“Is she named after the gemstone?” he asked.
Why was Nash asking? He wasn’t here to talk about her cat and drink coffee like Grams and her friends did each week. She and Nash would never be friends, not even frenemies. As far as she was concerned, he was a mortal enemy.
“Minnie Pearl.” Ivy only answered so they could get on with whatever had brought him to her apartment. “My dad was a fan.”
“Ever been to the Grand Ole Opry?” Nash’s charming smile sent her pulse sprinting.
The reaction annoyed her.Enemy, remember? “How did you find me?”
“A website. All I needed was your name and city,” he admitted. “Scary easy to be honest."
Scary was right since she had no social media accounts and stayed offline. It had been almost ten years since she’d deleted all her profiles and pages. Still, she didn’t know why he bothered to look her up. “I doubt you’re here to chitchat about tourist spots in Nashville. What do you want?”
His gaze met Ivy’s, giving her a closer look at his face. Lines creased his forehead, emphasizing his tired eyes ringed with dark circles. He appeared as if he slept little.
A muscle ticked at his jaw. “I’m sorry.”
She didn’t hide her frustration with him. “For?”
“What I said during your audition. You didn’t deserve that.”
Talk about an unexpected apology. What strength Ivy had left she exhaled. Deflated, she plopped onto the bed. “I didn’t think you remembered.”
“I didn’t. Not until last night.” He shifted his weight between his booted feet. “It took an internet search to figure out what you’d been talking about. I… What I said to you was wrong. So was the scrutiny you faced afterward. I’m sorry I hurt you so badly. I wanted to tell you why…”
Ivy listened to him explain about what had caused his bad day and how he’d tried to discourage her because of how young and innocent she appeared. He admitted no one had told them anything about the contestants so he’d had no idea she was grieving the death of her father. The show had wanted drama and conflict for the ratings. That had turned both judges and contestants into pawns, and he’d played right into their hands.
“None of those things excuse my behavior,” he said to her surprise. “My harsh critique was undeserved, considering you were more talented than others we let through to the next round. But I was selfish. I hadn’t considered nor cared who I hurt. All I wanted was to be in the spotlight. Some of that has changed in the last ten years, but not all.” His remorse over his actions appeared genuine. Nash clutched his beanie. “I was doing better. Until things went downhill a few months ago. That’s why I’m in Quinn Valley. So a high-priced PR firm can repair the damage I’ve done to my reputation and my injured muscle can heal.”
His honesty caught her off guard. Had her uncle told Nash she would sign the NDA so he felt free opening up?
“I apologize,” Nash added. “I’m ashamed after seeing myself on that show. I only watched your audition, but it was enough to know I should have never been a judge. I hope you can forgive me for hurting you.”
Could she? Hard to say when the past was steamrolling through her head. But before she gave him her answer, she had a few things to say first.
Ivy straightened. “First, you didn’t hurt me. You devastated me. I’d heard what you said to others earlier that day, we all did in the waiting area, and as ugly as you were to them, you didn’t crush their dreams and then ground your foot on top of them for added effect as you did with me.”
Nash’s chin dipped to his chest.
“Look at me.” Her voice was hard. She didn’t care. “You had no qualms spouting words that slashed me to bits, but you wouldn’t look at me as you said them, so you can do it now.”
He raised his chin. His cheeks were red.
“You destroyed me. I didn’t have enough money to stay in Seattle another night so I had to make the drive home sobbing my heart out. I made it halfway before I almost got in a wreck.”
Nash sucked in a breath. The color drained from his face.
“I called home. My brothers Carter and David came to get me, but they didn’t arrive for hours. Hours I spent on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere alone and crying.”
Nash’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “If I’d known—”
“What would you have done differently?” she challenged.
He took a slow breath, closing his eyes, before opening them.
“Not been so brutal. Pointed out the good points to your audition instead of only focusing on the problems. Explained how the music business is tough. It can chew people like you up and spit them out. I would have also offered my condolences on your dad’s passing.” Nothing but sincerity sounded in Nash’s voice and shone in his eyes. “I probably would have voted you through to the next round, too.”
Something in her chest loosened. The lump in her throat disappeared. It wasn’t what he said,per se, or that he would live with the guilt of his actions no matter what she said next. But she believed he was sorry, and the one thing her grandparents, parents, and Pastor Dahl had taught her was the importance of forgiveness. Otherwise, bitterness crept in.
