5. Just Go With It
CHAPTER 5
JUST GO WITH IT
IVY
I t’s finally book club day, and the fact that I get to spend two hours in a bookstore with my closest friends has made me practically giddy.
But I still have half a day of work left before I can fully relax. My new client seems pretty demanding, but I love a challenge. The manager of Cliffside Hotel and Resort is trying to make the place more efficient and hired me to upgrade all their systems. They’re one of the last independently owned resorts in California, and she sounded anxious.
Hopefully, I can make her life easier and get paid at the same time.
My phone buzzes with a new text.
Mars
Did you read the book?
What book?
Mars
I’ll take that as a no. I don’t even know what book we’re supposed to be reading. Why am I stressed about this?
Poor Mars, always wanting to be the teacher's pet.
Mars
Rocky is scary. I don’t want her to boot me out of book club before I’ve had a chance to prove myself.
I laugh, getting looks from some of our coworkers.
Want to head over together? I’m thinking of going a little early to browse the shelves.
Mars
I’ll meet you there. I have to run a few errands today.
[thumbs up emoji]
I push the tiny twinge of disappointment aside and get back to work.
The Mystery section is calling me, but my arms are already full with four romance and two fantasy books. If Mars was here, he’d carry some of these, but instead Rocky walks by and sets a basket at my feet. “Thanks,” I call out to her retreating back. She gives me a wave over her shoulder.
When I came in, she and her employee, June, were setting up the seating area at the back of the store for tonight’s book club. I spotted three boxes of wine and a massive charcuterie board. This is going to be my kind of book club, even if I haven’t read the book.
Picking up the basket after I dump my haul into it, I head into the next aisle. A chill runs through me as soon as I spot someone staring at the memoirs, his head cocked in apparent confusion. A little too slick, a little too pinched looking. Yep, that’s Henning, my most recent ex-boyfriend and part of the reason I’m taking a break from the dating scene. A long, long break.
What the hell is he doing in Wavecrest? Last I heard he was moving to Portland. I was hoping for a few more states between us, but I wasn’t going to complain that he was at least out of running-into-each-other range.
I try to step backwards quietly before he notices me, but my full basket knocks into the wooden shelf, drawing his attention. Crap . Henning’s eyes go wide when he recognizes me.
“Ivy?” I don’t like the note of hopefulness I hear in his voice. Our two-year relationship was never great, although we had our moments. By the end, I was so over him and his casual dismissiveness, all I felt was relief that I’d never have to deal with him again. But here he is, in one of my happiest places.
I sigh, resigned to having to interact with him. Ignoring the adrenaline pumping through my body at the shock of seeing him again, I suck in a calming breath. Well, it’s supposed to be calming, but all I feel is annoyed.
“Henning. What are you doing here?” I manage to keep my voice neutral, and that takes enough effort that I’m going to reward myself with a piece of chocolate later.
He’s still staring at me but finally blinks out of it. “Um, right. I was hoping I’d run into you in Wavecrest.”
“You came here to talk to me?” A shot of panic hits me in the neck, and I swallow past the cold dread.
“What? No, not like that. You always let your imagination get the best of you.” He chuckles awkwardly. I roll my eyes. Here we go. “I’m in town for a while. My sister’s getting married at the resort, and there’s a ton of pre-wedding activities.”
“Good for her. Pass along my congratulations.” I liked Greta, but we didn’t interact enough to get to know each other well. I take a step back, hoping to end this conversation before it’s really gotten going.
“Also, my parents are thinking of buying a place down here, so we’re spending a little extra time to see how they like it.”
“Here? In Wavecrest? Your parents?” This is not what I want to hear. Something like “We all decided to take a five year cruise” would’ve been more welcome news. Finding out I have a brain worm would be better than the words coming out of his mouth.
I don’t want to spend my life in Wavecrest trying to avoid Henning and his family.
A smile spreads across his face. I can’t believe I used to love that smug grin of his. He thinks he’s got me where he wants me. The breakup was my idea, and he didn’t take my decision well. Weeks went by before he stopped calling and texting.
“If they buy a place, I plan to be here a lot .” His grin kicks up more and I can feel a tension headache building behind my eyes. “Cool, right?”
I start to walk away without answering, done with this conversation. Rocky’s going to need to add another box of wine to book club.
“Ivy, wait. I’d love to catch up. It’s been months since...since I last saw you.”
“Almost a year,” I say before I can catch myself.
“Right. Do you have time this...” He stops mid-sentence and his eyes focus over my shoulder. That’s when I feel a warmth at my side. I’m enveloped in the scent of the ocean and clean laundry as Mars stands next to me. His eyes dart between me and Henning.
“Hey, Ives.” I’ve never been so happy to hear someone’s voice in my life. He’s getting a little piece of chocolate too—for his perfect timing.
“Hey, babe,” I say a little too loudly, giving him my biggest smile. With my free hand I grab his arm, squeezing a little. Hopefully, he gets the just go with it message.
Mars’ eyes widen for a split second and then fill with concern. I put my basket by my feet and pull him into a hug, aware that my ex-boyfriend is staring at us. “Sorry,” I whisper into Mars’ ear. “I owe you.” I allow myself a brief moment to enjoy the feel of his arms around my back, squeezing me close.
I step back but take his hand and turn to Henning. “Babe, this is Henning. Henning, this is my boyfriend Mars.” To his credit, Mars doesn’t laugh or run. He lets go of my hand, and I panic for a split second until I realize it’s to give Henning the quickest handshake in the history of handshakes.
When he wraps his arm around me again, I lean into him, soaking up his calm. “How do you know Ivy?” he asks in the most innocent voice I’ve ever heard. It’s such a diva move, and I love it. He knows exactly who Henning is—I might’ve spilled my guts about my disastrous dating history one drunken night at Foggy’s Bar.
“Ivy and I used to date,” Henning says with a question in his voice. Mars’ arm tightens around me, and I look up at him.
“That was a lifetime ago,” I say into Mars’ eyes.
“How long have you been together?” Henning asks. Who is this guy, suddenly interested in my life? He wasn’t when we were together, and I don’t know why he’s starting now.
“Months,” I say at the same time Mars says, “It’s new.”
He clears his throat. “Feels like only yesterday we got together.”
Henning’s eyebrows draw together, and it looks like he’s not buying it. If he’s going to be in town semi-permanently, I need him to believe, to understand, that we’re never ever getting back together. “Mars came along at exactly the right time.”
“Luckiest guy on the planet,” he says, and I snort because Mars is one of the unluckiest guys I know.
I turn back to Henning, feeling some of the tension loosen from my muscles as Mars’ hand strokes gently up my back. “What are you doing at the bookstore? Not your usual hang-out.” He was never a big reader, so this is one of the last places I’d expect to run into him.
He rolls his eyes. “Greta and her stupid pre-wedding games. The entire family and bridal party are doing a scavenger hunt for the whole week. I have to take a selfie with a ‘memoir of the preeminent wedding dress designer.’ I have no idea what she’s talking about.”
That explains his confused look when I first spotted him.
“Wang,” Mars and I say at the same time.
“What?” Henning says slowly.
“Vera Wang,” Mars explains. He points at the bottom shelf, where a biography of the famous designer sits. Henning pulls the book off the shelf with a frown.
“It’s amazing that you knew that,” I say to him, turning in his arms so I can wrap one arm around his waist and put my other hand on his chest, over his heart.
“My future step sister-in-law's dress is a Vera Wang,” he murmurs, his eyes skating over my face from brows to lips. “And my stepmother hasn’t stopped telling my dad about it, which means he tells me about it.”
“I see,” I whisper. I don’t know what I’m responding to because Mars’ lips are right there and Henning is looking at us with his head tilted like he’s trying to figure something out. So I do what any sane woman would do with her can’t-take-a-hint ex-boyfriend staring and Mars fucking Brooks with his arms around me. I kiss him.
Mars. Not the ex-boyfriend.
Smart man that he is, Mars freezes for only a split second, then he’s kissing me back. The goosebumps start at my neck and rush down to my knees, hitting all the points in between.
The press of Mars’ lips on mine is gentle, but flames still lick down my body, making my center clench like a vise. My fingers curl into his biceps, and I pull him closer. Inside my little goblin brain, I’m treated to a vision of an impossible future where we’re doing this exact thing, but in a bed and naked. Probably with more tongue.
Mars, earner of another piece of chocolate, rolls with it like a champ. He doesn’t hesitate at all. He’s really selling the illusion. He even hums a little when I fist my hand in his shirt.
Oh hello hard muscle. I almost forgot you were there. His solid body, mixed with his soft lips on mine, short circuits my brain. I let out a little moan before my hand finds his hair and pulls.
I forget how this kiss started, but I want to keep it going forever. Mars’ arms wrap tighter around me and he nips at the corner of my mouth. A quiet sigh escapes me, and he takes it as an invitation to go deeper. And he does. His tongue teases mine as visions of what else he can do with it dance through my mind.
A throat clears, and we slowly pull apart, taking a beat to stare at each other, silently communicating.
What the hell was that?
I don’t know but let’s hope it did the trick.
Henning’s still standing there, his mouth open in disbelief. But over his shoulder, I notice June standing at the end of the aisle with her hands clasped under her chin.
“I knew it! I fucking knew it! Rocky owes me twenty bucks.” She turns around and scurries off. I groan internally, remembering that June is one of Wavecrest’s most prolific gossips.
Henning, for his part, has lost most of the color in his face. “Yep, well. I guess I’ll see you around town. Ivy, if you ever want to...I don’t know...talk, you still have my number.” I don’t, but I won’t tell him that.
He gives Mars a nod and walks away. As soon as Henning’s out of sight, Mars steps back and throws his arms out to the side.
“Boyfriend?” he whisper-shouts. His lips are swollen from our kiss and it’s distracting. I also kinda love how his hair looks like I got my hands on it. He has nice hair , I think as I sway a little on my feet.
I blink out of it when Mars snaps his fingers in front of my face, a sly smirk taking over his face. “Did I kiss you silent? Yoohoo, Ivy. You in there?” Smug Mars is kind of doing it for me.
Friend . Mars is my friend. A friend who can kiss like he has a PhD in it. “Ivy.” His voice is a warning. Apparently, I’ve been staring at his lips instead of answering his perfectly valid question.
I give myself a shake. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to think. Henning was in the middle of asking me out and there you were, the man with the best timing in the world. So I acted on instinct.” Later, when I’m less lip-drunk, I’ll have to examine why my first instinct was to claim Mars as mine, and my second was to kiss him.
“No need to apologize, Ives. Especially for kissing me,” he mutters under his breath. His head snaps up and his eyes go wide. “Shit, I didn’t go too far, did I? If I made you uncomfortable...”
I stop him with a hand on his chest. “Hey, I’m the one who blindsided you, okay? And that kiss definitely didn’t make me uncomfortable.” It made me wet, but I’ll shove that in a box and try to never think about it again.
There’s nobody else in the aisle, but we keep our voices to a whisper. “Listen,” I say as I step closer to him. He doesn’t move. “Henning and his family are in town for a while because his sister’s getting married and his parents are moving to Wavecrest. I’d like to avoid talking to him.”
“So...what, you want me to be your buffer while they’re here?”
“Yes. Yes, exactly that. I’ll owe you bigly. Huge. Name your favor, I’ll do it. But I need a fake boyfriend to keep him and his family away from me. I’ll do anything.”
Mars’ ears turn a bright shade of pink before he clears his throat.
“Why not tell him no?”
“He’d keep asking. He never believed that I knew my own mind. ‘Ivy, are you sure you want to order the shrimp? Ivy, why are you asking your boss for a raise—it’s not like what you do is rocket science. Ivy, are you sure you want to start your own business? It seems really difficult.’ I could go on.” I can’t stop the hint of bitterness that creeps into my voice. Mars wraps his hand around my wrist and gives me a little tug.
His warm brown eyes skate over my face and then harden. “Is he why you asked me that question at Betty’s? You wanted to know what I told my family about you.” I don’t answer, but he can read it on my face. “He’s the one who put doubts in your head?”
I resist the urge to brush my fingers over his knitted eyebrows, to ease the tension I feel coming off him in waves. “He wasn’t the first, but he’ll be the last. I left him far behind, and I want to keep it that way.”
“Hey, I’ll be whatever you need for however long you need it.” Mars’ voice gentles.
I sag in relief, feeling instantly better that I’ll have him at my side. Letting out a breath I say, “Thanks. You’re the best friend I could ask for.” I can’t look him in the eye, otherwise he’ll see how that word is starting to feel inadequate.
He gives me a tight smile and pats my shoulder. “Yep. That’s me, your friend.”
That’s all I need from him, all I’m resolved to want from him. And other lies we tell ourselves .
MARS
I’ve asked Colin three times what book we’re talking about, and I forget as soon as he tells me each time. It could be the most interesting book about the intersection of art and surfing, and I wouldn’t care. Not when I can still feel Ivy’s lips on mine.
I let out a groan, and everybody looks at me. I think Rocky was in the middle of saying something. “Sorry, cramp.” I lean down to rub at the nonexistent pain in my shin.
“So you and Ivy?” Stuart leans in from my left. He took the seat next to me before Ivy could, and now she’s sitting across the large coffee table from me, sandwiched between Joanie and Meredith.
“Um...” I don’t know how to answer that. We didn’t have time to get our stories straight. We’re putting on a show for Henning and his family, but we didn’t set any ground rules. Are we telling our friends? Now or after the coast is clear? “Maybe?”
Stuart elbows me, and I grunt. “Nothing better than a new relationship. Or an old one where you’re all comfortable and cozy with each other.” He turns to Meredith and gives her a little finger wave. She flips him off and blows a kiss at the same time. “But take it from me...you don’t want to be stuck in limbo. Define your relationship, otherwise you’ll be living in the ‘maybe’ forever.”
“But we’re not...”
“Oh you will be,” he says with all the sagacity of an old man who wears suspenders, even if he’s only in his twenties. I don’t have the brain capacity to set him straight. Ivy and I might’ve bitten off more than we can chew.
But that kiss was worth whatever’s coming my way.
In bed that night, I delete the dating apps from my phone before I shove my hand down my boxers and stroke myself to memories of Ivy’s lips on mine. Closing my eyes just before I come, I try not to think about how I’m in for a whole world of hurt. Worth it.