Page 31 of The Magical Tea Shop

Ivy longed to go home, but she was no quitter. She would see this date through like all the rest.

What annihilated the evening was the complimentary dessert Pedro brought to the table. A hot fudge sundae, buried in whipped cream with a cherry would have been ideal, but it arrived with a smattering of crushed walnuts. Pedro managed to fling walnut bits at Kyle when he set it down.

The glint in Pedro’s eyes made it clear to Ivy that he’d done it on purpose.

Kyle hopped up, brushing madly at his clothes with the napkin. “You know I’m allergic to nuts. Why would you do this?”

Pedro responded with a Gallic shrug. “I forgot.” He slid the dessert over to Ivy.

Kyle rushed off to the men’s room to scrub his hands and make sure his clothes were nut-free.

When Pedro lingered at the table, Ivy waved him away with a scowl of disgust, picked up a spoon, and dived into the sundae.

She might as well.

It was forty minutes before Kyle returned. Apparently he had stripped down to check all his clothes for nut bits. Why not just go home?

Her sundae was long gone by the time he reappeared, subdued. He slumped back into the booth, rumpled and disgruntled. This date topped out as the worst yet.

Neither one spoke. What was there to say? Ivy’s gaze wandered from Kyle over to Pedro putting out his “Closed” sign. Through the glass door was a view of the town green across the street. She spotted Montgomery on the end of a long leash trotting along on his little legs and where Montgomery was…

“Thank you, Kyle,” Ivy said. “Sorry about the nuts.” She grabbed up her clutch, shrugged into her jacket, and escaped. She brushed by Pedro on her way out without a word, because really, why? He had made an awkward date miserable beyond repair. Leaving it all behind her, Ivy made a beeline to the opposite side of the street, just in time to meet up with the only man she wanted to spend time with.

“Hey, hi,” said Jaxon. He glanced at the diner, where Pedro and Kyle were obviously having words and raised an eyebrow.

“Excruciating,” was all she said. He nodded. His lips gave a wry twist.

“Want to talk about it?”

Ivy shook her head. “Not ever, not for any reason. Can I walk with you?”

Montgomery was doing his delighted little doggy dance at Ivy’s appearance.

“My dog says yes.”

Ivy laughed. She reached down to pat Montgomery’s head, and he rose on his hind legs to paw at her skirt.

When Jaxon started to scold him, Ivy held up a hand. “It’s fine, really.” Montgomery gave her a happy, jubilant lick, and Ivy fell into step with Jaxon. They walked a block in companionable silence. Easy. Stress-free, not like her dates with Roman or Joel or Rob or Kyle.

At the corner of Worthy and Endeavor, they paused to cross the street. Ivy sighed. “You’re easy to be with.”

“Nah, it’s him.”

Ivy gave Jaxon a bemused look.

Jaxon pointed at his dog, who scampered along. “I love taking him on walks. He’s always so happy. He’s the happiest little dog I think I’ve ever known.”

“I always wanted a dog.” At Jaxon’s questioning glance, she added, “Holly’s allergic.”

“Ah.”

In a moment of honest transparency into her life, she added, “So, whatever Holly needs.”

“Holly gets.” He nodded. “I see that. It’s still like that.”

Staring at the ground, Ivy shuffled her feet a little. “I didn’t think anyone noticed.”

“That she’s a taker? I see it. You’re the giver.”

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