Page 2 of Shit Happens in Ivydell

She doesn’t need to worry about me. I can handle whatever I’m getting myself into with him.

Jensen

A Shift in the Wind

I pull up toCujo's place and find him repacking a toolbox. “Anything I can help with?”

“Nah, all done. You’ve got good timing.”

“For once. You didn’t stay gone long.”

He shakes his head. “Plans got canceled.”

That’s all he offers, so I let it go. Of all the people who live in Ivydell, I wonder about him the most. I used to tell myself when he took off for weeks at a time, it was probably to be with a woman. But now that he’s seeing Josephine, I don’t know.

It’s none of my business, and technically, I’m not sure what his arrangement is with Josephine, but they seem like a good match. Some people just fit.

“Surprised Petra doesn’t have you busy already,” he says. “She’s been back for hours, and you know how she gets this close to the festival.”

“I might be avoiding her.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “We both know that’s not possible. If she wanted you, she’d have found you already.”

“True. You want to go fishing?”

“I’m not doing anything else.”

I help Cujo gather his fishing gear and load it into the bed of my truck. Taking the long way around was an attempt to avoid seeing Petra, but there she is, realigning stones along a walkway that cuts through the center of Ivydell and leads back to The Circle.

That rock border has to be cleaned up and reset every year because the wind blows leaves and debris in between them, and they get knocked around by animals. The path will have to be cleaned again right before the festival, but doing the worst of the work now makes it easier.

Ivy rakes the pathway clean, her leggings tight enough that I can make out the shape of the muscles in her legs . . . and the curve of her firm, round ass. No wonder Petra hasn’t recruited me to help. She wants me and Ivy to stay as far away from each other as possible.

Plus, it’s easier to get volunteers to help now. The closer the festival gets, the busier everybody gets with their own preparations. In another few weeks, there will be artists working everywhere you look.

Cujo’s eyes follow the same outlines of Ivy’s body as mine, and my fingers tighten around the steering wheel.

“Hope you didn’t exhaust her too much over the past few days. Petra will keep her out here all day.”

“Anything to keep her away from me.”

“Why is that?”

“Pretty sure she doesn’t think I’m good enough for her.”

“You’re not.”

“Thanks.”

“Hell, it’s anybody’s guess what Josephine sees in me. But I’m going to keep coming around until she tells me to stop.”

“What if she never tells you to stop?”

It’s rare to see a smile light up Cujo’s face. He’ll laugh now and then, but he’s not a smiley guy.

“Who the fuck knows?” he says with a shrug.

Shadow’s car pulls in the gate as I’m pulling up in front of the shops. He waves through the windshield, but doesn’t slow down to chat.

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