Chasing Ivy (Oak Hill 1)

“How was work? Do you like it?”

Becca started to follow me inside as I answered her. “I do. Judy is staying an extra week just to train me before she retires fully, but—”

Becca gasped, interrupting me. “What the hell happened to your house, Ivy?! It did not look like this when you sent me pictures! Oh my God!”

I chuckled. “Well, you see…”

My door opened just slightly and I saw Dawson’s head peek through. “Hey, Ivy? Can I come in?”

Becca’s jaw fell to the floor and her eyes blazed into mine.

“What is he doing here?” she mouthed, her lips pulled into a straight line. I laughed out loud.

“Yeah, come on in,” I yelled back to Dawson.

Becca looked as if she wanted to kill me. She spun around and crossed her arms over her chest, just waiting to give Dawson a dirty look.

I should have told her that Dawson and I had kind of made a truce. I briefly texted her about the fight we’d had but I didn’t follow up with what happened afterward (aka Dawson and I eating pizza in my kitchen with me feeling ligh

t as a freaking feather all night).

“Oh. I didn’t know you were going to be here,” Dawson murmured as he made his way through my door. I stared at his scruffy jaw and messy hair for a moment too long. I found myself licking my lips and falling into a dream-like state.

He was really hot. Like, gives you instant butterflies hot.

There was no way around it. The Dawson that I used to visualize in my head on those rare, unstoppable moments, was a teenage boy with wild hair and a cheesy grin. But Dawson was no longer a teenager and I no longer had the hormones of a fifteen-year-old girl. I now had the hormones of a woman who was currently looking at her ex-best friend like he was dessert. A naked dessert. A naked dessert with a cherry on top.

My legs tingled as the thought slipped through the barriers of my brain. If I didn’t get my mind out of the gutter regarding Dawson, our friendship would never work out.

And I so desperately wanted it to.

Becca snarled. “So he does know how to speak to me. Hmph.”

I had forgotten all about Dawson’s little no-talking-to-Becca rule until right now. I almost laughed, but I didn’t because Becca was becoming awfully good at sending death glares my way.

“I’m learning to let go of grudges,” he said, only eyeing her for half a second.

“Are ya now? Not mad at me anymore for keeping a secret she made me keep?” Becca pointed back to me and I dropped my head.

Can we just move past this whole thing already?

“Okay, you two. This is neutral ground,” I said.

“Whatever,” Becca groaned, rolling her hazel eyes in my direction. She glanced at Dawson, who was standing awkwardly by the door and gave him an eye-roll, too. Dawson and I made eye contact and a small smile traced his lips. I smiled, too, and then ruined everything when I raked my eyes down his torso and all but salivated at the mouth.

Bad Ivy!

Becca turned around to face me, uncrossing her arms. “I’m going home. You’re going out with me Friday and don’t even try to argue with me.”

I held my tongue and gave her a tight smile. She narrowed her eyes at me before walking right past Dawson, who had sidestepped out of her way. I knew that she would no-doubt be calling me in a few hours to scold me for not filling her in on whatever happened with Dawson and I. But that was something future Ivy could worry about.

When she was out the door, Dawson turned towards me, eyeing me with just as much suspicion as Becca had a few seconds ago.

“It all makes sense now,” he whispered, walking further into my house.

“What does?”

I trailed after him, willing myself not to stare at the way his jeans hung so perfectly on his hips.