Page 32 of Battle of the Exes

She scrunches her nose like the words smell foul. “And you took him on?”

I ignore the judgment. “He swore he’d change. Actually went into treatment. Begged me to give him a chance. Honestly, I thought he got the help he needed.”

“Andhe’s a cash cow.”

That hits a nerve. Landing a big name like Jasper was high-risk, high-reward. He could either put my new business on the map or sink it.

Before I can respond, Ivy’s phone buzzes. She pulls it out and frowns.

“Speak of the devil,” she mutters.

A sharp twinge of jealousy runs through me. “What does he want?”

“To take me to dinner.”

“No can do.”

She looks at me, brows raised. “Excuse me?”

I keep my voice steady. “We’ve got too much work to do. I’ll book him a Swedish massage and he’ll be good to go until the event.”

Her jaw tightens as she types a reply.

“What did you tell him?”

“None of your beeswax.” She winces, realizing. “Business.”

I smirk. “Beeswax?”

“Let’s just get to the venue.”

We walk the rest of the trail in silence, surrounded by wind through branches, screeching hawks, and buzzing bees. I stay in the moment here in God’s country. I’mwalking beside the only woman I ever asked to marry me.

“They still hold the Fourth of July parade?” she asks.

“You bet. Maybe you’ll stick around for it.”

She shakes her head lightly. “I’ll be long gone by then.”

We reach the grassy expanse behind the rec center just as the first drops fall. The sky’s gone dark fast. It’s going to be a soaker. Rusty does his nervous rain dance.

“This is the place,” I say.

“It’s huge…”

I brace for a critique.

“…but perfect.”

I smile at her. “Yep. Perfect.”

Ivy blushes, then looks up at the sky. “Maybe we should get inside.”

We hurry toward the building. The doors are locked, the parking lot empty. A sign says they’re closed today for maintenance but there’s no one around.

The wind picks up. A hard rain begins to fall.

“Well, this is romantic,” I say, squeezing under the narrow overhang. Rusty curls up at my feet.

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