The girls broke into enthusiastic applause, giving Ivy a moment to study their faces. She was looking for someone who only pretended to be excited. After a few seconds, she realized that was the bulk of the girls. They were all pretending to be excited about Aubrey’s recovery.
The realization made Ivy angry … and a little sick to her stomach.
“She’s going to remain in the hospital for a few days, but her parents called the police department and told them she remembers who poisoned her,” Ivy continued. “She’s going to be undergoing tests tonight in a locked ward, but tomorrow, this entire thing will be over because she’s going to tell Detectives Harker and Nixon who hurt her.”
“Oh, well, that’s great news, isn’t it?” Felicity’s eyes sparkled as she stepped forward. “It seems everything is going to turn out exactly how it should.”
“Definitely,” Ivy agreed, taking one more moment to scan the girls before giving up. “So, we’re done practicing for the day. You guys are free to go. I expect you here at ten in the morning for a dress rehearsal. Then, after lunch, we’ll be dealing with the real thing. It’s almost here, guys.”
“Yes,” Sadie said, her eyes flashing as her gaze bounced from face to face. “May the best contestant win.”
Ivy thought it was creepy how she phrased it, but she wasn’t in the mood to press the issue. “Everyone have a good night and get lots of rest.”
“Relax a little, too,” Jack added, moving up behind Ivy. “This is almost over. Tomorrow we’ll have someone in jail.”
“And a new queen,” Ivy supplied with as much fake enthusiasm as possible. “It’s going to be a busy, busy day.”
“I’M NOT MAKING UP with him.”
Ivy crossed her arms over her chest and glared across the diner table to where Felicity and Max sat shoulder to shoulder.
“I told you she would do this,” Max groused. “I don’t know why you have to push things, Aunt Felicity. It’s not as if I particularly want to make up with her either. She’s a complete and total … .”
“Watch your mouth.” Jack extended a finger and cut off whatever derogatory comment Max was going to offer up. “You happen to be talking about the woman I love.”
“Oh, so cute.” Felicity beamed at Jack before letting her smile slip as she focused on Ivy. “Young lady, while I’ve always found your attitude and feisty nature to be entertaining, I think I’ve had enough of this one.”
“I’m not making up with him.” Ivy was firm. “He betrayed me.”
“Oh, it’s like a soap opera.” Felicity pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do you have to be so dramatic?”
“I think she’s more dramatic than usual because she’s been spending too much time with teenagers,” Jack supplied. “She can’t help herself.”
“I’m sitting right here,” Ivy snapped.
“I know.” Jack patted her knee under the table. “You’re very warm cuddled in at my side. I couldn’t forget you’re there.”
Ivy’s expression was straight out of a chick flick movie and Jack couldn’t stop himself from grinning.
“Oh, you two are so cute I could just eat you up.” Felicity was having a good time despite the upheaval between her niece and nephew. “I’m so glad you found each other.”
“Me, too.” Jack’s smile was lazy as he leaned back in the booth and slipped an arm around Ivy’s shoulder. “I happen to think Ivy is absolutely perfect … except for when she digs her heels in, like now.”
“I haven’t dug my heels in,” Ivy sputtered, frustrated. Jack was being too charming for her to muster legitimate anger. He was good at defusing her irritation with nothing more than a smile, and she found it alarming at times. “Max is being a butthead.”
“Oh, you’re the butthead,” Max shot back, his temper getting the better of him. “You’re the queen of the buttheads.”
“I told you that I thought you were a queen,” Jack teased when Ivy’s eyes widened to comical proportions.
“Knock it off, Jack,” Ivy warned, anger evident. “I think you’re cute most of the time, but you’re on my last nerve right now. I’ve had a long day. I had to spend it with teenagers … crying, screaming, screeching, mean girl teenagers. Exactly how far do you want to push me?”
That was an interesting question, and it was one Jack didn’t have an answer for. Instead, he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine. I’ll back off. Just remember that your brother loves you and has given up a big portion of his life to protect and take care of you. Do you really want to let a little thing like him dating Simone Graham derail that?”
“It’s not a little thing!” Ivy slapped her hand on the table, earning a few curious stares from diner guests and forcing her to lower her voice. “It’s not a little thing,” she repeated. “He knows how mean Simone has been to me throughout the years. He knows she did something to me at the pageant.”
Jack tilted his chin, curious. “Simone is older than you by ten years. What was she doing at your pageant?”
“I believe I already told you,” Ivy sniffed. “She was a mentor.”
“Like you are at this pageant?”
“She was nothing like me.”
Felicity made a sympathetic clucking sound with her tongue as she reached across the table and patted Ivy’s hand. “No one is saying that what happened to you was fair or right. In fact, it’s terrible. Simone isn’t a good person. She’s older now, though. If your brother thinks she’s better than she used to be, don’t you owe him the opportunity to find out?”
Ivy didn’t hesitate before shaking her head. “No.”
“I need to know what happened at this pageant,” Jack said. “I keep hearing whispers, but no one will tell me anything. Why is that?”
“Because I almost went to jail and the person you’re trying to get answers from arranged it so I was covered,” Ivy replied, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead as she shifted on the booth seat. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You almost went to jail?” Jack was perturbed. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but maybe you should.”
“No. Leave it alone.” Ivy’s voice was laced with irritation.
Jack turned to Felicity for help. “Will you tell me?”
“No.” Felicity shook her head, apologetic. “I promised Ivy I would never bring it up again. I meant it. She was very upset … and I honestly don’t blame her.”
Jack flicked his eyes to Max. “You’ll tell me.”
“I don’t know exactly what happened,” Max admitted, taking Jack by surprise. “No one has told me either. Whatever it was, it was ugly. Maisie and Ava did something – and if you believe Ivy, Simone put them up to it – and it caused a huge ruckus the day of the pageant. No one told me what that thing was and everyone involved, including Simone, is very hush-hush about it.”
The story kept getting weirder and weirder. Jack had no idea what to make of it. “You don’t know what happened?”
“No.”
“Then how can you possibly go against your sister and hook up with Simone?” For the first time, the sympathy Jack felt for Max waned. “I thought it was some dumb teenage stuff, but if Ivy almost got arrested and no one will talk about it, have you ever considered something heavier happened?”
Max opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut, his eyes contemplative. “Not really. You have a point, though. What did happen?”
“I’m not talking to you about this.” Ivy scratched at her cheek, mostly so she had something to do with her hands. “I don’t want to dwell on it. I think I was very clear about that.”
“Honey, you might feel better if you talk about it,” Jack prodded.
“Except I won’t,” Ivy said. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m not going to talk about it.” She ran her tongue over her teeth as she thought hard. “You know what? Max, I forgive you. Everyone is right. This is all on me. I don’t want to punish you.
“You’ve been a good brother and given up
a lot of your free time to help me with stuff over the years,” she continued. “It wasn’t fair to you. Everyone has always loved you. It was me they hated.”
“I didn’t have a problem helping you,” Max protested.
Ivy ignored the statement. “I’m being unfair to you. You deserve to live your life however you want to live it. I’m freeing you to do that. I hope you and Simone are very happy.” Ivy got to her feet, her face whiter than Jack was comfortable with. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m ready to go home. I’ll be at the truck, Jack.”
“You can’t leave.” Felicity was frustrated. “You haven’t made up with your brother.”
“We have.” Ivy was blasé. “We’re not fighting. I promise. We’re done. Everything is … fine.” Instead of waiting for Jack, she turned on her heel and headed for the door, leaving her fiancé to watch with a troubled expression on his face.
“Enough is enough.” Jack leaned forward once she was gone, frustration positively rolling off him in waves. “What happened at that pageant that has made her so crazy?”
“I honestly don’t know.” Max looked as conflicted as Jack felt. “I’ve never seen her like this. I just … don’t know what to do.”
Jack’s eyes darkened as he turned to Felicity. “Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s Ivy’s story to tell and she’s mortified right down to her toes,” Felicity replied. “I can’t tell you. I promised her.”
“Well, she’s going to tell me.” Jack got to his feet and signaled the waitress. “I need my order to go.”
“What are you going to do?” Max asked, genuinely curious.
“Push her until she has no choice but to tell me,” Jack replied. “She’s being eaten up inside, and I don’t like it.”
“She’ll pick a fight with you instead.”
“I’m used to that. I need to know before I head out tomorrow. I could be gone most of the day and if she’s going to have a meltdown … .”
“I’ll be with her,” Max said. “She won’t be alone tomorrow.”
“No offense, Max, but she’s not exactly thrilled with you right now so that doesn’t make me feel better,” Jack said. “That’s the first time I’ve been able to say that about you since we met. You might want to give serious thought as to why that’s the case.”
Max balked. “How bad could it possibly be?”
“Well, you might want to consider who your sister is and everything you’ve seen or know about Simone and roll that idea around in your head for a few hours.” Jack handed several bills to the waitress when she delivered his takeout bag. “Your sister may be dramatic. She’s not purposely mean, though. I think we both know someone who is.”
Jack headed toward the door, pausing long enough to cast a final glance back at Max. “Just think about it,” he prodded. “Who is most likely in the wrong here? I’m going to guess that the answer you come up with isn’t your sister.”
With those words, Jack disappeared, leaving Max with a belly full of guilt and a lot to contemplate.
Eighteen
“I’m not hungry.”
Ivy was still pouty when Jack led her to the kitchen table after returning home. She tried to make a quick escape, pointed herself toward the bedroom where Jack was certain she would lock herself in, but he was ready for the move and grabbed her by the elbow before she could run. He directed her to the table, sat her dinner in front of her, and then positioned himself between Ivy and the hallway so he could eat.
Ivy wasn’t thrilled with his actions.
“You’re going to eat if I have to feed you myself,” Jack said, breaking his dinner roll in half and slathering it with butter. “You need to keep up your strength. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”
“A big day that doesn’t include me,” Ivy reminded him. “I’ll be stuck here while all the action is happening in Traverse City.”
“If you want to be with me at the hospital, I can arrange it.”
Ivy stilled, surprised. “You can?”
Jack bobbed his head. “I would actually prefer you with me.”
“Why?” Ivy was legitimately curious.
“For several reasons,” Jack replied. “The first is that I always want you with me. You’re easy on the eyes and downright sweet when you want to be.”
“Ha, ha.” Ivy poked his side and Jack was relieved to see a genuine smile flitting around the corners of her mouth. “You’re very smooth.”
“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t telling the truth.”
“When am I sweet?”
“When you want to be.”
“Well, I’m not going to want to be sweet tomorrow.”
“I’ve already figured that out myself.” Jack used the ketchup packets to flavor his cheeseburger how he liked it. “I also wouldn’t mind having you around because of those flashes you’ve been having. You might be able to tell when the person we’re looking for is close.”
Ivy tugged on her bottom lip as she absorbed the statement. “You don’t think that makes me a freak?”
“We’ve been over this.”
“I know but … .”
“I don’t think it makes you a freak,” Jack supplied, cutting her off. “I happen to love you no matter what. I think the problem is that you think it makes you a freak. You’re not ready to come to terms with it yet.”
“Come to terms with what?”
“You’re special.”
“I’ve always known I’m special,” Ivy shot back, her ego coming out to play. “This is different, though.”
“It’s really not.”
“It is,” Ivy argued. “How can you say you love me when these flashes might come back to haunt you one day? I don’t think you realize what this could mean for us.”
“On the contrary, I know exactly what it could mean for us. If you keep seeing crimes, we’re going to be working together more often. That’s stressful at times because we argue, but I also like it because it means more time together.”
“But … .”
“No.” Jack extended a warning finger. “You’re trying to make something out of nothing. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you, not even this mood. I know what you’re doing, by the way. I’m not going to let it happen.”
“And what am I doing?”
“You’re trying to pick a fight so you can get away from me,” Jack replied, refusing to back down. “You don’t want me to press you on what happened during your pageant. You think I will and you’re uncomfortable at the prospect.”
“I … that’s not true.”
“It is true.”
“It’s not.”
“Don’t fight with me.” Jack’s tone was firm. “I’ll win on this one. We both know it.”
Ivy made a petulant face as she picked through her dinner. It was stir fry again. The diner didn’t have a lot of dinner options that didn’t feature meat.
“I’m going to take you out to a nice dinner tomorrow,” Jack added. “The pageant should be over in the afternoon. Hopefully we’ll have the arrest wrapped up in the morning and paperwork and questioning done by the time dinner rolls around. That means you get a romantic dinner at a restaurant where you don’t always have to eat the same thing.”
“I like the stir fry.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to eat it three times a week,” Jack said. “I love Shadow Lake, but it definitely needs more restaurant options. We’re going out to dinner tomorrow, and you’re going to like it. In fact, you’re going to like it so much I bet you end up kissing me in thanks for the rest of the night.”
Ivy didn’t want to laugh. It would only encourage him, after all. She couldn’t stop herself, though. “You’re cute when you want to be.”
“I know.” Jack grabbed Ivy’s hand and gave it a good squeeze. “You’re always cute.”
“Not always. I wasn’t cute tonight. In fact, I was a total baby tonight.”
“That’s because you’re bothered by something and you won�
��t talk about it. I’m not going to tell you that you would feel better if you told me.”
“That’s probably a good thing … for you.”
“You don’t trust me enough to do it. I get that.”
Ivy wrinkled her forehead. “That’s not it.”
“No? What else could it possibly be?” Jack knew he was playing a dangerous game. He also knew Ivy would feel better – whether she knew it or not – if she confided in him. He was going to use whatever means at his disposal to make her open up, even though there would likely be fallout when she realized what he’d done. She was too emotionally on edge to see it now, which he took as a bonus.
“I trust you, Jack.” Ivy’s voice wavered. “It’s just … ridiculous.”
“How is it ridiculous?”
“It’s something stupid from when I was a teenager,” Ivy replied. “I shouldn’t still be upset about it. I don’t know why I am. I can’t quite let it go. If you think I feel proud of myself because of that, you’re wrong.”
“I don’t care about any of that.” Jack was earnest. “I care about you. Tell me and we’ll deal with it together. If you want to keep it to yourself, though, I understand. Apparently we’re not as far along on the trust train as I thought.”
Ivy was appalled. “That’s not it. Criminy! Don’t you know that I trust you more than anyone?”
“What am I supposed to think when you won’t tell me this?”
“I … fine.” Ivy blew out a sigh, resigned. “I’ll tell you. Is that what you want?”
She looked so miserable about the prospect that Jack almost backtracked and gave her a way out. Ultimately, he knew that wasn’t what was best for her. She needed to get this off her chest and move on. “Only if you trust me enough to tell me.”
It was a dare. They both knew it. In the end, Ivy couldn’t back down. “You’re going to laugh. It’s so pathetic, you’ll have no choice but to laugh.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that, huh?”
“I guess.” Ivy rolled her neck and stared at the ceiling for a long beat. “I told you I was angry with my mother for making me sign up for the pageant. I didn’t tell you the entire reason I was angry with my mother, though.”
Wicked Hearts (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 9) Page 16