Page 93 of Start With A Slap

“You’ll miss me by then. Unless he’s found your spot?”

Not even after shetold himto keep his hand there. “This conversation is over. Do you hear me? O. Ver.”

“I love your accent. It’s so...plucky.”

“My—?” She stopped pacing. “I don’t have the accent. You have the accent.”

“You do know we had it first. The English language?”

She sighed. “I’m hanging up now.”

“Thursday. Think about it.”

“I already have, you—” There was a muddled loudspeaker noise on his end. “Where are you?”

“On my plane.”

“Oh.” This made her feel inexplicably abandoned. “Where are you going?”

“Brazil. Wanna come?”

Yes. “No.” Maybe. She’d always wanted to go to Brazil. But not with him. “I have this thing called a job, with actual responsibilities...”

“Just think, if you were with me, you could see the whole?—”

“Never. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye,ma tigresse. I’m glad you like it.”

She ended the call, ran a hand through her hair... and had the distinct sensation of being watched.

Ivy had never noticed how close the back of her office building’s roof was to the towering Ellison Cole high rise. And wouldn’t you know it, Kara was standing in a window two floors above her.

Before their eyes met, Kara turned away, mouth moving, and Ivy remembered that Jason’s meeting wasthere.

“Fuck me,” she whispered, opening the roof access door.

“Hey,”Jason stopped her in the firm’s hallway after she’d wrapped up a client interview. “Got a second?”

“Uh-huh,” Ivy said, smile belying her fear. “What’s up?”

“Work stuff,” he said with a cryptic wink.

She followed him to his office, telling herself that Kara couldn’t have heard her, and even if shecouldread lips, whichwas unlikely, Ivy had been pacing so frantically that no one could possibly thread it together?—

Jason shut the door. Ivy swallowed.

“I don’t know how you did it,” Jason picked up an envelope and waved it at her. “But I fucking love you.”

“W...?” She blinked. “How I did...?”

“Lakers tickets? This Thursday? Logecenterseats? I wanna marry you all over again.” Pulling her close, he kissed her lips. “Best birthday present I ever got.”

Birthday present. Thursday.

Suddenly it all became very clear. Still smiling, she said, “Can I see?”

He gave her the envelope. “I gotta bring Chris. That’s okay with you, right, if we do dinner on Friday instead?”

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