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Chase
Iwalkedaroundthe lobby of the run-down thirties building, which had been laying to waste for years. The squatters had been removed, and now the Realtor was singing its praises and discussing its full potential. He didn’t need to work that hard. I was already sold.
“You’ve got fifty rooms above, and here”—he pointed to a room with graffiti-splattered walls and boarded-over windows— “as you can see, there’s a restaurant area and two bar areas. That’s apart from the grand ballroom upstairs.”
I nodded. I was in love. The wallpaper was faded and hanging off the wall, and the sticky carpet was stained with cigarette burns and goodness knew what else.
“A huge tourist potential for your alternative scene, along with tech billionaires and influencers. With the right touches, I can see them loving this place,” he said.
I shook his hand. “Okay. Leave it with me. I’ve got your figures.”
“I’m sure the owner would be willing to negotiate. He’s a motivated seller. And he’s had trouble getting the squatters out.”
“Okay. Give me a day or two to go over the figures.”
I stepped onto the pavement and stared up at the seven-story building that had now stolen my heart.
As I made my way back to my side of town, I decided to drop in on Ivy at Mad Love and talk to her about my plans.
I found Summer on the red velvet sofa, reading a magazine
“Hey. Where’s Ivy?”
“She’s just stepped out,” she said.
“Can I use your restroom?” I asked.
“Sure.”
She seemed lost in thought and not her normal breezy self.
Although I found that a little odd, I didn’t make too much of it, because people have off days, even highly evolved spiritual types that salute the sun daily.
After washing my hands, I was disposing of the paper towel in the wastepaper basket when a pregnancy stick caught my eye. With curiosity winning the day, I overlooked the fact that the plastic device had been peed on and picked it up.
It read “pregnant.” There were two more with the same result.
Fuck.
Ivy was pregnant. Fuck.
Was it mine?
The cruise was six weeks ago, and from the second night until now we’d been fucking nightly, if not twice or three times a night. I mean, I had to make up for lost time.
Unless… no… it couldn’t be Jack’s.
Fuck.
I paced about in the bathroom like a madman before realizing Summer might think I’d fallen into the toilet, so I took a deep, calming breath and headed back out.
Summer was serving a customer, and Ivy had just arrived.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and smiling sweetly, she came over and gave me a kiss. I almost forgot she was pregnant as I soaked in her fragrant hair and her soft cheek warm against my lips.
“Hey, I thought I’d drop in.” I maintained a chill vibe, like it was any other day, even though it was anything but.
Ivy giggled at a poodle pouncing past in a sequined coat and a tiara. Pointing, she said, “How cute. The dog looks just like its owner.”
