“That might be doable for my credit card, but my student loans?” Olivia shook her head. “It sounds like a nice idea, but I can’t possibly pay off twenty-year loans in that amount of time. The interest has been compounding since I’m on the income-based repayment schedule.”
“Girl, we’re all there.” Jade shook her head.
Mia put a hand on her knee. “Your dad built his company from the ground up, right?” Olivia nodded. “Why can’t you do the same?”
“I, uh …” She didn’t have a business degree!
“We’ll help you however we can. I can help with planning, and Nad can help with the books.” Jade put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m certainly not doing anything with my old business textbooks working at a coffee shop!”
Olivia swallowed hard. Working for herself was very tempting. This would require more research.
“I’ll think about it, you guys.”
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table with another message from Jake.
Nadia grabbed it before she could. “Aw, that’s so cute!” She frowned. “And mean.”
“Let me see!” Olivia pulled her phone from her friend’s grasp. Mia and Jade looked over her shoulders at a photo of the Dragons and Jake with their slices of pizza rearranged in a heart. “I guess the kids really do miss me.”
“He’snotexpecting you to go for this, is he? It’s like he’s using the kids to get to you.” Jade looked through the recent messages.
Olivia scoffed. “You’re not wrong.” She took the phone back and typed out a response.
Olivia: Low blow, dude.
Jake: It was their idea. Not mine.
Nadia rolled her eyes when Olivia read the response out loud. “A likely story. What did he say to you last night, anyway?”
“He apologized, and he admitted he was wrong to let his coworker bully me like that. He doesn’t get close to coworkers ‘cause of the backstabbing, which I can see happening if all his coworkers are like Tony. But I’m apparently the first person he’s wanted to get close to in a long time and he can’t stop thinking about me.” She waved the phone in her hand. “Clearly.”
“He wants to get back together?” Mia asked.
“I think so.” Olivia turned her phone face down back onto the coffee table. “But I don’t know if I can trust him.”
“What doyouwant?” Jade asked.
Olivia met each of their gazes before she answered. “I don’t know.”
“Remind me why I’m here again?” Caleb said from the front seat of Jake’s SUV.
“Because I told Gramps I was bringing a friend, but the person I wanted to bring can’t come now.”
“And he’s not going to be able to tell?”
“Nope.” Jake turned the SUV into the driveway of his childhood home. Technically, his mom and he had lived in apartments, but he spent so much time at his grandparents’ that he’d basically been raised there. “It was a surprise. And he’ll be surprised to see you, since it’s been years.”
“Look, I love Gramps and I love his meatloaf. But I know you weren’t planning on bringing my handsome face to dinner with the family.”
Jake grunted. Caleb wasn’t wrong, but Olivia still wouldn’t warm up enough to talk to him. Marie assured him the plan would work even if she wasn’t at the game next week, but Jake had his doubts.
“All that matters is Gramps is expecting a third person, and he loves your ugly ass.” Jake turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt. “So let’s go.”
Jake didn’t wait for Caleb to follow. He strode up to the house, the front door opening as he hit the stairs, Caleb right behind him.
“Hello, boys! Caleb, it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.” Gramps embraced both men heartily as only a grandfather can, and waved them through the door. “Come in! Meatloaf is almost ready.” They followed Gramps through the old, dated living room they’d played in as children and into the kitchen that probably hadn’t been updated since the seventies. The newest thing about it was the appliances that had needed replaced about ten years ago.
“What can I get you boys to drink? I got beer, soda, or water.”
