Page 53 of Trust Fall
“What exactly are you suggesting?” Cleo asked, a small light starting to burn in her stomach. Anger and frustration at the situation they’d found themselves in igniting at the memory of what Jackson had done to Ivy’s future, as well as in her past.
“All I’m saying is,” Lana started, “it’s not just a ‘this-or-that' deal. It’s not just work with him and lose Ivy or cut ties with him and potentially lose your business but have Ivy.”
“Go on,” Cleo asked, intrigued.
“Maybe there’s a third option. Maybe there's a way to not work with him, keep the business, but ultimately get your future with Ivy back.”
With Lana laying the fact out like that, something clicked, and Cleo suddenly knewexactlywhat she needed to do.
“Lana, if we pull this off, consider yourself getting a paid week off.” Cleo stood up and strode confidently across her office, switching on her computer.
“Get me Adam from Wright and Aster Designs on the phone, he owes me from my time working there after graduation. If he’s still a man of his word, his debt will then be cleared.”
“And if he agrees?” Lana asked, trying to piece Cleo’s plan together. “What then?”
“Then I’ll be paying Mr. Copeland a visit.” Cleo said with more determination than she’d felt in her life.
Chapter 45
Ivy
Ivy sat at the computer, staring at it. She was going through the motions while sorting through everything that happened over the past couple of weeks in her head, trying to make sense of it all.
She had stayed with Lucas and Gabby for the first week, barely leaving their spare bedroom. Lucas had gone into the shop tocover the paperwork and had arranged for extra staff to cover her on the counter.
For the week that followed, she stayed in the office mostly, only coming to work at the counter during peak times. Those which she knew there was no risk of running into Cleo either.
However, on the Thursday, she couldn’t avoid the three women she’d come to consider as grandmother figures in her life. In her heart, she didn’t want to avoid them anyway.
“You don’t need to tell us what happened, hun, Lucas and Toni gave us the gist when we were in last week and you weren’t here.” Ella said, making Ivy sit at the empty chair at their table.
“We know you’re hurting,” Margo said. “But we need you to listen to us just this once. Even if you don’t listen to us ever again.” With that, she turned to Liz, who’d been quieter than usual.
“Do you remember back at the start, when she had come in one day when we were the only other ones in the shop? Oliver called you out the office to help?” Liz asked Ivy, giving her a moment to catch the memory from the wave of thoughts currently crashing through her head.
“Yeah,” Ivy responded with an exhale, barely above a whisper.
“Well, if you remember, I had told you that I had experience in both heartbreak and regret, having lived both choices in my life. Well, as much as I had a wonderful life with Richard, and he gave me two wonderful daughters that led to our five beautiful grandchildren, he knew that he wasn’t my true love. That title would always belong to Henry.”
Ivy looked confused and a little startled, but Liz continued.
“He was the most handsome boy I had ever seen. He was nineteen, working in his father’s garage. I had just turned seventeen and I was in love. My parents were very wealthy, and back then it was expected of me to marry a man of a certain,pedigree, as my parents liked to call it.” Liz gave Ivy aknowing look. Ivy had more in common with Liz than she had expected. “Well, when they found out that I had fallen for the local mechanic’s son, you can imagine how that went. He tried to convince them that he could provide for me. But it wasn’t enough for them. That night, I had snuck out of the house to meet him at our spot, and he asked me to leave with him. Right then and there and he asked me to marry him. And I turned him down.” Liz took a sip of her drink before continuing.
“I knew that if I had gone, we would have been happy, but it would have been a hard life to start from scratch. I just wasn’t brave enough to believe in him. In us. He respected my decision, but I had hurt him, and he left town that night without me. And I’ve lived with the regret of being a coward and choosing not to fight for him every day since.” Liz reached across the table and held Ivy’s hands in her own. “Ivy, I know you’re hurting. I know you feel lost right now. I’m just begging you, don’t make the same mistake I did and live the rest of your life regrettingnotchoosing to fight for the love you have.”
Ivy stared at her computer screen, thinking back to last week when Liz spoke of her past. She’d done nothingbutthink these past two weeks since her heart splintered. The hurt she felt ran deeper than she wanted to admit. She knew, if she was being completely honest with herself, not all the hurt belonged to the events with Cleo.
She didn’t see an end to her pain, but her eyes had cried themselves dry eventually five days ago.
A knock at the door dragged her from her thoughts, “come in,” she said flatly.
Her eyes widened in surprise to find Lana closing the door behind her.
“Lana, please, if she sent you here...” Ivy started.
“She didn't send me here,” Lana said as she sat down on the chair on the other side of Ivy’s desk. “She knows I was headed out to run errands, and I’m sure she knows this is where I’ve ended up, but she didn’t send me.”
Ivy let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in.
