“You hate it when I eat the onion rings.”
“That’s because they make your breath stink. However, I’m willing to take one for the team tonight.”
“Oh, you really are the perfect man,” Ivy teased, grabbing the onion rings container from the bag. Her smile slipped as she studied Jack’s weary profile. “How did Maryann and Stan take the news?”
“We only saw Stan. Maryann was upstairs. He ... didn’t want to believe us. He didn’t give us much — just said Sasha was dating someone, but he didn’t know who — and then he went up to give his wife the bad news.”
Ivy swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry. They’re a nice couple. Sasha was always a nice girl.”
“That seems to be the general consensus. We’re going to dig deep trying to find this boyfriend tomorrow. We don’t know who he is, or where Sasha might’ve met him.”
“He could have ties to the golf course,” Ivy offered. “It’s kind of a snooty place. Most of the men who have memberships there are pretty well-to-do. That might’ve appealed to Sasha. I mean ... she was always talking about traveling. You can’t do that without money.”
“We’re definitely heading to the golf course tomorrow,” Jack confirmed. “We’re trying to track down friends, too. Brian said he was going to have his wife put together a list because she would probably know as well as Maryann. We don’t want to bother them unless we absolutely have to.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Ivy cocked her head. “What’s bugging you? I mean, other than the obvious.”
“I don’t know.” Jack rolled his neck until it cracked. “It’s just ... we’re not even sure if this death was purposeful or accidental now. It could honestly be some tragic accident.”
“You don’t feel that’s true, though.”
“I don’t,” he agreed. “I have a hard time believing someone hit her and didn’t realize it.”
“They might’ve thought she was an animal or something.”
“You sound like Brian.”
“I’m just saying it’s possible. It’s dark out there. The driver might’ve only seen a shadow or a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye. Maybe you should wait for a ruling from the medical examiner before you get all riled up.”
“Maybe.” He let out a sigh and turned to her, ready to put the heaviness of the day behind him … if only for a little while. “So, just so you know, I don’t care if the onion rings make your breath stink. I’m going to be kissing you senseless while rubbing your feet tonight. You’ve been warned.”
That elicited a genuine smile. “It’s a hardship, but I guess I’ll have to power through for you.”
“That’s my girl.”
4
Four
Jack woke before Ivy the next morning. That wasn’t unusual. She was a heavy sleeper and more of a night owl than morning person. Still, he kept glancing at the clock. He knew he couldn’t let her sleep so long she risked being late to her community service — that wouldn’t go over well — and yet it went against every instinct he had to wake her.
“You need to stop worrying,” Ivy muttered as she stirred next to him. He had her tucked in at his side, her head on his chest, and she managed a smile as she opened her eyes.
“I’m not worrying,” Jack reassured her quickly. It was a lie, of course. He’d done nothing but worry since she’d been assigned to community service. In a weird way, he almost wished she’d been locked up in the county jail for a weekend. It would be over and done with so much quicker. Of course, the danger she faced there would be worse.
“You’re worrying.” Ivy traced her fingers over Jack’s strong chest. The scars above his heart, the ones that required surgery because his own partner had betrayed and shot him in Detroit, stood out against his skin. They were part of him, though, and they never bothered her ... except when she thought about how close she’d come to never meeting him.
“What are you thinking?” Jack asked, studying her face. He could tell she was having a rough morning. Still, he didn’t want to push her. The community service was going to be difficult for both of them.
“I’m thinking that I’m lucky to have you.”
“What are you really thinking?”
“That we might not have met under different circumstances.” Her fingers continued to skim over the scar. “What if you’d decided you didn’t want to come north after you were shot? Do you ever think about that?”
“No. I knew I needed to get away from the city. I was always going to leave.”
“You weren’t always going to come here, though. What if you’d gone somewhere else? We wouldn’t have found each other.”
“I don’t believe that.” He brushed his lips against her forehead. “Some things are meant to be. This is one of those things.” He tightened his grip on her. “I don’t believe there was ever a chance of us not crossing paths.”
“No.” Ivy smiled as she tilted her chin to stare at him. “That’s kind of nice, huh? I like to think fate plays a part in our lives.”
“Me, too.”
“Of course, if you think things are meant to be, that leaves no room for things to change,” she noted. “I mean ... if you can’t change into a better person, or save someone from danger, what’s the point?”
“Oh, geez.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “I didn’t realize you were going to be in a philosophical mood this morning. If I had, I would’ve woken you with kisses and not given you any room to speak.”
“Ha, ha.” She pinched his flank, causing him to squirm. “I’m just ... thinking about things. I don’t believe that’s necessarily a bad thing.”
“It’s not,” Jack agreed. “Thinking is awesome ... unless it makes you ruin the few minutes we have together in the morning. Then it’s stupid.”
“Oh,
