The four glanced at each other. Some unspoken communication passed among them.
“We’ll give him a chance,” Ryder said finally. “But if he hurts you again, he’ll regret the day he ever heard about Quinn Valley.”
Ivy appreciated how her sister and brothers had her back. Just as she had theirs. “Thanks. But I can’t wait to prove you wrong.”
Maggie hugged Ivy. “Neither can we.”
* * *
Nash texted Ivy that he made it to the hotel. After he explained what happened, Bob hadn’t lectured him. Instead, the man had smiled, offering to return the chef uniform to the pub. Nash had taken it off in the lobby and then rode the elevator to his room. By the time he reached the door, Ivy had replied.
Ivy:Glad you made it safely. See you tomorrow?
Nash:Yes. Where?
Ivy:Picnic in a town over? I’ll bring lunch. Meet me there at 11?
Nash:Give me the address. I’ll be there.
He would have preferred to speak with her rather than text but assumed she was dealing with her family. They could talk at the park. Besides, he had someone he needed to call.
Reluctantly, Nash hit the button on his contacts.
One ring and the line connected. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything else stupid?”
The frustration in R.J.’s voice was nothing new, but Nash wished his manager would show a hint of concern. “Define stupid.”
“Really, Nash?” R.J. groaned. “What happened?”
Again, no “Are you okay” or “Have you been injured?” Maybe R.J. was going with the odds given how Nash had messed up before. But for once he had no regrets. Not with Ivy. “I may have blown my cover by singing at a local pub.”
“You didn’t!”
Nash moved the phone away from his ear. “Sorry?”
He wasn’t. Not really, but he didn’t know what else to say to appease his manager.
R.J. sighed. “Tell me everything so I know what to tell the PR firm.”
Nash did, including how meeting Ivy Quinn was what led to tonight. “She’s an amazing singer-songwriter. I’ll send you a recording of her song. We sang it as a duet. I told her I want it. Get approval so we can take the next step. I also want to get her set up with a music publisher.”
“You like her.”
“I’m trying to make amends. Helping her is a way to do that.”
“That’s fine, and I’ll let the PR firm know because this could do a lot for your image. But whatever you do, don’t get romantic with her.”
Nash clutched his phone. He had left out the part where he’d kissed Ivy.
“We’re not.”Not really. “But hypothetically, why would getting romantic be bad?”
“Your career needs to be your focus. A relationship will distract you. But more than that, you already hurt this girl.”
“Woman.”
“Fine, woman. When you break her heart again—and you will because you always do—you’ll come off as the villain. You don’t need that bad press on top of everything else.”
Yeah, Nash didn’t want to hurt Ivy again.
