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<div style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Maple Grove | 10:45pm | Sal's Bar</span></span>​</div><br/>
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<span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">The jukebox had been playing Billy Joel when Ivy first walked into Sal's Bar. If her father had been with her, he would have already been breaking out into song, but he was working. And Tyler was out of town with Izzy, leaving her no choice but to come alone. She wasn't too keen on it, given the fact she was coming here to break up with someone she thought she had already had been perfectly clear with about it just not working out between them. He had been a perfect gentleman to the end, but there was just…no spark on her end. Will was an attractive guy. There was no denying that. And maybe three dates wasn't enough to know for sure that nothing more could exist between them, but Ivy's heart just wasn't in it. <br/>
<br/>
She had been dating on and off for the past year, up until she decided it was time to move back home to Mystic Creek and start that bakery she had dreamed of since she was a little kid playing with an easy bake oven. There was finally enough funds in her bank account for her to do it and do it right. It meant shacking up with her parents for a couple of months, but for her, it was worth it. She bought the corner brick building, where Main Street and Cottonwood Ave intersected; it had been Mick's Laundromat when she was young, which meant it needed work. Mick Jacoby and his wife had lived in the apartment on the second floor, but their children had all grown-up and moved away. They wanted to follow to be near their grandkids. <br/>
<br/>
Because they knew her and her family, the Jacobys had given her a fair price, one she could reasonably afford. The place needed a lot of work to become her vision. Everyone knew that. So it would mean Ivy had to pay taxes and a mortgage on a place that wasn't generating a dime of income. On top of that, she'd be renovating it from top to bottom.<br/>
<br/>
Living with her mom and dad just seemed like the best financial decision she could make. That, and getting a temporary part-time job. She was still having some trouble with the latter. It wasn't that nobody needed help in Mystic Creek. It was just that people were looking for something more permanent, which Ivy could not give them. <br/>
<br/>
The brunette found a space at the bar. Deciding she'd get a table once she had a drink in hand, Ivy leaned against the smooth, wooden counter, waiting to be served. She was early. Will was supposed to be meeting her at eleven. Apparently, it was the earliest he could get here from the city, and Ivy hadn't been willing to drive in to meet him somewhere near his job. She had suggested that they get together another night when things weren't so hectic for him, but he had insisted, saying something about how this conversation couldn't wait.<br/>
<br/>
She just hoped the slight twist in her gut was from nerves and not instinct. It was hard, doing this. She was <i>terrible</i> at ending things, but she just had this feeling that…Well…It didn't matter. The place was crowded, and Will didn't seem the type to get aggressive. Granted, he was a big guy; he probably could cause some damage if he really wanted to, but not once did he give her that vibe. <br/>
<br/>
It was probably just having to break things off with the guy <i>again</i>. Ivy had never had to do that with anyone else before.<br/>
<br/>
"Oh, hun. You look like you could use a drink." Annie. One of the town's mother hens, except she was the one that offered food as a bandage and booze for the pain. <br/>
<br/>
The left corner of Ivy's lips slanted upward as she straightened to her full height; she had been a sight, slumped over the bar and pensive. "I guess so."<br/>
<br/>
"Well, what can I get you?" The blond asked, placing a manicured hand on her hip while leaning into the bar with her other arm resting atop it.<br/>
<br/>
Ivy wasn't a big drinker, mostly because she had too big of a sweet tooth to really like hard liquor or beer. On occasion, she'd have some wine, but not at a bar. Usually when she came here, it was to keep her father company or be Tyler's DD. <br/>
<br/>
"Oh uh…how about a Jack and Coke?" The words came out as if she were the one offering Annie a drink, but it was a something she liked and hadn't had in a while.<br/>
<br/>
The blond bartender winked at her and promised to be "back in a jiffy" before leaving the young woman alone with her thoughts once more.<br/>
<br/>
Instead of stewing on what she was here to do, Ivy decided to look around the place. It had been a while, after all, and despite that, Sal's hadn't changed too much. Wooden bar-top tables littered the other half of the room with matching stools. A pool table was in the back corner with a group of college kids huddled around it, enjoying a game as well as a couple of beers. The bathrooms were in the back, white doors starkly contrasting against the dark blue walls. It was a dimly-lit space. If Ivy wanted to make out the faces of the people near the jukebox or at the other end of the bar, she'd have difficulty. There probably <i>were</i> regulars here, but the patrons drinking by her, looking up at the muted sports games splayed across the TVa mounted behind the bar, weren’t people she had seen here before.<br/>
<br/>
"Here you go." <br/>
<br/>
Annie slid a full glass across the bar top, and Ivy took it from her, happily lifting the drink towards her gloss-painted lips. She held the straw between two fingers as she enjoyed a healthy sip.<br/>
<br/>
"Thanks, Annie." <br/>
<br/>
"Of course. Let me know if you need anything else." <br/>
<br/>
Ivy nodded before turning away from the counter, dark brown eyes scanning the space for an empty table. A quick glance at the clock on the back wall told her that she still had about five minutes before Will was expected to be here. <br/>
<br/>
After weaving her way through the furniture and people, she found a spot closer to the pool table and slid into one of the seats. Continuing to occasionally sip on her Jack and Coke, Ivy pulled out her phone and started scrolling through Pinterest. She had several boards dedicated to saving inspiration for the interior of her bakery. The place had already been cleaned out and demoed, but before they could begin putting the space back together again, a plan had to be agreed upon. Her parents told her to hire an interior designer, but Ivy really didn't want to. She already kind of had an idea for the feeling she wanted to cultivate; it was just the matter of how to go about it that she was still deciding upon.<br/>
<br/>
She was also looking at ideas for the second-story apartment. This was the first home she could really put her stamp on, given her living situation in the city had been more geared towards saving money than for comfort or decor preference. <br/>
<br/>
"Hey."<br/>
<br/>
Ivy lifted her head at the greeting; she was lucky she had heard it all over the sound of Stevie Nicks' voice coming through the jukebox behind her. <br/>
<br/>
Will was standing near the empty chair across from her, one large hand curled around the back of it while the other was in the pocket of his dark wash jeans. He wore a white button-down shirt, untucked, as well as an open red flannel over it. Nothing about his outfit had suggested he had come from his office, which made her wonder if he had stopped at his place to change before driving to meet her. <br/>
<br/>
"Hey." Her eyes stayed on his clean-shaven face as she placed her phone back in her bag. He was eyeing her drink. "Oh. Sorry. I would have ordered for you, but I didn't know what you'd want, if anything."<br/>
<br/>
"It's okay. I'll get something later. I was just worried I made you wait." He pulled out the stool and lowered himself into it. "Thanks for coming out this late and agreeing to see me."<br/>
<br/>
Ivy almost thanked him for inviting her out, but thought better of it. Instead, she decided it was best they get to the point. "Well, I had no reason <i>not</i> to, but I would like to know what all of this is about." <br/>
<br/>
Will let out a staggered breath, slowly leaning forward to rest his elbows on the surface between them. "I…uh…" He shook his head once, scoffing. "I guess I just…I miss you, and I know that we only went on a couple of dates. We weren't serious. But…" He shrugged his shoulders, grey eyes lifting to gaze into her own. "I just thought it was going well, and I was hoping that things would get serious between you and I." <br/>
<br/>
Ivy sat back in her chair, not quite sure how to handle what Will had just dropped on her. Of course, when she had been dating, she was looking for something serious. Her last relationship had been in college; it was long-term, but towards the end of it, they had drifted apart. She graduated single, moved into a different apartment with a roommate and waited a year before dipping her toes in the dating pool again. By the time she had met Will, she was already starting to regret putting herself out there; maybe she really hadn’t been ready. <br/>
<br/>
She exhaled softly, fiddling with the hems of her sweater sleeves with her fingers. "Will…I don't know what you want me to say. We already talked about this." Ivy was struggling with how to deal with the situation without coming off as rude or mean. She hated hurting other people's feelings, but what else was she supposed to do? She had already let the guy down gently a week ago. In person.<br/>
<br/>
"I know, and I know I'm probably making you uncomfortable. I'm sorry. I just…I knew I'd regret it if I didn't at least try to tell you how I feel." The pads of his digits brushed against the tips of hers, and she recoiled slightly. The rejection made Will frown. "Sorry. I know you don't feel the same way." <br/>
<br/>
Will sat back, looking rather dejected, and Ivy felt that twist in her stomach shift up into her chest. She felt terrible. <br/>
<br/>
"Why don't I buy you a drink?" The suggestion was more of a reluctant way of diffusing the tension, but for some reason, it perked Will up a bit. <br/>
<br/>
"So…we can talk?" <br/>
<br/>
Ivy was almost positive she could see a tail wagging behind him; the guy really did remind her of a dog at times. <br/>
<br/>
"For a little while." She emphasized the word "little" before getting to her feet. "What do you want?"<br/>
<br/>
"Just a Sam Adams." <br/>
<br/>
The brunette bobbed her head in a quick nod before turning to approach the bar. This end was closer to the bathrooms and wasn't as crowded as the front had been. She leaned against the counter, eyes following Annie to see that she was tending to someone else at the moment. The blond bartender, having spotted Ivy, lifted an index finger in her direction to indicate it would be a moment. <br/>
<br/>
She didn't mind. She definitely <i>needed</i> a moment. <br/>
<br/>
It was while Ivy was waiting that she happened to notice her brother Tyler's best friend. At first, he was just a man sitting a stool down in her periphery, but when she turned to look at him, chin resting in the palm of her hand, her mood brightened at the familiar face. He had aged some, in the way all boys eventually became men, and she couldn't remember the last time she saw him in person; however, she was certain he had changed his hair since then. The new style suited him. <br/>
<br/>
"Sequoia? Is that you?" A wide grin spread her lips as she turned to face him fully, right side against the bar instead of her front.</span></span><br/>
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