by Geri Foster
“Well, you have nothing to say?”
“You live next door?” he stammered.
She scoffed. “Really?” She couldn’t wait for his reply.
“I didn’t know. I swear. I wanted to ask your dad and David where you lived when they dropped by the station yesterday, figuring you might’ve had enough time to cool off and we could talk again, but after the incident in the parking lot I changed my mind. I decided I’d wait a few days, until after I got settled, and then I’d ask you personally.”
She folded her arms around her middle. “I don’t believe you.”
“Why would I lie?” he asked, baffled.
Her brows shot up. “You really want me to answer that?”
“Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I insist you explain why you thought I’d want to live next door to you.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not in my book, it’s not. I don’t know if you get this about me, but I’m not a man who begs and grovels for a scrap of attention. I have more self-respect than that.”
“Oh, I know!” she countered. “It didn’t take long for you to tuck tail and run all those years ago, now did it?”
His face screwed up in confusion at the one-eighty she’d just pulled before he threw his arms out to the sides and nearly shouted, “What do you want from me, Olivia? You storm in here angry that I’m here and then berate me for leaving. What do you want?”
Confused herself at her behavior she said nothing but, not wanting to look weak, she jutted her chin and crossed her arms, staring defiantly at him. Eyes wide, he shook his head as though she was the craziest person he had ever met and turned around, giving her his back.
“Damn. I’m putting this house back on the market.”
Illogical as it was, given her reaction to the news he’d moved in, that sent a shard of insult through her heart.
“That’s mean,” she mumbled.
He spun around so fast, she stumbled and fell back over the same box. This time, he reached her before she could right herself and insisted on helping her up before moving the boxes around her out of the way. Stacking them against the wall so she wouldn’t fall again, he took a deep breath and turned back to her.
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?” he asked gently, coming to her and shoving her head down to check her skull, feeling for a lump.
Batting his hands away she stepped out of his grasp. “I’m fine. It’s just a little bump.”
Frustration rising again, he huffed, “Well, try to stay on your feet.”
“I didn’t do it deliberately, Griff. I stumbled.”
He scrubbed his hands over his handsome face. “Look, just leave, okay? Obviously, we can’t be in the same room together right now without fighting and I’m tired.”
“Shame on you, Griff,” his mom scolded in a sharp voice.
They both turned to look at her and saw that Grandma Mercy was beside her in the front doorway, a covered dish in her hands.
“Your mom’s right. You can’t talk to my granddaughter like that. I think I’ll keep my casserole and leave,” she snarled at him. “You can fend for yourself, young man.” She walked out the front door, taking her delicious smelling goulash with her.
Had this not been so crazy, she would’ve laughed. Now he’d went and done it. He was on the wrong side of one of the grandmas and that was never good.
Throwing a hand in the air, Griff shook his head and moved to the kitchen.
Looking to his mom and then back to him, she bit her lip, at a loss for what to do. She had no idea what she had been yelling about before Ann and Grandma Mercy came in and she just wanted to get to her house, tuck herself under the covers and cry. Her emotions were all over the place.
“I need to be leaving anyway,” she mumbled, wanting to get out of there as fast as possible.
“I didn’t realize you’d moved next door to Olivia.” Ann said, ignoring her and addressing her son. “When you said Parker Street, I thought you meant North, not South. You didn’t tell me where you’d moved until this morning. You’ve been so busy we’ve barely had time to say more than a few words in passing.”
Griff laughed humorlessly and shrugged. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Nothing is what I expected it to be coming back here.”
His mom looked confused. “What do you mean by that, son?”
Sobering, he looked at his mom a moment and then shook his head, walking over to hug her in greeting. “Nothing, Mom. Just working some things out that I should have taken care of years ago.”
She furrowed her brow at that comment but left it alone for the moment. Not like she could say anything in front of Ann.
Leaning back in his embrace, Ann looked at Griff and questioned, “Had you known Olivia was your neighbor would you have picked another house?”
He looked around and as his eyes took in the place she saw from the expression on his face he’d told the truth when he said he liked the house. Now, all that had been spoiled and she felt responsible. She’d jumped to conclusions and made it all about her, when it wasn’t at all. She’d just felt blindsided and, to be honest, she wasn’t good at thinking before speaking when her emotions were at a high. She’d had no idea he was moving next door, and no one bothered to tell her.
Taking a deep breath, she decided she had to be mature about this. She didn’t want to be the reason he moved from a place he clearly loved. That would be something she couldn’t live with. Especially after seeing how much he liked the place, how at peace he looked in it. She wasn’t sure she’d seen him so relaxed since he came home as he was sitting on the floor, making a chair when she walked in. Glancing around, she liked it, too. They’d just have to get along. She’d have to push back whatever storm of emotions it was that took a hold of her minutes ago and leave them alone.
No matter what.
She took the dish of food from his mom and set it next to hers. “I’m sorry you heard that, Ann. I won’t cause Griff any trouble.” She turned to him. “I don’t want you to move. This is your home and you deserve to live here and be happy.”
“What about you?” he asked. “Can you be happy living next to me?”
“If I make my mind up I can.” She held out her hands, palms facing forward, signifying peace. “What happened between us was a long time ago. I’ll try to put it behind me and we’ll go from there.”
He stuck his hands in his back pockets. “I can be a good neighbor. I promise not to bother you. Not until you’re ready for me to.”
She looked at him skeptically, trying to decipher what he meant by that. Clearly having understood something she had missed, his mom cleared her throat, a little uncomfortably, then said, “Well, I came over to help you put some of this stuff away. I’ll start in the kitchen.”
She watched as Ann left the room then lowered her head, more confused than ever. What had she missed?
Griff’s feet came into view and she looked up to see him standing right in front of her. “Did you mean what you said? We can put the past behind us?”
She swallowed hard at his nearness. “Yes,” she mumbled. “But it’s easier said than done,” she added, her voice a bit more clear.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get us back on an even keel. I don’t want you to hate me, ignore me, hide from me or…” He trailed off and looked away, his expression closing off.
“Or what, Griff?” she urged, honestly wanting to know what he was going to say.
His jaw ticked, but then he turned and looked her straight in the eyes. “Or thinking I’m a cheating lover.”
Her lips fell open a little and she took a small step back, brushing aside her hair and nibbling her bottom lip. Deep, in a very secret part of her heart, she’d come to believe what he’d said at the barbecue and, later, at his mom’s house. It was probably why now, seeing him for the first time since having that revelation, her thoughts and feelings were coming at her from both sides, giving her, and everyone else it would seem, whiplash. After thinking it
over, Sheila being in his car was awfully convenient and it wasn’t unlike her to stir up trouble between them. Especially since she’d dated Griff briefly, years before they’d gotten together. At a loss for words, she crossed her arms and avoided his eyes.
Could it be time to bury the hatchet? She’d held a grudge for so long for something that had happened years ago. Something that, while it had broken her heart, she had survived. How could she explain herself to Griff? Explain why now, after all this time, she could see his side of the story? That she had put him through hell, and she knew it was hell because she’d gone through it too, for nothing?
She couldn’t say why it made sense all of a sudden, when she couldn’t have even considered the possibility mere weeks ago. Maybe it was because he came back and, rather than fall apart like she always expected she would at seeing him again, she’d found her footing—after a brief period of turbulence, true, but she had. She was stronger than she’d known and she was still standing. Realizing she had that strength in her gave her the confidence to really examine what she had seen, all he had said then, how her friends had defended him even as they supported her, and finally, what he said now.
Needing more time before looking at him, she glanced around the massive amounts of boxes and total disarray. He had a lot to do and his mom would help. Maybe she should offer to help too, but she was feeling exposed, like a raw nerve. She wasn’t ready to talk about how she was feeling or the revelations she was having. She needed to settle into it, understand it…somehow come to terms with the role she was starting to fear she’d played in all their years of unnecessary pain.
Finding the courage to finally look at him again, she instantly got drawn into his stormy grey eyes. Today they held a different shade, almost silver, and they were looking at her intently now. Almost as if he was reading her thoughts as she had them, watching the ball bounce back and forth in her mind as everything came at her at once. Unnerved at the thought, she nevertheless met that gaze boldly. She was strong. She could do this.
“I’m going to go now. I won’t bother you any longer.”
“That not what I want, Olivia. I want…” He didn’t finish that sentence, instead offering, “How about we try being decent to each other, speaking without it ending in an argument, and you still coming to the station occasionally?”
She lifted her chin. “I can do that.”
He bit his lip, but then went for the gold and asked, “Did you think about what I said about that day?” He stepped closer and her heart sped up, her hands reflexively opening and closing. Tentatively, he reached out and touched her hair, gently placing a strand behind her ear. “Please…please,” his forehead fell forward to touch hers. “Tell me you know I would never cheat on you. Everything else, we can work that out. But I need to know this, Olivia.”
She swallowed, took a deep breath and stepped back. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to tell him just yet, so she left it with, “I’m trying my best, Griff.” He held her gaze, his eyes searching, and she refused to glance away. “I wish it hadn’t happened. I’d like to go back in time and change everything.” She tightened her jaw, trying to keep the sob from bubbling up her throat. “But we can’t do that, can we, Griff?”
A knock sounded at the door and she closed her eyes in relief, thinking it might be the perfect opportunity for her to exit. But, when Griff opened the door her dad stood on the threshold, and her escape plans flew from her mind, confusion taking their place.
“Howdy, Griff. I thought I’d come by and see if you needed an extra hand.”
A thought occurred to her suddenly and she leaned forward and gazed around Griff, stabbing her dad with an accusing glare. “What are you doing here? Did you know he was moving in next door to me and you didn’t warn me?”
Her dad smiled innocently. “I came to help.”
She opened her mouth to retort that that wasn’t an answer when Ann called out from the kitchen. “Hello, Theo, I can use some help in the kitchen.”
Shrugging his shoulders, as if to say ‘duty calls’, he carefully sidestepped the boxes and items on the floor and made his way to the kitchen.
There were no buts about it. Rational or not, she felt betrayed.
* * *
Griff knew Theo showing up did not sit well with Olivia. Her face was a mix of confusion, anger, disbelief and, worst of all, hurt. She must think no one was on her side. Not that there should be sides, but it couldn’t be easy for her having everyone in her life welcome him with open arms when she’d held onto his “betrayal” for so long. It would feel like they were choosing him over her, and he never wanted her to feel like that, even if she was doing it to herself. The truth was everyone cared about the both of them and just wanted to see them happy, no matter what that meant. Kind people being neighborly wasn’t choosing sides, but he wasn’t sure she could see it that way right now.
He thought they were making some serious progress before her dad walked in, but that all went to hell in a hand basket pretty fast. It didn’t help that they stood in the middle of his cluttered living room staring at one another as even more of her friends and family walked in. First David and Lucas came through the door, then Amelia and Rachel followed with cold drinks and more food.
He greeted everyone with a smile, grateful for the help, but he couldn’t help but feel Olivia’s hard stare each and every time he did. She was so confusing right now. Angry at him for one thing, and then angry at him for its opposite as well. There was no way to win. But, he figured, that was all part of the process. He had to stick it out, let it run its course if he hoped to get anywhere with her.
Trying to brush it off, he focused on the task at hand. He’d hoped to have the place together before he showed up at work on Monday. With everyone pitching in, it looked like he might make it.
As he bent to pick up a box, Olivia finally came unstuck, moving to greet Rachel and Amelia before saying, “Looks like you guys have everything under control. I’ll leave you to it.”
“You aren’t helping?” Rachel asked, looking around at all the things that needed to be done.
“No, Griff has all the help he needs. I’ll see you all later.” Her voice was rote, as if it was everything she could do just to keep her emotions in check.
Without even a glance in his direction, she walked out the open door and disappeared.
David looked at him. “Is she pissed?”
“Oh, yeah,” he replied. “But we’re working it out.”
“Working what out?” his mom asked, entering the room. “Are you and Olivia getting back together?”
Theo ran his fingers through his thinning gray hair, following her into the room, and let out a sigh. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up on that one, Ann. Not after the look she just gave me for coming over here in the first place.”
He scowled at that, thinking they’d just started working things out, they needed some time. But, then, he just let it go. It was no one’s business but theirs what they decided to do or how they did it. Everyone else could know about it if and when they actually got back together.
Continuing on, Theo said, “She’s been through a lot, my girl. After Clint Butler, well, let’s just say the man did a good job on her psyche. That bastard nearly tore out her heart.”
“I think Olivia finds it hard to trust any man,” Rachel added softly. “And I can’t say I blame her.”
“That being as it may,” Theo finished, “I chose the best man for the job and I don’t regret it for a second. I just didn’t expect Olivia to act so poorly toward you, Griff. She hadn’t let on that she still felt sore over everything that happened. I just hope you two can work it out.”
Thankfully, the conversation ended there and Rachel and Amelia put out lunch meat, bread, and chips for lunch. The men moved outside and the women ate at the kitchen table.
Sitting in his yard, he couldn’t keep his eyes off the privacy fence that divided his property from Olivia’s. He hoped she was all right. Through no fault of
his, the house he’d always dreamed of now didn’t feel so good. He wanted to live here in peace, but not at the cost of Olivia’s contentment.
He’d never deprive her of that.
“It’s going to be okay,” Lucas said. “Give her time. Olivia is a great lady and we all love her, but she’s been hurt and she’s still healing.”
David picked up his can of soda. “I’m not sure she’ll ever get over what Butler did to her. After all, the whole town was expecting a wedding.”
“I can’t imagine how embarrassed she must’ve been,” he said. “It’d sure knock me on my ass.”
“The fallout was horrible,” Theo confessed. “Butler was one of my men. He worked with me every day. Then, he broke my princess’ heart. I not only wanted to fire him, I wanted to do him bodily harm.”
“I made it damn clear if he wanted to keep breathing he’d better get the hell out of Rainwater,” David said, his jaw tight. “What a son of a bitch.”
Lucas scooted back his chair. “I never really liked the guy and when he broke Olivia’s heart, I liked him less.”
“What did she do after the air cleared?” he asked, having no appetite for the sandwich his mom had prepared for him.
“She held her head up and returned to work,” David explained. “She refused to cow and let Butler and Rhonda win. She was devastated on the inside, I’m sure, but she fought back the gossip and humiliation.”
“Tough place to be in,” he said. He imagined her fighting through the damage control and trying to save the few shreds of her dignity she had at that point and felt a growing sense of pride in her. She stood tall, face held high, and dared anyone to call her out on it.
That’s my girl.
Twisting his drink in his hands, he thought for a minute, then, said, “Now that I think about it, I can’t say I blame her for feeling so upset that I showed up out of the blue. Must have thrown her for a loop, having just survived one rumor mill only to be thrust into another. It’s no secret our relationship ended suddenly. My coming back would have just added fuel to that fire, people talking and wondering how she’d take it.”