Ivy was lost in thought when Balfour suddenly pinched her chin, âHey, whatâs on your mind? By my side, youâre not allowed to think of other men.â
Ivy couldnât help but let out a snort of laughter, âCaspian is already fifty. Are you seriously jealous of him?â
Balfour wasnât having any of it. There he was, right in front of Ivy, and she was still thinking about another man.
âEnough about others. Letâs just go to bed. Youâve got dance rehearsal tomorrow.â
Balfour knew Ivyâs schedule better than anyone.
Sure enough, at the mention of another day of training, Ivy groaned and flopped down.
Though she was eager to deliver a perfect performance for her fans, the daily grind in the studio was truly exhausting.
Balfour didnât brush Ivy off; the next day, he went straight over to the house Mara and the others had rented.
âWho could that be? Canât a person get some sleep around here? Talk about rude,â grumbled Olivia.
Sheâd been jet-lagged for days, tossing and turning at night, struggling to wake in the morning. Now, at her groggiest, Mara was out, leaving Olivia to trudge to the door, grumbling all the way.
But to her surprise, she opened the door to find Balfour who was sharply dressed. Oliviaâs eyes went wide as the sight of a handsome man jolted her awake.
âBalfour! What brings you here? Looking for Mara?â
Balfour nodded and asked, âIs she here?â
That jogged Oliviaâs memory. Mara had gone to Claraâs.
Olivia laughed it off, âOh, Mara wasnât feeling great, so she went out early for some exercise. Got something urgent for her? Want me to call her back?â
Balfour simply handed Olivia a photo. âNo need. You can tell her just as well. Tell her to stop these little games, or she canât blame me for not holding back anymore.â
Balfourâs frosty demeanor made it clear how much he cared for Ivy. No man would draw such a firm line with a childhood friend otherwise.
âIâm not really comfortable passing that message along. Better you tell her yourself when sheâs back,â
said Olivia, feigning difficulty.
Balfour frowned, hoping to settle matters once and for all.
âLast timeâs mess was all on you. Howâd that woman get the upper hand on you?â
Just then, the elevator door opened, and Maraâs voice carried across, causing Oliviaâs face to turn to panic.
They had agreed to bring Clara back for a talk, and here Olivia was, hoping she hadnât actually done so.
Balfour was right there.
As her heart pounded, Mara came out of the elevator, phone in hand.
Thankfully, she hadnât brought anyone with her; she was just sending a voice message. Olivia gestured to Mara.
âBalfour? Whatâs got you here so early?â
Mara put on a pleasing smile, sensing from his accusatory stance that yesterdayâs incident was out.
âDonât you know why Iâm here?â Balfour looked down at her imposingly.
After all these years, Mara still couldnât kick the habit of blinking when she felt guilty.
âAh? I donât know what you mean. Why donât you come in? Iâve just bought some breakfast.â