Max glanced at Brian, sheepish. “Yes, well, I already admitted I left a threatening message on Jack’s cell phone last night, so it’s not exactly a surprise to Brian that I’m going to beat him up.”
“I deleted the messages this morning,” Brian added. “I made Jack listen to them and then I erased the evidence.”
“You’re a good man,” Max said, clapping Brian on the shoulder. “As a good man, I expect you to make sure my sister isn’t crying when you leave.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Brian and Ivy watched Max leave, raising their hands to wave before returning to their conversation.
“I’m honestly okay, Brian,” Ivy said. “You don’t have to watch me. I’m an adult. I knew what I was getting into when I let my guard down with Jack. I won’t be making that mistake again. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Brian’s heart rolled. Ivy was one of the prettiest girls in town, but she closed herself off because people judged her because of her Bohemian lifestyle. Jack was the first man to pique her interest in years. If she shut down now … . “Ivy, I’m not telling you what to do, but you might not want to write Jack off just yet,” Brian said. “He still might pull himself together. Sure, it’s not going to happen right away because of what we found out, but … I still think it’s going to happen.”
“Well, I hope it works out for him and anyone he finds down the road,” Ivy said stubbornly. “I … wait, what did you find out?”
Brian explained about the ballistics report, going into minute detail so Ivy understood the ramifications. When he was done, she was flabbergasted.
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand either,” Brian said. “Whoever is doing this has a grudge against Jack. He’s the common denominator right now. It’s not you. I … he’s crushed because you were shot instead of him.”
“Oh, well, great,” Ivy said, hopping to her feet and kicking one of the paver bricks that sectioned off her garden from encroaching weeds. “He dumps me in the dirt and still manages to be the wounded party.”
Brian clucked sympathetically. “He is wounded. You are, too. Just … give it some time before you completely cut ties with him. He’s going to be a bear for the next twenty-four hours. Then I think he’s going to fall apart due to losing you.”
“It’s too late.”
Brian recognized the obstinate tilt of her chin, and yet he still had his doubts. “I don’t think it’s too late. You’re entitled to your anger, though. Just be careful. If someone is going after Jack, you’re going to look like an attractive way to hurt him.”
“That’s not true. If that were the case he’d be here to protect me. I don’t see him. I don’t think I’m going to be seeing him anytime soon. Thank you for telling me, though. I’ll be extra careful until this is settled.”
“You do that.”
TWO HOURS later Ivy’s frustration was still mounting and she had no idea why. She’d decided to push all thoughts of Jack out of her mind – just like he’d pushed all thoughts of her out of his head when he walked out of her life – and yet all she could do was dwell on what Brian told her.
This had to be killing Jack. She wasn’t going to kid herself into believing any of his pain was because of her, but the rest of it had to be plaguing his soul.
Ivy lifted her head when she felt … something. She couldn’t put a name to it, but if she didn’t know better she would swear someone was watching her. She shifted, studying the tree line in three directions, and found nothing.
She shook her head and tried to return to her work, but after a few minutes she realized it was impossible. She couldn’t get Jack out of her head and she was done gardening for the day.
Instead of going back inside, Ivy dropped her gardening gloves on the front porch and moved around her tiny cottage. It was her childhood home, her parents selling it to her so she could be close to the nursery when she opened it, and it was her favorite place on earth. She would find no solace in there today, though. No, if she wanted mental respite she had to find it someplace else.
Ivy headed into the woods behind her home, pointing herself in the opposite direction of the nursery and trudging into the heavy foliage. Normally she would go to her fairy ring when she was upset. That was the first place anyone would look for her, though. Today she was going someplace else. Today she was going to wallow in a place where she knew she wouldn’t be interrupted. Today she was going to find peace if it killed her.
Now she just had to figure out how to do it.
Eight
Ivy picked her way through the dense underbrush, being careful to stop and listen to the woods around her a few times to make sure no one was following her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was out there – although she didn’t feel like she was in danger.
She’d been visiting Duskin Lake for as long as she could remember. In truth, the body of water was barely a lake. It was more of a glorified pond than anything else. Still, Ivy didn’t want to be bothered. She wanted a place where she could feel sorry for herself that was away from prying eyes – and more importantly, pity.
In truth, Max would be able to find Ivy at the lake when he checked her fairy ring and found it empty. Ivy wasn’t worried about upsetting anyone else. She needed space from her well-meaning family. She needed time alone to … cry.
Ivy hated admitting it to herself, but that was what she really wanted to do. She felt like the world’s biggest pathetic mess when she started sobbing the
