Page 22 of Who Pissed Off Ivy Dell?

I plate the fish with the wild rice she cooked before she went out to look at the sky. She always wants to help, to contribute something.

Ivy

Time Slips Away

I’m trying to getan early start on my next project for work, but it’s like my brain knows it doesn’t have to be done yet, so it keeps wandering. I used to like to get a head start on everything. Now, I thrive on finishing at the last minute.

Zara arrives tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday, but I can’t focus on anything except her being here. I’m definitely going to introduce her to everyone first thing. Then I’ll show her Ivydell. Maybe we’ll go for a drive if she gets here early enough, and I’ll take her to that spot where Jensen took me with our picnic from Hilltop. I don’t have a truck with a tailgate, but we could sit on my trunk and look out at the view.

We could get the fourth best barbecue in Texas, stop at Hilltop on the way back, and share a few bottles of wine with Myrna.

She has to spend some time with Myrna and see her jewelry. Knowing Zara, she’ll want to schedule a session with the Spirit Sisters.

And then Friday, we’ll help with any last-minute stuff for the festival.

The slap on my door doesn’t even startle me anymore. Josephine flipped her schedule this week so she’d be around for the festival. She and Zara will hit it off for sure. “Open up. We need to talk.”

That’s not what she usually says. “Hey.” I pull the door open so she can step inside. “What’s going on?”

“Do not trust April. She’s not your friend, Ivy.”

“I know you don’t like her, Josephine, and I understand why, but she hasn’t done anything wrong to me. She’s not exactly friendly to anyone as far as I can tell, but—”

“You don’t understand anything about her. She has never called me before. Not once. But I heard from her this morning as I was leaving Albuquerque. Said she had to warn me about you.”

“What kind of warning?”

“She said she saw you and Cujo hugging on the path, and then you hopped on the back of his bike, wrapped your legs around him, and he drove off toward his casita.”

“Josephine, that’s not at all what happened, I swear!”

“I know. Cujo had already told me all about your rattlesnake scare. I’m just letting you know that this is the kind of shit she does. Especially where Cujo is concerned, apparently. They should’ve kicked her out of Ivydell a long time ago. Petra was hoping she wouldn’t come back this year after she . . . anyway, just don’t make the mistake of trusting her.”

“How’d she get your number?”

“From the list.”

“What list?”

“We all have each other’s contact information.”

“Oh. I guess it makes sense that you would.” And, of course, it makes sense that I wouldn’t have been given the list. I know that, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling slighted by it. Every time I turn around, there’s one more reminder.

“I can’t believe she tried to set me up like that. For the record, the only thing I wrapped around him was my arms, and only to hold on because I was still shaking. Do you think she really believed Cujo and I were sneaking around behind your back?”

“Who knows what goes on in her head? Honestly, she probably just wanted me to freak out on Cujo about it because she knows he hates that kind of shit. Maybe she thought he’d stop seeing me over it. She doesn’t get it, though. We’re not like that.”

“You’re the least jealous person I’ve ever met. How could she have thought that would work with you?”

“Well, you know me a lot better than she does.”

I don’t know why hearing that makes me feel so much better, but it does. “I’m surprised she didn’t call Jensen, too.”

“He hung up on her. She pissed me off, but she burned her bridge with Stinger. She better hope she doesn’t need anything repaired over the next few weeks.”

“Is that how long you think it’ll take him to get over it?” I’ve never seen him truly mad, but I would’ve guessed he’d hold a grudge longer than a few weeks.

Josephine’s mouth opens, but no words come out. Her eyes won’t meet mine. She takes a deep breath. “Yeah. I mean, he’ll be mad for at least that long. Don’t you think?”

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