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I roll my eyes. “I’m not sleeping with him to motivate him.”
“Of course not, darling. You’re sleeping with him because you love him.” CeCe’s eyes shine suspiciously. “He’s your George, and I wish you all the time in the world with him.”
I have to blink because I’ve got tears in my eyes, too.
“Ivy.” Heath is standing behind me, and I worry he’s heard too much. “I found something. Something big.”
I join him and hope I can find the closure CeCe talked about.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I sit outside Nick’s beautiful corner office and I’m surprisingly calm.
I’d expected an adrenaline rush, but all I feel is sad that it’s come to this.
The admin looks over from her desk, hanging up the phone. “I’m sure he’ll be with you soon.”
She says it in a way that lets me know he could be a while. I was surprised he was willing to take the meeting with me on such short notice. I’d texted him this morning as I’d sat in bed with Heath. We’d stayed at Lydia’s because it was so late when we finally had all the evidence we needed. We’d fallen into the bed in her guest room and hadn’t even taken off our clothes. At some point in time he’d wrapped himself around me, and despite the fact that I was sure I’d looked like hell, he’d kissed me in the morning and gotten me coffee and bagels.
Nick had told me that he would love to see me. Why didn’t I come by his office around eleven and we could catch up? I was sure he was expecting me to shout at him or cry.
I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t have security escort me out once he realizes what I’ve done.
I’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes despite the fact I was right on time, but I should have known he would leave me hanging. It’s what he does.
When he’s not busy feeding me to the wolves.
“You don’t look like I thought you would,” the admin says. She’s a beautiful brunette who appears to be in her mid-to-late twenties. Everyone on Nick’s team seems young and stylish. I’d caught sight of one of the Bro Coders as I’d walked in, and I wonder if he’d gotten them all jobs here. He seems to have taken care of his friends.
I glance down at my jeans and T-shirt. I’d forgone the armor. I hadn’t even thought about putting my Chanel on. I’m saving it for a special occasion. Heath hasn’t seen me in it.
It’s not armor anymore. It’s just a dress I look pretty in.
“The great thing about having nothing left to lose is you get to be comfortable,” I reply, though I know I’m lying.
I do have a lot to lose. I could lose the fledgling relationship with my mom. I could lose this family I seem to have found. I could lose Heath.
But I won’t lose them because I wear the wrong clothes or make a stupid business move. I will never lose them because I tried my hardest and still failed.
“Must be nice,” she says with a turn of her head.
I do not care what she thinks. It’s not even a worry in the back of my head. She doesn’t matter. What does matter is getting what CeCe advised. Closure.
I can get closure in jeans and a T-shirt and hopefully be back to Lydia’s in time for lunch. I won’t have to stop by my mom’s and change. I’m working with Ria on Emma again this afternoon, and Heath’s filling out the last of the patent forms.
I’m looking forward to it. I love work in a way I haven’t in a long time. Unlike the last years at Jensen Med, this work fills my soul, but it doesn’t consume it. I enjoy it, but I don’t feel like I am nothing without it. This might be what Anika means by balance.
The door opens and Nick walks out in his thousand plus dollar designer suit and Louis Vuitton loafers. He looks every inch the successful young businessman. Dark hair slicked back to perfection, broad shoulders, and the man knows how to stay young.
I’d liked the whole package and had never gotten to know the man underneath.
“Ivy.” He frowns as I stand, and he looks me up and down. “You look…good.”
I actually do. These jeans make my butt look nice, and the T fits just right. The truth is I feel more comfortable in casual clothes, and that makes a difference in how I present myself. I feel more confident, more like myself, and not the me who so desperately wants to fit in.
He stares for a moment. “Different, but good. I don’t think I’ve seen you without a power suit on in a long time.”
I shrug. “My new office has a more relaxed culture. Thanks for seeing me.”
