“Well, I guess you have to just convince him.” He said, and there were several moments of silence between them.
“But I have a job now. Maybe in a few years I can come back again, maybe then he’ll give me a shot again.” She said and turned to the kitchen sink. There were a few dishes in the sink, which she started cleaning.
“Leave those be, Ivy. I’ll do them later.” She heard him say, but she didn’t stop. She kept washing them.
“I need to get a dishwasher.” He said, and she smiled to herself. Then she sensed him walking close to her.
“Leave them Ivy. You don’t work for me anymore.” He said and his hands were on hers. She felt her skin tingle with his touch, as he tugged her hand away from the sink. He turned her gently to face him, and the smile on his face was gone.
“I wish you the best of luck in your life, Ivy.” He said, somberly. But he sounded like he meant it. Ivy’s hands were wet from the soapy water of the sink but he still held them tightly, keeping her facing him as they stood.
“You deserve the best in life. I don’t know you at all, but I know you’re a great girl. Someday you’ll make a man very happy.” He said, and slowly let her hands go.
Ivy gulped, licked her lips and stared back at him with heavy lids.
“And I wish you the best of luck too, Leon. I hope you get the woman you want, that she realizes what a fool she is by giving you up. And I hope that you both are happy together.” Ivy said, and she stepped away from him.
The peace and quiet of them working together was ruined again. She wished she hadn’t started cleaning the dishes.
“It doesn’t work that way.” He said, surprising her with his words. She hadn’t expected him to answer her statement. When she looked at him, he was running his fingers through his hair again.
“What do you mean by that?” She asked him, and he only stared at her blankly.
“What you said. About the woman I used to love, and having her back. It doesn’t work that way.” He replied, facing her now with saddened eyes.
“Leon.” Ivy whispered, her heart beating rapidly against her chest in the silence of the mansion. “Will you please tell me what happened? I’m leaving tomorrow, we’ll never see each other once I leave town. Just tell me what happened and get it off your chest.” She implored him, and he could see it in her eyes.
She watched as he licked his lips, took in a deep breath and then sat back down at the table again.
Chapter 16
Ivy joined him at the table, sitting across from him, but said nothing more to urge him on. It was evident to her that he was the kind of man who spoke very little about his feelings. He disclosed nothing to anybody, so he needed to take his time.
They sat silently for some time, while Leon seemed to be arranging his thoughts.
“Her name is Vivian.” He began, and Ivy clenched her jaws. She didn’t realize how jealous it would make her feel, just to hear the name of the “another woman.”
“She was my daddy’s secretary’s daughter, so she grew up at our ranch. We used to play together as kids. She was a little older than me, by a few years, but we got along well.” He continued.
Leon wasn’t looking at her as he spoke, but Ivy kept her eyes trained on him. She wanted to see his every muscle move, she wanted to drink in the handsomeness as much as she could now. She wanted to burn his image in her brain so that she could remember it clearly later.
“As we grew up, grew into teenagers, I couldn’t help but fall madly in love with her. Vivian with her wild red hair, her green cat eyes…she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She was also one of the only girls I was friends with. That could have been the problem.” He said.
Ivy could feel the jealousy coursing through her veins now. She hadn’t expected him to describe the other woman in such great detail. She didn’t want to picture this beautiful Vivian, Leon as a teenager, chasing after her. She had to clench her fists on her lap to stop herself from saying something. She wanted to be a good listener to him.
“Anyway, she led me on.” He said, and quickly exchanged a look with her.
“How did she lead you on?” Ivy asked, finally breaking her silence.
“She knew I loved her. And she wanted my money, my daddy’s money. Even as a young sixteen-year-old, she knew that if she married me she would be able to make use of my inheritance.” He said, running his fingers through his hair again, out of nervousness.
“And how did she lead you on?” Ivy asked again, knowing fully well that her cheeks were burning up from jealousy now. But Leon didn’t seem to have noticed it.
“She used her body, how else?” He said, looking at her again. Ivy saw the rage in his eyes. He looked away, trying to control it.
“She knew I was young, foolish, a stupid fourteen-year-old. She gave her body to me and I made her a promise that I would marry her the day I turned twenty-one.” He continued.
“And did you?” Ivy asked, now her jealousy was bubbling up to her throat. She was afraid she was going to scream. So, this was why, Leon had reacted so terribly to her seduction! He thought she was using him too. That she was after his money.