“Do you want me to drop you off?”
Ivy paused, running her fingertips through his just past regulation haircut. His warm brown eyes had lost the tension. Ivy placed her palm on his chest. This man loved her. He knew she didn’t like driving, but she wanted the car, in case she finished later than she hoped.
“I’ll drive.”
“Okay.”
She let go of Gabe, changed into office clothes, and gathered her work bag. She slipped on a pair of pink pearl-coloured heels and kissed Gabe goodbye.
“See you later.”
“You say that, but will you be there?” His tone stopped her.
“Gabe, you know I will.”
“Yeah, I know, Princess.” He kissed her and held the door open for her. Ivy blew him a kiss goodbye. “Sorry, I’m just restless.”
“Go chill with Nick.”
“Good luck with the crisis.”
“Thanks.” Ivy smiled.
As she heard the door close behind her, she exhaled.
Ever since June, Gabe had been more withdrawn, which is understandable. What happened to Jordan was a terrible thing, affecting Gabe’s circle of friends. She thought he was coming out of his grief, out of the bubble he had himself in, but he seemed to retreat more whenever she had to work, and he didn’t.
Maybe seeing Nick would help, and a play session at Club Bandit would ease some of the tension he’s been storing.
And try as she might, Ivy couldn’t get out of work until four hours later. Riley Maddison sobbed in her office for two hours. Ivy patted her back and ushered her into her comfy seating arrangement of yellow and red club chairs and her chaise lounge. Ivy loved that chaise. She spent a lot of late nights stretched out on it.
“I still love him,” Riley sobbed.
“Of course you do.”
Flint had tapped on the door. “Ivy, we need Riley to sign off on the press release.”
“We’ll do it whenever Riley is ready.” Ivy smiled, holding Riley’s hands. For the next three hours, Ivy brought out her store of candy, kept Riley’s glass filled with sparkling water, and looked at every photo on her phone of her dog, Marley.
“I want Marley. He can have the rights to all my songs I made while with him, but I want Marley,” Riley wailed, clutching her phone to her chest.
“What is Marley’s favourite treat?”
“He loves, loves the organic double-baked bones. I send them to the groomer with him each time he goes.” Riley’s face cleared. “Oh, I am not letting that fucker have anything. Marley needs his treats!”
“Right! I bet Marley loves that bedazzled collar. Does he have any others?”
“Oh, yes!” Riley started flipping through her phone again. “Look, here he is in his Christmas ones.”
Finally, now that she had her client’s emotions on the level for the moment, Ivy grabbed her iPad. “Let’s mention how upset Marley is in the press release. What else should we say?”
It took another hour for Riley to sign off on a release she was happy with.
As Riley left the office, Ivy realized the time.
“Crap,” she muttered. It was her idea to go to Club Bandit tonight. For a brief moment, she considered calling Gabe’s friend Logan and asking him to... what? Run interference for her? Ivy didn’t know.
She rinsed off her face and grabbed an outfit from her work closet. Her car was the only one in the parking lot.
