“Don’t you dare blame my dad. Or my working.”
He took a step back, his back wedging up against the doorjamb. “I wasn’t. I was just—”
“Pushing the blame off on someone else.” She turned back to her packing. She needed pajamas, toiletries, shoes and walked around retrieving the items from their various places in the room.
“I’d like to talk to you at some point,” he said. “When you get wherever you’re going.”
She thought of the one thing that would worry him, would hurt him. Not as much as he had hurt her, but enough to make her feel just the tiniest bit better. She zipped the suitcase up and turned to face him. “Sunset,” she said. “That’s where I’m going.”
His face registered his surprise. He pressed his lips into a grim line, processing what she’d said. “I guess I’ve got that coming.”
She laughed even though none of this was funny. “That. And more.”
He crossed to the bed and she backed away. He held up his hands, a parody of an innocent man. “Was just going to help you carry your suitcase. It looks heavy.” Stubbornly, she hefted the huge suitcase with two hands and started to stagger forward. She dropped it after only a few steps, and just as she was getting ready to grab it again, she felt his hands take it from her without another word.
There was a time when just that one little gesture would’ve been enough to soften her. But not anymore. She followed as he picked up the suitcase, crossed the room, walked out the door, and headed down the stairs to her waiting car, where he stowed it in the trunk. He closed the hatch and walked around the perimeter of the car, inspecting the tires just as he always did when she was getting ready to take a trip of any length. Satisfied with what he saw, he came to stand in front of her, looking sheepish and uncertain.
She kept her distance, her arms crossed protectively in front of herself as he gave her his charming grin, though she didn’t miss the sadness behind it. She wouldn’t let him disarm her or dissuade her from leaving. Her attraction to him was what had started all of this, what had landed her here, in this driveway with this man she felt like she didn’t know at all, running back to the very people she’d once run from.
His smile faded away. “I hope you’ll decide to give mea chance, to give us a chance.” His eyes filled with tears he blinked away. “I hope it’s not too late.”
She watched his arms raise slightly, as if he meant to hug her, then drop just as quickly as he thought better of it. It would be so easy to walk into his arms, to believe all that stuff that April had said about him wanting to work things out. But then she thought of all that waited for her at Sunset, of the people there. People who knew her, loved her, and had never betrayed her. If anything, she had betrayed them. A certain face popped into her mind, a face that had looked so wounded the last time she saw it.
She stiffened, setting her jaw as she looked Elliott in the eye and rose to her full stature of five foot four. “If it is too late, that’s not my fault.”
As she walked around to the driver’s side of the car and got in, she heard, but didn’t acknowledge, his response. “Of course it’s not.” She drove away trying to decide if he was being facetious or serious. But as she exited their neighborhood and headed back to the office to settle the details of her trip, she decided it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was getting to Sunset Beach, and all that waited for her there.
Five
Ivy spent the rest of the morning back at her office. She made
the necessary phone calls, telling her dad she was taking him up on his offer to finish closing the office so she could help with the wedding, then calling her mom and sister to let them know she’d be coming after all. Her mother was ecstatic, her sister polite but distant. Her stomach clenched at the thought of spending so much time with Shea. But when
He took a step back, his back wedging up against the doorjamb. “I wasn’t. I was just—”
“Pushing the blame off on someone else.” She turned back to her packing. She needed pajamas, toiletries, shoes and walked around retrieving the items from their various places in the room.
“I’d like to talk to you at some point,” he said. “When you get wherever you’re going.”
She thought of the one thing that would worry him, would hurt him. Not as much as he had hurt her, but enough to make her feel just the tiniest bit better. She zipped the suitcase up and turned to face him. “Sunset,” she said. “That’s where I’m going.”
His face registered his surprise. He pressed his lips into a grim line, processing what she’d said. “I guess I’ve got that coming.”
She laughed even though none of this was funny. “That. And more.”
He crossed to the bed and she backed away. He held up his hands, a parody of an innocent man. “Was just going to help you carry your suitcase. It looks heavy.” Stubbornly, she hefted the huge suitcase with two hands and started to stagger forward. She dropped it after only a few steps, and just as she was getting ready to grab it again, she felt his hands take it from her without another word.
There was a time when just that one little gesture would’ve been enough to soften her. But not anymore. She followed as he picked up the suitcase, crossed the room, walked out the door, and headed down the stairs to her waiting car, where he stowed it in the trunk. He closed the hatch and walked around the perimeter of the car, inspecting the tires just as he always did when she was getting ready to take a trip of any length. Satisfied with what he saw, he came to stand in front of her, looking sheepish and uncertain.
She kept her distance, her arms crossed protectively in front of herself as he gave her his charming grin, though she didn’t miss the sadness behind it. She wouldn’t let him disarm her or dissuade her from leaving. Her attraction to him was what had started all of this, what had landed her here, in this driveway with this man she felt like she didn’t know at all, running back to the very people she’d once run from.
His smile faded away. “I hope you’ll decide to give mea chance, to give us a chance.” His eyes filled with tears he blinked away. “I hope it’s not too late.”
She watched his arms raise slightly, as if he meant to hug her, then drop just as quickly as he thought better of it. It would be so easy to walk into his arms, to believe all that stuff that April had said about him wanting to work things out. But then she thought of all that waited for her at Sunset, of the people there. People who knew her, loved her, and had never betrayed her. If anything, she had betrayed them. A certain face popped into her mind, a face that had looked so wounded the last time she saw it.
She stiffened, setting her jaw as she looked Elliott in the eye and rose to her full stature of five foot four. “If it is too late, that’s not my fault.”
As she walked around to the driver’s side of the car and got in, she heard, but didn’t acknowledge, his response. “Of course it’s not.” She drove away trying to decide if he was being facetious or serious. But as she exited their neighborhood and headed back to the office to settle the details of her trip, she decided it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was getting to Sunset Beach, and all that waited for her there.
Five
Ivy spent the rest of the morning back at her office. She made
the necessary phone calls, telling her dad she was taking him up on his offer to finish closing the office so she could help with the wedding, then calling her mom and sister to let them know she’d be coming after all. Her mother was ecstatic, her sister polite but distant. Her stomach clenched at the thought of spending so much time with Shea. But when
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