but I’m not in the mood for even more fighting, so … whatever.” Ivy sat on the blanket and watched as Jack tugged off her shoes and wrapped his hands around her bare toes. He seemed focused on his task, but also distracted. “Can I ask you a question, Jack?”
He shifted his eyes to her. “I guess.”
“Do you ever think I’m so much work I’m not worth it?”
The question was earnest and it tugged at Jack’s heartstrings. “No.”
“Never?”
“Not for one second of one day,” Jack
replied. “That doesn’t mean you’re perfect, or that your attitude today was something to applaud. You purposely made things more difficult for me, and I don’t appreciate that.”
Ivy pressed her lips together as Jack finished rubbing her feet. He grabbed another blanket off the couch and settled behind her, placing the blanket over both of them and pulling her back against his chest as he rested against the couch.
“I didn’t set out this morning with the express goal of making things more difficult for you,” Ivy said, adopting a diplomatic tone. “That wasn’t my aim.”
“I almost believe that,” Jack said. “The problem is, I think I encouraged you a little this morning and you were originally treating it like a game. We both do that sometimes. It came back to bite us today.”
“Yes, but I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I know you didn’t, Ivy, but you need to cut me some slack right now,” Jack said. He was serious and straightforward. “There is a murderer running around Shadow Lake, and it looks like he’s interested in you. Do you want to know how I know that? You’ve seen it with your own eyes.”
“What if I haven’t, though?” Her voice was so tiny Jack had to strain to hear her.
“And I think that’s what’s really bothering you and I didn’t reassure you enough on that front this morning,” Jack surmised. “You’re not going crazy, honey. You’re not imagining it. I think that deep down you already know that. On the surface, though, you’re less sure.”
“I don’t know what to think,” Ivy admitted. “It’s like my worst nightmare from childhood is coming true.”
“What do you mean?” Jack pushed Ivy’s hair behind her ear so he could rub his cheek against hers. Despite her limited time outside, she was still cold and he was only too happy to warm her up.
“Everyone called me strange and weird when I was a kid,” Ivy said. “I wasn’t invited to any of the parties … and no one wanted to sit next to me in class. I eventually got used to it, but if people find out about this … .”
“Honey, no one is going to find out about it,” Jack said. “Even if they do, though, it doesn’t matter. I’m always going to invite you to my parties and I’m always going to want to sit next to you in class. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
Ivy reluctantly giggled. “Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest woman in the world because I found you.”
“I know you’re the luckiest woman in the world,” Jack said. “I know I’m the luckiest man in the world, too. Whatever this is, Ivy, we’re going to figure it out. It’s going to be okay.”
“Unless I really am crazy.”
“You’re not crazy,” Jack snapped, tilting her chin with his finger so she had no choice but to look at him. “I have nothing but faith in you. You’re a total pain in the butt when you want to be. You’re often rude and crude. You’re still the best person I know … and you are magical.
“Don’t let this wear you down,” he continued. “Max said someone was out in the woods watching you. That’s validation for what you said happened. I didn’t need that validation, though, because I already believed you.
“Now, as for your fight with Maisie at the funeral home, you seriously need to back off from her,” he said. “She’s a crazy woman, but you’re not doing yourself any favors when it comes to smarting off to her.”
“I don’t know why I did that,” Ivy said. “Sometimes I think my mouth has a mind of its own.”
Jack smirked. “Oh, yeah? What does your mouth’s mind want to do right now?”
Ivy sucked in her cheeks to hide her smile. “Well, I have a few ideas.”
“One of them better involve cookies.”
“Oh, I was going to bake a pie for you,” Ivy said, grinning when he tickled her ribs.
“It’s too late to bake a pie, although I’m not ruling it out for later this week,” Jack said. “I just want cookies … and you out of this skirt.”
“Oh, I do declare, that is just untoward.”
Jack loved the cutesy accent. “You can punish me later for my filthy mouth, ma’am.”
Ivy sobered. “No more punishment tonight for either of us. I can’t take it.”
“Deal.”
Jack lowered his mouth to hers and gave her a sweet kiss. “Now take off that skirt while I grab the cookies.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you want hot chocolate, too?”
“Did you just meet me?”
“Two mugs of hot chocolate coming up,” Jack said, hopping to his feet. “Pick a movie on cable. I would prefer we stay away from the chick flicks.”
Ivy made a face. “Chick flicks? It’s Halloween season. We have to watch a horror movie.”
“I think our lives are filled with enough horror right now.”
“But … it’s The Shining,” Ivy whined, pointing toward the television screen as she clicked to AMC. “It’s just starting, too.”
“Fine,” Jack conceded. “If you have a nightmare, though, don’t come crying to me.”
“Really?”
“No,” Jack said, shaking his head. “If you have a nightmare, I don’t want you crying to anyone else but me.”
“That was a much better answer.”
“Just wait until I do my imitation of that kid and his imaginary friend,” Jack warned. “Red rum. Red rum. Red rum.”
Ivy barked out a laugh. “This turned out to be a good night after all, huh?”
“Every night with you is the best night, honey,” Jack said. “Now … take off your skirt. Don’t make me ask you again.”
“You’re so bossy.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Sixteen
“What is all of this?”
Jack wandered into the kitchen the next morning and his eyes practically bugged out of his head when he saw the feast on the table. Ivy showered first and seemed to be in good spirits when she left him in the bathroom. He had no idea she planned on filling him full of good food before he left for the day, and the realization when he saw all of her hard work on his behalf warmed him. She had a sweet side she didn’t want anyone but him to see. It made him feel special … and incredibly hungry.
“It’s omelets, hash browns, and toast,” Ivy replied. “I also poured you juice and coffee.”
Jack arched a bewildered eyebrow. “Am I dying?”
“Ha, ha,” Ivy intoned, making a face. “It’s not funny when you say that. You didn’t like it when I said it.”
“Yeah, but I said it as a joke,” Jack said, kissing her cheek before sitting at the table. “You said it when you were burning up in my arms.”
“Well, I still don’t like it,” Ivy said, taking her seat. “I just wanted to cook something nice for you after I was such a pain yesterday.”
“I like it when you’re a pain.”
“You didn’t like it yesterday.”
“That was mostly because Brian told me if I apologized to you and begged for forgiveness I was handing over all of the power in the relationship,” Jack said. “The way he made it sound, that was bad.”
Ivy made a face. “I think I’m going to have a talk with Brian.”
“Leave it alone,” Jack said. “He was laughing at me when you stormed out of the funeral home and admitted he might occasionally be wrong.”
“He was definitely wrong yesterday,” Ivy said. “Still … I’m sorry.”
Jack knew how hard it was for her to admit that. “I’m sorry, too. I’m not sorry for worrying about you and trying to keep you safe, but I am sorry for upsetting you. I don’t like doing that.”
“Well, that makes two of us.” Ivy’s smile was back in place until she saw her front door open – with no accompanying knock – to allow Max entry. He looked bright-eyed and shiny, and Ivy knew exactly what that meant. “You got lucky with one of your honeys, didn’t you?”
Jack smirked as Max sat at the table and grabbed a slice of toast from Ivy’s plate.
“A gentleman never reveals the
nature of his night,” Max replied. “I am not a gentleman, though. I totally got lucky.”
“You almost didn’t get lucky with me,” Jack countered. “Is there a reason you left Ivy alone at the clinic?”
Max balked. “She said she was going home with you.”
“Really?” Jack’s expression was thoughtful as his eyes drifted to Ivy. “That’s not what you said last night.”
Ivy shifted on her chair, averting her gaze. “Oh, um … .”
“You wanted to make up and you forced a situation where we would have no choice, didn’t you?” Jack couldn’t help but smile. “That is so manipulative.”
“It worked like a charm too,” Ivy pointed out.
“I’ll bet you didn’t think that when you were walking home alone,” Jack argued. “As for leaving her, Max, next time please check with me. I would’ve told you to go, too. I was just as sick of the fight as she was. I still don’t want to risk her being alone right now.”
“Why do you think I’m here?” Max asked, using a fork to cut into Jack’s omelet so he could take a big bite. “I figured I was on Ivy duty again today.”
“I wouldn’t call it that if I were you,” Jack said. “I would appreciate you spending the day with Ivy, though.”
“You know I can hear you two talking, right?” Ivy challenged.
The two men ignored her.
“It’s fine,” Max said. “It’s a slow time of year for the lumber yard. I would love to spend some quality time with my sister.”
“Good deal.” Jack was pleased with Max’s words but not the food theft. “That’s my omelet.”
“I’m hungry, though,” Max complained.
“There’s another omelet for you being kept warm in the oven,” Ivy supplied. “I knew you would be here because Jack is nothing if not predictable.”
“That’s not what you said last night,” Jack shot back.
“Don’t make me kill you,” Max warned, retrieving his breakfast. “That’s still my sister.”
“You’ll live,” Jack said. “Are you really telling me you’re not going to put up a fight about having to stick close to Max?” Jack was understandably dubious.
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