CHAPTER 35: I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW

"Okay, sir. Whatever you need, I am a phone call away."

Winn nodded and began to head out of the office. His hand brushed the door handle when suddenly—he stopped. As if yanked back by some invisible tether. His spine went rigid. His mind screamed keep walking. Slowly, he turned, eyes narrowing on her. Ivy, standing there with her notepad clutched to her chest, lips parted, eyes wide.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he closed the distance in three strides. His hand found her wrist, tugging her gently yet firmly until her body collided with his. Her breath caught. He bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers. His lips molded over hers. He didn’t know why he did it—God, he never knew why. Maybe it was reckless chemistry. Maybe he thought if he tasted her, he’d remember what he had to return to. Maybe he needed that fire lodged in his blood to keep him ruthless enough to win.

When he pulled back, his lips still tingled. So did hers, her chest rising and falling in uneven bursts. "Why do you keep doing that?" Ivy asked. It has to mean something. Bosses don’t just go around kissing their secretaries.

Winn’s throat worked. "I honestly don’t know." He didn’t wait for her response. Because if he lingered, if he searched those eyes one more second, he’d never leave. So he swept out of the room, the door shutting behind him, leaving Ivy standing there, notebook limp in her hand.

*****

Joey arrived late in the evening, his flight delayed, his mood foul. Unlike Winn, who radiated ice and steel, Joey Winsford carried a disheveled charm—dark hair mussed from travel, shirt sleeves rolled, tie loose around his neck. He headed straight to the office, luggage abandoned in the car.

He found Ivy at her desk. She glanced up as he entered, pen stilling, eyes curious. He smiled, and extended a hand. "Hi. I’m Joey...Joey Winsford. You must be Ivy Morales. The temp secretary."

"Yes," Ivy said, rising slightly to shake his hand. "I have been expecting you. Mr. Kane told me you would be arriving today."

"I haven’t gotten any complaints about you yet. So I guess you have been doing a good job so far."

"I guess so too." Ivy smiled.

"Any messages for me?" he asked, straightening.

"Yes. Mr. Kane asked me to help with whatever you need and to please check on Sylvia every day."

Joey groaned loudly, dragging a hand down his face. "Great...just great. Babysitting a grown woman..." His sigh was long and exasperated.

"Your temp position ends this Friday, right?"

"Yes, sir." The confirmation stung more than she expected. She had almost forgotten the arrangement was temporary. The job had become more than a paycheck—it was a front-row seat to a world that thrilled her. And Winn Kane himself...well, he was a whole storm she hadn’t prepared for.

"Right. So first thing tomorrow, put a notice out for the position. The qualifications should be on the website. I will interview the applicants myself."

"Okay, sir." Ivy scribbled a note in her pad.

"You can go home now. Don’t want to keep you any longer than I should."

"If you don’t mind," Ivy said quickly, "I would like to stay. You may need me."

Joey nodded, a faint half-smile curving his lips, then strolled into his office—which, was next door to Winn’s. She slumped into her chair, spinning once in a tired, almost childlike circle, then let the momentum die. Two more days until it all ended.

*****

When Ivy finally got back home, exhaustion clung to her. Her shoulders ached from tension, her mind buzzed with half-finished to-do lists. She was too drained for more emotional drama—so naturally, the universe had decided to throw Steve onto her porch again.

He was waiting for her, slouched on the top step, a bouquet of corner-store flowers drooping pathetically in his hands.

"Steve, not today." Ivy groaned, dropping her bag with a dull thud against the porch rail. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Wait, Ivy. Five minutes, I promise and I am out of your hair." He looked thinner than she remembered, paler too, as if regret had been eating away at him meal by meal.

Ivy stood there, arms folded tightly across her chest, tapping her foot against the porch wood. "Five minutes," she echoed flatly.

Steve inhaled sharply, bracing himself, then launched into it. "I know that I hurt you. Nothing...nothing I can say can change that. But I love you and I miss you. And...I want to do this all over again. I want to be the man that you will be proud of. I want to be yours. I will do anything...just let me try again, please, Ivy."

His eyes searched hers.

Ivy sighed. "I don’t know, Steve." And she meant it.

Steve, stepped closer. "Just go on one date with me. Just one. And then make your decision."

"Fine." Ivy finally gave in. Her shoulders drooped.

"Saturday good enough for you?" Steve asked, his grin spreading wide.

"Sure," Ivy replied.

"I’ll pick you up. 7pm." He held her gaze for a moment longer, handed her the flowers then turned and walked down the steps.

*****

Joey Kane entered Winn’s townhouse, muttering to himself under his breath. He hated this assignment. Checking on a grown woman. Babysitting Sylvia wasn’t part of what he’d signed up for when Winn summoned him back from vacation.

The living room was awash with the glow of the TV. Sylvia lounged on the sofa, her legs curled beneath her. She was watching some reality show. When she heard the footsteps, her head lifted eagerly, expecting her brother.

Her face shifted the moment she saw him. Her lips parted, and her eyes lit with an emotion she quickly tried to mask. "Joey," she whispered, his name trembling off her tongue.

Joey’s mouth was a hard line. He kept his distance. "Just checking in," he said finally.

Sylvia pushed herself to her feet. "Did Winn tell you to keep an eye on me too?" she asked.

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