Page 137 of Playing for Keeps
“How are you really holding up?” Ash asks the moment Wyatt heads out for his training session.
We’re curled up on the sofa with some random rom-com playing in the background, a half-hearted attempt to distract me from the chaos exploding online. But it’s not working. I keep checking my phone every five minutes like I’m hoping it’ll all disappear if I just refresh one more time.
I glance over at her and let out a heavy sigh. “Truthfully? I’m mad as hell.” I unlock my phone and pull up the article that’s been haunting me since this morning. “Have you seen this?” I hand her the phone, my hands trembling slightly. “They’re calling me a homewrecker. Saying people shouldn’t trust me professionally, and that working with me would be unethical.” My voice wavers as emotion rises. “They even dragged my parents into it, Ash. I don’t even know this woman, but I can’t stand her. Who does something like this?”
She sets the phone down and wraps me in a hug. “Yeah, she’s a bitch, Ivy, no doubt about it, but you’ve got to stop reading this stuff. It’s only going to eat you alive. It’s garbage, and people will see through it eventually.”
I pull back and shake my head, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. “But my clients don’t know me, Ash. They’re going to believe it. All of it. I’ve poured everything into building my business from the ground up, and yeah, it’s been slow, but this could destroy it.”
Ash sighs and takes my hand. “Have you told Wyatt how you’re feeling?”
I let out a slow breath. “No. He’s already beating himself up over everything.”
She gives my hand a firm squeeze. “Still, he’d want to know.”
“Maybe. But I don’t want to pile more on him. It’s already a mess.”
Ash shakes her head. “He’ll want to be there for you through all of this.”
I hesitate, a single tear tracking down my cheek. “What if this pulls us apart, Ash?” I whisper. “What if we’re not strong enough to weather this?”
“Hey. You are strong enough. Wyatt loves you. I’ve never seen him happier than he is when he’s with you.”
“I don’t want to lose him, Ash. I really think he might be the one.”
“You’re not going to lose him. He’s just as all-in as you are.”
My eyes widen. “He said that to you?”
She nods. “We basically had this same conversation earlier. You two should try saying these things to each other sometime.”
Before I can answer, a phone starts ringing somewhere in the apartment.
“What’s that?” Ash asks.
I let out a sigh. “My work phone. I should take it.”
I head quickly to Wyatt’s room, where I left my purse, digging it out and swiping the screen before lifting it to my ear.
“Hi, this is Ivy James Estates,” I say, a little out of breath.
“Ivy, hello, it’s Elizabeth Carter.”
“Oh, Mrs. Carter, hi! The open house yesterday went really well. There were a few–”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she says, her tone clipped. “But we’ve decided to go with another realtor. We won’t be needing your services after all.”
My stomach drops. “I see. Can I ask what changed your mind?”
There’s a brief pause on the end of the line, and then she exhales. “It’s the media coverage. My husband and I saw the articles online this morning and… well, it just doesn’t reflect the kind of image we’re comfortable portraying.”
I grip the edge of the dresser, my fingers digging into the wood.
“But none of it’s true,” I say quietly.
“I understand that, and I’m truly sorry you’re going through something so difficult,” she replies, sounding more awkward than apologetic. “We just don’t want any negative attention surrounding the sale of our property. I hope you understand.”
My throat tightens. “Right. Of course.”
