Daxon stayed with her until they were both sure she was done. He helped her up and carried her to the bed. “I’ll see if we have any ginger ale.”
“Okay, thanks.” She managed.
When he returned with the glass she was fast asleep. He placed the ginger ale on the nightstand and checked her forehead; no fever. He wasn’t happy that she hadn’t eaten any food since noon yesterday, but that couldn’t be helped now. What she needed was rest. He closed the door quietly behind him.
* * *
By the time Ivy awoke, the sun was on its way down. She moved her head cautiously from side-to-size—no pain. That was a good sign. She noticed the glass of ginger ale and took a sip. She felt the liquid reach her empty stomach and took two additional sips before stretching and gradually swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. Should she shower? Nah. She needed to brush her teeth and touch base with the rest of the team. Today was Phase four of the plan, and it looked like she had slept most of the day away. Regrettable, but there’s was nothing she could do about that now.
The door handle turned quietly and she glanced up to see Daxon poke his head into the room. “Hey beautiful.” He said as he closed the door quietly behind him.
“I was just coming to find you.”
“There’s no need. Aqua made dinner and she’s bringing it to you. Think you’re up for it?”
“There’s no need to bring it to me, I’m fine. I’ll join the rest of you in just a minute,” she bristled.
He tilted her chin up, and pulled the skin down near her left and then right eye.”
“Seriously, Daxon. Don’t. I’m fine.” She insisted, pulling her head back and away from his hands.
“Would you rather that I send Blake in, because one of us is going to check you out to make sure you are fine. You decide who it will be.” He stood back and crossed his arms across his chest.
Ivy rolled her eyes. “Really? I drink too many toddies, get hung-over and have to be checked out by a doctor? I don’t think so. We have a lot to do, and now we’re a day behind. I don’t have time for this...”
“Knock, knock” Aqua said as she pushed the door open with her foot. “Hey sleepy. I brought dinner for you.”
“Thanks, Aqua, but I’ll join you all at the dinner table.”
Aqua glanced at Daxon and then Aqua. “You’re feeling better? That’s great! I’ll add an extra plate. Daxon, can you get the door?” she asked as she turned to leave.
“Just put the plate down here, Aqua. I’ll bring it back with me.” She looked confused, but Daxon tilted his head toward the door.
“They’re overprotective sometimes, Ivy, but it’s only because they love us.” Aqua offered with a backward glance and wink before leaving the room.
“How’s your stomach?”
“It’s fine.”
“Any pain?”
“Not in my stomach.”
“Everything okay in here?” Blake asked, knocking lightly on the door.
“I gave Ivy an ultimatum to be checked out by me—or you. Her choice.”
“Clearly she prefers me.” Blake chuckled.
“Clearly I prefer neither of you. Now scoot, both of you.”
They didn’t budge.
“Seriously you guys, this is ridiculous. Dinner is getting cold and Aqua is waiting. Let’s just go eat dinner.”
“You look awful.” Blake stated.
“Gee, thanks, Blake.”
“It’s him or me, Ivy. Your choice, but it’s one or the other of us.” Blake echoed Daxon’s words from moments before.
“How about this? Let’s go eat, and if I’m not feeling better after dinner, you guys can flip a coin. Sound fair? Because I’m hungry and not willing to wait any longer to eat.”
Aqua came to her rescue. “She’s right about one thing guys, dinner is getting cold.” Pushing the door open she grabbed the tray she had left moments before and offered her arm to Ivy. “Let’s go, friend.” Moving around the guys, the women walked through the door and toward the kitchen.
“The Navy was so much easier than this.” Daxon growled.
Chapter 11
“We adjusted the plan slightly, Ivy, in light of recent events.” Aqua moved her plate aside and leaned forward, resting her arms on the table.
“I’m listening.”
“I found out that Jade is in town for two weeks, for some reason she appears to be focused on proving that you are Kirsten Bell. We’re not sure sending her back to her place of work will dispel her curiosity, so the guys devised a plan, and if you’re up for it, we’ll execute it either tonight or tomorrow.” Aqua paused and Ivy nodded.
“I explained to my Mom that Jade was back in town and causing some problems; you might remember how my mother went to the principal at school to complain that Jade was bullying students that were smaller than she was? She has never been able to tolerate bullies, so she’s planning to meet us at Evie’s tonight and make it look like she happened in there with my dad, which is believable in light of the fact that Evie added some dishes featuring organic ingredients at the request of my mom.”
“I’m following.”
“So we’ll be at Evie’s and I’ve heard that Evie goes there almost every night for dinner. We’ll get your makeup on, work on contouring, and if Jade comes up to you, we’ll do what we did at Wicked Waters and simply insist you are Ivy. At that point, my mother will come up to the table and greet you as Ivy – and when Jade protests that she thinks you’re Kirsten, my mother has been coached to agree that you do look like Kirsten and that she had a friend who had a face like that, to and before long she’ll do what she does best and drive Jade crazy so she’ll walk away and leave it alone.
“That’s it?”
“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? I think it’s a good plan and I think it will work. It should at least dispel Jade’s suspicions enough that she’ll leave this alone. After that we’ll resume with our previous plan.”
“It sounds fine. When do we leave for Evie’s?”
Blake and Daxon exchanged glances and Aqua bit her lip. “We’ve just eaten, so let’s plan to go tomorrow. It’s getting late anyway, and we could miss Jade.”
“You’re just saying that because the guys think I need to stay home and rest.”
“That’s true.”
Ivy smiled. “Well, at least you’re honest. I think, if there’s a chance she’s there, we should do it tonight and keep the plan rolling. I really don’t want to delay this any more than I already have.”
“Are you sure you’re up for it? You’ve been through a lot, Ivy, it’s okay if we need to take this a bit slower.”
“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s do it with or without the guys.”
It was one of those moments when Daxon knew that he needed to back off or risk losing her altogether; that she was angry with him was an understatement. “With,” and then he stood and began staking plates to take to the kitchen. Ivy didn’t even offer to help, which only confirmed the fact that she still wasn’t feeling well, but he decided that if she wasn’t going to cooperate, he would follow her lead and inevitably one of them would realize their folly.
* * *
“She’s at the last table on the right.” Aqua whispered to Ivy.
“Yes, I see her. Let’s not make it obvious, let’s take the table halfway up on the right. I want to sit with my back to her.”
“Yep, sounds like a good plan.”
Blake waved to Evie and motioned toward their preferred booth. Evie nodded and the four of them made their way toward the booth. Within minutes, Evie visited the table with menus.
“Hey guys, it’s great to see you. And you must be Ivy?”
“I am, Evie, it’s great to meet you. I’ve heard so much about your diner and incredible food. I can’t wait to experience it first-hand.”
“Well, I hope it’s everything you’ve heard and then some. We make all our food from scratch, and although we’re not a five star restaurant, we put heart and soul int
o every dish we make. Let me know when you’re ready to order. Can I start you with a drink?”
“Waters all around, Evie. Anything else?” Blake asked?
“I’ll take a ginger ale,” Aqua added. “You, Ivy?”
“Sure, I’ll take one, too.”
“Two ginger ales it is. I’ll be back in a jif.”
Blake looked at Aqua who tilted her head back at him and looked away. When Evie returned with the drinks, they were all placed their orders, and no sooner had Evie walked away then Jade made her way to their table.
“Well, fancy seeing you all here,” she offered, staring at Ivy. “You know, I still think you look so much like Kirsten Bell. Don’t you think she does…”
Jade’s question was cut short by Miri Weaver’s entrance into the diner. She saw Aqua and immediately made her way over to the table, waving at friends and neighbors as she went.
“Well I’ll be, Jade—jade Frankel is that you? That is still your name right, you’re not married?”
“Umm. No, I’m not married. It’s good to see you, too, Mrs. Weaver.”
“What are you doing in Burnt River? I haven’t seen you in ages. Not since Principal Jacobson’s office, isn’t that right?”
“Ah, yes, I guess so. I’m just back for a few weeks to visit. I ran into Aquarius and her… friend last night. Tell me, Mrs. Weaver, don’t you think she looks like Kirsten Bell?”
“Ivy? You think Ivy looks like Kirsten Bell? Goodness, I haven’t seen her in
years. Hmm. Let me see. Yes, yes, I guess I see a slight resemblance—some people just have a beautiful face that transcends to others. Any hoo—Ivy, it’s wonderful to see you again. Congratulations on your marriage to Daxon! Oh, and by the way, Jade, Aqua does not go by Aquarius anymore. She legally changed her name to Aqua, you knew that, right?”
Jade backed up and nodded. “Yes, I guess I had heard she changed her name. Well, it was great to see you all, and congratulations to both of you.” She said to Daxon and Ivy.
As Jade walked away, Aqua’s mother winked at Ivy. “Well my dears, my work is done for today, I’ll see you all for dinner later this week.” And with that she was off in a flurry, leaving everyone in the diner wondering what had just hit them.
“Mission accomplished.” Aqua smiled as her mother glided through the exit of Evie’s Diner.
“Cheers to that,” Ivy raised her glass and all four clinked glasses together.
“Tomorrow you and I are heading off in the Jeep together to tour Burnt River and visit some of my favorite places. Sound okay?” Daxon asked Ivy.
“That seems like a slight deviation, but okay. It would be great to visit some of the places I haven’t seen in more than a decade, or experience something new.” Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about spending the day with Daxon alone; they hadn’t been alone for more than a few hours at this point, and she was looking forward to spending a day with him and exploring this beautiful town and surrounding mountains with a man as interesting as her husband—her husband. Suddenly she found herself feeling proud that she was married to a man as good as Daxon; for sure he could be unbelievable annoying, definitely too intense, but she also knew, or at least believed, that he genuinely cared for her.
Daxon seized the diversion of the momentary celebration to take in Ivy’s partially eaten burger and empty glass of ginger ale, her beautiful face read of the exhaustion he knew she was still recovering from, and in that moment he realized that tomorrow was an important day. He planned to leave his medical training behind, and explore the incredible beauty of Burnt River with a woman he was beginning to care deeply for. He wanted to make it a special day filled with fun and laughter; he hoped to erase those worry lines from her forehead, if only for a day.
Chapter 12
Ivy felt like a kid in a candy shop waiting for Daxon to return to Aqua’s. He’d said he had a surprise for her after waking her up before the crack of dawn to begin their adventure. Aqua and Blake were still asleep and the house was quiet; quiet that is until the bike came roaring down the street.
She walked through the door and met Daxon in the driveway. “What’s this?”
“Oh, just part of my surprise for the day.”
“I thought you said we were taking your jeep.”
“We were until I ran into Thorne Macklin in town yesterday and mentioned our little excursion to him. I have a bike on order at his shop, so he offered to let us use one of his bikes today, said we’d be able to take a few trails my jeep might not be able to handle.” Daxon offered with a grin. “It’s a long-standing joke between us. He thinks Jeeps are a weak excuse for an off-road vehicle.”
He handed a helmet to Ivy. “Have you ridden before?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Who’s driving?” she challenged.
“Hop on,” he instructed with the tilt of his head. “We’ve got a few miles to cover and that sun will be up before we know it.”
Ivy secured her helmet and straddled the bike behind Daxon, snuggling close. The morning air was cool, and she regretted not wearing a sweater beneath her leather jacket, even though she knew once the sun was up it would get hot, fast.
Daxon quietly let the bike roll down the drive way, started her up, and off they went.
Burnt River was quiet this morning. They rode by the library, and waved to a few early risers heading for Evie’s Diner, where Daxon stopped the bike. “Hang tight, I’ll be right back.”
Gone no more than a minute, Daxon returned with a bag and 2 coffees. The bag went into a small compartment behind Ivy, and the coffees went into a second compartment designed specifically for beverages. Ivy looked up to see Evie Denton wave goodbye to both of them, with a quick thumbs up to Daxon, and then they were off again.
As soon as they hit the outside of town, Daxon ramped it up and the bike flew easily down the road toward the mountains, the horizon toward the east just starting to show a pink hue behind the hills. They raced for another two miles at top speed, and then Daxon slowed and he headed down a trail that turned into a narrow dirt road, and then started the climb up the hill. They reached the top as the pink hue quickly turned deeper, and Ivy hopped off the bike, followed by Daxon. She grabbed the coffees and Daxon grabbed the bag and a blanket, then made his way toward a rugged rock a few feet away.
Ivy joined him, and they sat in silence as the sky turned from deep pink to gold, mixing with ground fog as the cold night air kissed the warmth of the morning sun. In all her years, she had never seen a Burnt River sunrise from this vantage point, never taken the time to experience the start of a new day immersed in the simple beauty of it.
Daxon looked away from the sunrise and smiled at the joy shining in Ivy’s eyes, her upturned lips. She leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. They sat in silence, comfortable, happy.
When the early sun became almost too bright to continue to watch, Ivy turned Daxon’s face toward hers, exploring his face as if for the first time, taking in his wide cheekbones, his intense, smoky-blue eyes, and finally settled on his lips.
When he spoke, her eyes flew back up to his. Was that desire she saw flickering briefly before the mischievous sparkle she had come to love replaced it? “Let’s eat. I’m famished and we have more ground to cover before the day is done.”
She forced a smile over the disappointment she felt. Surely he realized she wanted him to kiss her? Did he feel the same way about her—or could it be that for him this truly was just a mission?
“Hey,” he interrupted her thoughts, ”why the frown?” he asked as his finger traced the crease in her brow, and then moved down to trace her chin.
She quickly tilted her head toward the food before he could see the flame of desire his touch ignited, “I’m famished, too.” She moved away and put the food between them, grabbing her sandwich and taking a huge bite, her eyes rolling back in her head. “Oh my god, Evie’s food is incredibly delicious, even luke-warm.”
“Yes, she’s done a
great job with the diner. I’ve heard it was popular even when it was Harry’s but once she took over, the place started filling for every meal.”
“People would probably still eat there even if the food wasn’t this incredible—Evie is such a sweetheart—but the fact is, she takes simple diner food to a whole new level,” Ivy gushed as she consumed her last bite and licked her fingers, realizing Daxon was looking at her, she cocked her head. “What?”
“You’re beautiful, you know that don’t you?”
“Don’t you mean Ivy’s beautiful, with her long golden hair, blue eyes, and make-up-contoured face?”
He leaned closer until his face was just inches from hers and gently tilted her chin until she looked him in the eyes. Eyes filled with uncertainty, hurt, and fear. “No, I’m not talking about your outward appearance, Ivy. I’m talking about the way your eyes shine when you’re happy, the way you are fiercely loyal to the ones you love, the way you make even simple moments like these so special, the intelligence I see in your eyes and hear in your conversations, the…”
She turned her head back toward the sun and simply whispered, “Let’s go.” In one quick move she stood and began to gather the remnants from their food. Daxon folded the blanket, stashed it in the bike compartment and hoped on. Ivy followed, and the bike made it’s way back down the hill.
He felt her move closer to him after a few miles as she started to relax, and cursed himself for pushing intimacy too quickly. She wasn’t ready for it yet. He glimpsed moments of vulnerability and maybe even passion in her at times, but that was likely a reflection of the fact that they had been pushed together by highly unusual circumstances.
He was starting to fall in love with her—hell, he’d started to fall in love with her when he first saw her photo and heard her story. He’d felt an inexplicable draw to help her, and followed his gut to help.
His grandmother Eloise had often recounted the story of how she and his grandfather had met. Daxon would practically scoff when she told him that it was love at first sight, he’d argued that you can’t love someone you don’t know, but she would look at him with those wide, knowing eyes, and say, “Mark my words, Daxon, the same thing will happen to you. I just know it.”
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