"Ivy, should I get someone? Are you not feeling well?"
"No. It's just that." I turn the framed picture so it's facing her now. "Who is that? That man in the background. The man looking at Mark and me. Do you know that man?"
She pulls on the reading glasses that have been dangling from a delicate chain around her neck. She peers at me and then at the picture. "I know him," she says matter-of-factly. "He's gorgeous, don't you think?"
I manage a very weak smile. "Who is he?"
"Jax Walker," she purrs his name.
"How do you know him?" I ask tentatively, not wanting her to realize that her answer may change the entire course of my life.
"He's Tom Walker's son." A soft smile envelopes her lips. "Tom was Mark's partner. Jax inherited his share when Tom died. That was such a hard time for all of us. He was such a good man and…" her voice trails off into the ether as the sudden pounding in my ears drowns out everything.
I can't hear.
I can't think.
I can't feel.
I can't…