That last thought made something twist in my chest. The idea of Ivy with someone else, building a life with someone else, shouldn't bother me. I'd been the one to walk away. I'd made that choice.
But it did bother me. More than it should.
I unlocked my room door, nodding to the guard stationed in the hallway. Inside, the space was exactly as I'd left it. Clean, impersonal, and temporary.
Everything in my life felt temporary lately.
Except the memory of Ivy's face when she'd looked at me in that bar. The hurt in her eyes. The anger.
The lingering attraction she'd tried to hide.
I'd seen it. Recognized it because I felt it too.
Four years hadn't changed a damn thing.
5
IVY
The restaurant smelled like garlic bread and too much ambition. It was one of those places that wanted to be upscale but couldn't quite commit. White tablecloths, but paper napkins. Wine glasses, but plastic menus.
In this economy, I didn't blame them.
I sat across from Anna and Elena, watching Anna's face light up as her new boyfriend approached our table.
Beau.
Handsome in French, I believed.
Funny name for a guy who looked like he belonged behind an internal desk at a bank. Which, as it turned out, was exactly where he belonged.
I bit back a smirk.
He was balding, the kind of balding where a man still tried to pretend he had enough hair to style, and his suit jacket hung a bit loose on his frame. Not much to look at, objectively speaking. But the way he looked at Anna made something in my chest squeeze.
Like she was the only thing he could see.
His face broke into the widest grin as he spotted her.
"Anna." He leaned down to kiss her cheek, gentle and sweet, before turning to Elena and me with a nervous smile. "You must be Elena and Ivy."
"That's us," Elena confirmed.
"Ivy," I said with a nod.
He held out a bouquet of flowers, a mix of daisies and roses, bright and cheerful, and offered us a box of chocolates. "I know it's a bit much for a first meeting, but Anna talks about you both constantly. I wanted to make a good impression."
Elena took the flowers with a warm smile. "That's really sweet of you. Thank you."
"Very sweet," I echoed, accepting the chocolates. They were from a local shop, not some cheap drugstore box. I only knew that because Jackson had gotten Elena some from there as well, and they weren't cheap. Points for effort.
Beau settled into the chair beside Anna, and she reached for his hand immediately. The gesture was so natural it made my throat tight.
"Beau's been wonderful," Anna said softly. Her blue eyes, brightening every day she was in remission, shone with genuine happiness. "I've been telling him he doesn't need to spoil me, but he insists."
"I like spoiling you," Beau said simply. "You deserve it. You're an amazing woman, and very strong."
I grinned and rolled my eyes as Elena chuckled, but it was nice to see our mother being so doted on.
