by A. E. Radley
Olivia swallowed and nodded.
Emily leaned closer and placed a chaste kiss on Olivia’s cheek. “Thank you.” She returned her attention to preparing her breakfast.
Olivia wondered how on earth she got so lucky. She may have been unsure of some things, like her suddenly non-existent career path, but she knew choosing Emily as a life partner was the best decision of her life.
Now she just needed to ensure she lived up to Emily’s expectations.
Olivia arranged the stack of napkins so they sat at the correct angle to the table. The noise of the busy food court at the shopping mall made it difficult to focus on anything, and she mentally willed Emily to hurry in her return.
Sensory overload, Emily had called it. Noisy, Olivia had corrected. She wasn’t ready to start labelling situations that frustrated her, she knew where that path led.
“When we get home, can I paint?” Henry asked.
“Home to the hotel or home?” Olivia asked.
Sending the concierge out for children’s painting supplies had been somewhat frowned upon by Emily on the second day of their stay. Even if they were staying at a luxury resort and, as far as Olivia was concerned, that’s what the concierge was there for. Besides, the man didn’t complain the first two times she sent him out. Although, maybe the third time to get a better shade of yellow had been pushing it.
“Home,” Henry clarified. He reached forward and pushed the straws so they were precisely angled to the napkins. He’d taken to helping Olivia arrange table settings exactly, happy to help position every item perfectly.
“Then, yes.”
“Will you paint with me?”
Olivia gave him a sideways glance. Henry seemed to have completely forgotten about his earlier tantrum. It surprised her that just a few hours had passed, and he was acting like it never happened. She knew he’d forget eventually, but it had happened so quickly.
He’d taken her hand as they arrived at the mall and animatedly pointed out the grand water fountain. And since then, he’d been chatting like normal.
Maybe disciplining him wouldn’t be as difficult as she feared. Perhaps she could continue to punish him when necessary and not be fearful that he would hate her for the rest of his life. Maybe children really were as resilient as Emily suggest.
Not to mention forgetful.
“I will,” she agreed.
“Can we do it after we get a kitten?”
Manipulative little sh—
Emily lowered a tray to the table. “Okay, three different meals for three people,” she announced. She placed a chicken salad with no dressing in front of Olivia.
“Ick,” Henry announced as he peered at the food.
“Pasta for Henry.” Emily placed a bowl of pasta in tomato sauce in front of him.
“Ick,” Olivia said with a smile. She speared a piece of her lettuce and placed it on top of the mountain of pasta shapes.
Henry accepted the greenery without complaint. He picked up his fork and tucked into his meal.
“What have you two be doing?” Emily sat down and unpacked her sandwich.
“Olivia said she’s going to paint with me.”
“When we get home,” Olivia hurriedly added.
Emily looked at Henry with a shocked expression. “You’re already planning what you’re going to do when we get home? We’re on vacation for another three days. Don’t wish it away.”
“But you won’t be there.” Henry grumpily chewed on another piece of pasta.
“Mommy has to work,” Olivia reminded him. She knew Emily was dreading flying to London at the end of their honeymoon. Of course she was happy for the opportunity, but being away from Henry for work was something she had thought would remain in her past.
“Work, work, work,” Henry grumbled. He stared at his bowl and moved the pasta around.
“If I don’t work, then you’ll have to get a job,” Emily said as she took a sip of her coffee.
Henry’s eyes snapped up.
“Actually, that’s a great idea.” Emily’s eyes shone with excitement. She turned to Olivia. “You and I should stay home and paint, we can send Henry to work.”
Before Olivia could answer, she continued, “He can’t do anything that involves reaching for things. Or anything that involves driving… have you learnt how to drive yet, Henry?”
Henry shook his head, eyes wide.
“I think you could get a job cleaning toilets, you have little hands. You could reach around the bend. I think you’d be good at it.”
Henry shook his head faster. “But…”
“Oh, phew, I’m glad that’s been arranged. Now I don’t have to go to London.” She took a hearty bite of her sandwich.
Henry looked at Olivia with a face of sheer panic. Olivia looked back at him with confusion. She wondered if Emily had been in the sun for too long and was suffering heat stroke.
Henry turned back to Emily. “Mommy, I don’t want to clean toilets.”
Emily’s face fell. “No?”
“No,” Henry practically begged.
Emily let out a sigh. “Okay. Then I suppose I’ll have to go to work instead. It’s a good thing I didn’t cancel my flight.”
Henry nodded, relief evident on his face.
“Oh well, you’ll be okay with Olivia while I’m gone, won’t you?”
“Yes, we’re going to paint,” Henry explained.
“Good, make sure you sign your own paintings so I can have a look when I get home. I don’t want to mix up who painted what.”
Henry giggled at the ridiculous idea.
“Eat your food,” Emily told him. She smiled and gently ruffled his hair.
Olivia realised that Emily had just turned a potential tantrum around with a few well-placed sentences. Emily’s exceptional motherhood skills awed her once more. She hoped that she would be able to be half the mother Emily was.
She speared a piece of cucumber and chewed it.
Although, she did basically manipulate him, she mused. Her eyes flicked up to Emily who was engrossed in eating her sandwich. So that’s where he gets it.
A woman walked past with a sleeping baby in her arms. Olivia watched her with interest. The woman approached a table with a man and an older woman. She picked up a baby bottle from the table and expertly shifted the baby into a feeding position. Olivia memorised the movement, knowing that she would need it in the future.
Having a baby had seemed like a genius idea when she’d suggested it. She loved the idea of doing her bit to complete their family, adding another child to the mix. A sibling for Henry to play with.
But once the euphoria of the decision had worn off, fear had crept in. Getting pregnant, having a baby, and nurturing it all seemed like difficult mountains to climb. Emily said that they would deal with them one at a time, together.
She felt a warm hand cover her still one that she’d unknowingly rested on the table. She turned to see Emily looking at her.
“I can hear you stressing,” she said softly.
Olivia smiled and turned her hand over, grasping Emily’s. “Sorry, I can’t switch it off.”
“I know. Just remember to talk to me.”
Olivia nodded. “I will. When I have the right words, I will.”
Emily smiled and removed her hand. “I’ll be here.”
5
Emily checked her bag for her passport and boarding pass for the third time in the last thirty minutes. Her breath was strained, and her heart beat a little faster at the prospect of travelling. Which was strange considering her previous career working as airline cabin crew.
When she’d initially planned to come to London on the very last day of her honeymoon, she hadn’t fully grasped how heart-breaking it would be.
She’d just spent a full week with her new family, her new wife and co-parent, and she didn’t want to get back to reality. Even if reality was the job of her dreams. She supposed she couldn’t really complain, being a theatre scriptwriter was something many people would kill
for. But the timing couldn’t have been worse.
The distance would undoubtedly be worth it in the end. Seeing her play performed live on stage and having the opportunity to learn on the job were opportunities that no one could turn down.
She let out a sigh.
“Are you sad?”
Henry looked up from his colouring book to eye her suspiciously.
“Yes,” she replied honestly. “I’m going to miss you and Olivia very, very much.”
Henry nodded his understanding. “I won’t miss you.”
Emily stared at him in surprise and laughed. “You won’t?”
“No, Olivia said that we’re going to have so much fun that we won’t have time to miss you,” Henry explained. “Sorry.”
“Oh, I see.” Emily smiled, her gaze drifting to where Olivia stood in the middle of the airport terminal building having an animated telephone conversation with Simon.
“Well, I’ll miss you,” Emily continued. “And you’ll be starting school, which is exciting. So, you have to remember everything that happens and tell me all about it.”
Henry carried on colouring and slowly nodded his head. She knew he was still sad about her going to London for the week but didn’t know how to express it. Which she was selfishly pleased about, because she didn’t think she could cope with Henry getting upset at her departure.
She looked at her watch. There was half an hour until she needed to go through security.
“Honestly, you’d think that I still worked there,” Olivia huffed as she sat down with them.
“Yes, you would,” Emily replied with a knowing smile.
“He calls me!” Olivia defended.
“Because you email him twenty times a day, and it’s easier to call you rather than spend two hours replying to your emails.”
Olivia huffed again and shook her head. Emily smirked; she knew she was right.
Olivia’s idea of leaving her previous job behind was a little different from most. She wondered whether Olivia would ever be able to let go of Applewoods. Olivia continued to promise that she was stepping away, even if it was taking time. But Emily knew that Olivia was struggling with it.
She knew it was hard for Olivia, being forced out of a company that she had been running for so many years. A company that her father had established. But office politics and backstabbing meant that the only way to ensure the company survived was for Olivia to no longer be a part of it.
Despite the enormous pain it had caused Olivia, she was mindful of the employees who needed Applewoods to stay afloat. And so she’d stepped aside, leaving her former assistant in her place. Luckily Simon had shadowed Olivia for long enough to know how to run the business.
Emily hadn’t said too much about what would come next. Olivia had funds to take her time before diving into a new career. And Emily didn’t feel like it was her place to rush Olivia into action. If she wanted to take some time off, then Emily would, of course, support her.
The problem was that Olivia seemed bored. The endless phone calls to Simon proved that she was having trouble letting go. Olivia was keen to deny the obvious, frequently claiming that Simon couldn’t do without her. And anytime that Emily suggested that Olivia might be bored, Olivia couldn’t refute it quickly enough.
Emily couldn’t quite get to the bottom of the subject. Figuring out Olivia’s thought process wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. She knew that eventually Olivia would figure it out and then, hopefully, come to Emily with her conclusion.
“Thank you for coming to the airport, you didn’t have to,” Emily said. She knew Olivia’s fear of flying extended to the entire air industry. Being in the terminal had put her on edge immediately.
“It’s what married couples do,” Olivia gestured with her head to a few couples who were saying goodbye to each other.
“Some, not all,” Emily pointed out. She lowered her voice so Henry wouldn’t hear. “You don’t have to be here. If you want to head home?”
Olivia looked interested in the idea, and Emily decided that it was up to her to put it into action.
“In fact, I was thinking of going through security and doing some shopping.”
“Oh,” Olivia said. Her brow furrowed as she caught up to the idea. But there was an undeniable hopefulness in her tone.
“Are you sure you’re okay with everything for Henry’s first day?” Emily asked.
Olivia nodded. She took her iPad out of her bag and unlocked it. “I have everything written down.”
She handed the iPad to Emily. Emily felt her eyebrows raise at what she saw.
There was a schedule for the night before as well as the morning itself. It included everything from teeth brushing to checking shoes to ensure they were not too tight. Then there was a packing list for Henry’s bag, a list of contact telephone numbers, times, names of classmates, teachers, and more. Olivia was more prepared than Emily would have been.
She handed the iPad back. “You seem to have everything ready.” She knew not to mock Olivia’s over-preparedness.
Olivia regarded the list. “I think so; I’ve been working on it for a few weeks.”
Emily turned to Henry. “Henry, be a good boy while I’m gone and make sure you do everything that Olivia tells you, okay?”
Henry put down his crayon, sensing that it was finally time to say goodbye. He nodded his head. “Bye, Mommy.”
She leaned into a big cuddle and kissed his hair. “Have fun at school, and I’ll call you every day,” she murmured, trying to keep the tears back. She didn’t want to make a big deal about her leaving.
“I will.” Henry pulled back from the hug and picked up his crayon again.
She stood up. Olivia did the same, and they embraced.
“I’m going to miss you,” Olivia admitted.
“I’m going to miss you, too, but we have to remember that we’ve done this before.”
“No, we haven’t,” Olivia pointed out.
Emily chuckled. “Maybe not exactly this, but we’ve been apart. And everything worked out.”
“It did,” Olivia agreed. “I’ll call you.”
“You better; I’ll text and email as much as I can, as well. This will get easier.” She wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince.
“It will,” Olivia repeated.
Emily stood back from the hug and threw the strap of her bag over her shoulder. She looked towards the security gate and then back to Olivia.
“I’m so proud of you,” Olivia said. “Now, go and show them how good you are.”
Emily sucked in a deep breath and nodded sharply. She kissed Olivia on the cheek and ruffled Henry’s hair and walked towards the gates.
Emily shifted uncomfortably in the airline seat. She looked around the first-class cabin, wondering if the other occupants were looking at her and wondering why she was there. Did they assume she had been given a free upgrade?
She turned to look back out of the window. She wasn’t made for a life of luxury; she felt ridiculous. She wished she hadn’t allowed Olivia to book her ticket; she hadn’t realised that she was in first-class until the very last moment. As she stepped on board the plane, the cabin crew had gestured her to the left and Emily’s heart had sunk.
She should have realised. Of course, Olivia would want her to have the best, not thinking about how uncomfortable it could make her. There was no price on the boarding pass, but Emily could just imagine the figure. It made her head swim that someone would spend that amount on travel. She now knew why Nicole had told Emily that Olivia was dealing with her first flight to London, clearly this was Olivia’s way of looking after her. If she couldn’t be there herself, then she’d ensure that Emily was looked after in a way that she herself thought was enjoyable and relaxing.
She sunk further into the leather, wishing for the seven-hour flight to be over as soon as possible.
A member of cabin crew stood beside her. Emily looked up, feeling suddenly very small and insignificant in her seat. The woma
n looked immaculate, makeup done to perfection and not a single hair out of place.
Emily knew she looked a mess. She’d rushed to the gate having spent a little longer than expected in the airport shop.
The woman held out a menu. “Can I get you some champagne now, Mrs White?”
Emily shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”
“We’ll be taking orders for dinner in a few moments.” The woman walked away.
She wondered why she was so nervous. She’d been that woman, dressed up to the nines and working the first-class deck. She never looked down on any of the passengers, quite the opposite. She always felt that they would look at her as if she was below them. Now she was on the other side and she still felt the same, like the cabin crew were judging her. She wondered why, no matter what side of the transaction she was on, she felt inferior.
“Ridiculous,” she mumbled to herself. She’d definitely speak to Olivia about never booking first class again.
It wasn’t just the atmosphere, it was the cost. She didn’t like Olivia spending her money on frivolities. Especially when they were ones that she didn’t enjoy.
Money. She left out a small sigh and looked out the window.
The enormous wealth gap was something they had talked about, but something Olivia had yet to fully grasp.
Olivia had money, and she liked to share it. And while Emily allowed her to an extent, she was still far from comfortable with the idea.
Olivia’s savings account made Emily’s eyes water. Inheritance money from her parents, as well as half a lifetime of managing a successful company, had presented a lot of zeros.
Money was always going to be something Emily struggled with. Spending the majority of her life not having any and being in unimaginable debt was bound to create issues around the subject. As much as Olivia tried to say that money didn’t matter, to Emily, it did.
She’d silently promised herself that she would pay Olivia back and then some. Before she fell asleep at night she would dream of being able to reimburse Olivia for the debts she paid, as well as surprising her with expensive gifts like jewellery.
Whether she found fame and fortune writing in the theatre, or she worked like a machine for the next thirty years, she was determined to pay Olivia back. She couldn’t spend her life being reliant on her; she needed to stand on her own two feet.