May tried not to blush.
“I’m not asking for details, but something happened.”
May opened her mouth to deny it, then closed it. The truth hovered there between them, warm and alive. She wasn’t embarrassed. She was…shaken. In a good way. In a terrifying way. “Maybe,” she said carefully.
Ivy’s eyes widened. “May.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Of course it is. It’s you.”
May laughed despite herself. Outside, the sun flashed off a passing truck. Somewhere down the street a hammer pounded rhythmically, someone already repairing storm damage. The whole town felt scrubbed clean. “I just don’t know what it means yet.”
Ivy nodded. “Then don’t decide today.”
That was fair. May pushed off the counter and reached for the next chart. “How’s Jack’s ankle, anyway?”
“Good. He iced it off and on, and he’s walking okay with just a slight limp.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Flipping over the top page of the chart, May’s hands were steady. Her mind wasn’t. Ace Osprey had kissed her like he planned to do it again, and the part of her that always calculated risk had gone strangely silent. The morning had been pretty great with him cooking her breakfast, barefoot, jeans on, no shirt. It had been seriously sexy.
“Hey, May?” Ivy grinned, oblivious to the chaos in May’s head. Today she wore jeans with a short-sleeved white sweater, her hair pulled up into a ponytail that bounced when she moved. “Jack wanted me to ask you something.”
May stilled. “That sounds ominous.”
Ivy winced. “I know you dated the senator. It didn’t work out. But Jack thinks it would really help the campaign if you’d do some publicity shots with Kyle. Kyle is really into protecting the Alaskan environment, from the salmon to the air.”
May tried to remember that Ivy was innocent in all of this. Kyle couldn’t care less about the environment or a fish. He just wanted to get reelected.
“I’m just the messenger,” Ivy rushed on. “They don’t have to confirm anything. Just some photos of you two would get social media buzzing. People love a little mystery, and that’s all it would be. Unless there was a bad breakup. Was there?”
May swallowed. The room suddenly felt smaller. “I just left. There wasn’t a scene or a fight.” She crossed her arms. “But he’s not a good guy.”
Ivy blinked. “Jack says he’s great. Fun. Kind with everybody. Generous.” She tilted her head. “Is this just a bad ex-boyfriend thing, or was he really not a good guy?”
May drew in a slow breath. The clinic hummed softly around them. She wasn’t going to lie about this. To anybody. “He really was not a good guy.”
Ivy’s expression changed, losing the teasing edge. “Did he hit you?”
“No.” May shook her head. “Which makes it harder to explain. He didn’t yell, but he did bruise me.” She looked down at her hands. “He also undermined me. Constantly making little comments and slight corrections that made me doubt myself.” Her throat tightened, but she pushed through it. “He started getting threatening when I wouldn’t fall in line.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. “Threatening how?”
“It was more of a tone. A shift.” May met her gaze. “He did grab me once, hard enough to leave marks. That was enough.”
“Oh.” Ivy stepped closer. “May.”
“It was that gut feeling,” May continued quietly. “The one that tells you something is about to go bad. I listened to it and left.”
Ivy’s eyes softened. “I trust your instincts.”
Relief moved through May. “Thank you.”
“I’ll tell Jack no,” Ivy said firmly. “No publicity shots or hinted romances. And maybe he needs to take a better look at his boss.”
May felt a flicker of warmth for her friend. “Ivy, don’t blow up something good because of me. Just be careful.”
“I will.” Ivy straightened, determination settling in her features. “And for the record, you don’t owe anybody a photo op.”
