Chapter 11
"My brother is an idiot." Brighton takes a small sip of the coffee he ordered when he first arrived at the café in midtown. "He seriously didn't get that you were talking about marriage?"
I shake my head and manage a weak grin. "I went to sleep and when I woke up he wasn't there. I'm not even sure if he slept in our bed last night."
"When I saw him the other day he was all about Mark and his business." He places his hand over mine. "I asked him what you thought of that but he ignored the question. Classic Jax move."
"I just assumed that we'd deal with the business together." I roll my eyes with a slight chuckle. "Not exactly together. I thought Jax would run the business for both of us."
"You were right to make that assumption, Ivy," he sighs. "I've never seen a more perfectly matched couple than the two of you."
"I feel like I made a big mistake." It's a confession that I've been holding in since I learned of Mark's death.
"Dating my brother?" He cocks a brow. He can't be serious. He has to see how endlessly devoted I am to Jax even when he's being an ass.
"In pushing him back into the business world." My jaw tightens as I think about how I brought up the subject of Intersect Investments repeatedly. I put the idea in Jax's mind and once Mark died, he ran with it full steam ahead. Right now it didn't seem like he cared who he ran over to get what he wanted, even if that person was me.
"How are you going to handle it?" The question is ripe with assumption. I know Brighton well enough to know that he thinks I should sit down and tell Jax exactly what I'm feeling. I'm not sure how I can ever confess to the man that I love that I assumed that our shares in the business would merge since we'd be married one day.
I take a small sip of herbal tea. "I'm going to let it play out. I'll see what Jax offers and what my attorney considers a fair deal."
"You're playing hardball?" A faint chuckle skirts the edges of the question.
"I'm playing in Jax's world." I pull a small smile across my lips. "Let's not talk about this anymore. What's going on with you?"
He darts his eyes over my head before he speaks. "Liz."
It's only a name but it still has a profound impact on me. "You know she was badly hurt in the accident that killed Mark?"
"Jax told me." His brow pulls together. "I'm really worried about her."
"I thought when she withdrew from your program that you two were done." Brighton and I hadn't ever spoken about Liz after he learned that she was one of Mark's lovers. Jax had shared that juicy tidbit of information without realizing that Brighton was developing feelings for my former best friend. When he'd finally offered her placement in his mentoring program for burgeoning artists, she had pulled back and withdrawn.
"We talked a lot when I went to Europe." He stops to take a sip of the coffee. "When I ran away to Europe."
"Have you been to see her?" Guilt overlaps the question. I hadn't been back since I was there with Jax. I didn't know how to push aside all the hurt and anger I still felt for her.
"I go every day." He taps his finger on the edge of the wooden table. "I was hoping you would go with me sometime."
I feel panic race through me. I'm not sure I can face Liz. "I hadn't thought about going back."
"She needs support, Ivy," he says glumly. "I'm all she has."
I tip my head back to stare at the ceiling. Maybe it was time to finally put the past to rest. Maybe forgiving Liz would bring me closure too. "I'll come. Once."