“Um ... .” Ivy wasn’t sure what to say. Thankfully, Angel didn’t give her a chance to think too hard about things before continuing the impromptu meet-and-greet.
“This is Betsy Crawford,” she stated, gesturing toward the older woman, who continued to munch on her pretzels. “She got a lot of probation — like a freaking lot — because she had four more pot plants than what is allowed under Michigan’s new law.”
Ivy furrowed her brow. “That doesn’t seem right.”
“To be fair, I had the plants long before the law went into effect,” Betsy explained. “It’s honestly not a big deal. I’m retired so I wasn’t doing anything anyway. My life is pretty much the same, except I can’t watch Real Housewives of Atlanta when I’m getting stoned and now I have four fewer plants.”
“Oh, well ... .” Ivy found she was at a loss again.
“I’m a total pothead,” Betsy offered in a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m not sorry about it or anything either.”
“I don’t blame you. Pot is ... awesome.” Ivy smirked as Betsy pumped her fist again. In truth, she had no problem with those who wanted to smoke pot as long as they weren’t driving at the time. She didn’t figure it was any of her business. “What about the others?” She inclined her head toward a group of men who were eating together across the way. “What are they in for?”
“I don’t know about the two guys on the end,” Angel replied. “They’re new and I haven’t gotten their stories out of them yet. As for the other two, the one on the right is Marvin Martin. He’s in his fifties I think — at least he looks it — and he was picked up for shoplifting.”
Ivy couldn’t contain her surprise. “Really? I thought that was something women did.”
“You’ll find that you can’t really rely on stereotypes when it comes to criminality,” Betsy noted. “Not everybody is what they appear to be. I mean ... would you peg me as a stoner?”
To Ivy, that appeared to be a trick question. The fact that Betsy was wearing a shirt with a camouflage peace sign anchored in the center, flanked by a pot leaf and a bunch of musical notes, was a dead giveaway to her. It was hardly important to the conversation, though. “Absolutely not.” This time the smile she flashed was legitimate and she managed to relax a bit. Even if she never saw these women again after her service was complete, at least she had people to talk to as she worked ... and she didn’t feel nearly as much fear as she had before sitting down to lunch. “And the other guy?” She inclined her head toward the final man.
“Jason Fortin,” Angel offered on a sigh. She’d taken on a dreamy expression. “He’s ... really hot, huh?”
Ivy wrinkled her nose. “Um ... .” Convinced she’d heard the girl wrong, she turned to Betsy for answers. The older woman boasted a full-on smirk as she shook her head.
“Ignore her,” Betsy supplied. “She goes gooey whenever Jason is as much as mentioned.”
“Jason?” Ivy was still behind. “Who is he?”
“Jason Fortin,” Angel explained, as if Ivy should magically know the name. “He went to my high school. He was a senior when I was a freshman.”
Ivy quickly did the math in her head. “So ... that makes him twenty-two?”
“Yeah.” Betsy made a face as she pinned Angel with a quelling look. “Jason has so many motor violations they’ve yanked his license ... and he still keeps getting motor violations.”
“You mean speeding tickets?” Ivy was understandably confused. “I didn’t think that was something that could land you in jail. I mean, unless you killed someone in an accident or something.”
“Well, Jason is a special case,” Betsy explained. “He’s ... an over-achiever of sorts.”
“He is,” Angel agreed, letting loose another sigh. “Isn’t he handsome?”
To Ivy, the young man looked like a string bean with an extra-large head. He wasn’t overly built. He wasn’t undersized or anything, but Ivy was convinced he didn’t work out. He had a narrow waist, uninterested eyes, and shaggy hair that was in desperate need of a haircut.
“He’s ... awesome,” Ivy said after a beat. Honestly, what else was she supposed to say? Even though Angel seemed easygoing and pleasant to be around, Ivy didn’t want to upset the girl. “I bet you guys will have beautiful children.”
“You laugh, but I would totally go for that.” Angel kept her eyes on Jason a moment longer and then turned back to Ivy. “He doesn’t even know I’m alive. It’s really pathetic. On my part, I mean. He’s perfect. I’m the pathetic one.”
“Oh, geez.” Alison rolled her eyes. “You have got to let this go. He’s the pathetic one. You’re so much better than him.”
“He’s ... amazing,” Angel countered. “You have no idea how amazing he is. You’re not seeing him at his best here. This isn’t his natural habitat.”
As if on cue, Jason belched loudly across the way, eliciting a high five from the two men Angel couldn’t identify. They laughed like teenaged boys and started discussing different types of burps.
“I’m sure he’s a scholar,” Ivy said dryly, earning a snicker from Betsy. “I just think you could do better.”
“There is no one better than Jason.” Angel allowed the dreamy expression to linger a moment longer and then snapped her eyes to Ivy. “What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”
Ivy hesitated and then nodded. There was no sense lying about her personal life. She didn’t sense these women were a threat and it wasn’t as if Jack — and his position in Shadow Lake — wouldn’t come up eventually. “I do have a boyfriend. Actually, I’m engaged.”
Angel’s eyes immediately went to Ivy’s naked ring finger.
“Jack didn’t think it was a good idea to wear an engagement
