“No.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
Gil nudged the takeout box still holding half of his BLT. “Lunch.”
At any moment, Ivy’s head was going to explode. She knew without having to ask that there was a zero percent chance Gil would go away and leave her alone with Ab. Her only hope was to talk Ab down and get him to leave. All without bloodshed. “Ab. Bottom line, I’m fine. I’m covered. I’m at work, prepping for the pitch. I wasn’t expecting to see you today. I assumed you’d be working on your pitch.”
Ab frowned. “Had a couple of hours. One of my coworkers had an appointment. We’re back at it around three. I thought I’d pop by and see if you’re free for dinner?”
“Sorry. No way I can do it until after the pitch.” And probably not after.
“Fine. I’ll call you Thursday. Set something up.” With that pronouncement, he stood. “Gil.” He acknowledged Gil with a grimace. Ivy scrambled to her feet, swayed slightly, and Gil was there behind her with a hand at her waist to steady her. And, undoubtedly, to prevent Ab from going in for the hug he usually left her with.
Ab ignored Gil and focused entirely on Ivy. “Thursday.” He spun on his heel and left the room.
Gil squeezed her waist and pushed down with enough pressure for her to get the point that he wanted her to sit. She settled into her chair, waited for Gil to resume his, then leaned forward. “What was that?” Her question had a definite hiss to it, and she didn’t care.
He ignored her frustration. “You handled that beautifully.”
“What?”
“Told the truth. No lies. No details. Thank you.”
“Are you kidding me?”
He winked. “Nope.”
“If my head spins around and flies off into the other room, you should take it as fact that it’s your fault.”
He chuckled. “You should finish your sandwich before it gets soggy.”
“You’re back to being bossy.”
“It was a suggestion. Not an order.”
“How am I supposed to tell the difference?”
“Buttercup.”
“‘Buttercup’ is not an answer.”
He leaned forward then, setting his sandwich back on the takeout container, all humor gone. “There are a lot of things I’d like to be to you, Ivy. ‘Boss’ is not one of them. I have no desire to control you. The only time I will ever expect you to do what I say without hesitation is if your life is in danger. If that happens, you can rest assured I will order you around like you’re a private in my own personal army. Otherwise, you can assume anything I say is a suggestion, which you are free to follow or ignore at your discretion.”
There was a lot to unpack in that, but she didn’t get a chance to say anything. Gil’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, thenanswered. “Dixon.” A pause. “We’re good.” Another pause, then a chuckle, another pause. “Don’t think I’ll be hitting the batting cages with him anytime soon.”
What?
“Thanks.” His eyes flicked to the clock over her desk. “Leaving in ten. Yep. Later.”
He slid the phone into his pocket and took another bite of his sandwich.
“Do I even want to know?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
“Would you tell me if I said yes?”
“Sure.”
