“Will you get mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions on my half of the pizza?”
“I won’t get onions. I have plans for that mouth and it can’t taste like onions.”
Ivy narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you get onions, too, and then we’ll both stink?”
“Sold,” Jack said, kissing her quickly. “Be good and stay out of trouble, okay? If anything happens … .”
“I’ll call for my knight in shining armor,” Ivy finished.
“You kid, but that’s going to be my Halloween costume this year.” Jack strode toward the door.
“Really? I’m dressing up like Wonder Woman.”
Jack paused with his hand on the knob. “That is why you’re my favorite woman in the world,” he said. “I know exactly what we’re doing for our next dream.”
“I’ll see you soon,” Ivy said.
“I already miss you,” Jack replied.
“SHE WAS shot twice with the same gun?” Brian asked Jack a half hour later, his face conflicted. “That’s not good.”
“And she was left on the floor of her house for at least a month without anyone discovering her,” Jack supplied. “I don’t like what that seems to be pointing toward.”
“The daughter. What did you say her name was?”
“Laura Simmons,” Jack supplied.
“And I’m guessing that she didn’t mention that she hadn’t heard from her mother in more than a month,” Brian said, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “That does not sound like a good situation.”
“It doesn’t,” Jack agreed.
“You talked to the sister, though, right? She was down in Detroit when you called. That’s a lot of driving if she’s the one responsible.”
“No, my buddy Rick got me her cell phone number,” Jack clarified. “I assumed she was in Detroit. I had no reason not to assume that. She could’ve been anywhere.”
“Well, the first thing we have to do is run the cell phone and find out where it has pinged recently,” Brian said. “Do you still have the number?”
“It’s on the pad on my desk.”
“Okay, I’ll run that,” Brian said. “I was thinking it might be smart for you to start calling around to area hotels and inns. If she’s in this area, she has to be staying somewhere. We can run her credit cards while we’re at it.”
“That’s a good idea,” Jack said. “At least we have a place to look. If she isn’t in the area, the next order of business is calling her again. I don’t want to risk that before we know where she’s at. I don’t want to tip her off.”
“Don’t you think she’s already been informed of her mother’s passing?”
“Only if they could find her,” Jack replied. “Let’s get this moving. I promised Ivy I would bring pizza home for dinner … and then give her a massage without letting my hands wander.”
Brian snickered. “Other than the dead body, did you at least get to have a little fun with Ivy?”
“Well, I got to introduce her to Middle Eastern food – which she loved – and a Jacuzzi bath tub – which she really, really loved,” Jack said. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re a lovesick puppy,” Brian replied. “I’d hate to stand in the way of your happiness, though. Let’s get cranking.”
“WELL, there she is,” Michael greeted Ivy with a dark look. “If it isn’t my daughter who was shot off the road and didn’t bother to tell her parents about it. I can’t tell you how wonderful that feels as a parent. If you got a ribbon for it, I would put it right next to the spelling bee one in our photo album.”
Ivy scowled as she stared down her father. “It’s nice to see you, too, Dad. Say that a little louder. I don’t think the people back at the greenhouse heard you.”
Michael pursed his lips as he regarded his only daughter. “I am really angry with you.”
“Awesome. I’m really angry with you, too.”
“What did I do?”
“You’re making a scene at my nursery,” Ivy answered.
“Fine,” Michael grumbled. “How are you feeling?”
Ivy tried to swallow her smile … and failed. “I’m feeling very healthy. Thank you.”
Michael pursed his lips. “Your brother told us about walking in on you and Jack naked yesterday morning,” he said. “You know very well that’s not what I was talking about.”
“We were not naked,” Ivy shot back, scandalized. “Max is the one who walked into my house without knocking.”
“After finding out you were shot off the road and didn’t bother to call us,” Michael challenged. “I’m usually the one on your side, kid, but not this time.”
Ivy tugged on her limited patience and tamped down her sarcastic nature. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you,” she said. “I really am. Jack and Brian showed up … and there was some yelling and hugging … and then, well, Jack and I decided to work things out.”
Michael graced Ivy with the first genuine smile he’d managed to muster since hearing about her accident. “I’m glad you worked things out with Jack,” he said. “I’m not surprised, though. No matter what you were screaming to the high heavens, I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away from him.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because he’s your match, little one,” Michael replied, not missing a beat. “No matter how upset your mother makes me … no matter how crazy mad I get … I’ll always forgive her and want her in my life. That’s how you feel about Jack.”
Ivy made a face. “You know we’ve only known each other for a little more than a month, right?”
“That doesn’t matter,” Michael said. “When someone is your match, that’s it. Jack is your match. I happen to like him and think he’s good for you. That being said, next time I see him we’re going to have words.”
“Dad, I am an adult,” Ivy hissed. “I can sleep with whoever I want to sleep with.”
Now it was Michael’s turn to make a face. “That is not what I was talking about,” he said. “I never want to talk with Jack about that. I may like to make the
