And start laughing.
Not polite laughter. Like knee-slapping, contagious, ridiculous laughter.
Like—they know something I don’tlaughter.
“That’s…” Jackson starts.
“A long story,” Ivy finishes.
“And private,” he adds.
She grins. “Let’s just say—there are some details we’re not sharing at a family barbecue.”
Jackson nods. “Yeah. Definitely not.”
I raise a brow. “That bad?”
“That good,” Ivy corrects.
She glances at Jackson again, something softer in her expression now.
“We could probably write a romance novel about it, if we wanted to.”
Jackson huffs. “You absolutely could, and should, babe. Maybe a summer project?”
She laughs. “Oh, hon. I appreciate you being supportive of my dreams, but I already spend my time doing photography.” She turns toward me. “Jackson turned one of the rooms in the house into a dark room for me.”
“Wow. That is…actually incredibly sweet.”
“That’s what happens when you marry up,” Jackson jokes. “You have to keep her busy.”
Ivy rolls her eyes, then bites her lip. “Well, I might have married a few years older, but you carry yourself well in an apron, Mr. Burger Chef.”
I watch them for a second. The way they look at each other is so easy, solid, and real.
Huh.
“So anyway…back to this romance novel,” I interject. “Why can’t I get the whole story?”
“Trust me,” Ivy says. “We don’t have enough time. Suffice it to say, you never know how those things start.”
Jackson flips another burger. “Or where they end up.”
I take a sip of my drink. I’m not sure why that sticks with me, but it does.
Then we’re interrupted by someone I don’t know.
“Jackson, my man,” a voice cuts in. “This is unreal.”
I glance over and see a guy in jeans, white tee, and—he’s actually wearing a sport coat. A tad try-hard, not to mention hot for the weather. But he seems put-together. I’ll give him that.
Jackson grins. “Eric. You made it.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says, clapping him on the shoulder. His eyes flick around the yard. “Seriously, this is awesome.”
“Appreciate it,” Jackson says.
Eric leans in slightly. “So…where’s your sister? You said you were gonna introduce me.”
