They were shown to a table with two comfy-looking wicker armchairs and handed drinks menus.
“You look gorgeous, by the way.” He frowned. “Did I tell you that already? If not, I should have.”
“Thank you, but I don’t see how. I’m not wearing anything special.”
“You’ve mastered the art of less is more. I notice you always wear black.” His eyes drifted over her top. “Don’t get me wrong, you look fucking amazing in it, but why no color?”
She pointed to her trousers. “Cream is a color.”
He gave a slight shake of his head. “Come on, Livvy, answer the question.”
“Black is easy; it goes with everything. I’m not someone who wants to waste her time deciding what to wear.”You weren’t until this week, until you met Connor.
He gave her a slow, sexy smile. “And that right there is why I’m so fascinated by you, so drawn to you.” His gaze held hers. “You have no idea how attractive you are, do you?”
She wanted to dismiss his words as flattery, just as she wanted to dismiss him as cocky, yet both his compliments and his confidence came easily, naturally. A man completely at home with women, used to their attention, no doubt because he’d enjoyed a lot of it over the years.
The waitress came to take their order, and Olivia smiled wryly to herself as the pretty brunette batted her eyelashes at Connor.
Olivia knew, if she decided to throw caution to the wind and have sex with Connor, it would be the best of her life. It was both an incentive to do it and a reason to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.
Connor sipped his beer slowly and tried not to think how much it and Olivia’s glass of wine—thankfully she’d declined a cocktail—were going to cost him. Probably a riding lesson for Ellie.
Guilt wriggled through him, but he pushed it away. He’d worked a lot of overtime; he was due some fun. Could he have taken her somewhere cheaper? The guilt burrowed deeper. He should have, but he’d wanted to impress her, and the view of the sunset from here was the best on the island.
Olivia’s phone beeped and she grimaced. “Sorry, I’m going to check that because it’s probably Ashley.” She slid the phone out of her bag and read the message on the screen. “Yep, they’re at their hotel in Boston and she’s heading out for a drink with Mum.” Her fingers flew as she typed a quick reply.
“Your mum seems quieter than the rest of your family,” he remarked.
“A polite way of saying we’re loud?” She arched a dark brow, then smiled. “You’re right, of course. Though you managed to coax her out of her shell.”
“And your dad?”
“He’s no longer with us. Died of a heart attack a year after he was forced to retire.”
“I’m sorry. Were you close?” He wanted to know what made her tick so he could unlock the parts of her that were wound so tight.
She sighed, looking almost uncomfortable. “No. If his funeral was anything to go by, Dad wasn’t close to anyone. He was very much the alpha male, the head of the household. If he wasn’t at the office, he was in his study working or, in the year before his heart attack, he was on the golf course. He didn’t have much time for us or Mum.”
“That must have been tough on all of you.”
“It was toughest on Mum. When my sisters and I were home, we had each other, and Mum had plenty of people to look after, fuss over. But when my sisters leftand it was just me and Mum and Dad ...” She paused to sip her wine. “I love her, but at the time, I was so disappointed in her. I didn’t need her taking care of me, I was quite capable of doing that myself. I wanted her to make the most of her new freedom, get a job, do something worthwhile, but instead she continued to spend her days keeping house for Dad. It was like she’d lost her identity. Her whole life revolved around her children, who, if I’m honest, didn’t appreciate her enough, and then around a man who barely noticed what she did for him.”
Now he was starting to understand. “And you vowed not to let that happen to you.”
She studied him with those pretty yet razor-sharp hazel eyes. “Well deduced. My sisters don’t get it because they take after her. Ashley was going to be a pharmacist before she fell for Paul and gave it all up to be a mum. Jessica got a first in English at Oxford and was an award-winning journalist before she became sidetracked by having kids with Nick.”
He eyed her curiously. “You don’t think being a parent is a worthwhile career?”
“I think for some it works, but not for me. I’m too selfish. I want to do what makes me happy. In that respect, I’m like my dad. The difference is, I’m aware enough of my shortcomings that I don’t intend to hurt others in the process.”
“So you won’t get married or have kids?”
“Exactly.” She ran a hand over her ponytail, as if checking it was still in place. “I want to be in control of my own destiny. I don’t want to have to change course for the sake of someone else, nor do I want to be responsible for someone else’s happiness.” Her eyes met his. “How about you?”
Her life sounded lonely. He couldn’t imagine his without Ellie and all the warmth, the color, and, yep, even the chaos that came with her. Would he have wanted his daughter to have a mum who played an important role in her life rather than one who popped up on an occasional video call only when pushed, like Amy? Hell yes. “I’d like a partner someday,” he replied, sidestepping the kids part. “Someone to share bad days with, rejoice in the good. To hold hands with as we watch the sunset,” he added, nodding toward the changing colors of the sky. “To roll in bed with on a lazy Sunday morning.”
“You’re a romantic,” she said, and he heard the surprise in her voice.
