Jack sighed, resigned. “I don’t want secrets between us either,” he said. “I also want to have a relaxing night, and when I tell you everything I’ve found today, you’re not going to relax.”
“I will when you massage me.”
“Ugh.” Jack made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.
“Fine,” Ivy snapped. “You don’t have to touch me.”
“Oh, shut up,” Jack muttered. “I want to touch you. I want to rub you all over. I just know when I tell you what we found that you’re not going to be relaxed, no matter what you say. If you’re not relaxed, then I won’t be relaxed. I had plans that called for both of us to be relaxed.”
Jack sounded like a petulant child and Ivy couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “What if I promise that no matter what I’ll find a way to relax both of us?”
Jack cocked a challenging eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ivy said. “Do you think I’m a woman of my word?”
“Yes.”
“Then I promise I’ll figure something out.”
“Fine,” Jack said, giving in. “Get your pizza and join me on the couch. This is going to be a long discussion.”
“And then a long massage,” Ivy reminded him.
“Ivy, nothing in this world could stop me from rubbing you silly tonight,” Jack said. “Do you trust me?”
Ivy nodded without hesitation.
“Good,” Jack said. “Eat up. We’re going to be exhausted by the time we’re done with all of this.”
“I can live with that.”
“HOLY crap!” Ivy fearfully glanced around her living room. “I … do you think it’s really Marcus?” Despite her promise about relaxing, Ivy quickly turned herself into a ball of nerves when Jack told her about his day. Jack adored everything the woman did, but he really wanted to shake her.
“I don’t know,” Jack said, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin and dropping his empty plate on the pizza box on top of the coffee table. “I don’t want to think it’s possible, but … .”
“Oh, Jack,” Ivy said, rubbing her thumb against his cheek. “You have to be freaking out.”
Jack restlessly grabbed her hand and kissed her greasy fingertips. “I don’t know what I am,” he said. “I … eat your dinner, Ivy. You need your strength for relaxing me in a little bit. I don’t want you wasting away.”
Ivy made a face but did as instructed.
“I’m not sure how I feel about any of this,” Jack said. “All the options we have are … just awful. Say Marcus did survive, where has he been all of this time? What has he been doing? Has he spent the past seven – almost eight – months plotting revenge against me? If so, going after you would be the best way to kill me.”
“Jack, it’s going to be okay.”
“Eat your dinner,” Jack repeated. “Laura is another option. I have racked my brain trying to figure out what her endgame could possibly be. She loved her brother. I know she did. Did she love him enough to kill in his memory?”
“I don’t … .”
“Eat.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “You’re really bossy tonight.” She bit into her pizza and let Jack work out his feelings. She realized he wasn’t looking for answers from her. He just wanted someone to talk to. She could definitely be that person.
“You and Max are closer than any brother and sister I’ve ever seen,” Jack said. “I know you love him. I can’t see you killing for him, though.”
“I might kill him, but no, I wouldn’t kill for him.”
“Laura was a sweet girl,” Jack said. “She was kind … and she liked to flirt a little bit … but she was harmless.”
Ivy pursed her lips. “She was flirty? Oh, please tell me you didn’t sleep with her. I’m going to be so grossed out.”
Jack chuckled. “I didn’t sleep with her,” he said. “She kind of hinted around like she wanted me to ask her out, but I would never do that.”
“Because she was flaky?”
“Because I wasn’t attracted to her,” Jack replied. “You might find this hard to believe, but before you I can’t remember the last woman I was genuinely attracted to. They broke the mold with you, honey. I was attracted to you from the moment I saw you and you were rude and mean.”
Ivy snorted. “I was not rude and mean,” she said. “You treated me like I didn’t know what a dead body looked like.”
“That’s because you were so cute in your little skirt and bare feet,” Jack pointed out. “I didn’t think anyone that cute could be worldly, too. Imagine my surprise and delight to find out that you were the entire package.”
“I’m definitely going to relax your socks off tonight.”
Jack grinned, the teasing taking some of the edge off. “Even if I was attracted to her – which I wasn’t, so stop making that face – I would never go after a friend’s sister. That’s just … tacky.”
“You and Max are friends and you went after me.”
“Max and I became friends after I was already hopelessly devoted to you,” Jack corrected. “There’s a difference. I fell for you before I wanted to admit it. I didn’t become friendly with Max until I was essentially killing myself because I was trying to stay away from you.”
“You’re so sweet.”
“Besides, I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but Max doesn’t seem thrilled that we got together,” Jack pointed out. “I think he might be rethinking any future friendship.”
“You’re wrong about Max,” Ivy said, finishing her pizza and wiping off her hands before dropping her empty plate on top of Jack’s. “Max has been your biggest champion from the beginning. He’s just having trouble because he decided to hate you after the hospital incident.”
“And rightly so.”
“And rightly so,” Ivy agreed. “It’s hard for him to switch his emotions on
