Page 65 of When Ivy Met Mr. Holiday
My stomach sank as I leaned against the porch railing, looking in through the large window at Ivy twirling Emma around, smiling. She was my world, and the last thing I wanted to do was lose her.
“Tori, it’s not what you think.”
“Enlighten me, because the press and studio are breathing down my neck.”
“I was just doing a period run for Ivy last night, and, of course, Sienna had to be there.” It’d been the worst timing ever. Although I wouldn’t put it past her to have followed me there. “She approached me, said she wanted to apologize for how she’d treated Ivy, which of course I was wary of, but I heard her out. That was my first mistake.”
“No, Jack, that was your second. The minute you saw her, you should have turned around. Have I taught you nothing? She’s playing the short game, and you fell right into it.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I snapped. “I didn’t expect her to kiss me. And I didn’t think anyone saw.”
I could still feel her lips on mine—wrong and cold. Not even a flicker of temptation—just panic. And then the stupid hope that no one had witnessed it.
“Wrong again,” Tori berated me. “Tae Cho just posted a cozy photo of you two. Why didn’t you call me right away, Jack?”
I blew out a large breath. A white plume formed in front of me as I watched the love of my life. “I hoped it wouldn’t come to anything. And I couldn’t bear to tell Ivy.”
Tori let out a sigh. Not angry this time—more like pitying. “You have no choice now. We are officially in damage-control mode.”
I already knew the drill: Control the narrative. Acknowledge, don’t defend. Own my part and say I should have walked away sooner. Silence is not my friend.
I should have remembered that last night and just told Ivy what had happened. But when she looked so vulnerable all curled up in bed, I couldn’t. And then when she started treating me like her actual boyfriend, I didn’t want to rock the boat.
“I’ll handle the execs, but you need to be ready to make a public statement if they ask. This isn’t just about your image—it’s about their investment.”
“I got it,” I mumbled, even though my only true concern at the moment was Ivy.
“And, Jack . . . ,” she hesitated. “If Ivy’s comfortable, we need a photo and a joint statement—something that shows she’s not blindsided or betrayed.”
“But what if she is?”
Tori pulled no punches. “Then you have bigger problems than I can help with.”
That was what I was afraid of.
Chapter Twenty-One
“You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal.”
Elizabeth Taylor
Ivy
“Um...Ivy, can I see you in the kitchen?”
Paige grabbed my hand and didn’t wait for a response as she dragged me out of the room.
“Hey, Jack and I are up next to get our pictures taken,” I protested.
Actually—wherewasJack? He seemed tohave disappeared.
“Yeah, well . . . you might want to hold off on that,” Paige muttered, her tone closer to a growl than a suggestion.
“Why?”
Although maybe this was a good thing. Did I need to get all cozy with him in front of the camera? Something weird was going on between Jack and me. It was like we were both cheating on our friendship now. What did that mean for us?
Paige said not a word, just marched us forward until we were alone in the kitchen. She set me down on a kitchen chair, a vein pulsing in her neck.
