Ivy was angry. There was no getting around it. Jack promised he would never purposely hurt her in one breath and walked away with the next. She expected it from the beginning. She had no idea why she was surprised. No, that wasn’t true. She knew why she was surprised. She believed his lies because she wanted them to be true. There could be no other explanation.
Ivy was so lost in thought she didn’t hear Brian when he parked in the driveway, only looking up when he dropped the picnic basket close to her knees. For one brief moment hope flared in Ivy’s heart, only to be cut short when she realized who was visiting.
“Thank you for bringing this back to me,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as unnaturally squeaky to him as it did to her. “This is one of my favorites. I’m glad I didn’t lose it.” Along with everything else, she added silently.
Brian forced a tight smile. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. It barely hurts.” That was kind of true. The pain had diminished to a dull ache thanks to the painkillers. “They say I’ll be back to my usual charming self tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” Brian said, sitting on the bottom step of the porch so he could watch Ivy work. “How are … other things?”
Ivy sighed. She knew why Brian was the one making the rounds instead of his partner. “You can tell Jack there are no hard feelings,” she said stiffly. “I expected him to walk away so I’m not surprised. I’m fine. He doesn’t have to feel guilty.”
“Listen, Ivy, I’m not making excuses for him,” Brian supplied. “I just … he’s got a lot going on right now. If it’s any consolation, I think the absolute last thing he wanted to do was hurt you.”
“That’s not any consolation, Brian,” Ivy replied. “I don’t care, though. I knew it would happen – no matter what he said – and it’s done now. I don’t expect anything from him. If he’s expecting me to make a scene … well … he’s fresh out.”
“I think both of you are in a lot of pain right now,” Brian said. “I don’t want to add to your troubles, but we got the ballistics back from your shooting yesterday. There are some things we have to talk about.”
“Oh,” Ivy said, realization dawning. “God, I’m so stupid. I thought Jack sent you here to make sure I was okay.”
“No, he doesn’t even know I’m here.”
“Well, that’s great,” Ivy said, rolling her neck until it cracked and gripping her small rake so hard her knuckles whitened. “He didn’t even care enough to see if I was okay. I … wow.”
“Ivy, no,” Brian said, immediately shaking his head. “You’re following the exact wrong line of thinking. I do not want to get between the two of you – and I told him this morning that I was on your side – but he’s killing himself with guilt over what happened.”
“Of course he is,” Ivy said. “He’s a brooder. It’s all about him.”
“I know that’s how it feels right now, but Jack is … a freaking mess,” Brian said. “He drank himself to sleep last night and I woke him up with a glass of water to the face. He wasn’t in much of a state to think about much of anything while I was over there.”
“Well, that’s the one good thing anyone has managed to tell me today.”
Brian offered Ivy a wan smile. “Kid, I don’t think you’re grasping everything that’s going on here,” he said. “Jack cares about you a great deal.”
“Yes, because you often leave someone in the hospital after they’ve been shot because you care.” Ivy knew she sounded bitter and yet she couldn’t seem to stop herself from piling on the vitriol. “I guess all those romance books I read as a teenager had it all wrong.”
“Ivy, Jack is just as upset as you are right now,” Brian supplied. “In fact – and I know this sounds awful because you were the one who was shot – but I think he’s taking it worse than you. He blames himself.”
“He should blame himself. He walked out of the hospital without even saying goodbye.” Tears threatened to spill over. “He said he was getting some air.”
“Yeah? Well, he found that air in the bottom of a bottle.”
“Good. I hope he has a horrible hangover and throws up.”
“We all hope that,” Brian agreed. “I … .” He looked up when he heard the front door open, pressing his lips together as he regarded Max. “I’m not causing trouble. There’s no reason to hover.”
“It’s fine, Max,” Ivy said, waving him off. “We’re just talking.”
“That’s good,” Max said, jingling the keys in his hand. “I have to run out to the lumberyard. There was some sort of accident with one of the workers. I have to be there to fill out some paperwork.”
“Is it anything serious?”
Max shook his head. “No. I still have to go out there. That’s what happens when you’re the boss.”
“That’s fine,” Ivy said. “I’m fine. You can see I’m fine. Go and take care of your business. We’ve already spent more than enough time together for one twenty-four hour period.”
Max smirked. “I know you love me no matter what you say,” he said, tousling her hair. “I called Dad.”
“Oh, Max! I don’t need anyone smothering me today.”
“He’s not going to smother you, drama queen,” Max countered. “I wanted him to know that I was leaving and you were on your own. I told him you promised not to do anything kooky. He’s agreed to stay away and not check on you for a couple of hours if you agree to text him if you need something.”
“Like what?”
“He’s willing to beat up Jack, too.”
Ivy scowled. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop saying things like that? You can’t threaten a cop in front of another
