Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3 (40 page)

“You look a little tired this morning, daughter. Were you out playing with your new boyfriend last night? Do I need to have a talk with him regarding your beauty sleep?”

Michael Morgan didn’t bother trying to hide his smile the next morning as Ivy greeted him at the nursery gate with a scowl.

“Ha, ha,” Ivy said, rolling her eyes. “You leave Jack alone. He had a rough night.”

“Oh, that’s always what a father wants to hear before his morning coffee,” Michael said, accepting the thermos Ivy shoved in his direction. “Did you two finally give in and embrace temptation?”

“Dad!”

Michael chuckled. He was used to his daughter’s moods. She embarrassed easily – especially where he was concerned – and he enjoyed pushing the envelope. He liked to keep her on her toes. “I was just asking out of parental curiosity,” Michael said, flipping the top off the thermos and inhaling the rich scent with an appreciative groan. “You make a mean cup of coffee.”

“If you weren’t my father, I would fire you,” Ivy warned.

“If you weren’t my daughter I would … .” Michael squeezed Ivy’s cheek and gave it a good jiggle. “You’re so cute. Other than the circles under your eyes, I would say whatever you and Jack did last night was good for you.”

“I am not talking with you about that,” Ivy said, wagging a finger for emphasis. “That’s none of your business.”

“It must’ve been good then.”

Ivy inhaled heavily through her nose to calm herself. “If you must know, we had a lovely dinner in Bellaire,” she said. “Then, as we were taking a walk for ice cream after, we heard shots. We found a policeman dead on the street.”

Michael stilled, surprised. “I … are you making that up to get back at me for prying into your personal business?”

Ivy shook her head.

“Oh, Ivy,” Michael said, brushing his daughter’s hair away from her face so he could take in her weary demeanor with a fresh set of eyes. “I’m so sorry. That must’ve put a real damper on your date.”

“You could say that,” Ivy replied dryly. “Jack was … shaken up. We had to answer questions from the police for a few hours. As you can imagine, our night didn’t exactly end on a romantic note.”

“That must’ve been terrible for Jack,” Michael mused. “After the way he was shot … .” Michael broke off, realizing what he said when it was too late to haul the words back into his mouth.

Ivy slitted her eyes. “Who told you about that?”

“I … .”

“It was Max, wasn’t it?” Ivy charged. “I’m going to … .” She broke off, miming strangling someone.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Michael wanted to laugh at the display. He wisely thought better of it. “Your brother may have let what happened to Jack slip,” he conceded. “We both know he has your best interests at heart, though. You might want to give him a pass on this one.”

“Why would I possibly give him a pass?” Ivy was incensed. Her brother only knew about Jack’s ordeal because the police officer bravely related the story to a local runaway trying to come back from her own tragic situation. “That was not Max’s story to spread around.”

“He didn’t tell anyone but your mother and me,” Michael said, his voice even as he tried to rein in Ivy’s notorious temper. “He would never tell anyone else. He told us because we’re family.”

“He told you because he’s a gossip,” Ivy countered.

“That, too,” Michael conceded. “Ivy, there was no harm in Max telling us what happened to Jack. We knew he went through something in Detroit, even if you were keeping it to yourself. No one is every going to bring it up to him. I promise.”

“They had better not,” Ivy hissed. “If anyone makes Jack uncomfortable about that I’ll … . Max better sleep with one eye open. I’m not joking.”

Michael wordlessly watched his daughter stalk away, pointed in the direction of the greenhouse, and internally cringed. Now probably wasn’t the time to tell her that Max was on his way for a visit. That would be much better as a surprise – especially when he was fairly certain she was in the mood to kill the messenger.

“HEY,
baby sister,” Max said, poking his head into the greenhouse a half hour later, a leery expression on his face. “You look absolutely beautiful this morning. That pink in your skirt really sets off your … hair.”

Ivy scowled. “Max, I am not in the mood to see you right now,” she said, viciously hacking away at a potato plant she was trying to split up and move to separate pots. “I’m going to do this to you if you bug me.”

Max sighed. He loved his sister, but she was prone to dramatic fits. “I heard you had a rough night last night,” he said, moving farther into the greenhouse but keeping some distance between his sister and himself. “I’m sorry that happened. I know you and Jack were looking forward to your first date.”

Ivy made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “I am so mad at you!”

Max groaned. “Ivy, I didn’t mean to blab Jack’s secret to Mom and Dad,” he said, plopping down on the floor and keeping his gaze locked on Ivy’s small shovel in case she decided to use it as a weapon. “I kind of forgot they didn’t know and I brought it up a few days ago. They were cool with it.”

Ivy stilled, clutching the shovel tighter. “Why wouldn’t they be cool with it? It’s not Jack’s fault his partner was doing terrible things and shot him and left him to die in the street.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Max said hurriedly. “You know that’s not what I meant. It’s just … that’s a lot of baggage for one man to carry around. He almost died.”

“He didn’t die, though,” Ivy said, tugging on her limited patience. “You shouldn’t have told anyone what he said. You promised you wouldn’t.”

“Hey! You’re still my sister,” Max argued. “I’m allowed to look out for you. I like Jack. I think he’s a stand-up guy. On top of that I think he’s about the only one who can put up with your attitude.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you two are going to have to work together to move past that,” he continued. “Jack is … scarred … from what happened. He needs time to work through it.”

“Oh, well, I’m so glad that you know how to handle my relationship better than me,” Ivy deadpanned. “What would I ever do without you?”

“You would cry without me,” Max shot back. “I know you’re upset about what happened last night, but … that’s not my fault. I’m sorry I told Mom and Dad. That was your place. They were just … going on and on about how they thought you and Jack would be married by Christmas at the rate you were going. I wanted them to rein in their expectations.”

Ivy was dumbfounded. “Married by Christmas? Are they crazy? We just started dating.”

Max was relieved his sister’s ire appeared to be shifting. “Anyone who has been in the same room with you and Jack knows that you two are so hot for each other that you’re ready to start the bed on fire.”

Ivy glared at him. “That doesn’t mean we’re getting married.”

“I’m glad you at least admit you’re hot for him,” Max said, chuckling. “Before now you were denying it every chance you got. Now you two can be hot to trot out in the open.”

“Max … you need to stay out of this,” Ivy said, her voice petulant but yielding. “Jack watched someone die on the pavement last night. It was a cop. He can’t help but liken that situation to his own. We’re not going to be … starting the mattress on fire … anytime soon.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Max said. “Just because something horrible happened, that doesn’t mean he’s not ready to move forward.”

“What if he’s not?”

Max stilled. “What do you mean?”

“I’m so worried, Max,” Ivy admitted, hacking at the potato plant again. “I just know he’s going to break my heart.”

Max sighed and reached for the shovel, wrestling it away from Ivy before she could kill the innocent plant. “There’s no need to take it out on the potato plant,” he chided. “It’s okay to be worried. When you have feelings for someone, you can’t help but fear the worst.

“The thing you have to realize is that Jack has those same feelings for you,” he continued. “I know you don’t want to see them because … well, you’re you … but he does have them. He didn’t want a relationship and yet he can’t stay away from you. That’s chemistry, in case you’re wondering.”

“Chemistry doesn’t heal his wounds,” Ivy challenged. “What if he changes his mind and decides he doesn’t like me?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Max said. “He knows he likes you. We’ve talked about it. He’s giving up that fight. He wants you and he doesn’t care who knows it. I would worry more about dreams tearing him apart. He’s bound to have nightmares because of this.”

“I can handle his dreams,” Ivy muttered. “I redirected them to a beach last night.”

Max ran his tongue over his teeth, conflicted. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard about the dream walking, although he was still stymied by the mere idea of it. “Are you two really sharing dreams?”

“I … .” Ivy was caught. Talking about the dreams with Jack – the man sharing them with her – was one thing. Admitting to her brother that something magically wonky was happening was an entirely different story.

“You can tell me,” Max prodded. “I won’t tell anyone.”

Ivy made an exasperated face.

“I really won’t tell anyone this time,” Max promised. “I’m just … trying to understand. How are you guys sharing lucid dreams?”

“They’re not entirely lucid,” Ivy replied. “I mean … we know we’re in dreams when it’s happening. We didn’t realize we were sharing them at first.”

“What do you do in these dreams? If it’s something dirty, don’t tell me. I’ll be the one with nightmares if you do that.”

Ivy reached over and pinched Max’s knee. “You’re so gross!”

“Ow!” Max jerked his leg out of Ivy’s reach. “I’m going to wrestle you down and rub your face in my armpit for old time’s sake if you do that again. I’m warning you.”

Ivy groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose to ward off an oncoming headache. “At first they were just … regular dreams. We took walks in the woods. We looked up at the moon. It was so easy to talk to him when I thought it wasn’t really happening.”

Max clucked sympathetically. “In other words you let your guard down and him in when you thought it wasn’t real,” he surmised. “He did the same thing. You two got to know each other for real when you thought it was just your imagination running wild. Have you ever considered there might be some design in that?”

Ivy knit her eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe you and Jack are destined to be together,” Max suggested. “Maybe your subconscious minds did what your awake ones couldn’t and brought you together.”

“Maybe,” Ivy conceded. “I’m not sure that’s true, though. Jack started calling me into his nightmares about the shooting. He relived it over and over again. He didn’t want me there.”

“He might not have wanted you there, but he needed you there.”

“But … .”

Max shook his head. “Jack needed you to help him work through it and somehow you knew to go to him,” he said. “That sounds a little magical to me … like destiny.”

“When did you become such a romantic?”

“When I saw you and Jack together,” Max replied, unruffled. “I saw a different sort of magic there. Why aren’t you with him now?”

“I … why would I be with him now? He’s at work.”

“He’s also struggling because seeing that cop dead on the street caused his worst memories to resurface,” Max pointed out. “You might have chased the dreams away last night, but he’s still living with uncertainty today.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that … maybe you should follow your instincts and go to him instead of attacking that poor plant and me.”

Ivy rolled her eyes, although something in her brother’s words prodded her to realize he might have a point. “Do you really think he needs me?”

“I really think you two need each other,” Max clarified. “Jack isn’t the only one struggling right now. You’ve tied yourself up into knots because you’re worried about him. Maybe seeing him in the light of day will help both of you.”

“Hmm.”

Max smiled as he pushed himself to his feet and dropped a quick kiss on the top of Ivy’s head. “Tell Jack I said hi when you see him.”

“I’m still going to kill you,” Ivy threatened.

“My armpit is waiting with bated breath for your attempt.”

“What are you doing here?”

The words came out harsher than Jack intended, but seeing Ivy’s beautiful face waiting for him when he left the Shadow Lake Police Station for lunch threw him for a loop.

Ivy scowled. “Well, hello to you, too.”

Jack’s expression softened. “Hello, honey.” He moved closer to her, internally sighing as the sun glinted off the metallic pink accents of her skirt. When he first saw the ankle-length skirts she was prone to wearing, he felt like laughing. She had a certain Bohemian flare. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about what was underneath them. “You look pretty today.”

Ivy refused to relinquish her annoyance. “Are you insinuating I don’t look pretty every day?”

Jack chuckled. “You look beautiful no matter what day it is,” he conceded. “I’m sorry I didn’t greet you with applause when I first saw you. I was just … surprised.”

Jack’s expression was enough for Ivy to cede her agitation. “I’m the one who should be sorry. You’re at work. I shouldn’t have come down here. I just thought … .”

Things were so much easier to express verbally in their dreams.

“I’m always happy to see you, Ivy,” Jack prodded. “Did you come down here to have lunch with me? That would be a nice treat.”

“Well … .” Ivy bit her lip. “I might have packed a picnic for us so we could have lunch just the two of us.”

Jack stilled, surprised. “Really?”

“Oh, it was a stupid idea. Forget it.” Ivy turned to leave, but Jack grabbed her arm and spun her back. “What?” Ivy was flustered.

“I know this whole dating thing is new for both of us, but I’m pretty sure it’s not proper etiquette to show up at a man’s place of business, offer him a picnic, and then take it back before he has a chance to answer.”

“Fine,” Ivy said, sighing dramatically. “Do you want to have a picnic with me?”

Jack smiled. It was the first real one he’d been able to muster all day. “That sounds like the best offer I’ve had since … forever.”

Ivy’s expression softened as her cheeks reddened. “I … .”

“You’re beautiful every moment of every day, but when you’re speechless you’re exquisite,” Jack teased, grabbing her hand. “Take me to this picnic.”

“HAVE
you found anything out about last night?” Ivy asked, handing Jack a sandwich. There was no sense in beating around the bush. They were going to have to talk about what happened eventually. It was better to get it out in the open now.

Jack flipped open the bread and studied the meat between the slices, ignoring the question. “Is this real roast beef, or am I going to have to get my ‘this is good’ face ready for some fake vegetarian soy product?”

Ivy pursed her lips. “Why don’t you taste it and tell me?”

“Oh, you’re so cute I can’t stand it,” Jack said. “I still need to know before I bite into this. I might be allergic to whatever this is made of.”

Ivy faltered. “Are you allergic to food?”

“It depends on whether this is horrible or not.”

Ivy rolled her neck until it cracked. “It’s real roast beef,” she said. “I made a special trip to the deli to get it. I also bought fresh Swiss cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. I was going to put onions on it, because I happen to like onions on a sandwich, but I didn’t want to do that in case I decided to kiss you.”

Jack smirked. “That was a good answer.” He took a huge bite of the sandwich. “Good girl!”

“It seems I should’ve gone with my first instinct and put onions on it,” Ivy muttered.

Jack grabbed her chin and pointed it in his direction so he could kiss her, taking Ivy by surprise. Instead of pulling away, though, she sank into it and only reluctantly separated from him when he dropped his hand.

“I’m impressed with your sandwich-making abilities, honey,” Jack said, using a napkin to wipe the mustard from the side of his mouth. “I’m even more impressed because it must’ve killed you to buy meat. I’m sorry.”

“I buy lunchmeat for Max every week,” Ivy countered.

“Why?”

“Because he shows up at my house for at least three meals and if I don’t I have to listen to him do half-hour diatribes about sprouts.”

Jack chuckled. “That sounds about right,” he said, poking through the basket. “What else is in here?”

“I made homemade potato salad with dill, chocolate chip cookies, and I bought a bag of potato chips because I don’t know how to make those.”

“You sure know the way to my heart,” Jack said, reaching for the potato salad. “Not that I’m complaining – and I’m definitely not so don’t turn this question into some big drama in your head – but what brought on the picnic?”

“Um … the truth?”

“I would prefer you not lie to me.”

“Max stopped by and we were talking and he … um … might’ve suggested that I was in a foul mood because I was worried you were in a foul mood,” Ivy admitted. “He thought I would feel better if I saw you. I thought if I stopped by with a picnic it would be an excuse to see you without looking really pathetic. I think I might have failed on that front.”

Jack chuckled. “You don’t need an excuse to see me,” he said. “You can come and see me whenever you want. In fact, I encourage it.”

The tension squeezing Ivy’s heart diminished. “Really?”

“Oh, I wish you weren’t so worried about stuff like this,” Jack grumbled. “Ivy, I want to spend time with you. I’m sorry about last night. That was not how I saw our date ending.”

“I don’t blame you for what happened last night, Jack,” Ivy said. “Stop thinking that.”

“I won’t stop thinking that until you stop thinking that I don’t want you bringing me food.” Jack’s grin was wolfish. “I happen to love food. You bringing it to me is an added bonus.”

Despite herself, Ivy laughed. “We’re quite the pair,” she said. “I think we’re both a little neurotic.”

“We are,” Jack agreed, squeezing her knee before turning his attention back to the potato salad. “You really went all out. Are there onions in the potato salad?”

Ivy nodded. “Sorry. I forgot about that.”

“It’s okay,” Jack replied. “I just need to do this before I eat it.” He slammed his mouth into hers again, taking her breath away with the kiss.

“Wow.” Ivy checked to make sure her top was still on when Jack pulled away. “That was … I think I lost my sandwich.”

Jack chuckled. “You can have some of mine if you’re good.”

They spent the next few minutes eating in amiable silence, Jack packing up their garbage and securing it in the picnic basket before patting the spot on the blanket between his legs. “Come sit with me.”

Ivy glanced around. They were the only people in the park next to the police station, but it wasn’t exactly a private location. “Aren’t you worried people will talk?”

“Are you worried people will talk?”

“People always talk about me,” Ivy replied. “I don’t mind the gossip. I’m worried it will wear you down, though.”

“Yes, you’re quite the worrier,” Jack said, reaching for Ivy and tugging her closer. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist after getting her settled and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I don’t care what any of these people think about you, honey. I know who you are. I like who you are.”

“You’re only saying that now because you find me exotic,” Ivy argued. “What happens when people start gossiping about you?”

“I don’t know what town you’ve been living in, but Shadow Lake has been gossiping about me since I got here,” Jack replied. “Everyone is desperate to know why I left Detroit to move here. Adding you to the mix merely makes me more exotic.”

“Speaking of that … .” Ivy swallowed hard. “I found out today that Max told my mom and dad what happened to you. I’m so sorry. I … .”

“Shh.”

“Did you just shush me?”

Jack chuckled, the warm sound vibrating against Ivy’s back. “I figured Max would tell your parents,” he said. “It’s not really a secret. I’m not hiding what happened from everyone. I simply don’t want to talk about it with anyone but you.”

“Are you sure you’re not mad?”

“I’m sure,” Jack said, brushing his lips against Ivy’s cheek. “Are you sure you’re not crazy?”

“I might be crazy,” Ivy conceded. “I had an absolute meltdown when my father told me that Max spilled the beans. Then I threatened Max with a tiny shovel.”

Jack grinned. “What did Max do?”

“He told me he was going to rub my face in his armpit if I even considered going after him.”

“Ah, it’s good to see the classics survive every generation,” Jack said. “Anyone with a sister is familiar with the armpit trick.”

“Did you do that to your sister?”

“I did.”

“Then you’re a butthead, too.”

Jack couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “You’re the one thing in this world that always makes me feel better. Do you know that?”

“I do now,” Ivy said, lowering her voice. “I … thank you.”

“That’s a weird reaction, but I’ll take it,” Jack said, kissing her cheek again. “Go ahead and ask your question.”

Ivy wrinkled her nose, puzzled. “What question?”

“You asked about Mark Dalton when we first sat down,” Jack prodded. “I didn’t answer because I wasn’t ready. I’m ready now.”

“Did you learn anything else today?”

“I called over there, but Officer Ellis doesn’t seem keen on sharing information.”

“He always was a tool,” Ivy muttered. “Talk to Brian. He might know someone over there.”

Brian Nixon was Jack’s partner. He knew everyone in Shadow Lake – and his wife was the town’s biggest gossip – but he was popular in neighboring communities, too.

“I’m not sure I want to do that,” Jack admitted. “I’m thinking it might be better for me – better for us even – if I let it go.”

Sympathy washed over Ivy. “I know you don’t want to dwell on it because of what happened, but I think pretending we didn’t witness this is going to eat you alive,” she said. “Maybe if you keep up on the investigation you’ll feel better when it’s solved.”

“That’s … a weird way to look at it.”

“Nothing is going to bring Mark Dalton back, just like nothing is going to change history and make it so you weren’t shot,” Ivy said, her pragmatic side taking over. “You might find … solace … in Mark’s killer being caught. That might help you in ways you can’t even fathom.”

“You have a poetic soul, honey,” Jack said, nuzzling Ivy’s neck. “I need to think about it, though. I … you understand that, right?”

Ivy nodded. “You’re a thinker,” she said. “I’m a worrier and you’re a thinker.”

“You’re also a doer,” Jack pointed out. “You would’ve been on the phone with eight different people in the Bellaire Police Department until someone answered your questions. I made one call and then stewed about it for three hours.”

“I think that’s because you’re a brooder.”

“A brooder?” Jack cocked a challenging eyebrow. “What’s a brooder?”

“You like to brood because you think it makes you sexy.”

“Are you saying you think I’m sexy? I’m pretty sure I already knew that.”

Ivy elbowed him playfully. “I’m saying that … you need to do this in your own time. I can’t force you to do it in my time. It’s okay to be wary and think things over. I like that about you. You don’t jump into things without giving it a lot of thought.”

“If you like that about me, why are you still worried I’m going to break your heart?”

Jack’s question caught Ivy by surprise. “Because … for the first time in forever … someone actually has the power to break my heart.”

“Honey, I’m going to do my absolute best to keep your heart – and the rest of you – intact,” Jack said. “I would never purposely hurt you. Please tell me you know that.”

“I do know that,” Ivy said. “I just can’t help but worry that you’ll push me away in some lame-brained male attempt to protect me down the road.”

This time Jack’s laughter was almost raucous. “I’ll try not to be lame-brained.”

“Good.”

Jack pressed his lips to Ivy’s cheek once more for good measure and then sighed. “I don’t want this to end, but I have to get back to work.”

“I know. I do, too. I … do you want to come over for dinner?”

Jack’s heart jumped. He had a feeling she was suggesting something else, or maybe that was merely wishful thinking. “I would love to have dinner with you.”

“Do you have any special requests?”

“I’ll eat whatever you serve, honey.” Jack pushed Ivy to her feet, climbing to a standing position and lowering his mouth to hers for a proper kiss. “You make me feel better just by showing up. It’s pretty impressive.”

“You make me feel better, too.”

Jack pressed another soft kiss to Ivy’s lips before taking a step back. “Is it getting hot out here, or is it just me?”

“It’s not just you,” Ivy said, chuckling as she leaned over to gather the picnic basket. “In fact … .”

She didn’t get a chance to finish what she was saying, the sound of a gunshot echoing through the park at the same moment severe pain slammed through her shoulder. The force of the bullet spun her, toppling her to the ground as Jack’s anguished scream filled the air.