“I think he was embarrassed,” Jack clarified. “He told me before he left the barn that he had no intention of dating Simone again. That must have changed when he came across her in the parking lot as he was leaving.”
“Which was probably on purpose on her part.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Oh, I know.”
Jack wasn’t in the mood to risk a fight so he merely tapped Ivy’s chin to get her attention and then planted a lingering kiss on her mouth before she could open it again. “I love you. You need to back off from your brother, though. He’s clearly trying to deal with this on his own and you’re not helping matters.”
“I love you, too.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re wrong about Max, though. His problem is that he’s too nice of a guy and Simone is using that to her advantage. I have every intention of fixing that … and I’m going to do it today.”
“And how are you going to manage that?”
“I’m calling in reinforcements.”
Jack had no idea what to make of the simple answer. Ivy didn’t act as if she was about to go off the rails but there was a smug air about her that made Jack worry. “What do you have up your sleeve, honey?”
Ivy slipped out of her coat, revealing a bohemian tank top to go with her knit leggings. Jack particularly liked the way she looked in the leggings. When the weather cooperated, she preferred cargo pants or ankle-length skirts. He’d never been a fan of long skirts until Ivy. Now he liked them … mostly because he liked to imagine what she was wearing under them. The leggings molded to her lower body, though, and it was a nice change of pace.
“I’m not wearing sleeves today,” Ivy pointed out. “Clearly I can have nothing up them if I’m not wearing them.”
Jack didn’t believe her for a second. “Very cute. I still want to know what you’re planning.”
“Why do you assume I’m planning anything?”
“Because I know you and you’ve got ‘I’m going to win’ written all over your face,” Jack replied, unruffled. “Now, I like your competitive streak on a normal basis. I’m not sure how I feel about it given the current circumstances, though.”
“It’s a pageant, Jack.” Ivy lightly patted his face. “I’ll be perfectly fine. Besides … don’t you have work to do?”
She was being purposely evasive. Jack recognized the signs. “Tell me right now. I’ll call in sick to work and sit here all day if you don’t.”
“That will make the girls uncomfortable.”
“It will make you uncomfortable, too, and that’s my aim.”
The corners of Ivy’s mouth tipped down. “Fine. I figured I needed help if I wanted to change things up so I called for people to help me.”
“Who?”
“Hannah Landry and Aunt Felicity.”
Jack arched an eyebrow, surprised. He opened his mouth to press her further on the issue and then changed course. “I actually think that’s a really good idea.”
Ivy’s eyebrows winged up. “You do?”
“I do,” Jack confirmed, bobbing his head. “Hannah knows a lot about the pageant and is clearly still interested in the whole process. She’s closer in age to the girls and they might be more willing to listen to her.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“As for Felicity, she has a soothing approach and she’ll stroke some egos,” Jack continued. “Also, she’s good with you. If you’re upset, she’ll calm you down. I like this better the more that I think about it.”
“Well … bully for you.”
Jack grinned as he smacked an affectionate kiss against her lips. “I’ll try to stop by for lunch if I can swing it. If anything happens – anything at all that seems out of the ordinary – I expect you to call me.”
“Sir, yes sir.” Ivy mock-saluted.
“I know you intended that to be sarcastic, but it totally turned me on.” Jack gave her a small wave as he headed for the door. “See if you can steal one of the practice tiaras and we’ll play king and queen of the manor later.”
Ivy wanted to admonish him, but he was too adorable to come down on. “I love you, Your Majesty.”
Jack chuckled. “I love you, too.”
“OKAY, WE’RE GOING TO CHANGE things up going forward.” Ivy clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention as Felicity and Hannah took up positions to her left and right. “First, I want to welcome all of the new faces. We have a lot to cover before the pageant hits – I mean … a lot – but I think it’s going to be okay.
“We’re cutting everything down to one opening number and then all anyone has to focus on is their individual talent, evening gown, and interview question,” she continued. “We’re starting the morning with the opening number. Then Hannah, Aunt Felicity, and I will be around to work with you guys individually on the other stuff.
“We also want you guys to practice the opening number by yourselves this afternoon,” she said. “We’ll finish up the day with another hour of practice on that since some of you are at a disadvantage because of what happened.”
“I want to thank you for opening up the pageant for everyone, Ms. Morgan,” Peyton offered. “It means a lot to those of us who were cut out before.”
“Call me Ivy … and it’s fine. You never should’ve been cut out in the first place.”
“Says you,” Sadie muttered under her breath. “I still think they should be gone.”
Ivy had to remind herself that Sadie was a teenager and all teenagers are unbearable from time to time. Just because Ivy hated Simone, that didn’t mean she could take out her angst on Sadie. Ultimately it turned out that Ivy didn’t have to take anything out on Sadie because Felicity was in the mood to do it for her.
“I don’t think anyone cares what you think, dear.” Felicity had a warm spirit and giving soul, but she disliked Sadie on sight. Ivy saw it in the way her aunt’s back went up when the girl made fun of her skirt. “Either get with the program or get out of the barn. At this point, I don’t care which.”
Sadie balked. “You can’t talk to me that way.”
“I just did.”
“You don’t have the power to kick me out either,” Sadie argued.
“No, but I do,” Ivy said. “We’ve all had it with your mouth, Sadie. If you want to be part of the pageant, you need to tone it down. I understand you’re posturing because your mother used to be in charge, but that’s not going to fly here.”
Sadie made a disgusted face. “My mother says she’s going to be back in charge before the end of the day.”
“Your mother is deluding herself. It’s not going to happen so … suck it up or shut up. Pick one and do it well.”
“Ugh!” Sadie stomped her foot on the floor. “I hate you.”
“I heard your mother is the prime suspect in Aubrey’s poisoning,” Peyton said slyly. “Some people are even saying that she’s going to jail for it.”
Ivy had no problem with Sadie being put in her place, but she wasn’t keen on bullying. “Who said that?”
“The police.”
“Oh, really?” Ivy arched a challenging eyebrow. “Which police officer said that?”
Peyton must have realized her mistake too late to take it back because she looked properly abashed. “It’s just something I heard.”
“Well, don’t repeat it. None of us need empty gossip. Sadie, you’re in charge of running through the opening number the first time. Everyone watch Sadie. Once she’s done, we’ll start the work of teaching the steps to everyone. Okay? Let’s get to it.”
She’d only been with the girls for thirty minutes and Ivy was already tired when she trudged to the wall and leaned against it. Dance routines weren’t her thing – she considered herself rhythmically challenged – but she knew that they couldn’t escape without one. That meant it was necessary and she had no choice but to sit through hours upon hours of the same song and the same moves.
Ivy was lost in thought as she watched the
girls. Hannah jumped right in, her hips swinging to the music as she effortlessly picked up on the dance. Felicity was much more muted, but she seemed interested to see the process. For her part, Ivy felt isolated on the other side of the room. The feeling only got worse when she felt Max move in beside her.
“Why are you here?”
Max recognized the bitter tone right away. He was expecting it. He even considered faking sick so he could steer clear of his sister, which he recognized as cowardly but potentially necessary, but Jack’s worry about Ivy’s safety propelled him to finish what he started. If Jack was right and Ivy was in danger, Max would never forgive himself if something happened because he didn’t show up for his watch.
“I have sets to finish,” Max replied. “The pageant is almost here so I’m running out of time.”
“I would’ve thought you’d be spending the day with your new girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Whatever.” Ivy pushed herself away from the wall. “I’m not going to pretend I’m happy about what happened last night, Max. We have to get through it, though. Go ahead and finish your work. I’ll be … busy with my own stuff.”
“Ivy, we need to talk.” Max’s voice was soft.
“Later. I can’t deal with you now.”
Max watched her go, his heart tearing a bit. He hated the distance between them but now was not the time to fix it. No, for the time being, all he could do was work and watch her. They were his only options.
FELICITY FOUND MAX PAINTING something that looked like a pink flamingo an hour later. She’d watched Ivy and Max for as long as she could bear. They studied each other, sadness in their eyes, but only when the other couldn’t see it. Felicity had dealt with her niece and nephew long enough to know that it was time for some tough love.
“What’s with the flamingo?”
Max shrugged as his aunt hunkered down and made herself comfortable. “I have no idea. It was Simone’s vision.”
“And Simone is your new girlfriend?”
Max made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “She’s not my new girlfriend. We’ve had dinner twice. Don’t believe anything Ivy has told you about her.”
“Ivy has told me a great deal. She’s extremely worked up.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“She’s also extremely hurt, although she hasn’t used that word and pretends otherwise.” Felicity let loose with a very “aunt-like” movement and smoothed Max’s dark hair. “She likes to pretend she’s strong … like you.”
Max balked. “What do you mean? Why would she possibly be hurt?”
“Max, you’re a very bright boy and yet you miss obvious signs all the time,” Felicity noted. “You shared the same roof and yet Ivy’s childhood was very different from yours. You both had fun and hung out, but your school life was filled with friends and parties. She was considered an outsider.”
“That’s not my fault.” Max swallowed his guilt at the same time he tried to maintain his temper. “I didn’t treat her that way. In fact, I went out of my way to see she was included.”
Felicity refused to rise to her nephew’s bait. “I’m not saying it’s your fault. I’m saying you have different outlooks on life. I see why Ivy is angry. I also see why you’re sick of having to live your life to Ivy’s lofty standards.”
“I … what?” Max was confused.
“Before, Ivy was always alone and you thought you were doing her a favor when you dropped in to hang out or just talk to her,” Felicity said. “You love your sister dearly, but you gave up a lot of your freedom to be what she needed you to be.”
“I don’t understand why that matters.”
“It matters because she doesn’t rely on you like she used to,” Felicity explained. “It has to be hard. One minute she was your biggest priority and the next minute Jack was swooping in and stealing her heart.”
“You make it sound kind of gross when you put it that way,” Max hedged. “It makes it sound like I was hot for my sister.”
Felicity chuckled, genuinely amused. “You’re a charmer, Max. You always have been. You know that’s not what I was referring to, though.”
“So … what were you referring to?”
“Your life is limbo right now and it’s not entirely your fault. You did what was right for Ivy, and you did it for a long time. It wasn’t always good for you because you didn’t ever date anyone seriously, or even consider doing it, for that matter.
“I think you didn’t do it because you knew it would be too hard on Ivy,” she continued. “You thought Ivy would never find someone to love. When Jack came around, you were excited. It wasn’t just for her, though, it was because you saw possibilities for yourself.”
“Ivy was hardly helpless,” Max scoffed. “She didn’t need me to do everything for her.”
“She didn’t, but you did. You couldn’t help yourself. You’re a good guy and that’s how you roll.”
“And now you think I have my nose out of joint because Ivy and Jack are happy?” Max was affronted. “What kind of man do you think I am?”
“The best kind,” Felicity replied. “You took care of your sister. You loved her. You put your life on hold. Of course, I think Ivy was often a convenient excuse for you. You didn’t want to settle down and you told yourself it wasn’t necessary because she needed you.
“Now she needs Jack and you’ve been left to your own devices and you’re starting to realize it might be time to look at your own future,” she continued. “It’s fine to do that. You don’t need to hurry, though. You don’t need to force yourself to date the wrong woman simply because you think you should be in a relationship.”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” Max protested. “I … just kind of liked her. That was before she acted the way she did with Ivy, though. I didn’t mean for dinner last night to happen the way it did. She blocked me in.”
“Then grow a backbone.” Felicity patted Max’s shoulder. “You’re a grown man. Act like it. It’s not a crime to use the word ‘no.’ Also, while we’re at it, you and Ivy need to make up.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because, in this particular case, you’re the one in the wrong.”
“She needs to apologize, too,” Max groused. “She’s not innocent.”
“She will apologize. You need to do it first, though.”
Max rolled his neck until it cracked. “I’ll consider it.”
Felicity’s eyes twinkled. She knew he would do more than that. “You do that.”
Sixteen
With little to go on other than their guts, precious little evidence flowing their way, Jack and Brian decided to take the morning and go to Traverse City. Aubrey remained in the hospital, still showing signs of improvement, but she wasn’t conscious. The police detectives were at a point where any information could be important, though, and they decided their next step was interviewing Aubrey’s parents.
“How was Ivy after the incident last night?” Brian asked from behind the steering wheel as he navigated through traffic. “She looked like she was about to pop a cork when I left.”
“She wasn’t happy, that’s for sure. We talked through it, though.”
“Talked or kissed?”
Jack smirked. “A little of both. She’s fun when she’s angry at someone besides me.”
“You guys are kind of sick,” Brian noted. “Of course, you haven’t been engaged very long and I remember how it was when I first got engaged. Even though we’d been dating for a time, I couldn’t quite keep my hands off my future missus.”
Jack sent Brian a dark look. “That was an overshare.”
“So is your entire relationship with Ivy from my point of view. You forget, I knew her when she was little. To me, she’ll always be that sweet kid helping her father plant trees and bushes every summer.”
“I didn’t know she did that.” Jack shifted his lanky body to get more comfortable. “How come she spent all of her time
working instead of playing?”
Brian shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t think she had a lot of friends.”
Jack’s heart pinged at the simple comment. “No. She’s told me that herself. Sometimes I don’t think it bothers her. Sometimes I think it bothers her a great deal. She’s something of a mystery.”
“She’s something of a loner,” Brian corrected. “She’s always been a loner. Other than Max, she never spent a lot of time with people her own age. That all changed when you showed up.”
“So … I’m kind of like her knight in shining armor, huh?” Jack thought back to the tiara he told Ivy to claim before leaving the barn. “Or, rather, king in shining armor.”
“I can see your mind just went to a filthy place and I don’t like it,” Brian warned. “Your ego is already puffed out enough, but you’re right. You made things better for her. In fact, I didn’t even know things weren’t great for her until I saw you together.”
“What do you mean?”
“She smiles all of the time now. I’m not talking those forced fake smiles she used to whip out whenever she was in town either. I’m talking about the real deal. When she sees you, when you lean in and whisper whatever deviant thought you’re currently holding, she lights up. You make her happy.”
“I thought you were trying to refrain from puffing out my ego.”
“I am.”
“What you just said makes me feel like a king, and not in the way you think,” Jack said. “I’ve only known Ivy to be one way. Sure, we both fought being together at the start, but we were still drawn to each other. I don’t like the idea of her being lonely.”
“She wasn’t lonely,” Brian clarified. “She was a loner. There’s a difference.”
“How?”
“Ivy has always been one of those women who is comfortable in her own skin. I like that about her. She’s not always trying to be something she’s not, or impress people. She just … is.”
Wicked Hearts (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 9) Page 14