The Business Proposal

Chapter Eighteen

"Knock, knock." Ivy blinked at the figure standing in the doorway. A smile spread across her face when her tired brain finally worked out who it was.

She sat up in her chair and watched Paige sashay her way into the room and plop herself into a chair.

It had only been over a week since she'd seen her, but so much had happened it really felt a hundred times longer than that. She'd called her friends the day after Ethen proposed, to mixed emotions, and she'd told them about her recent move but they'd all been too busy to meet properly. Ivy couldn't wait till they were all together again.

"I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd pop by and check whether you've seen the recent gossip?"

Paige reached into her back and drew out her latest gossip magazine. She tossed it to Ivy, who quickly snatched it up.

It was no surprise that a picture of Ivy and Ethan graced the front cover in glossy high definition.

Ivy had thought the media storm surrounding her upcoming wedding would have decreased, but it only seemed to grow stronger.

She gasped when she realised they were speculating about a possible pregnancy. It was written carefully. There were no outright accusations that could cause a lawsuit, but the writer still got their idea across. The last few sentences mentioned that a quick wedding was on the books and the venue would be at one of the Carter's luxury hotels in Tuscany.

Well, at least they'd got one fact right. It would be a quick wedding.

She threw the magazine down on her desk, ruffling paper as she did.

"How can they get away with printing this rubbish?" She sighed, massaging her temples to chase away the headache that was brewing behind her eyes.

"They know just what to say to get people interested but not too much that it could be classed as libel. Why'd you think they call them gossip magazines?" Paige shrugged her shoulders, but her eyes were twinkling with mirth.

Ivy huffed out a sigh. How did Ethan deal with this stuff so calmly? It was already starting to grate on her nerves.

Paige's eyes narrowed on a selection of wedding invitations before snatching one up to read the names. She felt a flash of disappointment at their blankness, but she continued trawling through the other ones.

"I thought one of these might be yours." She lifted her head slightly, peering at Ivy with questioning eyes.

"You need a wedding venue before you can send out invitations." Ivy explained before she groaned and covered her head.

Wedding planning was just one of her many skills, but she'd never had to book a venue before. Couples came to her because they wanted their wedding at one of her family's hotels. From there it was all easy sailing, just getting the finished details ready for the big day.

She'd never imagined booking a venue would be such a pain.

"No luck then?"

Ivy shook her head. After the first few failed attempts, she'd enlisted the help of Paige, Liam and George. She'd given them each a list of numbers for venues she'd liked and asked them to call around. All were fully booked already for this year and the next.

It meant she was going to have to get creative with her venue.

"Nope." She said popping the 'p' dramatically. "I should have another list for you guys by tomorrow night though." She said with big pleading eyes, but Paige just waved her off.

"Whatever you need. You know I'm here for you, girl." Paige smiled, but Ivy noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes.

The more she looked at Paige, the more she noticed that something wasn't right. Her eyes were sunken and lifeless. And she was less vibrant than normal, like if she'd had something sucked out of her.