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Reluctantly she left the haven of the shelter and got in. No umbrella. For some unknown reason, it made him upset she didn’t have one.

“Where’s your umbrella?” His voice was gruff, pinched with annoyance.

Ivy didn’t answer right away, she took her time buckling up.

“It wasn’t supposed to rain until tonight, but this jacket has a hood.”

Her answer did little to calm his irritation. She should be more careful.

“Hm.” Clearing his throat. “You’re heading to campus, right?”

“Yes,” her answer was curt.

He didn’t allow her snappy response to stop him from engaging with her. “Why are you out so early?”

“I like to study on campus before my classes begin. Why are you out so early?”

“This isn’t early. I’ve already been to practice. I was heading out to grab some breakfast before my first class when I saw you standing out there.” He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he left his apartment with the sole intention of making sure she didn’t have to wait in the bus shelter. Now that Ivy was in his vehicle, he decided to take her to breakfast, hoping they could reconcile their differences.

Finally, it seemed that she had found her manners. “Thank you for stopping.”

“Well, the breakfast place is on the way to campus, want to grab something to eat before we head over?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ivy nibbled the nail of her thumb. “No thanks. That’s nice and everything but I have to get to class.”

“You don’t have class for over two hours.”

Gasp. She drew in a large breath. Comically she shrieked, “how do you know that?”

“I know a lot of things.” Emmanuel paused for effect. He enjoyed messing with her. “Our first classes are beside each other at the same time.”

“Oh.” She fiddled with the large bag that she had placed on her lap.

“So, want to grab breakfast?” he asked casually but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted her to say yes.

“We don’t like each other,” Ivy muttered awkwardly.

Now that wasn’t true. He told her as much. “Really? No, you don’t like me for some reason. Listen, I’m starving. I’d have to drive past Patsy’s to drop you off on campus. Just come in and eat with me.”

“Sure, but I’m buying breakfast.”

Emmanuel hadn’t bothered to tell her there was no way in hell that was happening. It wasn’t a date or anything. Far from it, but he was a Scott. He would not eat with a woman, and allow her to pick up the tab.

Breakfast wasn’t so bad. It turned out that when Ivy wasn’t being the captain of the noise police and pain in his ass… Emmanuel enjoyed her company. Obviously, she was smart, but also funny. Okay, it was mostly sarcastic. But he liked it.

It turned out to be the first of many breakfasts. Emmanuel found himself looking out for her. Along the way, he made sure that he got her to and from campus. There was something about Ivy that ignited his protective streak.

“Emmanuel,” His executive/personal assistant Maggie, called as she tapped lightly on his door.

“Yes,” he answered as she entered his office. The office was large, spacious, and overlooked the city. It was a perfect representation of the man. Emmanuel was a minimalist at heart, and everything had its place. The most stunning thing about his office was the floor-to- ceiling glass windows that displayed the city’s skyline.

“Heading out for the night?” Emmanuel asked as Maggie walked over to his desk. She didn’t take a seat like she normally would, it was an indication Maggie was ready to go. He was surprised her purse wasn’t in her hand. It had been a long day. They had pushed through a lot of work. Ivy had been away for three days, and Emmanuel had no intention of coming into the office tomorrow. So, they had worked throughout the day barely stopping for lunch, to ensure they had all their bases covered for the long weekend.

“Yes, I’m finally all done. A document was delivered earlier, I had it sent to Frank. Oh, Ivy’s flight has just landed, but I’m sure you already know that.”

Maggie had been with him for fourteen years. She knew him well. “Yes, I saw the notification that the jet landed.”

It might have come across as slightly obsessive but until she was safely landed, he wasn’t fully at ease.

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