Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3 (8 page)

“You were trying to protect her,” Jack said. “I get it. Don’t worry about it.”

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Jack rubbed his shoulder. “You knocked the wind out of me, but I’m fine. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“You’re freaking strong, man,” Max said. “I see you did some wrestling back in the day. That was a nice move to flip me over.”

“I see you did, too. You caught me completely off guard when you tackled me. I barely saw you coming.”

Ivy rolled her eyes as the two men lapsed into a high school athletics conversation. It seemed the crisis had passed, even if she wasn’t sure exactly what happened out here. What is it with men? They can beat the crap out of each other and then immediately get over it. That was not the way of the world where women were concerned.

“Why did you want to meet here?” Jack slid into the booth across from Brian and fixed the older man with a pointed look. “Shouldn’t we be working?”

“What do you suggest we work on?” Brian asked, lifting an eyebrow as he sipped from his coffee mug. “We have no idea what the symbols represent, and we still don’t have an identification on the victim. We have nothing.”

“So … we’re going to have breakfast?”

“I figured now would be a good time for you to meet some of the regulars,” Brian said. “Plus, a solid breakfast never hurt anyone, and this place has the best breakfast in town. Although, you strike me as an oatmeal guy.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you don’t look like you eat a lot of greasy food,” Brian said. “You look like one of those ‘my body is my temple’ guys.”

Jack snorted. “That shows what you know.”

“Did you eat breakfast this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Was it oatmeal?”

“I had fruit with it, too,” Jack replied, annoyed.

Brian grinned. “Try the eggs. They’re amazing. They’re fresh from a local farm.”

“I’ll consider it,” Jack said, reaching for a menu. “So we still have nothing?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Brian said, studying his new partner’s face. “What happened to your cheek? It looks like you’ve been in a fight.”

Jack’s face burned under Brian’s gaze. “I … um … had a thing last night.”

“What was her name?”

Jack scowled. “
His
name was Max Morgan.”

“I see you finally found out that Ivy’s boyfriend was actually her brother,” Brian said, chuckling. “How did that happen?”

“I was checking the woods by her house to see if there was any reason to suspect the victim was carried to the dump site instead of driven and he tackled me,” Jack said.

“Why did he tackle you?”

“He thought I was there stalking his sister,” Jack said. “I don’t blame him. He had no idea who I was, and his sister lives alone. He was just protecting her.”

“How did Ivy take all of this?”

“After a little yelling she was fine,” Jack said. “She’s kind of loud on a normal day, though, so she was especially loud yesterday.”

“Hmm.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jack asked, irritated.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Brian said. “I just find it … interesting … that you found yourself at Ivy’s house again. You seem to come up with reasons to be out there quite a bit these days.”

“I don’t need a reason,” Jack said. “I think the dead body being discovered on the premises is plenty reason for me to want to look around the woods there.”

“If that’s your story … .”

“I don’t have a story.”

“Whatever,” Brian said, exhaling heavily. “I’ve seen the way you look at Ivy. I’m not blaming you for it. She’s an attractive woman. You might even have a shot with her. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, too. There’s something there.”

“I’ve already told you, I’m not looking to date anyone,” Jack said. “I’m doing the best I can. I’m not interested in Ivy Morgan.”

“That’s good,” Brian said, his eyes drifting toward the front of the restaurant.

“Are you going to let this go?”

“I am,” Brian said. “Oh, um, she’s heading this way.”

Jack shifted quickly, glancing over his shoulder and internally sighing when he saw Ivy. Of course, because his luck continued to plummet, she wasn’t alone. Her brother was with her. This morning just kept getting worse and worse.

“THERE’S
your new friend,” Max said, waving at Jack while waggling his eyebrows at Ivy. “I think it’s fate.”

“Shut up,” Ivy said.

“Ivy and Jack sitting in a tree … .”

“I will beat the crap out of you,” Ivy warned, wagging a finger in her brother’s face. “You’re being incredibly obnoxious.”

“I learned it from you,” Max said, focusing on the booth. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to sit with them.”

“No, we’re not.”

Max ignored her and strode toward the booth. “Hey. Do you guys have room for two more?”

Before Jack could answer Brian immediately started sliding over in the booth. “Sure. That sounds good. We can do some brainstorming.”

Max took the spot next to Brian, which meant Ivy had no choice but to slide in next to Jack. They looked at each other for a moment, uncertain, and then Jack edged over. “Have a seat,” he muttered.

“Thank you,” Ivy said. She was stiff as she settled next to him, but even though they were going out of their way to keep from the touching one another, the warmth radiating between them was hard to ignore. “I … um … how are you this morning?”

“I’m good,” Jack said. “How are you?”

“I was great until a few minutes ago,” Ivy said, glowering at Max.

Max ignored her and turned to Brian. “How’s the farm?”

“It’s good,” Brian said. “We’re getting ready to start the spring run up. We need to get everything planted in two weeks, so we’re kind of behind.”

“If you need help, I can come out,” Max offered. “I haven’t seen Sean and Simon in a couple months. It might be fun to hang out with them.”

“I’ll tell them,” Brian said. “How is the lumber business?”

“Busy,” Max said. “Spring is our busiest time of year, so we’ve had a lot of stuff delivered to the yard over the past week. It’s pretty bustling.”

“You work at a lumber yard?” Jack asked, suddenly interested. He had a lot of renovations in front of him.

“I own Morgan Lumber down on the highway,” Max said. “I heard you bought the Winstead house. You’re probably going to need supplies. If you need something, come out and ask for me. I’ll give you a good deal. I figure I owe you after tackling you last night.”

Brian grinned. “I heard about that. Who won?”

“It was a tie,” Jack said, reaching for the mug of coffee the waitress was pushing in his direction.

“Jack won,” Ivy said, sticking her tongue out at Max.

“I let him win,” Max countered.

“Oh, whatever,” Ivy scoffed. “If I hadn’t run out to save you Jack would have beat you into a bloody pulp.”

“Tell her that’s not true,” Max ordered, staring at Jack.

“It was a draw,” Jack repeated.

Brian couldn’t hide his snicker. “It sounds like you guys had some fun.”

“Then I’m telling it wrong,” Max said. “He scared the crap out of me. I thought for sure whoever killed that girl was back and he was going after Ivy.”

“I’m fine,” Ivy said. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“You’re still alone out there, Ivy,” Brian said. “You can’t blame your brother for being worried about you. If you would get a dog like I asked … .”

“I have Nicodemus,” Ivy said. “He’s all the pet I need. He’s an excellent watch cat.”

“Yes, I love it when he watches the same spot – usually a shadow – on the wall and thinks it’s a bug,” Max said. “He’s vicious.”

“He attacks you all the time,” Ivy pointed out.

“That’s because I forget to tie my shoes and he thinks the laces are snakes. He’s a real brainiac.”

“Don’t you talk bad about my cat,” Ivy warned.

“Fine,” Max said, leaning back in the booth. “Since you won’t get a dog, though, I’m thinking it might be smart for you to come and stay with me for a couple of days.”

“That’s a good idea,” Brian said.

“Absolutely not,” Ivy said. “That is my home. I love that place. I’m not staying with you. Besides, I need to stick close to the nursery. This is our busy season, too.”

“How did I know you were going to say that?” Max grumbled.

“Maybe you’re psychic.”

Max reached for her across the table, but she was too quick. In her haste to avoid her brother’s outstretched hand, Ivy bumped into Jack. The second their skin touched they were both on fire. They jolted away from one another, scattering to opposite ends of the booth.

Max tilted his head to the side, wide-eyed as he watched them. He had no idea what happened, but it was definitely something. Jack and Ivy were desperate to keep from touching each other. Well, that was interesting.

“If you don’t want to stay with me I’m probably going to have to move in with you,” Max said after a moment. “Are you prepared for that?”

“I’ll change the locks before that happens,” Ivy said.

“Ivy, you’re my sister,” Max said. “As much as I really want to rub your face in my armpit until you cry right now, the truth is that I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you. I’m not sure you’re safe out there alone.”

“Your brother is right, Ivy,” Brian said. “You’re a pretty girl. If someone is after a woman who is isolated … you’d be right on top of their list.”

Ivy frowned. “Listen, I appreciate all the … hovering. I’m not leaving my home, though, and no one is moving in. Don’t bother arguing, Max. You and I learned a long time ago that our personalities are too big to live under that roof together.”

“That’s because you’re whiny,” Max said.

“I am not whiny,” Ivy said. “You’re just a big … slobbering machine. You’re worse than a dog.”

“I don’t slobber.”

“Whatever,” Ivy said.

Jack grinned at the banter. He couldn’t help himself. Despite the mean words, it was obvious brother and sister loved each other very much. It made him look at Ivy in a completely different way – which caused his heart to somersault when he risked a glance in her direction. She really was lovely.

“Okay, if Ivy refuses any and all help – which is frankly her nature – that means we need to get a break on this case,” Brian said. “I heard you both were out at Felicity’s shop yesterday. Did you find anything?”

“You two went to Aunt Felicity’s shop together?” This was news to Max.

“We went separately,” Ivy said. “We just ran into each other.”

“I heard you had a cozy lunch,” Brian said, teasing his partner.

“Who told you that?” Jack asked, surprised.

“Felicity is friends with Millie,” Brian replied, unfazed. “She called last night to gossip.”

“W-w-what did they gossip about?” Jack was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly why.

“Felicity just said you two were balls of energy who wouldn’t stop sniping at one another,” Brian replied, feigning innocence. “Should she have said something else?”

“No,” Ivy replied, stepping in smoothly. “Everything is fine. We’ve all agreed to work together.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Brian said. “We’re stronger together than we are apart.”

“I totally agree,” Max said, exchanging an amused look with Brian. “I want to help if I can, too.”

“I think we’re good on the help front,” Jack said tersely. “We’ve got plenty of help.”

“He’s right,” Brian said. “What we don’t have is leads. We really need to identify the victim. That’s going to be my main focus today.”

“I’ll help you,” Jack said.

“Actually, I need you and Ivy to focus on those symbols,” Brian replied, not missing a beat. “Don’t you have a bunch of reference books out at your cottage, Ivy?”

Ivy was caught. She knew it. “Yes.”

“I think you and Jack should go through those books today,” Brian said, refusing to make eye contact. “It’s probably going to be a long afternoon, but with both of you going at it, we have a better shot of identifying at least some of the symbols.”

Jack cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “Don’t you want me with you?”

“We only have two things to focus on,” Brian replied. “I think we should split up and tackle them both at the same time. You and Ivy can handle the symbols. I’ll see if I can identify the victim.”

“But … .”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Max said. “I’m positive I’ll feel a lot better about Ivy being secluded in that house knowing that Jack is there with her. She won’t be in danger that way.”

Jack sighed, resigned, and then turned to Ivy. “Do you want to drive together or do you want me to follow you out there?”

“Oh, I drove her here,” Max answered, exchanging a delighted look with Brian. “She’s going to need a ride. Thank you so much for taking her.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack said, staring at the empty spot in front of him. “Do you want to order breakfast first?”

Ivy didn’t have much of an appetite, but she was desperate to delay being alone with Jack. “I’m starving.”

“Me, too,” Jack muttered, glaring at Brian.

“See, this is so much better than oatmeal, isn’t it?”