The Ivy House

chapter 41

Footsteps crunching on the gravel path shook her out of her melancholy thoughts.

“When were you going to tell me?” Chase came upon her suddenly. Phoebe reared back. She had been planting primroses in the empty planters that flanked the steps of the stone terrace.

“Tell you what?”

“Your new deal.” Chase tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but he saw her flinch.

“How did you…”

“You don’t think I read the business papers, the websites. Everyone’s all abuzz that the brilliant Phoebe Ryan is designing a collection with Serena, the hottest international pop and movie star. I thought you were over that, Phoebe. I thought you had committed to your own designs.”

He pulled out his phone and showed her. Phoebe gasped. She had had no idea. There was a picture of her and Dean having dinner at the Osprey Arms, drinking champagne and the headline, “Phoebe Ryan makes a new conquest.” She couldn’t bear to read the rest.

“It’s not…”

Chase cut across her. “I understand. You’re a California girl, right. You can take the girl out of Hollywood, but you can’t take the Hollywood out of the girl. You’re putting your career first. Just like Savannah. I suppose this was a fun little game for you while you and your gentleman friend cooked up a way to make a big story out of it.”

Now she rose up, truly angry. “You’re the one who told me it was no strings attached. You’re the one who said, ‘Hey, babe, let’s enjoy the moment’. And if I recall, it was your PR director who cooked up the ‘Romance of the Century, Part Two’ story. You’re the one who said our relationship was good for business.”

Chase froze, his own words thrown back at him. “I…”

“Look, I gave you your designs and you can use them however you want. You’ve already made sure the world knows exactly who I am, so feel free to say whatever you have to sell more of them. Our business deal has run its course.”

“It wasn’t about the deal…” Chase said. She could see him fighting to keep calm and she felt her wall coming up, the one she retreated behind when she needed to avoid hurt.

“What was I supposed to do, Chase? You made it clear that you were just in it for a good time. I need to think about my career. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Chase ran his hands through his hair. “I thought this…” and he gestured all around him, “meant something to you. What about your own designs, your work for North Coast Outfitters? Us?”

“It’s just a house. A house that needs a lot of work. I need to keep moving forward.”

“And going with him is that?” Chase asked, his voice quiet, his face hard.

“This opportunity isn’t about that,” Phoebe corrected him. It wasn’t about Dean.

“Well, then.” Chase looked at her, his eyes dark and hooded. “I guess I’ll wish you good luck.” She could hear his voice catch, but he pushed through.

Phoebe felt her eyes glitter with sudden tears, but she stood firm, quiet.

“Thank you. I guess I’ll be seeing you.”

Chase laughed bitterly and swallowed, giving her one long last look before he turned and walked away.

Phoebe watched him, not knowing if she had made the worst mistake of her life. How had it come to this? She knew that if he just turned around once, she would be undone; she would go to him, pull him to her, and beg him to forgive her, to take her right there, take whatever she had to offer. Even if it was a lust-only, no-strings-attached kind of a deal.

Phoebe just sat on the rough stone step, the cold seeping through her jeans and into her body. The sun was setting and still she sat, letting the world go dark around her. That’s how she felt about her whole world. It hadn’t been ideal, how Chase had found out about Dean’s offer, but he hadn’t even let her discuss it with him, let her see how it might all work out. Because there was nothing left to work out. She thought what they had meant something. But then he had thrown it all in her face. What did she think that Playboy of the Month, Chase Sanders, was going to settle down with her in a small house overlooking the water and watch while she sewed pillows? That he would ever want to settle down, make a home, make a family? And with her, of all people?

What had she been thinking? That she could undo Savannah’s mistakes? That somehow the Savannah–Leland history could be rewritten? It never would have worked out, she told herself. But if that were the case, then why did she feel like this? She’d made no final decision. She’d only be toying with the idea of going back to Los Angeles.

Truth was that she hadn’t felt the kind of peace she’d felt in Queensbay in a long time. Ivy House had been a magical place to her and it still was. How could she leave it? But what choice did she have?

Phoebe let her eyes travel over the sweeping expanse of the harbor, down its broad length, across the darkening shadows of its hills. The water had steeped into her, even in such a short time. It had allowed her to find her creativity again, to find her playfulness, to find more purpose. Or had it all been Chase? He’d never made any promises to her. In fact, he had been more than upfront about what he had wanted from her.

“Phoebe? Are you OK?” Lynn’s voice called out, and she could hear footsteps coming around the path.

Phoebe looked at her and wiped her face.

“What happened?” Lynn came to her, a stethoscope still around her neck, in her scrubs with cartoon characters.

“The bastard, what did he do?” She wrapped her arms around Phoebe and hugged her close.

“It’s over,” Phoebe managed to say before letting the tears come.