Page 33 of Playing for Keeps
Her lips curl into a teasing smile. “You don’t need to go all big brother on me, Wyatt. I’m not Ash.”
I lean in slightly, letting my voice drop. “Trust me, Ivy, I’m very aware you’re not my sister. But that doesn’t mean I won’t look out for you.”
“Go hang with the guys, Wyatt!” Ash yells before Ivy has a chance to respond. “This is girls-only territory.”
“I just brought you a drink!” I call back, feigning offense.
Ash smirks. “Please. That was a free round from Alex, and you know it.”
I laugh under my breath and glance at Ivy. “Go enjoy your girl time.”
She hesitates, then asks, “We still on for dinner next weekend?”
“Of course.” I step a little closer. “I’ll pick you up at ten on Friday. That okay?”
She nods, but her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah. That’s good.” Then her voice turns softer. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
I shake my head with a small smile. “Just heading back to the guys.”
“Okay. See you later, then.”
“Later, Ivy.”
I watch her walk back to the others before turning toward the booth. Maybe she doesn’t feel what I do, not yet anyway, but she didn’t want me to leave. That has to count for something.
Right now, I’ll take whatever I can get.
CHAPTER TEN
Ivy
It’s Wednesday morning, and excitement stirs in my chest as I sit at my desk in my home office, scrolling through a new real estate listing that just hit the market. I think it could be perfect for Wyatt. It's a little farther out than he originally wanted, technically just outside Hope Creek, nestled on the edge of Lynx Lake, but it’s absolutely gorgeous. Only a ten-minute drive from town, and completely worth it.
I grab my phone, pull up the listing, and shoot him the link before tapping his name to call. It rings for a while, and I’m about to hang up when he finally picks up, sounding breathless.
“Hey, Ivy,” he says, a little out of breath.
“Hey,” I reply, a bit cautiously. “Is now a bad time? Am I interrupting something?”
“I’m at the gym,” he says, laughing. “You’ve got a dirty mind. What exactly did you think I was doing?”
Heat creeps up my cheeks. “Nothing!” I blurt, a little too quickly. “I, uh… sent you a link. It’s a listing I think you should see.”
“Oh, yeah? Hang on. Let me pull it up.”
There’s a pause on the line while he checks, and I take the opportunity to fill the silence.
“It’s five bedrooms, four bathrooms, built about five years ago. It’s modern, spacious, completely move-in ready. And there's even a multi-car garage. Plenty of room for your collection.”
He switches me to speaker. “Is that a lake view I’m seeing?”
“Yep,” I confirm. “That’s the catch, though. It’s not in Hope Creek exactly. It’s on Lynx Lake. About ten minutes out.”
“Wow,” he says, and I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.
I bite my lip. “Is that too far for you?”
“No,” he says slowly. “Not if it’s the right house. When can we see it?”
