Wicked Respite Page 4

  “Right.” Max rubbed his forehead, his eyes cloudy. “How long was it before you guys were confiding in one another?”

  “Oh, well … .” Ivy turned to Jack, uncertain. “How long would you say it was?”

  “We started talking right from the start,” Jack volunteered. “We didn’t talk about the big things obviously. That didn’t start occurring until we started sharing dreams. We talked about our families and the other stuff fairly quickly, though.”

  “It was a couple of days before Jack told me about being shot,” Ivy volunteered. “He only told me because of the poison ivy, though, and the fact that he had to take his shirt off so I saw his chest.”

  “And it was several days before your sister started confiding in me that she was afraid,” Jack added. “By then I was already determined to keep her safe forever.”

  “See, I want to keep Amy safe forever,” Max noted. “I already feel that. She opens up sometimes and then seems to catch herself. I don’t know how to explain it. Something just feels off.”

  “Probably because you’re so desperate for things to work out,” Ivy volunteered. “I know how that goes. I felt that way when Jack and I first hooked up. When he took off after I was shot … well … it was like every doubt I ever had took me over. You’re probably feeling the same way.”

  “I’m so glad that was brought up again,” Jack muttered, earning a grin from Ivy.

  “Don’t worry.” She patted his cheek. “I know without a shadow of a doubt you would never leave me again. You didn’t even really leave me the first time. You just freaked out for twenty-four hours and then slapped yourself back together and became the best boyfriend a woman could ever hope for. I know that you’re going to be a wonderful husband, too.”

  “Aw.” Jack grinned at her and lowered his mouth to offer a sweet kiss. “I can’t believe I got so lucky when I found you.”

  “Oh, gag me.” Max rolled to his knees to crawl out of the tent. “You guys are absolutely no help. I came in here for real advice, not to watch you bounce off each other like rabbits. Good grief. You guys are sick.”

  Ivy squeezed Jack’s hand as she called out to Max. “Just sit down and ask her questions, Max. Ask about high school … and her favorite movies … and what she likes to eat. All the things you like to talk about are probably the same things she likes to talk about. You just have to be patient because she does seem to be the nervous sort. She won’t tell you to stop talking about yourself even though everyone would be happiest if you did.”

  “Ha, ha, ha.” Max rolled his eyes as he slipped through the opening. “I guess your lame advice is better than no advice.”

  “Here’s more advice,” Jack called out. “If you come in here again, I’m going to beat you up. I don’t care if you’re going to be my brother-in-law or not.”

  “I will take you down with my Jiu-Jitsu.” Max struck a hilarious pose. “On a different note … thanks for listening. I’m sorry I took over your camping trip. I promise this won’t become a regular thing.”

  “That would be a nice change of pace,” Jack agreed, waiting until Max closed the zipper to ask the obvious question. “He’s crazy for her, isn’t he?”

  Ivy nodded as she reached for the canvas flap that covered the tent window. When she yanked it down, she found Max already crossing to the trail that led down to the water spigot and bathrooms. Amy was halfway back, standing in the middle of the trail and staring at … something. Ivy had trouble making out what had caught the woman’s attention.

  “What’s she looking at?”

  “Hmm.” Jack’s lips were busy on her neck and it took every ounce of strength he had to pull his attention away from the love of his life. It took him a moment to find Amy in the open expanse, and when he did, he merely shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s a guy over yonder putting up his own tent. I think he asked her a question … or maybe he was hitting on her or something. Max will take care of it.”

  “I guess.” Ivy stared a moment longer. The way Amy was looking at the man made her distinctly uncomfortable. “Maybe they know each other.”

  “Maybe.” Jack moved his lips to the corner of her mouth. “Shut that thing and focus on me. I have something I want to show you.”

  Despite herself, Ivy couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “That old thing? I’ve seen it a million times.”

  “I’ve made some improvements.”

  “Oh, really? Perhaps one more time wouldn’t hurt.”

  “That’s exactly what I hoped you would say.”

  Four

  Ivy was a good cook … in her own kitchen. Cooking over an open fire was another matter and it didn’t help that Max kept sticking his nose in as she attempted to grill hamburgers on the new skillet Jack had purchased for the trip.

  “You’re making them too thick,” Max complained as he studied the three patties on the metal contraption. “And what is that?” He gestured toward a third item and made a disgusted face. “Did you drop that one on the ground already? That’s the one you’re going to feed me, isn’t it?”

  Amy stood next to the picnic table mixing the pasta salad Ivy made at home and watched the banter with overt amusement.

  “That’s mine,” Ivy snapped, her eyes lighting with annoyance. “It’s a soy burger.”

  “Ugh.” Max made a disgusted face and shifted his eyes to Jack, who was transferring beer cans into the beverage cooler. “She brought a soy burger to the woods. How can you live with her when she does stuff like that?”

  Jack’s fingers were chilly and wet from being in the ice and he transferred them to Ivy’s hip, causing her to jump as he chuckled. “I happen to be impressed with the fact that she’s a vegetarian. She’s dedicated to a belief system … and I’m proud of her for sticking to it. Don’t give her grief.”

  Ivy slid her eyes to Jack in appreciation. “Thank you, honey.”

  “No, thank you, honey.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth, causing Max to mime vomiting as he moved away from his sister.

  “I keep thinking you guys are going to stop being so sappy, but I guess that’s not happening until after the wedding, huh?”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “We’re going to be sappy for the rest of our lives.”

  “We are,” Ivy agreed, nudging Jack back in case he decided he really did want to wrestle her brother to the ground. Max’s insistence upon joining their camping trip remained a major annoyance and even though she was working overtime to smooth the edges of Jack’s frazzled nerves, it wasn’t an easy task. “You should be glad you weren’t in the truck with us for the ride up. We spent half the time talking about future children.”

  “Really?” Rather than being annoyed, Max looked intrigued. “How many kids are we talking about here? I picture you guys with five of them … and they’re all just as annoying as Ivy.”

  “If I had five more Ivys I would be a happy man,” Jack shot back. “It’s little Maxes we are terrified of getting.”

  Ivy heaved out a sigh and held out her hands. “Knock it off. I don’t like that you guys are at each other’s throats.” In a moment of desperation, she focused on Amy. “What about you? Do you want children someday?”

  Amy clearly wasn’t expecting the question because her eyes went wide and half the color drained from her face. “Oh, well, I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I mean … probably one day I will. It’s not a concern for right this second.”

  That was the most she’d said to Ivy in one speech to this point so the pink-haired peacemaker decided to run with it. “But … you’ve probably thought about it a little, right?” she pressed. “Jack and I have been talking about it a lot lately. We both want kids, although we’ve agreed we’d like to wait a year or two.”

  “That’s smart,” Amy offered. “I mean … you guys are just starting out. You should enjoy each other for a few years, get to know one another even better than you do now. A child changes things. Right now, you’re the center of each other’s worlds. If you add in a baby, th
en the infant will be the center of both your worlds. I think you guys will be fine when that happens but not everyone feels the same way.”

  Ivy found the response mildly disconcerting. “Do you speak from experience?”

  “Oh, not mine.” She was firm as she shook her head. “Before I moved to Shadow Lake I was friends with a girl in college. She got married before we graduated from high school and thought it was the greatest thing that ever happened to her. She accidentally got pregnant a few months later and her husband kind of melted down, said he wasn’t ready for that sort of responsibility.

  “He stuck around, which she thought was good at the time, but he resented her for bringing someone into the household who supplanted him from being the center of their world,” she continued. “He turned into a mean guy after that. She didn’t even recognize the monster he became.”

  Ivy opened her mouth but no sound came out. She legitimately had no idea what she was supposed to say. Thankfully, Jack picked that moment to swoop in.

  “That’s a big deal,” he said. “She was young. That had to be frightening. Did he hurt her physically?”

  “Some.”

  “Did she call the police? If she’s still in trouble, I can offer some assistance.”

  “What? Oh, no, this was several years ago and they’re no longer together. Besides, it was in Minnesota and not here. Everything has been handled.”

  “I’m glad for that.” Jack moved his hand to Ivy’s slim back. “How about I handle the burgers and your … soy thing … and you help Amy with the pasta? That way, if there are any complaints about the thickness of the burgers, your brother can take it up with me.”

  Ivy was thrilled with the suggestion. “I think that’s a marvelous idea.” She scorched Max with a dark look before moving over to the table. “I’m glad your friend managed to get away from that situation.”

  “I am, too.” Amy’s smile was small but heartfelt. “So, how many kids do you want? You must have some idea.”

  “Well, we’ve thought about it a lot.” Ivy glanced over her shoulder and met Jack’s steady gaze. “I think we’ll be happy with two. We would prefer a boy and a girl, but I can’t see us being bitterly disappointed if we have two boys or two girls.”

  “I don’t know,” Jack countered. “I want a little you to spoil. If we have two boys, I won’t be disappointed, but I’m still going to want a little girl.”

  “You can always get another cat,” Max suggested. “I’ve often thought Ivy has the personality of a cat. She’s skittish when strangers are around and she likes to keep to herself while constantly glaring at interlopers.”

  Jack shot him a dirty look. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

  “Not even a little.” Max offered him a haughty smirk and reached for the skillet. “I’ll handle grilling duties for the evening, if you don’t mind. It’s not that I don’t trust you but … you’ve never cooked meat over an open flame.”

  “I grill in the backyard all the time.”

  “That’s different.”

  “Jack is doing the grilling,” Ivy interjected, fixing her brother with a pointed look. “Why don’t you help Amy with the pasta salad, huh?”

  “I think that’s probably safest,” Amy agreed, giggling when Max made a face behind his sister’s back. “I think it’s best if you let Jack handle the grilling tonight … since he’s the one who bought the food.”

  “See. Your girlfriend is a wise woman.” Jack slid around Max and headed for the fire. “I have no idea what she’s doing with you, but she’s wise all the same.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Max made a derisive gesture as Jack strolled away. “I never get the respect I deserve. I wonder why that is.”

  “I think it has something to do with your attitude,” Ivy replied. “Now … help. I won’t feed you if you don’t help.”

  “You’ve turned mean since you started dating Jack. You used to be so nice to me. Where did the love go?”

  THE FOOD WASN’T PERFECT, BUT the group was so hungry that it didn’t matter. Everyone inhaled everything on their plates and then set about as a group to clean up.

  “Are there bears up here?” Amy asked nervously as Jack stoked the fire and Max grabbed a bag of marshmallows. “I mean … is that why we have to be so careful putting the food away?”

  “There are bears up here,” Max confirmed. “You don’t need to worry about that, though. They’re not aggressive. As long as we handle food properly, they won’t even come around.”

  “If you do see one, just stay away from any babies you might see,” Ivy suggested, opening one of the bags on the table and coming back with graham crackers and chocolate bars. “I think we have everything for s’mores. Where are the marshmallow roasting things?”

  “They’re stacked on the end of the table,” Jack replied, his eyes lifting to the sky. “It got dark quick. I didn’t even think about the lack of light since we’re not by an illuminated highway. We should probably get those lanterns we bought and light them up.”

  “I’ll get them,” Max offered. “Where are they?”

  “I think they’re still in the back of the truck,” Ivy replied after a moment’s consideration. “I don’t remember grabbing them.”

  “I’ve got the kerosene here,” Jack offered. “We just forgot the lanterns.”

  “I’ll get them.” Max pressed a kiss to Amy’s cheek as she slid the pasta salad into the cooler. He took a moment to whisper something to her that caused a small giggle to escape.

  From across the table, Ivy watched the interaction with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. She’d often wondered what would happen to Max if he never settled down. In her head, she pictured him turning into a fifty-year-old gigolo with a plunging neckline, more gold-nugget jewelry than any one person should own, and a penchant for hitting on barely-legal girls. The fact that he seemed so enamored of Amy, a normal girl who was a few years younger but still age-appropriate, was a relief. Unfortunately, Ivy wasn’t sure how she felt about Amy. The woman wasn’t exactly outgoing, and Ivy couldn’t help but wonder if Max would grow tired of constantly trying to draw her out of her shell and go back to his old ways.

  “What are you thinking?” Jack asked, keeping his voice low as his breath tickled against her ear. “Are you wondering if we can steal all the s’mores ingredients and mess with your brother, too?”

  Ivy snorted and shook her head. “No, I was just … thinking.” She flashed a smile for Amy’s benefit. “Tell me about yourself,” she prodded. “I know you grew up in Minnesota and graduated from a high school there, but I don’t know anything else about you.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “I don’t know. Um … Max mentioned your parents died in a car accident.”

  “Yes, a few years ago.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I am, too,” Jack added. “That must have been rough on you. I lost my father years ago, but it still hurts when I think about him. It must have been ridiculously difficult for you to lose both parents at the same time. Do you have any siblings you keep in contact with?”

  “I’m an only child,” Amy replied. “My parents had me late in life. They’d essentially given up having children. I enjoyed being an only child, though. They both doted on me.”

  Ivy felt a rush of sadness for the woman. “What about aunts and uncles? I know I would be devastated to lose my parents, but I’m especially close with my aunt Felicity. She’s almost like a third parent.”

  “No. I don’t have any aunts or uncles either. Er, I guess I have a distant aunt on my mother’s side, but I don’t know her. My grandparents died before I was born. It’s just me.”

  Ivy swallowed hard. Even though there was something off about the woman – she was convinced of that – she hated to think of her feeling alone. “You have us as family now,” she offered. “It’s not just you any longer.”

  The look of profound gratitude Amy shot Ivy had her re-thinking he
r earlier opinion. There was every chance that Amy was simply shy, something that Ivy wasn’t familiar with so she didn’t understand how to grapple with the emotion.

  “I think I’m going to take a bucket down to the spigot to get some water,” Amy offered. “I won’t be gone long, but I thought we might want it for cleaning up after eating the s’mores.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Ivy agreed. “You should wait for a lantern, though, just to be on the safe side.”

  “Oh, that’s okay.” Amy waved off the suggestion. “I’ve been down there twice. I won’t be gone long. Tell Max where I went, okay?”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  Jack continued to rub his hand over Ivy’s back until he was certain Amy was out of earshot. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Max hadn’t returned and then asked the obvious question. “What do you think?”

  Ivy held her hands out and shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel sorry for her. I don’t dislike her. She’s just really closed off.”

  “Yeah. I think she’s just nervous. Give her time to warm up. Hanging out with you and Max is daunting to some people. I know I felt a little weird the first few times we were together as a group.”

  “You did?” That was a surprise to Ivy. “You never showed it.”

  “That’s because I’m macho.”

  She snickered. “Good to know. Do you want to help me take the s’mores ingredients to the fire and get comfortable while we’re waiting for Max and Amy? If you’re a good boy, we can sit on the ground and have two blankets – one for the top and one for under our bottoms – so no one will be able to see your wandering hands.”

  “You had me at s’mores.”

  “Somehow I knew that.”

  IVY AND JACK WERE ELBOW DEEP in s’mores when Max finally returned with the lanterns.

  “They were buried under a tarp,” he complained, dropping them on the ground next to the blanket Ivy and Jack shared. “They shouldn’t have been that hard to find.”