Page 19 of Shit Happens in Ivydell

I eat the third of her burger that she can’t finish. She ate all her fries, though. They were easier finger foods while scrolling on her phone to find all the flower pics.

“Do you still want champagne?” I ask.

“And chocolate.”

“Right. And chocolate.”

“You really should’ve gotten me flowers to celebrate, too. I mean, how often does a girl win these types of awards?”

“Depends on the girl, I guess. How about if I promise to give you flowers before you head back to the beach?”

“And you have to bring me some the first time you come to visit me there.”

My smile is instant. I love thinking about visiting her at the beach. Hell, yeah, I’ll take her flowers.

Shane greets us when we walk into Hilltop by lifting a bottle over his head. He’s always stocking his shelves or moving things around.

“Hey, Stinger! Hello, Ivy!”

It feels good that he remembers her name.

“Hi, Shane!” she calls back. Because of course she remembers his. She’s a names person.

I’m better with faces, but her name is memorable. Everything about her is memorable.

“Can I help you find anything?” Shane asks.

“We’ve come in search of champagne.” I grab a bottle of malbec he recommended before. It’s definitely worth buying again. His recs are always on point.

“I can absolutely help with that.” Shane rounds a corner, and we follow. “What are you celebrating?”

Ivy and I exchange smiles.

“Life.”

He twirls a bottle out of the rack. “I always say the best reason to drink champagne is because you want to. But I like to ask about occasions to help gauge the price point. This is an all-around good choice.”

I recognize the label. It’s an all-around expensive choice is what it is. But he’s not wrong about it being good. And she deserves it.

“Thanks, Shane.” My deadpan delivery makes it clear I know he handed me this one to see if I’d balk at the cost in front of Ivy. It’s not the occasion he wants to know more about; it’s my relationship with her. “We’re going to grab some chocolate, too.”

“Need any help with that?”

“No. You’ve been helpful enough.”

His good-natured laugh has a twinge of gloat to it. It’s all right. I feel like I passed a milestone exam after Ivy quizzed me about all those damn flowers, so a celebration is in order for multiple reasons.

She just wanted to know if I’d been paying attention. She took great joy in making me prove it.

I’m always paying attention to her.

“Let me chill this for you.” Shane takes the bottle up front while Ivy and I pick out chocolate. I let her choose since I chose last time.

When we get to the register, Shane presents the chilled champagne to Ivy in an insulated wrap. “The bag’s on the house.”

“You’re too generous,” I joke, figuring that bag was probably a freebie from the distributor.

Shane winks, confirming my guess was accurate, but when he says the total for our purchases out loud, Ivy grabs my forearm. “How much is this champagne?”

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