Holly made a big show of shrugging and tapping her chin with her perfectly-manicured index finger. “How do I know? I can’t remember. Oh, wait, I do remember.” Holly’s smile turned from mirthful to merciless. “Your girlfriend told me when I stopped by her nursery to chat a few hours ago.”
Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Jack’s blood ran cold as he struggled to maintain his temper and refrain from exploding at Holly in a public setting. “I’m sorry but … what?”
“I stopped to see your girlfriend this morning,” Holly supplied. “I just couldn’t stop myself. I had to see the woman who brought the mighty Jack Harker to his knees. Since I couldn’t do it, you have to understand, I wanted to meet the fearsome creature that was so much better than me. I couldn’t stop myself.”
Jack exchanged a panicked look with Brian. “You went to see Ivy?”
“I did.” Holly acted as if she were quickly losing interest in the conversation. “I was curious about her. I mean … you can’t blame me. She stole you from the life you were meant to lead so I had to see her face to face.
“I was a little underwhelmed, if you want to hear the truth,” she continued. “I expected her to be somehow magical. Instead she was elbow deep in dirt and had no idea who I was. I couldn’t believe that. I mean … no idea? She didn’t, though, and that was a bit hurtful, Jack.”
Jack sincerely thought his head might explode. “What did you say to her?”
“Not much. I told her about the time we spent together the other night. She had no idea you ran into me and was clearly thrown when I explained about our prior relationship … something she also had no idea existed.
“Tell me, Jack, how can you pretend to have a relationship with her – one that’s supposed to end in marriage, mind you – when she doesn’t even know about me?” Holly’s words were laced with evil. “Don’t worry. I made sure she understood about our relationship.”
It took everything Jack had not to grab Holly by the shoulders and give her a good shake. “Understood what?”
“That she was holding you back by keeping you here and that you’re supposed to be down south with your mother … and me.”
“Son of a … .” Jack swore viciously under his breath. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“You can’t believe I did what?” Holly dropped all pretense of playing innocent. “You cut me out of your life and moved on when I was still holding out hope we would make things work. Did you really expect me to throw away two years of my life without a fight?”
“We weren’t together,” Jack hissed. “We broke up before I was shot. You didn’t want to be with me. You just wanted to be able to say you were with me so you could put on a show for the television cameras.”
“That is a horrible thing to say.” Holly jutted out her lower lip. “I loved you with my whole heart, Jack. For you to pretend otherwise is hurtful and it makes me very angry.”
“I don’t care how you feel.” Jack brushed past her as he headed toward the car. “Come on, Brian. I need to get home.”
Brian cast a final curious glance at Holly and then nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” He jangled the keys as he moved to the driver’s side door. He paused long enough to give Holly a lingering look. It was full of warning and distaste. “As for you, I wouldn’t keep coming around. People might think you’re a stalker or something.”
Holly let loose with an amused chuckle. “Oh, please. I’m simply trying to help the man I love.”
“Yeah, that’s not very convincing.”
“I’ll work on it and get back to you.”
“You do that.”
Ten
Jack drilled his fingers on the dashboard and gave Brian a “speed it up” look as the older detective navigated the highway leading back to Shadow Lake.
“Calm down,” Brian instructed, refusing to let his partner dictate driving parameters. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“That’s not fast enough.” Jack stared at his phone, internally debating. “Maybe I should call her.”
“Or maybe you should talk to her in person. I don’t think this is the sort of conversation that should be had over the phone.”
“We shouldn’t be having this conversation at all.” Jack knew he was being petulant, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “I can’t believe this happened.”
“Well, it has. Now you have to do damage control.”
“I can’t tell you what a comfort you are to me,” Jack drawled, sarcasm practically dripping from his tongue. “What do you think she’s thinking?”
“I think that she’s trying to pay you back for some perceived slight,” Brian replied, setting the cruise control so they were traveling five miles above the limit. “She’s clearly a bit deranged. If you ask me, she came up here expecting to find you with Ivy – because your mother told her you were engaged, of course – and honestly believed she would waltz in and steal you back.”
Jack made an incredulous face. “Ivy. I was talking about Ivy. What do you think she’s thinking? I don’t give a crap about Holly. She’s always been mental.”
“Oh.” Brian’s lips curved. “I should’ve realized that you were talking about Ivy. As for not giving a crap about Holly, I think that’s rather obvious. In fact, I think that’s her problem. She’s used to being the center of the world for whoever she decides to spend time with and when she’s not things turn ugly … and fast.”
“Yeah. That’s exactly how she is.”
“So why did you date her in the first place?”
“Because … because … .” Jack licked his lips and shook his head. Answering the question wasn’t easy. In fact, he had no good answer, which made him feel like a bit of a jackass. “She was pretty and I wanted occasional bouts of sex. I know that answer makes me look like a complete and total tool but that’s all I have.”
Instead of being disappointed, which Jack expected, Brian barked out a laugh. “Son, you were young and not looking for a real relationship. I think that’s fairly normal for most men.”
“You do?” Jack arched a surprised eyebrow. “Really?”
“Most men don’t start life looking for love. We want to play the field, have some fun, and focus on work. Almost all the cops I know were like that. Even though I was dating my wife when I started, I let things drag out for longer than she liked – to the point where she finally gave me an ultimatum – and it was only then that I realized I wanted her in my life forever. I had to be pushed into it.”
“I don’t feel as if I had to be forced into my relationship with Ivy,” Jack argued. “I know Holly thinks that because she’s freaking nuts, but that’s not how I feel.”
“I know. That’s not what I was saying.” Brian tilted his head as he searched for the right words. “I was young when I hooked up with my wife. Had she been some bimbo off the street, I would’ve walked away without a second glance … which is how you approached your relationship with Holly.
“You knew going in you were never going to love her and while I would never say that was admirable I don’t think it’s unreasonable either,” he continued. “You didn’t regret breaking up with Holly and I don’t think she’s following you around now because she’s in love with you. She simply doesn’t want to lose.”
“She was never even in the game,” Jack grumbled. “Why can’t she see that?”
“I think she can. She wants to hurt Ivy because she feels she’s been hurt. That’s how women play the game. As men, that makes no sense to us and it’s hard to grasp.”
“Ivy hasn’t done anything to her, though,” Jack argued. “Ivy is innocent in this. If Holly wants to hurt someone, why doesn’t she just come after me?”
“Because she tried that and you blew her off.”
“But … .”
“No.” Brian shook his head to cut off Jack. “Holly isn’t an idiot. She realized you were not only over her but head-over-heels for Ivy. She didn’t like it because she sees it a
s a reflection on her rather than Ivy.
“It’s not that Ivy is special as much as she believes you’re finding her somehow lacking,” he continued. “Since she doesn’t believe she could ever be lacking she believes you’re being mean – or somehow vindictive – and she wants to get back at you.”
“She didn’t go after me, though.” Jack was miserable and not afraid to wallow in his unhappiness. “She went after Ivy.”
“Ivy is secondary to her. She wanted to make you pay and she figured the best way to do that was attack Ivy.”
“Yeah.” Jack ran his hand through his dark hair, frustration palpable. “What do you think was going through Ivy’s mind when Holly approached her? I mean … I should have told her that I ran into Holly. At first it seemed insignificant and then it was simply too late. I should have told her, though.”
“You should have,” Brian agreed. “Ivy is sensible, though. She knows you were hardly a monk before you hooked up with her.”
“It’s just … I can imagine the things Holly said to her. They were probably the same things my mother said to her.”
“I thought your mother and Ivy were good now.”
“They are but that doesn’t mean my mother doesn’t slip in the occasional dig about me returning to the city. That’s her main sticking point. She loves Ivy now – I mean, she really loves her – but she wants me back south with her.”
“Even though she knows you’re happier here?”
“Even though.”
“Well, you’ll figure it out.” Brian was an optimist by nature and he had no doubt Jack and Ivy would work their way through this particular issue. “What I was going to tell you before we got off on a tangent still stands.”
“And what’s that?” Jack was honestly curious.
“Your relationship with Holly was normal at the time because you weren’t looking for love. Holly sees it differently because she’s something of a narcissist. You can see that just by looking at her.”
“It’s true I wasn’t looking for love with Holly,” Jack hedged. “I wasn’t looking for it when I found Ivy either, though. It just sort of … happened.”
Brian smirked. “That’s the best kind of love. It’s the type that knocks you over the head and throws you for a loop. It’s the kind that grabs you by the throat and kicks you in the balls when times are tough.”
Jack shifted his crotch, uncomfortable with the visual. “Thanks for that.”
Brian’s smile never wavered. “It’s also the type of thing that lasts forever. You and Ivy will definitely last forever. I’m not worried about that.”
“She’s probably upset, though.” Jack checked his text messages. “She stopped texting hours ago and I didn’t notice because I was so caught up in other things.”
“You were caught up in a murder, which Ivy understands.”
“I still didn’t tell her.”
“You didn’t and you’re going to fight about that,” Brian said. “I still think you’ll come out standing on the other side.”
“I know we will. I can’t make it without her so she’s simply going to have to forgive me.”
“She will.”
JACK HEADED TO THE house first. It was empty, of course. He didn’t really expect to find Ivy there. If she was upset – and he knew she had to be – she would channel her energy into work.
That naturally meant the nursery was his second stop. The greenhouse was empty, though, and it looked as if Ivy had finished all her planting. Jack wasn’t an expert, but all the pods were filled and the lights turned on. That meant she worked through her anger and misery and then went somewhere else.
But where?
Jack racked his brain for ideas. Her car was at the house, which meant she hadn’t driven anywhere. He considered calling Max but didn’t want to hear a diatribe if it wasn’t necessary. That left one place to search, and it was one Jack hadn’t seen since the first snow storm hit hard in the fall.
Jack picked his way through the woods, letting memory and love lead him. He rarely visited Ivy’s fairy ring from this direction, but he was relatively sure he knew how to find it.
Whenever she was upset, Ivy retreated to the fairy ring. She’d visited the place she considered magical and calming whenever something bad happened. Winter and heavy snow kept her away for months – and Jack could tell it ate at her – but spring allowed a return and Jack stood back and let her visit the first few times of the new season without him. He knew she needed it.
She needed peace, comfort, and time to herself because that’s who she was … and he loved every little thing about her, even the stubborn side that made him want to handcuff her to his side when trouble abounded.
Jack slowed his pace as he approached the fairy ring, letting out a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Ivy sitting in the middle of the circle, her eyes trained on the old tree that looked as if it boasted a wizened face. He opened his mouth to call out to her and then realized he had no idea what to say.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare?” Ivy asked, never glancing over her shoulder.
“No, honey.” Jack stumbled a bit as he moved forward, clasping his hands together as he closed the distance. “I was worried about you. You stopped texting.”
“I did,” Ivy agreed. “You didn’t text to check on me, though, so I figured you were busy with other stuff.”
“I was.”
“Did you find out anything good?” Ivy asked the question as if she didn’t have a care in the world, something that set Jack’s teeth on edge. She was clearly upset and he had to find a way to move past her hard façade if he expected to get to the nitty-gritty of the situation.
“We can talk about that later.” Jack reached out to take her hand and then thought better of it. “I ran into an old friend today.”
“Today, huh?” Ivy remained unmoving.
“I ran into her the day before yesterday, too.” Lying and making excuses were out of the question. Jack had no choice but to tell the truth and hope she would forgive him. “She was at the rental when I picked up my fishing equipment.”
“I know. I heard. She told me all about it.”
“Honey … .”
“She told me that you had quite the interlude,” Ivy continued, pretending he hadn’t spoken. “She said she wanted to see you because you were in a bad place the last time you guys were together and she wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I don’t think that’s why she’s here.”
“No, I don’t think so either,” Ivy agreed. “She’s here for you.”
“I don’t think that’s why she’s here either,” Jack countered. “She’s here to prove something to herself.”
“That you love her?”
“Honey, I never loved her.” Ivy finally turned to face him and instead of recrimination he found understanding on her smooth features. It threw him for a loop. “Wait … what’s going on? I thought you were furious with me.”
Ivy smiled so widely it lit up her entire face. “I was … for a full five minutes. I was spitting mad and debating how I was going to make you pay.”
“I think you should make me pay with kisses.”
“That wasn’t on the list, but I’m not ruling it out for later.” Ivy rested her hand on Jack’s knee as he reclined next to her. He dropped his hand over hers and squeezed, some of the tension leaving his body. “It took me a little bit to realize why she came to the nursery.
“At first I thought she just wanted to get a look at me because she was curious,” she continued. “That didn’t really jibe with the things you told me about the women you dated before me, though. You made it sound like you were never really close to anyone, which made me realize Holly was either lying or exaggerating.”
“Probably both,” Jack said. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re not angry. I don’t think I would be as forgiving as you if some ex-boyfriend of yours showed up and you didn’t tell me.”
“Why didn’t you tell
me?”
“Because … because it wasn’t important to me. I was surprised when I found her there – don’t get me wrong – but the conversation was uncomfortable and awkward. She was aggressive and seemed to want me to apologize for something I didn’t do. I didn’t care about catching up and when I got back to the house I had dinner and you so I didn’t need anything else and just shoved it to the side.”
“And that’s the end of it?”
Jack shrugged. “Not quite. After about two hours I realized I hadn’t mentioned it and wondered if I should. It was late, though, and I didn’t want to get into a heavy conversation. Then, by the time we went to bed and woke up, it was far too late to bring it up without looking like an idiot.”
“I see.”
Jack wasn’t fond of her tone. “If it’s any consolation, I regret not telling you right away. That would’ve made things a lot simpler.”
“It would have,” Ivy agreed. “If you’d told me I wouldn’t have been shocked down to my socks when she showed up in my greenhouse.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Jack meant it with his whole heart. “I didn’t know she would take things so far. I knew she was angry when she left, but I thought she would simply complain about me at the bar with her friends and call it a day. I didn’t know how far she would take it.”
“And now?”
“And now what?”
“Are you worried about how far she’ll take it?”
“Actually, I am,” Jack confirmed. “I have no idea how she found out where Brian and I were eating lunch, but she showed up to mess with me. That’s how I found out she’d been to see you.”
“And you panicked and raced back rather than called.”
“I … Brian said this was a conversation that had to happen in person.”
Ivy smirked. “And we both know you always do what Brian tells you to do.”
“I wasn’t sure.” Jack’s voice cracked. “I should’ve told you and I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Ivy was sincere. “I was a lot angrier before. The more time I’ve had to think about it, the more I realized she was putting on an act. She couldn’t get to you the way she wanted to so she tried to rattle me. I’ve seen women like her before, dealt with them for years, in fact. It’s okay.”
Wicked Wishes (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 10) Page 10