Ivy Morgan Mystery 18 - Wicked Wedding

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I don’t get it,” she said to the face in the tree. “Why would he care about me? I don’t know him. I can’t remember ever interacting with him. He’s like five years older than Max. He was never in our peer group when we were kids.”

  The tree, of course, didn’t respond.

  “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Life often doesn’t make sense,” a new voice offered from Ivy’s right, causing her to halt. There, Susan Bishop floated in her ethereal divinity. “Hello, Ivy. I was wondering if I would see you in person before the wedding.”

  “You’ve been in my dreams,” Ivy groused, turning back to the face. “I haven’t gone completely without a haunting even though this should be a happy week.”

  Susan snickered. “You’re awfully crabby for a woman who is about to get everything she ever wanted.”

  “You mean Jack.” It wasn’t a question. “He is everything I’ve ever wanted. Well, if I could have him and a perpetual morel season, then my life would truly be perfect.”

  “Ah, now I know what to get you as a wedding gift. Very nice.”

  Ivy perked up. “Can you really make that happen?”

  “It’s unlikely, but never say never.” Susan moved so she was positioned directly in front of Ivy. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  Ivy gave it no thought. Everything came tumbling out. She needed direction, and if her living aunt — one of the most powerful witches in the area — couldn’t help her, then maybe the ghost of the witch who defined her generation in Shadow Lake could. When she was finished, Susan seemed more excited than worried.

  “Well, that’s interesting, huh?”

  “I wouldn’t use that word,” Ivy groused darkly, resting her cheek against her knee. “I don’t know how to feel about any of it.”

  “Who says you’re supposed to feel one way or the other?”

  “Well, since I can suddenly burn a man with my bare hands, it seems to me I should be feeling something.”

  “If this man were innocent and you lashed out and hurt him for no reason, there might be cause for concern. If I’m understanding the situation correctly, you prevented an abusive man from taking his daughter away from a shelter. If he’d managed to get away with her, what do you think would’ve happened?”

  Ivy involuntarily shuddered at the thought. “Nothing good.”

  “Did anyone else see you work your magic?”

  “No.”

  “Then what are you worried about?”

  Ivy threw up her hands, frustrated. “I don’t know that I’m worried about anything.”

  “You’re obviously worried about something. You only come out here when you’re worried.”

  Because that was true, Ivy could do nothing but scowl. “Maybe that’s a little true.”

  Susan chuckled. “You are ... so much work.”

  The deliberate pause somehow made the statement more annoying for Ivy. “You’re acting as if it’s normal for stuff like this to happen. It’s not normal, just for the record.”

  “It’s not normal for those who see themselves as normal. That’s not you. You’re not normal in the slightest.”

  “I could be normal.”

  “No, you couldn’t.”

  “I could be,” Ivy persisted. “When I was a kid, that’s all I cared about. I wanted to be normal more than anything else.”

  “And how did that work out for you?”

  “I hid myself away for a long time because the other kids sensed I wasn’t normal and treated me poorly because of it. I was unhappy a lot of the time, although I didn’t want anybody to know because I was embarrassed.”

  “And what do you think now looking back on that time?”

  “That I wish I didn’t care what other people thought about me. I’ve gotten better since then, but there’s always a twinge here and there when I’m around Maisie and Ava. They got into my head when I was a kid and I can’t completely push them out.”

  “I don’t know who Maisie and Ava are other than the brief glimpses I’ve seen of them in your dreams ... and hanging around town. I wouldn’t worry about what either of them think. They’re not worth your time.”

  “I know that in my head.”

  “And your heart?”

  “It pinches sometimes because they’re so horrible.” Ivy blew out a sigh and shifted her eyes to Susan. “I don’t want my children to have to deal with kids like Maisie and Ava. It fills me with fear just thinking about it.”

  “Can you control that?”

  Ivy shrugged. “I don’t know. I think my head is all over the place. You don’t think Oliver Taylor is some kind of magical being, do you?”

  “I think it’s unlikely. What you consider normal humans can be just as ugly as paranormal monsters.”

  “I know. I just can’t figure out why he would focus on me if he didn’t know about me.”

  “You’re putting too much thought into it. Sometimes the easiest answer is the actual answer.”

  “So ... what’s the easiest answer?”

  “Someone told him you were working the front desk at the shelter and he had to avoid you if he wanted to claim his daughter. You have a reputation as a scrapper. The rest of the women in the shelter would’ve stayed away from him because fear has been ingrained in them. You don’t have that fear gene, though. On top of that, you have a police detective in your pocket who would die for you.”

  And there, Ivy realized, was the connection she’d yet to put together herself. “I honestly didn’t think about that. Jack coming to my rescue would be enough to frighten a coward like Oliver.”

  “He still got the information about you,” Susan noted. “That would suggest to me that someone in the building tipped him off to the setup and who would likely be present. You have more than one enemy.”

  “Right.”

  A rustling in the leaves caused Ivy to shift her attention to the foliage surrounding the clearing. She wasn’t surprised to find Jack standing there, watching her, his hands sheepishly stuffed in his pockets.

  “You lasted longer than I thought you would,” Ivy offered on a dry chuckle. “Fifteen whole minutes.”

  Jack made a groaning sound. “I really did want to be good. I was worried, though.”

  “I know.”

  “Your dad also wanted me to remind you of family dinner tonight. It’s the last one before the wedding.”

  Ivy made the same face Jack had when he’d been reminded about the dinner. “Is it wrong that I wish we could just hop in the tub together and shut out the world for the rest of the night instead?”

  “No, because that’s exactly what I want to do.”

  Their gazes were linked for an extended beat and then Ivy let out a pent-up breath. “We can’t skip dinner. They’ll just track us down and ruin our bath if we try.”

  “Good point.”

  “We can inhale our food like heathens, though, and take our dessert home to eat in the tub.”

  His eyes lit with amusement. “That sounds like the perfect evening to me.” He glanced around the clearing but found nothing of interest. “Were you talking to someone when I came up?”

  Susan had disappeared when Jack made his presence known. She wasn’t afraid of him, but she was keen on giving them the privacy she believed they deserved. It ultimately didn’t matter, though. Susan had already told her everything she needed to hear. “I’ll tell you about it on the way back to the nursery.” Ivy dusted off her bottom as she stood. “We can discuss that bath during the walk, too. I have a few ideas.”

  His grin was lopsided as he held out his hand. “I love all your ideas.”

  They lapsed into comfortable silence as they walked, love positively radiating off of them. From behind a tree not far from where Ivy had been sitting only moments before, a shadowy figure emerged not long after they disappeared.

  The shadow had been close to nabbing her, removing her from the equation and clearing a path. If only the cop hadn’t shown up when he did. It woul
d’ve been all over. Now the shadow would have to wait ... again.

  15

  FIFTEEN

  The family was already at the diner by the time Jack and Ivy arrived. Luna Morgan was on her feet the second she saw her daughter, and even though she offered up friendly hugs to both of them, she also boasted a critical eye as she looked Ivy up and down.

  “I thought you were going to take a few inches off your hair,” she announced by way of greeting.

  Jack immediately started shaking his head. “There’s nothing wrong with her hair. I like it the way it is.”

  Luna graced him with a smile, but it didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “That’s sweet. This isn’t about you, though.”

  “Oh, well ....” Jack made a face before plopping down in the seat next to Max. “I guess I’ll just sit here with the other testosterone shells and make myself small.”

  Max shot him an amused look, but Luna didn’t as much as flinch.

  “Seriously, Ivy, I’m not saying you have to change your overall look, but a few inches would mean a world of difference. You have no shape to your hair.”

  “Thank you, Mother.” Ivy took her spot between Jack and Michael and immediately grabbed the menu. She was familiar with everything they had to offer but anything was better than dealing with her mother.

  “Ivy—” Luna had every intention of pushing harder but a dark glare from Michael had her rethinking her approach.

  “Leave her alone,” Michael warned when she tilted her head. He was familiar with every expression his wife made and knew no good could come of the one she boasted now. “It’s Ivy’s hair. If she doesn’t want to cut it, she doesn’t have to cut it.”

  “Yeah, Mom,” Max teased. “If you’re so worried about hair, why not cut your own?”

  Luna pinned her only son with a quelling glare. “My hair has shape. Also, I’m not the one getting married. All eyes are going to be Ivy in a few days.”

  Because that was the thing that bothered her most about the idea of a wedding, Ivy involuntarily shuddered.

  “That’s a good thing, honey,” Jack reassured her, pressing a kiss to the ridge of her ear. “You’re going to be the most beautiful bride in the world. I happen to love your hair, and I’m not just saying that because I didn’t realize you’d done something to your eyebrows.”

  Max and Michael snickered in unison.

  “I heard about that,” Max said. “Your inability to notice little details is going to be a blessing and a curse. For the next few weeks, it’s going to be a total curse. When Ivy stops shaving her legs because she no longer cares about impressing you, it’s going to be a blessing.”

  “You’re going to stop shaving your legs?” Jack focused on Ivy. “Why are you going to do that?”

  “I’m not. Don’t listen to him.” Ivy glared at her brother. “Don’t tell him things like that.”

  “Why?” Max was blasé. “It’s not as if he’s going to tuck his tail between his legs and run at this point. He’s completely under your spell. That’s not going to change if you have hairy legs.”

  “I’m confused where you got this notion about hairy legs,” Amy interjected. “Who told you this?”

  “I know things.” Max winked at her. “When a woman is completely comfortable with a man, she slows down the body maintenance. Don’t worry,” he reassured her quickly when her eyes narrowed. “A strong man is fine with hairy legs.”

  “Uh-huh.” Amy’s eye roll was pronounced. “It’s probably best if you stop talking now. You have no idea what you’re going on about.”

  “I don’t understand why people have hairy legs,” JJ offered. “I mean ... we’re not animals. Why do our legs get hairy at all?”

  “Because we evolved from monkeys,” Max replied. “Have you ever seen a monkey with bare legs?”

  “No.” JJ sent an inquiring look toward his mother. “Did we really evolve from monkeys?”

  “Yes.” Amy bobbed her head. “You’ll learn about it in science class as you get older. I might even be able to come up with some books now if you’re interested.”

  “But ... I don’t understand.” JJ’s forehead wrinkled in concentration. “If we’re from monkeys, why aren’t we monkeys?”

  “Take a better look at Max,” Jack volunteered. “He looks and smells like a monkey to me.”

  “Ha, ha.” Max stuck out his tongue. “If I’m a monkey, I’m the handsomest monkey the world has ever seen.”

  “Just like Curious George,” Ivy agreed.

  JJ’s eyes went wide. “I loved those books.”

  “So did Max,” Ivy replied. “You guys have a lot in common.”

  “Yeah,” JJ agreed. “He’s much nicer than my dad ever was. In fact, I wish he could be my dad.”

  There was something wheedling about the look JJ shot Max, although Ivy couldn’t put her finger on what. Before she could ask the obvious question, Amy took control of the conversation.

  “We’ve talked about this,” she admonished her son, her tone grave. “Your father had issues. He was still your father and you can’t change that.”

  “No, but Max could become my new dad.”

  That’s when the pieces fell into place for Ivy. “I take it JJ has some definitive ideas about how he sees this going,” she said.

  “Yeah.” Amy didn’t look thrilled with the topic, but she was nothing if not pragmatic. She always told her son the truth, even when it wasn’t altogether comfortable. “He’s been asking questions about your wedding. I didn’t think much of it when I answered them. Then he dropped the bomb on us about a week ago and asked when we were getting married.”

  “It’s not easy to explain things to a kid,” Max added, shifting in his chair, his discomfort obvious.

  “It’s a perfectly reasonable question,” Luna countered. “I don’t see why you can’t just give him what he wants.”

  “Oh, geez.” Max slapped his hand to his forehead. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

  “Well, believe it.” Ivy’s grin was mischievous. “In a few days, Mom is going to stop focusing on us and start focusing on you. I’m really looking forward to it, too.”

  “Oh, don’t kid yourself.” Max was having none of that. “Once the wedding is over, Mom is going to start harping on you for grandchildren. She won’t be able to help herself. It won’t matter if you and Jack are ready or not. All that will matter is that Grandma Luna will want a baby to fuss over.”

  Luna reached around Amy and lightly cuffed the back of Max’s head. “Don’t cause trouble.”

  “Ow.” Max shot his mother a wounded look. “Why are you abusing me? I’m supposed to be your favorite.”

  “A favorite child would never cast aspersions on his mother,” Luna argued. “I have no inclination to pressure Ivy and Jack for children. They’ll have them when they’re ready.”

  Ivy found herself awash in a shower of gratefulness. “Thank you, Mom.”

  “It’s always healthy to have a year or two of just you before you add children to the mix,” Luna explained. “Your father and I only had three months before we found out Max was on the way and look how that turned out.”

  Max’s gaze was dark when it locked with Ivy’s happy stare. “I don’t understand how this conversation got so far away from me.”

  “I think it’s karma,” Ivy chortled, dancing in her chair.

  “Also, when a baby arrives, I will not be referred to as grandma or grandmother.”

  Ivy’s interest was officially piqued. “Oh, yeah? What do you want to be called?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that.” Luna’s smile was serene. “How does Darling sound?”

  Ivy didn’t immediately respond — she couldn’t — and she looked to Jack for answers.

  “Don’t even,” Jack warned. “She’s your mother. When my mother does goofy stuff like this — and I guarantee she’s going to have a problem being called grandma too — I’ll be the one handling the problem. When it’s yo
ur mother, it’s your problem.”

  “I don’t remember that being the rule,” Ivy groused.

  “I think Darling is a wonderful term of endearment,” Luna insisted. “It also doesn’t have a negative connotation with age.”

  “Oh, sure.” Ivy bobbed her head. “We can’t have a negative connotation with age or anything.”

  “Absolutely not,” Max agreed, snark on full display. “What would the neighbors think?”

  “I’m fine with being called Grandpa,” Michael announced, dropping his menu on the table. “I’m looking forward to it. In fact, you can call me Grandpa, JJ. I want to try it on for size.”

  Rather than readily agree, JJ studied Michael for a few beats and then shook his head. “You’re more of a Gramps.”

  “I’m fine with that, too.”

  “Really?” JJ looked so thrilled at the prospect, it pinched Ivy’s heart. “I can really call you that?”

  “Of course.” Michael nodded, not missing a beat. “You’re a part of this family. I want you to think of me as your grandfather.”

  JJ risked a glance at his mother, almost as if he was convinced she would somehow take this wonderful gift away from him. Her smile said otherwise, though. “Can I?” JJ asked in a tremulous voice.

  “Of course,” Amy reassured him. “He wants it. You obviously want it, too. I’m fine with it.”

  “And you can call me Darling,” Luna offered to JJ on a whimsical smile.

  “Yeah, I can’t call you that.” JJ was sheepish. “The other kids will make fun of me.”

  “Totally,” Max agreed. “There’s no way she’s going to get the Darling thing to work. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Oh, I’m going to be Darling,” Luna warned. “The first kid who calls me Grandma is going to be written out of the will.”

  The table lapsed into comfortable silence after that, and Ivy waited until everybody was distracted to lean around Jack and draw her brother’s attention.

  “Did JJ put the idea of proposing into your head?” she whispered.

  Max openly gaped at her, looking around to make sure nobody was listening before he replied. “Jack has a big mouth.”

  “Jack is right here,” Jack muttered, although he didn’t swivel and draw attention to the clandestine conversation.