Page 60 of Relentless (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 2)

Me: No.

Me: And I hate that you know more about her life than I do.

Con: Fix it then.

Me: I’m taking her to On The Ropes tonight.

Con: Good. I didn’t want to have to be nice to Abbott if he was going to be hanging

around.

Griff: He’s not that bad.

Me: He’s a twat.

Con: I don’t have the mental capacity to be nice to any extras.

Me: Guess Griff is fucked then.

Griff: Lunch later this week? I have a meeting to get to.

Con: Wednesday.

Me: I’m there.

I set my phone down and look up at Ivy. She’s scribbling along the margins of one portfolio with her fingers flying over the calculator in her hand. She’s very clearly made for this. She and I couldn’t be any different in this moment.

“Would you want to take my place when you graduate?” The question surprises even me as it flies from my lips.

“What?” She looks as startled as I am.

“You were born for this type of thing. Don’t act like being an executive at bank and finance company wouldn’t be the greatest achievement of your life.”

“I mean,” she sits back and switches the way her legs are crossed, “yeah, the goal is to get a job at a place like this.”

“Dad already wants to hire you.” I hold up a hand and shake my head when she opens her mouth to argue. “He told me when he warned me not to chase you off. He loves you like a daughter. I think when I break my news to him, you should step in and take my place.”

“Don’t you think the board will have an issue with that?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll have equal shares with Dad and together our fifty-two percent outweighs the rest of the board.”

Plus, I still fully intend to wife you up.

“I guess it’s something to think about. Can I finish these at my desk? I have some ideas for a few of your guys’ accounts.”

“Go for it, Ives.”

The smile she gives me at the use of her nickname damn near undoes me. I must have blocked out how beautiful that smile is to make it through my bitterness. My heart literally skipped a beat.

* * *

“So, what is this place?” Ivy asks as I hold the back door to On The Ropes open for her.

“Grant just opened it a month ago.” I assume she knows who I’m talking about since she was just at one of his other clubs. “It has an adult playground theme.”

“Adult play-” she stops dead when we leave the back hallway, “whoa.”

The bar and restaurant area sits to the left of the expansive space. In the center is a small dance floor and suspended DJ booth. To the right side is a playground with every possible piece of equipment from our childhood, teeter totters, merry-go-rounds, swings, and monkey bars.

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