Ivy busied herself by tidying up as she continued. “I might be able to say that, I don’t know, something went wrong with the recording. Or that my battery ran out a few minutes into it and I didn’t even notice.” She and Nancy never touched one another’s work, after all. And it wasn’t as if she’d labeled the file. It was just sitting there, a blank folder with the date. One Ivy could delete once she got the chance.
“I wouldn’t want you to take any heat at your job over it,” he said, coming up alongside her where she tucked the pillows into the cupboard as well. “Here,” he said softly, reaching for the laundry bag in one of the cubbies. He proceeded to tug the pillows from their place and remove the cases. “We can take these up to the lodge on our way out. The kids, depending on where they’re at in the program, don’t often get those sorts of luxuries. These accommodations are more for the staff. “
“I hate lying,” Ivy blurted, proving her thoughts were still on the dilemma, “but I don’t think you should have to go onto that show if you don’t want to.”
Easton snatched the hand towel off the table, tucked it into the laundry tote, and walked over to drop it beside the door. It was obvious there was more at work in that mind of hers, as there was in his too. They’d just had a couple of amazing days together and now it was all going to come to an end.
“I don’t want me to have to do the show either,” he said. “Maybe if you hand me your phone and let me do the deleting, you’ll be off the hook and we all win. We’d have to get rid of the contract too, right?”
Ivy’s shoulders dropped. Her face fell flat, and the look in her eyes seemed to be a million miles away. Because they weren’t really talking about the recording and the contract and the idea of him doing the show. Or at least, that’s not what he was thinking about.
Easton watched as Ivy shuffled over to the fire and plopped down on the rug. The flames had gotten pretty low, and Easton wasn’t sure if he should build it back up or let it die out completely.
A pain ripped through him as he realized that the alternatives applied to his and Ivy’s relationship too. As new and uncertain as it was, things could develop and build into something amazing or they could fizzle out altogether. So which would it be? And was he the one who was supposed to bring it up? The massive moose in the room? The question neither of them had an answer for…
Ivy reached out and patted the spot beside her. “Come here,” she prompted.
Yes, it was definitely on her mind too.
One step in her direction, that’s all it took for his fear to descend. Just tell her that you’re too broken to love someone in that way. But Easton knew that was a lie. Loving someone hadn’t been the issue. Trusting that love could lead to a happy, fulfilled life—that was the real trick.
He shuffled toward her in slow steps, hoping to somehow get his mind in order before he joined her. Once he was at her side on the rug, Easton lowered himself beside Ivy and stared at the fire as well. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Did you know that in a wildfire, water deep inside a tree can turn to steam and make the tree explode?” he asked.
Ivy shook her head, then leaned over and plopped it dramatically against his arm. She groaned. “I’m really going to miss you, Easton.”
Her confession fanned at the ache in his chest. He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her into his side. “I’m going to miss you too, Ivy.”
“I know I should be glad that we can get back to life as usual, but…” Her words died off there, but Easton knew just what she meant.
He cleared his throat and responded to the urging voice in his head. “Maybe we can just—” It sounded like that last word had been chopped off with an axe. In a sense, it had; fear was very much like a razor-sharp blade, a force capable of severing one from life’s fulfillment and promise.
“Just what?” Ivy prompted.
He turned toward her then, not sure he’d be able to mean what he wanted to say. Her blue eyes, so prodding and unsure, seemed to plead with him. “I know you said you don’t believe in love,” she started.
“I’d like to give it a try,” he said softly. “I’m not sure what that would look like with you in LA and me out here, but I want to keep talking to you. Catching up with you after a long day at work. See how things go.” Sure, it was a rather anticlimactic declaration, but it was the most he could muster.
“I’d like that too,” she said, concern slipping away from her features. She smiled, sighed loudly, then brought her cheek to rest against his bicep.
There. He’d done it. He hadn’t made any promises, but he hadn’t broken things off either. He’d left an open door which was, for Easton, an accomplishment in itself. Perhaps once he told his sister about all of this, she’d forgive him for not going on the show. The idea caught fire in his mind. That was it. He’d just tell Chantelle that he asked Ivy to delete the footage because he was interested in her, which was true. And besides, his sister’s goal was to help Easton open up to the idea of love. Something he was at least trying to do.
“Tell your boss I changed my mind about the show, will you? That will take the heat off of you.”
Ivy pulled back to glance up at him. “But then you’ll take heat from your sister if she finds out.”
“I’ll tell her myself,” he said. “She’ll understand.” Now it was Easton’s turn to let out a relieved sigh as the tension drained from his body. More tightness and ache than he’d even been aware of.
Within the next hour or so, he and Ivy would pack up, head out, and say their goodbyes. But for now, he’d enjoy spending a little more time with her, soft and warm by his side.
Chapter 13
“Thanks for following me back to the airport,” Ivy said after returning the SUV. Turned out the extra insurance had come in handy. The rock had put a hefty dent in the front bumper, but that was nothing compared to what could have happened had she not hit the rock. Thank the Lord.
She shivered, more from the thought than the weather. The sun was out today, shining on them as they walked along the outdoor walkway, which made her thin coat finally adequate for the weather. Still, as warm as the rays of sunshine felt against her skin, Easton was even warmer.
“I was happy to do it. Besides, I couldn’t have you get stuck someplace on your way back. Who knows if the car rental guy would try to swoop to your rescue and take you back to his secret dwelling in the woods.”
She laughed, but the sight of the double doors brought her mind back to the task at hand. Saying goodbye to Easton. She slowed, and he did the same, bringing her rolling luggage to a halt. She turned to face him, resting her hands on his chest, and reminded herself that he’d agreed to give this a try. For all the reservations Ivy had regarding love, she inwardly knew Easton’s demons reached deeper than her own. Which made his wishes to continue this, to explore where it might lead, a great triumph in her mind.
“This isn’t really goodbye,” she said. “It’s…”
“I’ll see you later,” he filled in for her.
“Exactly.” She nodded and pinned her lips closed.