“I know,” he replied.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. She spent the time processing what Evan had finally been able to tell her all these years later.
He wiped his face with the sleeve of his hoody and looked down at their hands, not yet able to look at Cleo. “I didn’t get to tell her I loved her one last time. I didn’t get to tell her to fight, to hang on, for me, for Sophie. I didn’t get to fight forher.” His gaze lifted and she could feel the strength it had taken him to say this. “I look at Sophie every day and I see her there. Every day I have a constant reminder of the regret that we didn’t go and get checked as soon as her waters broke, whether we thought it was that or not. I would giveanythingto not have to live with that regret. To be able to hold her again. Tell her I love her again. Have her by my side as we watch Sophie grow. Together.” He wiped another tear from his face and his eyes softened as he looked at Cleo.
“I’ve seen you and Ivy together. I’ve seen how good you are for each other. If there is even thesmallestof chances, that you could get through to her, explain what happened, and get back together? Take it! Don’t spend your life living with a daily regret because you were too scared to fight for what your heart wanted.” His eyes bore into Cleo’s, where tears had started flowing down her cheeks.
“You know her, you know why she’s hurt. It’s up to you now to fix it. Cleo, please, dowhateverit takes.”
Chapter 44
Cleo
Cleo arrived in the office early the next morning determined to figure out what she could do to convince Ivy to hear her out. Because most importantly, Cleo needed to gain back her trust. She had spent countless hours over the past two weeks now acknowledging the hurt she had inadvertently caused Ivy by working with, and for, Jackson Copeland. The thought of it alone made her chest ache and her stomach churn.
She let herself into the building and waited for Lana to arrive. Knowing her friend would be in moments later, she turned the lights on and took the time to just sit and mull over what she needed to do. She decided to sit at the client side of her desk, then Lana could sit beside her when she arrived at the office. She had chosen not to switch her computer on yet. No work would be getting done straight away anyway.
“Cleo?” Lana’s voice called out as she entered the unlocked office.
“In here, Lana,” Cleo replied.
Appearing around the door carrying two coffees, Lana walked over and placed the cups down on Cleo’s desk.
“Hoping that sitting on this side of your desk for a change will give you a new perspective on life?” Lana smiled softly as she spoke.
“Something like that,” Cleo replied. “I can’t keep going on like this Lana. I can’t keep avoiding her. Not seeing her almost seems harder than facing her and figuring this out. I spoke with Evan last night, and he’s right. Ihaveto try everything I possibly can to get her to listen to me and give me, and us, another chance." Cleo thankfully sounded as determined as she felt.
“Well,” Lana started as she sat her cup down on the table and waited until Cleo looked at her before continuing. “First of all, can I just say, it's good to see a bit of your old spark back. Secondly, what are you going to do to getIvyback?”
Cleo felt the weight of the everything that had transpired heavy on her shoulders as she exhaled slowly, looking down at the coffee cup in her hands, sadness landing heavy in her chest as she noticed there was no message written there from Ivy. No love pun. No doodled hearts. No little stars. “I don’t know, but I know it has to be meaningful. Flowers and an apology aren’t enough. Nothing mayeverybe enough, but I have to try.” Cleolooked up and met her friend’s warm eyes. “I can’t lose her, Lana.”
“Good. I hoped you’d say that. Because while you were dealing with everything by avoiding life and burying yourself in work, I’ve been plotting.” At that, Lana leaned down and pulled something from her bag which sat on the floor, and placed a piece of paper on the table, sliding it over to Cleo. “I know what happened, and I have an idea of how you may be able to help her with her location, but it’s kind of a long shot.”
Cleo took a look at the proposal Lana had typed up. She was suggesting that Ivy become a named owner of the store she was already manager of.
“Wait, is this even a viable option?” Cleo asked, looking up at Lana.
“It is, I mean, I think it is. You’d need to speak with Lucas about it to make sure, but I think it’s worth a try. Plus, if you don’t ask then you don’t get, right?” Lana lifted her cup to lips for another drink while Cleo took a minute to digest what she’d just heard.
Maybe Lana had a point. What she was suggesting was a completely different direction to what Ivy had spoken about before, and Cleo didn’t want to overstep. But maybe offering it as a possibility could at the very least offer some food for thought to Ivy.
“That might just work,” Cleo began. “I’ll have to reach out to Lucas though. I can’t go to their house. Gabby won’t let me anywhere near it since what happened with Ivy. I’ve already tried. But Lucas was more understanding when I last spoke with him.” Cleo looked up at Lana hopefully, seeing a small smile on her best friend’s face gave her the reassurance she needed to continue.
“That’s only one part of the problem though. Copeland Conglomerate is the more important one to tackle.” Cleo sat hercup down on the table. “I can't keep working withorfor them. I know that. But how do we cut ties immediately and not have them blackball us throughout the city? His pull is too strong with the city council and we need them to complete any permit required for jobs we’re involved in.” Cleo could hear the panic in her own voice, the emotions of the past two weeks eating away at her resolve.
“Can we keep the doors open if we don’t have his business though?” Lana asked.
“If we do more small jobs and take on some work outside of the city that I keep rejecting because of the commute, then yes. It’s a huge risk though, if he finds out who I am to Ivy whether I’m still working with him or not...”
The room fell silent.
Cleo didn’t need to finish her train of thought. Lana knew the implications without them being voiced.
“Is she worth it?” Lana asked quietly, face open and nonjudgemental. “If push comes to shove, and he turns around and causes issues for you moving forward, would having her back in your life be worth it?”
Cleo sat with that question for a minute. She knew the answer straight away, but it wasn’t as simple as Lana was making it out to be. Lana’s job was on the line as well as her own. Clients were relying on her for a job they’d paid her to do that may now be in jeopardy. Ivy was her absolute heart and soul, no question. Could she really be selfish and risk her business for her own happiness?
“Cleo,” Lana reached her hand across the space between their two chairs, placing it on top of Cleo’s. “You know as well as I do, that you can’t let someone else take the power of making your own decisions away from you. He’s already done that to Ivy. Multiple times now. Maybe it’s time he had a taste of his ownmedicine, and you take away an option from him.” Lana raised her eyebrow, and Cleo could see a smirk twitching on her lip.
