Page 33 of Decked Out with Ivy

“Hey, hey!” Albert’s eyes locked on Cody’s. “Back off from my woman.”

“I am not your property, Albert.” Freida rolled her eyes. “Besides he’s clearly taken. Ivy looks like she wants to climb him like a tree.”

Ivy gasped, and he glanced over at her. Her eyes widened, her lips parted, and all he could think about was going back to her bed.

“Dear, it’s all over your face,” Ethel agreed, and Cody bit back a laugh.

The elevator dinged, and Bex and her husband stepped out. Her husband had a rugged air about him with his broad shoulders and stature that towered over Bex, despite her high heels. His open black coat displayed the Red Maple Falls Fire Department logo.

“Did the party get moved to the hallway?” she asked as she approached. She and her husband were wearing sweaters that were clearly Ivy creations. Bex had a reindeer on hers, andChase had a snowman. Behind them followed a burly man with a prominent scar down his face.

He walked up to Layla, his motorcycle boots clicking against the tiles, and kissed her before eyeing Frieda. “Let me guess. You’re stealing chocolate bars again,” the man said in a deep baritone.

“I don’t need your shit, too,” Freida said.

“I thought I was your favorite,” he said with a smile that transformed his entire face, making him go from dark and deadly to effortlessly charming.

“I told you I will fight you, Declan,” Albert chimed in.

Freida barked out a laugh. “You can’t even walk without hobbling.”

Layla glanced at her watch. “We should be starting in five minutes, so let’s get out of the hallway and into the cafeteria.” Layla began ushering people, and Freida tried to sneak by, but Layla’s hand flung out in her path. “Candy bar.”

Freida grumbled and smacked it into her palm before Albert pushed her past Layla. Declan wrapped his arm around Layla and pulled her in, kissing her head and saying something in her ear that made her laugh.

“I had no idea nursing homes were this rambunctious,” Cody said as Ivy walked up beside him.

“You should have seen them at the Halloween costume contest. Someone wore the same outfit as Freida and she ‘accidentally’ dropped her drink on the poor woman. All hell broke loose.”

“Is this high school?” Cody asked.

“Pretty much.” Ivy looped her arm through his. “Let’s get in there before we miss any drama.”

“We wouldn’t want that to happen.” He let Ivy pull him into the cafeteria. Silver garland hung from all the windows that were covered in Christmas themed clings.

He’d had no desire to get out of her bed, but now that he was here, he was rather enjoying himself.

“Do you visit here a lot?”

“Often enough. It started when Layla asked me to help organize a Christmas event for the residents. From there, I fell in love with the people, and the events grew. Caroling has been a big hit, so that one continues to find a spot on the calendar. But we went from just Christmas to doing something for every holiday. It keeps morale up. A lot of the people here have been forgotten by their families, which is terribly sad. I want to give them joy and show them people do care about them. They’re not forgotten, and they’re still very much wanted in society.” She patted his chest. “We should make sure to get a picture. People will love this for you.”

He stared at her, completely in awe of her selfless nature.

“What?” she asked, tucking a blonde strand behind her ear. A pretty blush spread across the tip of her nose and her cheeks.

“You own your own store, you knit, you have all these friends, yet you still make time to help others. I’m just in awe of you.”

“Stop it.” She swatted at his chest. “I’m not doing anything different from others.”

“That’s not true. Ronnie tried to get me to do a nursing home visit once, and I came up with an excuse to get out of it.”

She gasped.

“I didn’t think much of it, but in retrospect… I feel horrible. I should have shown up. It seemed such a waste of my time, but it wasn’t about me, was it? It was about people searching for a little joy in their day, and I denied them.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Ivy said. “Sometimes it just takes a little Christmas spirit to open your eyes.” She winked. “I’ll be right back. I need to set up the music.”

His eyes followed her across the cafeteria. Her smile didn’t only light her face, it lit the entire room. The lights from theChristmas tree added to her glow. And the ridiculous hat on her head was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. He wondered if she’d model it for him later with nothing else on.

---