Surviving Ivy Read online

  Ivy started unpacking the other box when the doorbell rang. She frowned as she put a dish on the stack she had started in the cabinet. The doorbell rang again.

  “Okay, so it wasn’t my imagination.” Slowly she walked to the front of the house. She had no clue who would be coming to see her, but she hoped it was Ben, though she doubted he would use the front door.

  Ivy opened the door.

  No one was there.

  A frown slowly covered Ivy’s face. She knew she had heard the doorbell ring. She started to take a step out onto the front porch when her foot hit something. Looking down, she saw a large brown envelop. Ivy slowly knelt down and picked it up. As she stood, she walked out onto the porch and looked up and down the street. There was no sound and no movement.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Someone was watching her. She chewed on her bottom lip. Slowly, she retreated back into the duplex, shut the door, and bolted the lock. She looked at the large brown envelop. There was nothing written on it. Ivy turned it over. Nothing was written on the backside either.

  Ivy walked back to the kitchen. She stared at the envelop for a few seconds. “For crying’ out loud! Just open it and see what’s inside.” She knew she sounded braver than she felt. The hairs on the back of her neck were still standing up. Ivy took a deep breath and let it out rather noisily, and tore open the envelop.

  Nothing exploded.

  Nothing jumped out.

  Ivy tentatively looked inside.

  She turned the envelop over and dumped the contents onto the kitchen counter. The torn pieces of dozens of pictures fluttered through the air before coming to a rest on the countertop.

  Ivy sifted through the pieces. Her eyes widened as she realized the torn photographs were all pictures of her. A folded sheet of white paper fluttered out of the envelop with the last of the pictures. Ivy picked up the paper and slowly unfolded it.

  Be careful.

  We know who you are.

  We know where you are.

  We know who you are talking to.

  We can find you at any time.

  Ivy let the paper fall back onto the pile of pictures. The typed note didn’t make any sense. Was it sent by one person or by a group of people? How did anyone know where she was? Did someone follow her or was it someone who lived in Bryant Station? Ivy blinked several times. She grabbed the envelop she had emptied earlier. Her hands shook as she swept the note and torn photographs back inside the large brown envelope. She closed it and went out the back door.

  Without a thought to her safety, she marched down the steps and straight to the large, green trashcan. Ivy opened the hinged lid and stuffed the envelop into the can and let the lid fall shut. She turned around and scanned the yard. “I don’t know who you are, but you are messing with the wrong person. I suggest you crawl back into you hole and pull the dirt over your head, because if you don’t, then you leave me no choice but to do it for you.” Ivy’s voice was low but deadly sounding. And I really don’t have to worry about you harming me. I’ll probably be walking along, minding my own business when I suddenly fall down into a manhole and break my neck. I’m more scared of myself than I am of you. She marched back into the house, locking the door behind her.

  Leaning against the door, she fought to regain control of her body. Her heart pounded so hard against her chest, she thought it might break through her rib cage. With a shaking hand, she wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead before they got the chance to run down into her face. Ivy closed her eyes and put into practice one of several breathing techniques her grandmother had taught her when she was a child. She used to hate them, but now she was grateful for her grandmother forcing her to learn them.

  After several minutes, her heart rate slowed to normal, and Ivy stood up. She walked over to the refrigerator, opened the freezer compartment, and pulled out a pint of coffee and toffee ice cream. She found a spoon in the box she had been emptying before the doorbell rang.

  Ivy walked to the bedroom and sat down in the middle of the bed. She opened her laptop, made sure it was connected to the hotspot she had created with her smartphone, and restarted one of her favorite romance movies. Ice cream and Greek weddings were just the thing to take her mind off the note and the torn pictures. The only thing it didn’t let her forget was the fact her mate was still in danger from an unknown demon that was determined to destroy him.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, Ivy got up early and called the local cable company about cable and internet. After what felt like forever, she finally had a confirmation number and an appointment for the company to come out and set up everything. She was so ready to have internet and cable. Using her smartphone as a hotspot was okay for an hour or two, but it was not a long term solution.

  Ivy turned the page in her notepad and checked off cable and internet from her To Do List. The next thing on the list was to find a job. She had plenty of money in the bank from her grandmother’s estate, but she didn’t want to rely on it too much. She needed a paycheck to take care of the bills, groceries, and rent. But that will have to wait until after breakfast, she thought as her stomach started growling.

  Pulling the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator and a loaf of bread out of the pantry, Ivy plugged in the new toaster that matched the other appliances and plopped two slices of bread into it and pushed down the lever. She then turned her attention to scrambling a couple of eggs.

  Several minutes later, she slid the eggs out of the frying pan and onto a plate. She sniffed the air and realized something was burning. She glanced at the stove, but all the burners were off. The only other thing on was the toaster. Ivy turned and looked at it just in time to see a curl of black smoke rise out of the small appliance.

  “Crimeny Crickets!”

  Ivy punched the cancel button but nothing happened. She grabbed the cord and yanked it out of the electrical socket. It no longer had electricity coursing through it, but black smoke was still rising out of the toaster. Ivy forced the lever up and grabbed a slice of toast.

  “Hot! Hot! Hot!” she yelled and tossed the burnt slice of toast into the sink. She turned on the cold water and stuck her burnt fingers in it. “What the devil is going on this morning?” she asked as she glared at the shiny toaster. “You realize that cars get put into huge crushers for less offenses that what you just pulled.” She shook her good finger at the toaster. “I’m really thinking about taking you to the junk yard and watching them flatten you.”

  Ivy turned off the water and reached for the kitchen towel next to her plate of eggs. Two seconds later, the sound of glass hitting the floor and shattering filled the small kitchen.

  “H-E –double hockey sticks!” Ivy stared at the remains of her breakfast lying on the floor, surrounded by pieces of the broken plate. She sighed and let her shoulders sag. “It’s really too early in the morning for all of this. Don’t you think? All you had to do was just tell me to go out for breakfast. You didn’t have to cause all of these problems.” She looked up at the ceiling as she spoke.

  Ivy threw the kitchen towel back onto the counter and went over to the small closet in the hallway where she had seen a broom and dustpan. She grabbed the items as well as a small trashcan. After she put a plastic garbage bag in the trashcan, she picked up the larger pieces of the plate and dropped them into the trash. She then swept up the rest of the broken plate and the now cold scrambled eggs. It took her a little longer to clean up the mess and the greasy residue covering the floor.

  “At least I won’t forget about the greasy spot and slip.” She climbed to her feet and tossed the dirty towel into the sink, knowing she would have to wash it later. She put away the broom and dustpan.

  Standing in the middle of the kitchen, she glared at the toaster. It sat on the counter gleaming at her. The urge to knock it into the sink was strong, but Ivy managed to ignore it by turning her back to it. I don’t think trying to cook again would be a good idea.

  Ivy chewed on her bottom
lip. There should be a diner or somewhere in town where I can buy breakfast. Decision made, she went back to the bedroom. She opened one of her suitcases and pulled out clean underwear, a pair of jeans and an oversized t-shirt and laid them on the bed. After a quick shower, she dressed and pulled on her a pair of running shoes. Grabbing her smart phone, she did a quick search for local diners. “Yes!” She did a high five before she realized she was alone.

  Ivy shook her head. “I really need to be less of a dork.” Grabbing her oversized bag and car keys, she checked the front door, making sure it was locked. She looked around the living room and shrugged as she headed toward the back door. She glared at the toaster as she left the house. Just wait until I get back. You won’t be so shiny when I get through with you.

  *****

  “You look like you could use a refill.” Bonnie, the waitress, held up a clear glass carafe that was half full of coffee and gave it a little wiggle making the coffee rock back and forth.

  Ivy looked up from the newspaper she was reading. “You could say that again. Is there any way you could just hook up an intravenous line and pump the caffeine directly into me?”

  Bonnie laughed. “About half the people in here would love it if I could do that. But unfortunately, you’ll have to get your caffeine the old fashion way. You’ll have to drink it.”

  “Then I guess you had better fill my cup again.” Ivy held up her empty coffee cup.

  “Do you need more cream?” asked Bonnie as she poured the coffee.

  “Please, if it isn’t too much trouble.” Ivy smiled at the woman.

  Bonnie shook her head. “No trouble at all. Is there anything else you would like?”

  Ivy glanced at her plate. She had eaten the eggs and toast, but still had some bacon left. “Could you bring me a couple of slices of toast?”

  “White or wheat?”

  “Wheat.”

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” said Bonnie.

  Ivy watched her stop at several tables to speak to the customers and refill their coffee. She turned her attention back to the Help Wanted ads. There were a lot of jobs listed, but nothing called to her or to her talents.

  “Here you go. An order of toast and more cream for your coffee.” Bonnie set the plate of toast on the table and a small bowl of creamer packets next to it. “If you need anything else, let me know.”

  “Thank you.” Ivy smiled and turned her attention back to the newspaper. The grocery store needed a part time cashier. She shook her head. For about six months during high school, she had worked as a cashier. A shudder of horror rippled through her.

  The first couple of months weren’t bad, but then her brother started coming to the store almost daily. At first, he just glared at her and made stupid comments, but the last month she worked at the store, he started only checking out at her register. His rude comments escalated to the point he was causing a huge disturbance every time he came into the store. Ivy’s boss finally had enough and told her she needed to quit before he was forced to fire her.

  Ivy quit, knowing it was for the best, even though her brother was being a pain in the ass douchebag.

  She looked back at the ads. A bar was looking for a waitress, but Ivy immediately crossed that off her list. Her curves would draw too much attention, and definitely the wrong kind of attention. She sighed. Most men looked at her and saw someone they thought was desperate for male attention and who would do anything they wanted. And some of those men wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Nope. Don’t want to be in that situation.

  Ivy shook her head and sighed. She put the paper down and grabbed a slice of the buttery toast.

  “Is this seat taken?” asked Forrest Durant as he slipped into the booth across from her.

  “It is now.” Ivy rolled her eyes at him. She grabbed a paper napkin and wiped her mouth.

  Bonnie, the waitress, suddenly appeared at the booth and set a steaming cup of coffee in front of Forrest. “What would you like this morning?”

  Forrest smiled at her. “I need to get a couple dozen breakfast tacos to go.”

  “The usual mix or do you want something different?” asked Bonnie.

  “The usual,” said Forrest.

  Bonnie smiled and winked. “I’ll have those ready for you in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks.” Forrest turned his attention back to Ivy. “So how was your first night in the duplex?”

  “Not bad, though I’m going to take a certain treacherous toaster to the nearest car crusher.” Ivy took a sip of her coffee.

  “What happened?” Forrest raised an eyebrow.

  “It decided to burn the toast. I know it sounds silly and like I can’t operate the machine, but something is wrong with it. I plan on replacing it later today.” Ivy hoped she didn’t sound like a silly, incompetent female. It was bad enough she had tripped and fallen in front of him yesterday. Definitely not a good way to make an impression.

  “You don’t have to replace it, I’ll get another one and bring it over.” Forrest’s nostrils flared slightly.

  Ivy really wanted to ask him what he smelled, but bit her tongue. That conversation would open up a whole can of things she really didn’t want to talk about, especially if it caused her to have to leave town and her mate. Keeping her mate safe was the number one priority on her list.

  Ivy shook her head. “I’m the one who was using it when it broke, I’ll replace it, but thank you for the offer.”

  Forrest studied her for several minutes, making Ivy feel uncomfortable. “Are you sure?” he finally asked.

  Ivy nodded. “I’ll add it to the top of my list. It doesn’t look like I’m going to find a job today. I’m not good with tools, and I don’t have a CDL or anything like that either. I can’t picture myself driving the big rigs.” She laughed as she rolled her eyes.

  “No, I can’t see you doing that either.” Forrest snorted and laughed. “So you’re looking for a job?”

  Ivy nodded. “I need to stay busy, and the extra income wouldn’t hurt.”

  “It’s nothing fancy, but I could use some help at the shop.”

  “I couldn’t tell the different between a wrench and a pair of pliers.” Ivy wondered what he was thinking.

  “You won’t have to know the difference between the two, unless you just want to learn.” Forrest winked at her.

  Ivy felt her cheeks grow warm. “Are you always such a flirt.”

  “Only with the pretty ladies.”

  Ivy shook her head. “Do you really want me anywhere near your shop? Especially after my graceful exit from the building.”

  “You wouldn’t be in the shop. You would be answering the phone, filing, and stuff like that. I take care of the paperwork and the computer stuff, but I need help.”

  “So basically, you need a secretary of sorts.”

  “Something like that.”

  Ivy bit her bottom lip as she thought about the job offer. If she took it she would be able to watch Ben and keep him safe. It was actually the perfect solution. “When do you want me to start?”

  Forrest grinned. “Be there at nine tomorrow morning. Dress casual. Jeans and t-shirts will be just fine.” He held out his hand to her.

  “I’ll be there.” Ivy took his hand and shook it.

  “Forrest, your order is at the cash register,” said Bonnie stopped by the table.

  “Thanks Bonnie.” Forrest drank the last of his coffee in one gulp. “I need to get back to the shop. The guys are hungry and probably climbing the walls because I’m not back.” He slid out of the booth.

  Ivy nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning at nine.”

  “Have a good day. I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Forrest.

  Ivy watched him walk away. He was a very good looking man, but none of the flirting did anything for her. He wasn’t her mate. Ben was. Just the thought of Ben made her body warm and caused her to shift uncomfortable in her seat.

  She thought about her To Do list. The only thing left on
it was to buy a new toaster. Ivy folded the newspaper and finished eating her breakfast.

  Several minutes later, she waved to Bonnie, her waitress. “Could you get me the ticket?” she asked when Bonnie stopped at her table.

  The woman smiled at her. “Forrest already paid for your breakfast.”

  “You’re joking?” Ivy was stunned. She was definitely not used to people, especially men, paying for her meals without wanting something in return.

  “Nope.” Bonnie’s eyes twinkled. “Seems you’ve made a quite an impression on him. He’s a keeper, if you know what I mean. Have a good day.” She left Ivy staring with her mouth hanging open. She really hoped Forrest wasn’t interested in her.

  Ivy slowly shook her head. She pulled her wallet out of her bag and left a good tip on the table for Bonnie. As she started to leave, she spotted the door leading from the diner to the bakery next door. On a whim, she decided to stop and take a look at what they had.

  *****

  Thirty minutes later, Ivy made it home with two very decadent-looking cupcakes and several different types of cookies. Instead of going around back, she pulled up to the curb in front of the duplex and parked. Grabbing her bag and the two boxes from the bakery, she walked up the brick path leading to the huge front porch.

  As soon as she stepped onto the front porch, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. A very strong, uneasy feeling wrapped around her. Slowly, she turned, taking in every detail. Nothing seemed out of place, until she looked at the front door.

  At first glance, nothing looked wrong, but as she stared at it, she could see the door had been opened and pulled shut, but not all of the way. Someone had been in her home. Ivy let her mind and body grow calm. Residuals of black magic covered the door.

  She frowned.

  She really hated handling anything that had been touched by black magic. It left her feeling icky and gross. Gingerly she pulled the door open and waited for any surprises that were waiting for her to pop out. But nothing did.