Who Pissed Off Ivy Dell? (Ivydell Book 3)

14. Jensen

Jensen

Cujo and I hang out and have a few beers while we wait for our large to-go order. We could’ve called it in to be ready when we got here, but it’s better this way. My shoulders are sore, but my body feels light. There is a lot of work ahead for the weekend, but I’m neither dreading nor looking forward to it. It’ll be what it’ll be. And it’ll be all right.

“What are your immediate plans?” I ask.

“Gonna eat some barbecue, drink a few more beers, might sing a few songs before the night’s over.”

“You, asshole. You know I didn’t mean for tonight.”

“Well, I’m not in the mood to talk about the future beyond tonight.”

“Understood.”

“Looks like I’m going to have to ask Jojo to give me a tattoo.”

“Yeah, I may have heard something about that.”

“I bet you did.”

“She’s just trying to help. She wants everybody to be happy.”

“I don’t know how she went this long never seeing the place she was named for, but she had no trouble fitting in.”

“My best guess would be that Ivy could fit in just about anywhere.”

“You’ve got that in common then,” he says, shaking his head.

“You think?”

“I know. When your ass showed up, I told Petra you didn’t belong in Ivydell. You belonged on a golf course. She told me I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about.” He laughs his big rolling laugh. “She might’ve been right.”

“I’m glad you decided to give me a chance.”

“So am I, brother. You turned out all right.”

“You think I’m finally grown, huh?”

“I think you might be about ready to fly.”

By the time we get to the community center with barbecue, beer, and wine, the party has already kicked off. Everybody’s showered and changed. I help drop off the food and booze, and then I slip back out to get myself cleaned up. Ivy’s friend will be here soon, and for the first time in a very long time, I actually care about making a good first impression on somebody.

Cujo and I walk out together. “Full moon,” he says, looking up at the sky.

“My favorite phase.” I smile thinking about Ivy in the bed of my truck last night.

We head in opposite directions to get cleaned up, but we’re both doing it for a girl. I’m the only one who will admit it, but he’s not fooling me. It might be true that he and Josephine don’t want anything serious, but they’re pretty serious about what they’ve got. For now, anyway.

Ivy’s red hair is the first thing I see when I walk back into the party. It bounces as she pulls Zara along to introduce her to someone else. She leans in closer to her friend to say something, and they both smile. Her eyes light up when she spots me, and I don’t have to see mine to know they’ve had the same reaction.

I walk to her like I’m being pulled on a cable.

“Zara, this is Jensen.”

“It’s a pleasure,” I say. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Probably not as much as I’ve heard about you.” She turns to Ivy. “You said he didn’t own a shirt.”

I roll my eyes as they laugh. “I rented this one just for tonight. Don’t spill anything on me. I’ll lose my deposit.”

Josephine joins us. “Hi, you must be Zara. I’m Josephine.”

“You’re the tattoo artist! I saw you on that show. As soon as Ivy told me about you, I knew who you were.”

“I can’t believe you watched it. And that you remember it.”

“Listen, I thought my friend ran off to live with a bunch of hermits. Then she tells me she has a celebrity for a next-door neighbor!”

Josephine blushes, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that from her. I forget she was on a TV show. She’s so humble, but I know she’s a big name in her industry. Cujo says she’ll always try to downplay it, even with him.

He walks up behind her now with a proud smile on his face.

Zara looks like she wants to say something, but she’s nervous. Ivy nods at her, and she says, “I know this weekend is going to be really busy, but if you have any time, I’d love to talk to you about a tattoo I’ve been wanting for a while. If it’s something you’d be interested in doing, I’ll book an appointment and fly out to your studio.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can do it while you’re here.”

Cujo’s eyebrows lift. “Huh, how long have I known you now? And you haven’t offered to tattoo me in Ivydell.” He smiles at Zara. “You must make a better first impression.”

“Wait,” Josephine says. “You never asked. I didn’t know you wanted me to.”

Ivy was right. She definitely wants to give him a tattoo. Her whole face is glowing.

“Okay, look,” she says. “I’m here all weekend. I’ll be more than happy to tattoo all three of you.”

Zara and Cujo nod and smile. Ivy doesn’t look as excited, but she is smiling. I think she might go through with it. She blows me a kiss.

We all sit together and eat. Everyone is running on the same buzzing energy that always precedes the festival. In so many ways, this feels like every year since I’ve been here, but it’ll be different. Smaller can be good sometimes.

“I can’t believe I have my own casita,” Zara says. “I feel so special.”

“I’ll be right next-door if you need anything, doll,” Myrna says. She’s come over to introduce herself. And, of course, she’s wearing her signature pendant. Her logo.

I’m sure Ivy warned Zara about Wild Love, but it would be hard not stare even if you were expecting it. “I’d love to see all your jewelry.”

“Come over in the morning. I’ll be polishing everything and putting my displays together.”

April walks in, and Ivy waves.

Josephine sucks in a breath, but she doesn’t say a word. Cujo puts his arm around her.

Wise move. Sends a clear message to April, and hopefully, calms Josephine. She may not have left at the sight of her, but it’s obvious she’s not thrilled about April being here, either.

Petra goes over and leads April to the food, chatting as they walk. We just might make it through this party with no drama. There’s never been much drama in Ivydell at all, but April can’t seem to help herself sometimes.

“We’ve got homemade cookies for dessert,” Tawny yells from the counter.

“When did she have time to bake?” Ivy asks.

I refill her wine glass. “If she’s not painting, she’s baking.”

“She and I each managed to get several dozen baked today in between chores,” Myrna says. “There’s plenty so eat up.”

“Anybody else need more wine?”

Zara holds up her glass.

Shadow and Dice come in together, both carrying guitar cases. I see Cujo’s already leaning against the wall in the corner. They place theirs next to his before they head for the barbecue. I’m glad they’re going to play tonight. It’s one of the things I’ll miss most about this place.

I see Ivy and Zara walk away from the corner of my eye. They stop to talk to the resident mediums. She said Zara would be fascinated by the spooky sisters, and I can see by the look on her face that she is.

Dice comes over after he and Shadow find a place to set their plates. He kneels down between me and Cujo at the end of the table.

“You get anything out of him?” Cujo asks.

“Yeah,” Dice nods. “He’s going to be fine. Probably got more solid plans than most of us.”

“Good.” I’m relieved. Shadow’s the oldest resident in Ivydell. I’d hate to leave not knowing that everyone was doing okay, especially him.

“And I hear you’ve got grapevines dancing in your eyes,” Dice says. “Going back to your roots?”

“In my own way. On my own terms.”

“The only way to do anything worth doing.” He stands, nodding at Cujo. “I better go eat before this crooner decides he needs backup.”

“You better eat fast,” Cujo says.

This conversation needs to wrap up before Ivy comes back, anyway. I haven’t shared my plans with her yet. This isn’t the time or the place. We’ll talk before she leaves.