Page 42 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

The creak of footsteps upstairs had us automatically looking up to where the remnants of Beck’s crash through the ceiling still covered the hallway floor.

Manny shoved his hands in his pockets, trying not to look worried. It didn’t work.

‘We can do this without the show. If it doesn’t feel right, I can call Lauren right now and tell her no.’

This was what I loved about Manny. He didn’t want a slick deal. A big payout. This was more about the love of the work than earning a quick buck.

‘The money would help a lot, but I’m not sure my pride, or our business, could take another hit if things went sideways on this house.’

‘Go over everything with Beck. Maybe an outsider will have better perspective. Plus, he gets the whole media world.’ He gave my head a firm pat before turning back to the stairs.

‘Hey, I’m not your faithful dog.’

‘Nope. A dog would actually listen to me.’ He laughed as he climbed his way back to his daughter, her small but firm voice ordering Beck around the room.

Chapter Nineteen

BECK

A Biography Of A Long And Complicated Life.

Most employees didn’t cross the threshold of Rowe and Townsend Advertising until at least seven a.m. That was why I always showed up at six. I liked moving through the hallways, letting the hum of the computers and quiet drip of the coffee maker calm my mind before starting an endless day of meetings and phone calls.

There was no calm this morning thanks to the consistent throbbing in my hands and knees. Torran had warned me about my gloves, and Manny offered his worn knee pads, but I had refused to show any signs of weakness last weekend. Now, almost five days later I was still aching in places I didn’t know I could ache.

My mind kept flickering back to Torran standing in the hall with Lou at her side. How when she and Manny volleyed back and forth, I couldn’t help but think that the three of them looked like a family. That dull ache that was always hiding in my chest flared again.

More than once I’d seen the way they acted like partners, friends, but that small hint of worry still lingered in my mind. With him around did I stand a chance with her?

I forced my mind to the way she’d cornered me in the hall and asked my opinion about the TV show like I mattered. After listening to her, hearing the pros and cons of the deal, I told her I was behind any decision she and Manny made. The way she smiled at my response had me reliving our kiss.

That was real. The way she held on to me for dear life, leaned into my touch, said it meant something to her. She’d warned me we had to be professional, but that was going to be hard when every time I looked at her all I saw was the soft pink tint of her lips and the delicious curves of her body. The way her eyes crinkled at the edges when she laughed.

I walked to the wide picture window that was the back wall of my office and tried to focus back on work. The sweeping landscape of Green Hills greeted me. The ‘Batman’ Building in downtown Nashville was a deep-gray silhouette in the distance.

‘Hey, Beck.’ Pete leaned against the doorjamb. I tried not to smile at the way he was dressed. He insisted on business casual in the office and always put his own unique twist on it. The staff was going to love today’s outfit. Dark jeans and a short-sleeve button-down covered in illustrations of French bulldogs.

I tipped my chin in the direction of his shirt. ‘Are we honoring Bogart today?’

Pete often brought his dog to the office insisting it kept morale up and stress down. The staff agreed, often bringing treats for Bogie and buying him his own sheepskin bed for Pete’s office.

‘Of course! Always gotta be thinking about the man.’

He walked in and plopped himself into the brown leather chair in front of my desk. Along his arms were colorful and intricate tattoos that he claimed were a biography of his long and complicated life.

‘Where have you been? I didn’t see your face around here once this weekend, which is rare.’

‘I, uh, had a bunch of errands and things to do.’ I avoided his stare and tried walking easily to my desk which was hard because every muscle in my legs protested.

‘Everything okay with Piper?’ He searched my face like it might give a hint that something was wrong.

‘As far as I know.’ I sighed.

‘Oldest kids like us are always the caretakers.’ A grimace crossed his face. ‘I’ve gotten my little brother out of too many scrapes to count.’

From the start I’d been honest with Pete about my sister’s issues. It was only fair to put all my cards on the table in case I had to fly off to take care of her.

Pete, who was four years older, had risen through the ranks at our Atlanta firm, bringing in three multimillion-dollar accounts in a year. When he was ready to move on and start his own agency he took me to lunch, told me he was moving to Nashville and wanted me as a partner. I gaped at him for at least five minutes before I quickly said yes.