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Was Jules purposely avoiding bringing up Liam?

It was probably for the best. And the truth was, I missed Ivy, too. I wasn’t as close with her as I had been with Jules, but we’d still gotten along really well. It would be nice to see her again. “You don’t think she’d mind?”

Jules smiled and shook her head. “Not at all. I think she’d be upset if she learned you stopped here, and she missed seeing you again.” Before I had the chance to respond, Jules lifted her gaze behind my head. “Oh, I have a customer. Can you excuse me?”

“It’s okay,” I said. “Go take care of whatever you need to. I’ll get out of your hair. I just wanted to see the place.”

“You don’t have to leave.”

Hearing the longing in her tone felt good. I loved that she had such grace for me, considering the things I’d done to hurt her and people she loved.

I stood at the same time as her. “It’s okay. I think I’ll take your word for it and stop over to see Ivy.”

“She’ll love that.” Jules stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “It was great to see you again, Layla. If you ever want to get together while you’re here helping your mom, just let me know.”

I hugged her back. “I will. Congratulations, again, on the bakery. The brownie was delicious.”

Jules and I released our hold on one another, and after we said goodbye, I took off. A few minutes later, I was walking through the front entrance of The Westwood Hotel. Despite all the times I’d been in the hotel when I was a teenager celebrating with the Westwood family, the moment I walked through the front door, it felt different.

Not just like years had passed and things had been upgraded.

No.

I could feel Ivy’s personal touch on the place. Her organization and take-charge attitude were likely the reason the place seemed to be running like a well-oiled machine.

My eyes shot to the reception desk, and while there were two individuals behind it, Ivy was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she’d already left.

One of the employees made eye contact with me. “Hi. Can I help you?”

“Yes, I was curious if Ivy is still around?”

“She is. I think she’s down in one of the ballrooms. Let me call her and find out. Who can I tell her is here?”

“It’s Layla.”

“Okay. Give me one minute.”

While the front desk employee called Ivy, I took in the space. Most people might not notice it, but I could see it. Ivy was everywhere in just the entrance. And her eye for design was featured in the furniture, chandeliers,flowers, and even the music. She’d created the perfect ambience for the guests.

“Ivy said she’s finishing something up, but she’ll be down in just a few minutes. You can either grab a seat over there, or if you’d like to stop in at the hotel bar, I can let her know to find you there.”

The bar.

I could do that.

Maybe we could catch up over a drink if she had the time.

“I’ll head to the bar.”

“No problem. I’ll let her know.”

With that, I turned and made my way to the hotel bar. Until Ivy arrived, I’d grab a drink and do some people watching. And if nothing else, at least I could kill some time until I was able to head back home.

I walked down the hall and stepped through the doors into the bar. My eyes landed on the bartender, and my feet carried me that way. But I’d only taken three or four steps in that direction when I froze.

There he was.

On a barstool, his back rounded, and a drink in front of him, Liam sat there. It was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.