Page 100 of Pretty Words

My gaze caught on the bottle and stayed on it as the door swung open and slammed behind Oliver. A brutal headache was blooming inside my head, and there was a sinking feeling inside my stomach. I had to go after Ivy, had to talk to her, but wouldn’t it all be easier if I just had a small sip first?

The bottle felt cool in my hand. I used to finish off a pint like this over a half-hour lunch back in the day, and it barely affected me then. What real harm could come from one shot? I needed all the strength I could get for the conversation with Ivy. What if I had been wrong about her? What if she still wanted Oliver—wanted him more than she wanted me?

The cap came off with a loud snap as I broke the metal seal, and the harsh smell of alcohol filled the air. I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose. God, I missed that smell. I missed the taste even more.

My hand shook as I lifted the bottle to my mouth, but before I could tip it, my phone emitted a frantic buzzing noise. What if it was Ivy calling me?

I grabbed the device and saw Nial’s name on the screen. A breath left my lungs, and I placed the bottle down before picking up the call.

“Jamie,” he greeted me, his voice familiar and comforting. “How did it go?”

“Has anyone ever told you you have perfect timing?” I breathed. “He came to my house and brought me a gift.”

There was a silence on his end. “Are you alone? You shouldn’t be alone.”

“I won’t be for long.”

“Pour it all out right this second.”

I carried the bottle to the sink and poured the contents out, watching the clear liquid swirl down the drain. “Done.”

“What happened?”

“I won. He was furious that I wouldn’t settle. And I refused to sign an NDA about what had happened. The recordings were enough for the jury to make a verdict in my favor.”

“Congratulations,” Nial said. “It’s over.”

I sighed. “Yeah. But then he came over here to land a few punches, and Ivy overheard him. I have to go find her.”

“Want me to help?”

“She must have gone home, but I’ll message if anything comes up.”

“Okay. Good luck, Jamie.”

I raced down the freeway while I organized my thoughts and sequenced the explanations. There was so much to unpack about my past that it was difficult to know where I should start. The thirty minutes it took me to get to Ivy’s apartment wasn’t nearly enough, but I had a half-baked plan as to how to proceed.

I’d never gone up to her apartment, but the directory said she lived in unit 305. I jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and soon I was pounding on her door. It swung open, but it wasn’t Ivy on the other side.

“Jamie?” Zoey asked, her brows pinching together in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to Ivy.”

She shook her head. “She’s not here.”

“What do you mean she’s not here?” I asked, feeling my heartbeat in my temples. “Where is she?”

“I thought she was at your place with you.”

She hadn’t come home. Where could she have gone? My imagination projected a dozen terrifying possibilities. I jerked my phone out of my pocket and dialed her number.

“Jamie?” Zoey asked, her voice concerned. “What happened?”

Why the fuck didn’t I go after her immediately? She’d looked upset but composed when she left. I didn’t think there was any danger of her doing something—

The call went to voicemail.

“We need to find her,” I said to Zoey through the thickening in my throat. “We have to find her right now.”