“Exactly!”
“That’s why I love the ring you gave me. Did you know that?” I rub my finger along my ring. Every time I see it or touch it, I think about her.
“Really?”
“Yes. I told you I wanted a thumb ring, then you got it engraved with what we always said to each other. It was very thoughtful.” She’s quiet for so long I check my phone to make sure the call didn’t drop.
“Olivia?”
“I didn’t buy it.”
I must have stirred up some memories. I’ve noticed she becomes snappy or agitated when that happens.
“I still appreciate it, though.” I make sure my voice remains calm and reassuring.
“Thank you for the pretzel balls. I have to get back to work.”
I force myself not to react. “Of course. Have a good day.”
She hangs up without saying bye. I exhale sharply and turn back around to stare out at the lake. She’s so sweet and easy to talk to until something is said that reminds her of the past. Then she puts a wall up. I have to figure out how I can tear that wall down, but first I have to figure out why she erected it in the first place.
I don’t know if this is a mistake or not, but I’m going to try to see what happens. I park my construction truck behind Connor’s and walk to the gated off area. Connor has built a lot of the neighborhoods around here. And from what I’ve heard, he’s hired many of those who were in Donovan’s clutches. Connor is talking to one of his site hands. They’re looking at blueprints, so I wait until he notices me.
When they get done, he says something that has the site hand laughing. Connor claps him on the back and turns toward me. His eyes narrow immediately and he scowls. “What are you doing here?” He walks toward me with such hostility I’m wondering if he’s going to take a swing at me. I force myself to stay relaxed, but on guard just in case. I’m not here to fight.
“I wanted to stop by and speak to you if you have a few minutes.”
Connor scoffs, removes his hat, and rubs his hand through his hair before putting his hat back on. “I don’t want to speak to you.”
I nod. “Alright. Well, if you change your mind, you know where all my businesses are.”
“I won’t.”
With a shake of my head, I walk away. I may have missed my opportunity with Connor to show him Donovan and I were not in business together. I know one of Olivia’s friends is dating his best friend. Maybe that will open a door in the future.
The grand opening of the pub is chaotic and isn’t as smooth as I wanted it to be. The servers definitely need some more training. There’s a crash in the kitchen and I hold in a groan. Maybe I should have pushed the opening out another week or two. I walk past the bar, heading back to the kitchen to see what happened when I see a woman with raven black hair.
Stopping in my tracks, I stare at her. She’s biting on her bottom lip as she looks at the food menu. When the bartender hands her a drink menu, her eyebrows furrow before she takes a deep breath, looking back and forth between the two menus like she’s overwhelmed. I’m surprised to see her here. One of the things I’ve noticed about her in the short time I’ve been back in her life is she doesn’t normally go anywhere alone. Unless her friends are in the bathroom.
Olivia’s head pops up and her eyes frantically look around the bar. She felt me looking at her. I want to take her fear away. I’m captivated by her and she has no idea. Her eyes land on me and her relief is so visible that everything in me wants to walk over to her and haul her into my arms, but she’s not ready for sudden movements. Not yet.
Forgetting about the noise in the kitchen, I walk over to her then wedge myself between her and the other seat. Instead of sitting, I stay as close to her as I can. Leaning my arm against the counter, I smile at her. She returns my smile and for the first time, it also reaches her eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
She shrugs one shoulder and actually leans into me. “I wanted to support you.” She motions to the pub. “I love the atmosphere of this place. It’s cozy. Not like a normal bar.”
“Thank you. It’s a bit crazy tonight. I was just thinking it might have been better if I waited a couple more weeks before opening.” I wrap my arm around the back of her chair and she turns toward me, so I’m standing between her legs.If I leaneddown a few inches I could… I stop that train of thought in its tracks. I wave at Sarah, our bartender. She seems to be the only employee that was ready for tonight.
She walks over with a smile. “Hi, Mr. Valentine.”
“Hey Sarah. This is Liv.” She only gavemepermission to call her Olivia. I’ll respect that. “Everything she orders is on the house. Alright?”
She nods. “Of course. Did you decide what drink you’d like?”
Olivia glances from me to Sarah. “You don’t have to do that, Victor.”
I take a chance and rub my thumb along the column of her neck. She licks her lips and her nostrils flare, but she doesn’t pull away. Olivia leans into my touch.
