Page 46 of Lonely Heart

I sighed, my shoulders falling. “I wanted to come and tell you how sorry I am.”

Jules had selected a muffin and had been making her way back toward me, but at those words she’d stopped. “Sorry? For what?”

Tipping my head to one side, my eyes roamed over her face. “I wasn’t exactly nice to you a couple of days ago when you called to ask me about meeting you for lunch.”

My sister waved her hand dismissively in the air and closed the distance between us, ultimately setting the muffin on the counter. “Oh, don’t worry about that.”

I had been worried about it, though. I’d been feeling guilty about it ever since. “It wasn’t okay.”

“I understand it, though. It’s not like you set out to be harsh for no reason, Ivy. When I reached out to you and had been so persistent, I hadn’t considered how difficult what I was asking ofyou might have been. You’re dealing with what happened to you, and if you need time to feel comfortable again, it’s okay.”

Tears filled my eyes. Jules was the best of us. We were so lucky to have her in our lives. She was just a constant state of sweetness and understanding. I could only hope to be able to give her that same love and support one day. “Are you sure you’re not upset with me? I know you stopped over with Mom and Dad the other day, but I didn’t want to bring this up with them around.”

Jules stepped out from behind the counter and moved in my direction. She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “I’m positive. You’re my sister, and I love you.”

I hugged her back. “Thank you for understanding.”

When she loosened her hold on me and pulled back, she asked, “How are you doing, though?”

I shrugged. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about Marco just yet, not when I didn’t know how he felt about everything I’d blurted to him. And since she had no idea about him, I focused on what I believed she was asking me anyway—how I was doing after the attack. “It gets better each day.”

“Whenever you’re up for it, I’m ready for that lunch out together.”

Smiling, I hugged her again. “Maybe if we go together.”

Before I could let go of Jules, a familiar masculine voice interrupted. “I get the feeling I might be interrupting something here.”

I tensed, but luckily, Jules didn’t notice. She released her hold on me, stepped back, and looked up at the guy who’d approached us. “Hey, Marco.”

“Morning, Jules.” His gaze shifted between the two of us and ultimately settled on me. I’d been wiping at the tears in my eyes. “Good morning, Ivy. Everything okay?”

I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Yep. I just came to get breakfast.”

He gave me a look that told me he didn’t necessarily believe that was all I’d been doing here. And maybe it had been wishful thinking, but I could have sworn I saw a look in his eyes that indicated he had things he wanted to say to me.

“Are you here for some breakfast, too?” Jules asked him.

I was grateful for her interruption, if only to take a moment to pull myself together.

“I am,” Marco confirmed.

“Something sweet or hearty?” she pressed.

Before he even answered, I knew what he was going to say. I thought back to the conversation we’d had the night I made him chicken. He was a big guy who needed sustenance. “I’ve got to work this morning, so let’s go hearty. Whatever you’ve got and want to make will be fine.”

“Say no more.”

As Jules got to work on Marco’s breakfast, his eyes met mine again. And if I’d been unsure if I was seeing things before, I no longer had any doubts about it. Marco absolutely had thoughts about our last conversation running through his mind.

I tore my gaze from his, stepped around him, and reached for the bag carrying my muffin, which Jules had set on the counter.

“Heading over to the hotel?”

“Yeah.”

“If you want to wait, I’ll walk with you,” he offered.

I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what he was going to say, but I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t curious. So, I gave him a nod and said, “Sure. I can wait.”