Tate had woken earlier and returned to her apartment without asking about Jimmy and Ivy's visit. It was just as well because other than talking about the sundaes the rest was off limits. If only Baxter's mind wouldn't trespass, but its favorite street was memory lane. His senses lived there as he could still smell her perfume on his tee shirt and her taste on his tongue. She had returned his kiss like they were still in Aspen.

Baxter wandered around the sprawling house on Sunday afternoon. Bypassing his office, he didn't care to work. The one thing he wanted to do he couldn't. She wouldn't welcome him, if he knocked on her door. Growing up, he had everything he wanted. Maybe he only wanted her because he couldn't have her. He shook his head because his heart didn't get the memo.

The more he was told who he had to marry, the more he wanted her. Baxter wasn't stupid enough to run off to Vegas with a girl he only spent a weekend with, but he was smart enough not to settle for a Priscilla when he could have Ivy. Physical love was damn important, and it sizzled with Ivy. Maybe there wasn't anything more, but then he thought about their work together on the union negotiation.

All the adults from his childhood acted like his parents, but with lower expectations. Mrs. Moran might expect him to whisk correctly, but she didn't care about the outcome of union negotiations or the right woman on his arm. He would bet a grand her definition of what kind of woman was right for him wasn't his mother's ideals.

When Baxter wandered into the kitchen, Mrs. Moran studied his face. "Do I have something on my face?"

"A sad look. You look about twelve again."

"I'll take a twelve-year-old's problems over my own."

"And your dessert didn't solve them?"

He smirked. "You saw that." He hadn't taken the time to leave the kitchen the way he found it.

"I saw three bowls and am wondering who you entertained in my kitchen."

He smirked. "You are not. There is no way Percy didn't tell you."

"Fine. Your old friend and his girl. Why the long face?"

"Because I can't live my life the way I want."

She handed him vegetables, and he chopped them while she listened. He told her about not being attracted to Priscilla. "My mother wants me to marry a woman I don't love. She's more interested in what her father owns."

"Not sports stores."

"Lord, no. A conglomerate or brokerage house. I'd rather marry a postman's daughter."

"The correct term is letter carrier. A non-passionate marriage can work, but maybe you'll find passion with a wealthy man's daughter."

"Maybe."

"What's really got you down?"

"I want to choose my own dates. I wish my mother would understand."

Mrs. Moran's hand stopped midair. "Do you really think she doesn't?"

"Why would she?"

"She was Tate's age when she married an older man. If you think your grandparents weren't involved, you are mistaken. Your Kane grandparents wanted their son married to produce the next generation. They weren't concerned with love."

His chin fell slack. "But... but..."

"Don't let your mother hear you." She winked. Amelia didn't like 'but' or 'um'.

He cleared his throat. "My parents love each other. They have four children."

She nodded. "They do love and respect each other, but think about how often you've seen them hugging."

He couldn't. "Mother was beside herself when my father had his heart attack. She never left his bedside and held his hand."

"I never said there wasn't love. Love can take many forms. My love for you differs from my love for your brother and sisters."

Baxter winked. "What about your love for Percy?"

"You're still an imp. I've told you there is no romantic love between us. We have mutual respect and friendship. I have a life outside of this house and have loved and lost."

"But no children."

"No, sharing you was more than enough."

They worked silently. Baxter no longer received instructions in the kitchen. He loved cooking more than running Kane Properties, except sitting at the negotiating table with Ivy. His new idea would challenge him, if he summoned the courage to propose it.

"I want to marry for true love." Their eye-opening conversation had left him uneasy. He questioned everything he believed to be true about his parents.

Later in the dining room, he looked around the table. His parents sat at either end of the big table, even when no one else was joining them. He had returned late from the office to find them eating ten feet apart. His brother and sister answered their mother's queries with one-word answers. Baxter waited for her questions to focus on him.

As if she read minds, Amelia turned to him. "What was the fuss with Tate last night?"

"Leonard approached her."

"She could do worse."

Doyle exploded, "Worse! The only thing worse than that scumbag is a rapist who assaults women walking down a street. Do you know how many women he's assaulted?"

"Doyle, this conversation is distasteful at the dinner table." Amelia glared at her.

"Sorry, we'll just sweep it under the rug because he's wealthier than sin."

Baxter sat up. "The man deserves to be locked up."

Kasper looked at their mother. "Why does the press ignore your generation, but crucifies us?"

"Because Leonard has power," Philip answered.

"Baxter runs Kane, and he's been emasculated."

"Thanks, Kasper." He frowned.

"We didn't have social media. Now there are half naked pictures of my children for the world to see. You spark interest and your recreational pastimes are smeared across the internet. No one is interested in looking at Leonard without a shirt anymore than they would be in seeing me."

Amelia scoffed, "I would hope not."

His father was older, but he was still fit. Truthfully, the patriarch was healthier since his heart attack. Semi retirement had served him well.

"Kasper, what are your plans?"

He shrugged. "I have some modeling jobs lined up, but I'm considering another race. I want to beat the jerk. Tate should be my partner, but she keeps saying no."

"Why can't you partner with Wills again?" Doyle asked the question Baxter had.

"He's in love and doesn't want to leave her."

"With who?" Doyle's eyes were wide as she leaned forward.

"A nice girl. She's normal."

"What's normal?" Amelia asked.

"Not like Silly who only cares about appearances, or even Doyle who parties. Her family are suburban, middle class."

"He'll be sorry when he takes over his father's company."

Kasper said, "Times have changed. The younger generation will not accept arranged marriages to advance business opportunities."

"What business opportunities did your arranged marriage advance?" Baxter's thoughts turned to words.

"None." Amelia scowled like Baxter was a four-year-old with dirty hands. "Our marriage wasn't arranged."

Philip cleared his throat. "Your mother is right. Our parents were not involved in our decision to marry."

"Because you fell in love." Doyle typically hid she was a romantic.

"No, they didn't. Dad was old and needed a wife." Baxter bit his tongue too late.

"I think this meal is over." Amelia glared at him. "I'm not sure what's gotten into you, but you ruined your chance with the respectable Bates girl. You know what's expected of you."

"I don't care what's expected. I won't have a loveless marriage. When was the last time you two had any romance?"

"Your father had a heart attack. Certain things are private."

"I didn't mean sex. You never kiss."

Doyle looked from Baxter to her parents. "Baxter is right. You don't hold hands or even sit next to each other."

Amelia glared. "Your brother is wrong. I love your father, just as I did the day of our wedding. It took up the entire society page."

"Because that was important " Doyle preempted Baxter. Only Kasper was quiet. "I'm calling Tate."

No one stopped her. Baxter wanted to call Ivy, but wouldn't. The next time he spoke to her was when she arrived late to his office.

"Now Ms. Krasinski is here we can start." He glared at her, but not because she was late.

He felt a pang at the familiar way she greeted the union reps. When had she learned about their children? As much as Baxter wanted to complete the negotiations, he didn't want his meetings with Ivy to end. Could he sway her to celebrate the signed deal with him? Maybe if Jimmy joined them.

Baxter put his plans to celebrate on hold with a sticking point on cost-of-living increases. He smiled at Ivy after the reps left, expecting her to have an opinion. She pouted as she sat in the chair in front of his desk. "Have you been to a supermarket?"

"No. Why?"

"Let's make an order." She took out her phone. "Let's see. Milk, bread, eggs. What's for dinner?"

He smiled. "Steak."

She nodded. As much as he wanted to watch her, especially when she stuck the tip of her tongue out, he had work to do. Every few minutes he looked from his screen to her concentrating. "Here. I'm sure I forgot some things."

He took her phone. She had compiled an order for a hundred and thirty dollars. "Now add rent and gas and oil heat and phone and shoes for the children." She showed him a new figure. "You do not know what it's like to make ends meet."

Baxter didn't know what the expression meant. What ends needed to be met? He understood at a high level he provided jobs to support his employees. The office staff received salaries, but he never considered how hard it was to be an hourly employee until Ivy's enlightenment. His mother was wrong; her background gave her skills to support him in ways a society girl could never understand.

He stood and walked around his desk. Leaning against it, he put himself in her space. She pulled her legs in so they wouldn't brush up against him. She looked up at him immune to his power stance. "So what do you suggest?"

"You need to balance the hidden costs of turnover. Your rate is a little high. Pay them a fair wage and productivity goes up and turnover goes down."

He smirked as he leaned forward resting his hands on the arm of her chair. He breathed her in and smiled. "Sure you don't have an MBA."

She laughed. "Only from the hard knock school of life."

Unable to hold back, he brushed his lips across hers. She parted them with a sigh, and just as his tongue licked the sweet pink lips, his desk buzzed.

He groaned and walked around to pick up his phone. "Send him in. My father."

Ivy jumped up. "I'll go."

"Stay. He'll want an update."

Philip entered Baxter's office and looked from his son to Ivy standing halfway between the desk and the door. "Have we met?"

"No, Mr. Kane." Her unwavering voice made Baxter proud. "Ivy Krasinski. I'm leaving."

"Ivy and I were discussing the last sticking point on the negotiation."

"And what's that?"

"The balance between fair wages and the cost of turnover. I was just looking up the turnover numbers. They're awful."

"It's a menial job. No one stays long."

"Perhaps if they made a living wage." Ivy bit her lip as soon as the words came out. "You can discuss this. I'll see if Eleanor is ready to go home." She slipped away as Baxter's heart thumped.

"Eleanor?" Philip sat in front of him.

It was strange to be the one behind the imposing desk. "Ivy is renting a room from Eleanor in legal."

"How is it this girl is helping with union negotiations?"

Baxter explained starting with Danielle's unavailability. Danielle didn't want anyone else to know, but his assistant suffered from migraines. "She's been amazingly helpful and is pursuing a career in labor law. Jimmy is helping her make contacts."

"She's dating Jimmy?"

"Dating? Friends? It's unclear. She's Tate's friend."

"And you trust her?"

"Completely." Not just with sensitive information.

"When will the contract be complete? It's been dragged out."

"The tradeoff is we've fostered a lot of goodwill. I'll put together a proposal and hopefully, they'll accept it." His mind was already working on an idea to incentivize tenure.

"I trust you."

"Thanks, Dad."

Philip smiled. "You always do the right thing."

"What if I didn't?"

"What do you mean?"

"I will not settle for a good match. I want genuine love."

Philip looked at him for a moment as if he wanted to say something. "What's this rumbling I've heard about diversifying?"

"Who mentioned it? It's an idea to combat the decrease in occupancy rates. Not everyone works in an office these days."

"Why can't things stay the same?"

Baxter laughed. "Life doesn't work that way. It's my job to worry. You're supposed to limit your stress."

"Your mother nags me."

Baxter looked at his father. He looked healthy on the outside, fit and tan from hours on his beloved sailboat. The stents saved his life, but his cardiologist monitored him. Baxter had never seen his mother as weary as after the heart attack scare. "She loves you."

Philip nodded. "She does. That hullabaloo at dinner upset her."

"I'm sorry. I wish she would accept that things are changing. Just like people's work habits, my generation doesn't want arranged marriages. Anyone Mother chooses for me will not be who I want."

Philip sighed. "I once wanted to marry a woman I couldn't. I may love your mother, but she wasn't my first choice."

Baxter's jaw dropped. "Why didn't you go against your parents?"

"They never knew. I shouldn't have told you. Don't ask anymore questions and don't let your mother know."

"How did you stop thinking of her?"

"Stop. I never did. I went on with my life, but she stayed with me." He tapped his heart. "We won't ever speak of this again."

Baxter didn't want to live like his father. He needed Ivy as more than a memory in his heart.

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