Chapter Twenty-One
M alory served tea to Ivy’s parents in the formal dining room while Ivy dried her hair upstairs in what was apparently the family suites. She had no idea this even existed, but apparently there was a third floor accessible only to family and, well, Malory, of course. Ivy realized she could live here if she wanted. Amazing. She could certainly hide out here, at least for now. Though she would need her car. She did need to open the shop on Tuesday. No long-term hiding. It wasn’t her style, anyway.
Ivy stepped down the grand staircase and listened outside the dining room while Malory told her parents about all the restoration done on Oleander House.
Ivy smoothed her dress and turned the corner. It had been months since she’d seen either of her parents. She noted her father’s gingery hair had more white now than the faded red brown she remembered, but her mother looked the same, blonde hair in riotous curls around her face as she sat in the high-backed chair sipping delicately from a china teacup and making eyes with Ivy’s father, who was smiling that smile he reserved only for her mother.
“Ah, there’s my clinging ivy.” Her father rose and opened his arms. Ivy gave both him and her mother a hug.
“We were just telling Malory how sorry we are to have missed the fundraiser. We’d hoped to make it on time.”
It was humbling to realize what her mother’s words meant. She hadn’t been trying to get to Ivy as soon as she could. Why would she? She had no idea what her youngest was going through. Still, her mother’s gaze on her was knowing, so perhaps she did sense something.
Her parents’ magic might be fake, but her mother’s intuition was unsurpassed.
Ivy basked in their presence and just sat, depleted, leaving Malory to clean up, who afterward handed off the keys to Ivy’s parents. Ivy could see her brief struggle relinquishing control and was proud of Malory for entrusting her parents with Oleander House.
“Don’t worry,” her mother said. “We’re magicians. We can fix anything.” She flashed a sassy smile, and Malory even cracked a sheepish one of her own.
She nodded and left Oleander House in their care.
Ivy’s mom shooed her dad upstairs and turned to her daughter. “Tell me.”
Ivy unloaded on her mom all about Jaxon preparing to move and not telling her. She shared how Holly kept it a secret, and even Aunt Lydia said nothing, when they both knew how she felt. The only one clueless about her feelings was Jaxon.
“Is he though?” asked her mother.
Ivy gave a bleak shrug.
“Well, no fussing about it now. Your father and I need to practice our magic show, and you get to help. We’re booked for next weekend at the Kite Jubilee. They decided to hold it again this year, what with all the wind we’ve been having. Marvelous, isn’t it? I’m quite excited to perform in Hazard. And, of course, your father and I will need a kitchen for our anniversary tomorrow to bake our Very Special Cookies. You have the antique cookie press tucked away, I assume.”
“It’s hanging in the shop. Whenever I use it, everything goes wrong.”
“Does it? I’m not sure that’s possible. You did add nutmeg, didn’t you, when you baked yours?”
Ivy nodded.
“I knew you would.”
“It isn’t in the recipe.”
“Well, of course not, not everything is written down.”
“How was I supposed to know?”
“You did know.” Her mother shrugged. “I knew you would. Honestly, darling, when it’s important, you just know. I knew with your father.”
“Knew what?”
“That he’s the one. I baked the cookies and used the press and here you are.”
“Mom, you aren’t making sense. I used the cookie press and now an entire baseball team is devoted to me. The second batch that I baked for Jaxon got eaten by Holly. And the third batch…”
Ivy’s mother raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, you think this time it will work?” Hope blossomed in Ivy for one second before she remembered what Jaxon had done.
“The magic of Hazard never goes awry.”
Ivy frowned at her mother.
“The magic of Hazard knows best.”
Ivy shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
“You don’t have to. It still works. That’s all part of the magic. Now, let me get a deck of cards, and you can help me practice for the jubilee.”
Ivy rose to do her mother’s bidding. On the way back, she peeked in the kitchen to confirm her cookies remained safely tucked in the hutch.
They had vanished.