Page 48 of Decked Out with Ivy

“Go,” Bex said. “I’ll distract Ang.”

“Thanks,” he said and hurried to her. “Hey.” He smiled as he approached, but it quickly faltered when she blinked up at him with something far from happy to see him in her eyes. “What’s the matter?” His stomach twisted, the weight of her reaction settling like a lead ball in his gut.

“I thought what we had was special.” Her lip quivered, and her eyes darted away from him.

“It is.” He slipped beneath the tape, needing to be free of every barrier that put even an inch between them. He went to cup her cheek, and she swatted his hand away. What the hell?

She shook her head. “I was a fool. You get paid to create these characters, and you’re good. You’re really good. Big time actor coming to a small town and pretending to fall for the small-town shop owner. It’s the freaking setting of every damn Christmas movie, and I still fell for it.”

She wasn’t making any sense. He wasn’t acting. Not with her. Never.

“Ivy,” he said. “It wasn’t an act.”

“No?” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and an icicle stabbed him hard in the stomach, twisting and carving up his insides.

He had just left her a few hours ago, and they were blissfully happy. She couldn’t keep her hands off him. What the hell happened? His mind raced through every scenario, then landed on something. “What is the internet saying? Whatever it is, it’s probably more lies.”

“Really?” She slipped out her phone and held it up to him. The headline grabbing his attention:Hollywood Heartthrob Surprises small town ‘Christmas Queen’ with Private Screening ofRudolphin Heartwarming Holiday Gesture.

A deep knot sat in Cody’s gut. How the hell did they find out?

“I… I… I didn’t,” he stuttered unable to form a coherent thought. “I wouldn’t.”

“But you did,” she said. “A close source? Was that you?”

“Maybe it was Felix,” he said, desperate to get to the bottom of this.

“Blaming a teenager. Nice.”

“I’m not blaming anyone. I’m just trying…” He inhaled deeply, attempting to calm the panic casting a dark cloud over his soul. “I’m trying to figure it out.”

“Cody, we need you on set,” Ang called to him.

He held his finger up.

“Cody, we’re wasting sunlight.”

“Just one second.”

He looked at Ivy. She slid her phone back into her pocket, and she clapped. “You’re really something. Such a convincing performer.”

“Why do you think I’m performing? I’m not. I’m telling you the truth.”

“The truth is that this was never going to work. We’re from entirely different backgrounds. You got what you came here for. You got the positive headlines.”

“And what did you get?” he asked because he still couldn’t process any of this.

“A broken heart.” She swallowed, and he reached for her, needing to fix this.

“Cody! Let’s go!” Ang called out again, and when he turned to tell him to hang on, Ivy took off, leaving him with those earth-shattering words.

He wanted to run after her, but Ang yelled for him again. It was their last day of filming, and if they didn’t get this shot, they’d be behind schedule. The studio would have to lay out more money and the lie that he was difficult on set would continue to spread. Ivy was mad. She needed time to cool down.

A light flashed in his face, and he realized it was that asshole paparazzo.Great.

He turned to the bastard, pain and heartache tearing through his very soul. “You got your story. Now get the fuck out of here.”

“Sucks to be you,” the asshole said and if he wasn’t mistaken, the jerk looked like he pitied him.

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