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      Fourteen

      Is the new man in your life pressing for a commitment? Consider wisely. When it comes to relationships, three out of four women make the same mistake twice.

      —excerpt from The Modern Woman’s Guide to Divorce (And the Joy of Staying Single)

      They had eloped.

      Apparently, the dress incident had been the last straw. When Deidre pulled herself together she’d told Blake that if they didn’t get out of there, if he didn’t make some serious changes, the wedding was off. And thank goodness Blake was smart enough to know what he would have been giving up if he’d let her go.

      If Ivy didn’t love Deidre so much, she would kill her for scaring them. But put in the same position, she wouldn’t have done things any differently. At least she knew everything was going to be okay. Deidre and Blake would make it. They would be happy.

      Now, if only she could feel so confident about her own life.

      “You couldn’t wait until I got inside the house,” Deidre said, handing Ivy a new bag of ice and taking the melted one. “You had to take her down right before I walked in.”

      Ivy set the ice over her swollen, purple knuckles. “It’s not as though I planned to hit her. It just sort of happened.”

      She barely even remembered doing it. One minute she was just standing there, the next Dum was on the floor and Ivy’s hand was throbbing. She’d never hit another person in her life. There had just been the beer bottle incident, and luckily for them both she had missed.

      When Dee recovered from the shock, she’d begun to wail about calling her attorney and pressing charges, then the four of them had packed up and left. The villa had been blessedly peaceful ever since.

      “How’s the hand, Sugar Ray?” Dillon asked. He sat in a chair across from Ivy, a goofy grin plastered on his face. He was enjoying this far too much.

      “I think I’m going to cut my boxing career short.”

      “It looks as though you two are getting along better,” Deidre said, looking back and forth between them.

      “I guess you could say we’re working things out,” Ivy told her.

      “I’m glad. At least this trip wasn’t a total waste.”

      “Have you told Blake’s parents?”

      “We called them from the road and caught them just as they were leaving for the airport.”

      “I’m a disgrace to my family,” Blake said. “And I’m probably out of a job. And a house.”

      “And you guys are okay with that?” Ivy asked.

      He shrugged and sat on the arm of the couch, beside his new wife. She smiled up at him. “They’ll get over it.”

      “Do you have anything lined up?” Dillon asked him.

      “Not yet,” Blake said.

      “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you need a job, there’s always a position open for you in my company.”

      “I’ll definitely think about it.” He looked down at Deidre and grinned. “Right now I just want to enjoy being a newlywed.”

      “We’ve decided to leave early for our honeymoon,” Deidre told them. “We’re going to drive up the coast, then be back in time for the cruise when it leaves Saturday night. Either of you is welcome to stay for the rest of the week.” She shot Ivy a smile. “Or both of you.”

      Ivy struggled to suppress the depraved excitement clawing its way to the surface. She glanced over at Dillon and saw that he was trying really hard not to smile. She didn’t doubt they were thinking the exact same thing.

      Three days alone, with this big house all to themselves.

      Did it get any better than that?