by T. K. Chapin
Tyler had crossed Olivia’s thoughts off and on since the night he saved her life. She’d never forget the warmth of him holding her as he pulled her to safety. And what did she do? She had been incredibly rude to him on the day at the inn when she went to thank him. She was angsty toward God and let it dictate how she spoke to him. She’d thought for a moment about looking him up again since then, but her pregnant belly and busy schedule kept her from ever going through with it.
Arriving at her parents’ house, she took Molly inside and handed her mother the diaper bag.
“She just ate at the house. There’s a can of formula in the diaper bag. I know you ran out yesterday.”
“Yes, thank you. Have a great day at work, Olivia.”
“Thanks.”
As Olivia looked into her mother’s eyes, she saw love, approval, and pride for who Olivia had become. It stung to know that her mother only saw what Olivia wanted her to see. It was who she was becoming that she knew her mother couldn’t tolerate. The one in chronic pain, the one self-medicating and playing with a fire she’d once played with in her youth. Growing uncomfortable and on the edge of being late for work, she kissed her daughter’s forehead goodbye and left to go to work.
Chapter 12
CONSUMED WITH GRIEF BUT DISTRACTED by thoughts of Olivia, Tyler sat across from Daisy at the restaurant in silence. He had barely touched his steak and potatoes and said only a few words most of the evening. He could sense that Daisy was growing more uncomfortable with him by the moment, but he couldn’t bring himself to think of anything but Olivia. He couldn’t stop seeing her sea-blue eyes in his mind, and his desire burned inside him, wanting to see her again.
“Tyler?”
Peering up from his plate and into Daisy’s eyes, Tyler raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”
“I asked you if you’ve had any more offers on the bowling alley.”
“Oh, yes, I just sold it. Just waiting for escrow to close.” His tone was flat, void of emotion.
“What is wrong with you? That’s great news, and you act like you just told me you bought gas at a gas station.”
Tyler adjusted in his seat and felt the weight of her words penetrate his conscience. He was remorseful over his behavior. “I know I’m not much for conversation tonight. I have a lot on my mind. I just lost a good friend, and his funeral is in two days, and . . .” He hesitated to tell her, but because they were friends already at church, he decided to spill the truth. He smiled and said, “I also saw someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.”
“There’s that smile. Must be someone special?” She forked a piece of her salad and took a bite as she waited for him to talk. She must’ve seen right through Tyler.
“I saved her life last year—that’s how we met—and honestly, I was drawn to her from the moment I laid eyes on her. It took a while to get her out of my mind, and now that I saw her again . . .”
“Now you can’t stop thinking about her. I get it.”
He blushed and shook his head, letting out a sigh. “She’s everything wrong for me, Daisy. That’s what I don’t get. She hates God and was incredibly rude the last two times I’ve seen her, the only times I’ve seen her. Honestly, I don’t understand why I can’t stop thinking of her. I think it’s her eyes. They’re unique.”
Daisy didn’t say anything but continued eating her salad.
“My goodness, I’m making this the worst date in the world, aren’t I?”
She laughed and shook her head, dabbing a napkin on her lips. “It’s fine, Tyler. Truly, I like you as a friend at church and we tried this out. You know? No hard feelings.”
“Wait, I don’t even know her. We can’t just write us off because of one date.”
She was quiet for a long moment, then she set her fork down. Clasping her hands together, she smiled warmly at Tyler. “Listen, I’m thirty years old. I don’t have a lot of time to court people, and I can see the look in your eyes when you talk about this girl. She’s special to you, even if you don’t fully understand it yet. I want that look when a man thinks about me, and you’re not going to be able to give me that.”
“I have a look in my eyes? What’s that mean?” He laughed nervously, not sure what to think.
“Yes, you do.”
After that point in the date, Tyler didn’t see any use in dragging out the rest of the night. He had plans to take her to Riverfront Park to walk the paths and to stroll down to the carousel, but he lacked any drive to do so after Daisy was so determined that his heart was elsewhere. So, after dinner at the restaurant, they parted ways. Tyler was on the side of town where his brother lived, so he stopped in to say hello.
As they played pool in the basement, Tyler opened up about the date with Daisy and what she had said about Olivia.
Leaning on his pool stick, Jonathan appeared to process all that Tyler had said.
“She could be right. Your heart might already be leading you straight to Olivia, but I don’t think it’s something that came from her abrupt kindness at the lake or last night in Newport.”
Tyler let out a hearty laugh. “You sure it wasn’t how pleasant she’s been toward me?”
They both laughed.
Smiling, Jonathan shook his head. “No, I think this might be something else. Something to do with God. Don’t quote me or take my words to heart. It’s just one man’s opinion. Think about it. She doesn’t care for God, yet you still have feelings for her. She’s incredibly rude, but still, you are drawn to her. Unless it’s purely lust, there’s something else going on here. Lust has never been a controlling factor for you before, so I’m not sure that’s it.”
Processing his brother’s words, Tyler wondered if there was, indeed, something more. “I won’t lie about the lust. It’s there, but there’s more, I know it. Maybe I should go to her?”
“Do you know where she lives? Works? Anything?”
“No.” Recalling the night of the accident, he could hear her saying her name perfectly in his mind. Olivia Montgomery. “Wait, I know her last name. Montgomery. But she was getting a divorce, so that could’ve changed.”
“I’m sure you can find something online. Especially if you have a last name.”
“That’s true.” Tyler took his turn and sank the eight ball, finishing the game. “You really need to practice more if you’re going to have a pool table in your house.”
Jonathan laughed on his way to hang the pool stick on the wall. “Sure, I’ll get right on that.”
When Tyler arrived to his flat above the bowling alley, he wasted no time searching online for Olivia. The plan to look her up was lodged in his brain ever since his brother had suggested it earlier in the evening. He had to find this woman and go to her to have a real conversation, once and for all. Once he did talk to her, he wasn’t sure what would happen after that.
Tyler opened a browser and started to Google her, typing in different locations around and in Spokane combined with her name. Finding a Facebook profile, he clicked the link and there was a picture of a tomato plant. Scrolling through the public posts, he found a picture of her. Upon seeing those sea-blue eyes, his heart jumped in his chest. That’s her! But now what? Seeing that the last public post was three years ago, his insides knotted. Either she’d made her profile private from that point on or she didn’t use the account anymore. He hoped for the best and sent her a message.
He went back to Google and did some more searching to see if he could find anything with the name he had. He found one online obituary, which was for a seventy-eight-year-old woman, and a couple of other dead ends. Then, he found a possible lead. It was a local news station article on a car lot. He skimmed the article that detailed a winter storm that had destroyed multiple cars. Then toward the end of the article, he found her name. Olivia Montgomery of Gus’s Auto Sales says that they have discounted all the damaged vehicles to low prices to clear them out, and the deep discounts won’t last long.
Bingo! But wait. Is she still married to that man? The thoug
ht pushed through his mind, and fear began to entangle him. If she still had the same last name, there was a chance she was still married. Maybe that’s why she had sped off the other night in such a hurry. Maybe that’s why she was so rude to him previously. Maybe she was still with the man she said she was divorcing and didn’t want to look like a fool. Sitting back in his computer chair, Tyler raised his hands behind his head and held them there as he pondered the possibilities. Then, after a few moments of debate, he resolved to go to the car lot. What’s the worst that can happen? he asked himself. She says that she is married and asks me to leave? It was a risk he was willing to take.
The next morning, he called his brother to let him know he’d be late into the office and the reason why. Then, he headed to the car lot to see Olivia. His heart was pounding, and he thought for a moment that something was physically wrong with him. His nervousness almost made him stop the pursuit. He even turned around twice before turning around again and again to go to the dealership. He felt more like a school-aged boy trying to get the courage to ask out a cute girl than a grown man with a successful architectural firm who had confidence for decades when it came to women.
Realizing he hadn’t prayed even once since his devotional time in the Word earlier that morning, Tyler pulled off the road and into an empty parking lot to pray. He bowed his head and rested his forehead on the steering wheel in front of him. Lord, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I hope I’m not wrong about this. You know my heart and You know I seek to do Your will. Make it clear when I see her what Your will is for my life. I pray that You stay with me and help calm these nerves I have right now. Amen.
Chapter 13
ON THE DAYS IN WHICH Olivia experienced pain, she would slice up the day mentally into four slots of time, each one being two hours in length, with a lunch hour smack-dab in the middle. This was the only way she was able to mentally make it through a work day. In doing this, she always had something to look forward to, and it kept her sanity intact. Halfway into her first block of time this particular day, she was not only fighting tears from pain but from want of sleep that she so desperately craved with all her being. Inputting numbers into the big never-ending spreadsheet as the hours ticked by, she heard her phone vibrate in her purse nearby.
She reached down and into the purse and checked it. It was a text from Rachel.
Rachel: Sorry again about not coming through yesterday. I’m trying. Love you lots.
She replied, telling her cousin it was okay, and then slipped her phone back into the purse. The car lot’s front doors opened, drawing her attention.
Jerking her body, she sat straight as a board as the one person she never thought she’d see again walked through the door.
She was breathless as he arrived at the receptionist desk. “Tyler.”
“Hey, um . . .” His eyes glanced at her neighboring co-worker, Jasper. “Can we talk in private?”
Her heart pounded so hard in her ears that she could barely hear him over it. The sleepiness and pain she had been experiencing all morning had melted away, and her whole being was alert, full of uncontrollable energy. She agreed and stood up, walking with him into a nearby hallway of the dealership that led to the bathrooms. In a hushed voice, she leaned toward him, only a few feet separating them now. “What’s up?”
He threw his head back in laughter. “What’s up? Are you serious? I saw you two nights ago in Newport.”
She blushed. “I was looking for a friend.”
“I remember. Did you find him?”
Glancing at her hand and thinking of the pain, she shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Do you want to go out and grab a bite sometime?”
She leaped at the idea, or at least her heart did until her mind caught up and reminded her of reality. “I have a baby, and I’m going to school right now, and I work full-time.”
He raised his hands. “You don’t have to give me a list of excuses. If you’re not interested, I understand.”
When he turned to leave, she jumped across the tile floor and caught his arm. She didn’t realize she had even moved until it was over. Then she looked at him, searching his eyes for truth, genuineness. She was terrified of men after what Bruce and all the others had done to her. How could she ever trust a man again? Something inside her egged her on to at least eat food with the man who had saved her life.
“Wait. Don’t go, please? I–I owe you at least one date, my treat. Maybe on one of my lunches, we can go do something? Or this weekend? I don’t know . . .”
He moved his arm away from her grip and pulled his black leather jacket sleeve up, looking at his watch. “You have a lunch break at what? Noon? Plan for a couple of hours.”
“Yes, I can take it then. Okay.”
“Good. That’s in three hours. Tell you what. I’ll swing by at noon, and I’ll be parked right outside. If you come out, I’ll take it you want to go on a lunch date. Then we’ll take it from there. If you don’t come out, don’t ever expect to see me again. At least, not on purpose. Also, if you show up, the date will be on me, my treat.”
“Okay.” His confidence sent her heart into flutters, and she knew without a doubt that she would be going on that date, no matter what.
With that, Tyler turned around and left the dealership. As she walked back to her post behind the receptionist desk, she felt confused on how he had managed to find her and lightheaded at the thought of a possible relationship. Then, out of nowhere, one of her co-workers, Allison, approached. “Who was that?”
“The man who saved my life.”
“He’s single? Snatch that guy up before he’s gone, girl. You don’t want to let a man like that roam free.”
Olivia laughed lightly, but inside, she knew Tyler was just like the rest of the men she had dealt with in her life. He was interested in her, but not really interested. He was no different. Confident and smooth-talking, muscular, and able to make a girl feel special by a few short sentences and glances. But at the end, once he got to know the real her, he’d hurt her like every other man had done. Turning her attention back to the computer, she tried to re-focus on the work ahead of her and not just the ticking time until noon when he’d be parked outside, waiting for her.
She looked at the clock at the exact second it struck noon and drew herself up out of her seat. Grabbing her coat and purse, she walked over to the front door of the dealership and peered outside. She spotted him and his car. A war raged inside her heart and mind on what to do, if she should go or stay. A quiet voice deep inside floated to the tip of her thoughts. Go.
Pushing the door open, she walked out to his car. As she crossed the parking lot over to him, her heart fluttered at seeing him break into a smile. He was attractive, and that meant one thing to her—dangerous. Tyler jumped out of his car and hurried over to the passenger-side door to open it for her.
“Ma’am.”
A smile curled on her lips as she got in. He’s good, real good. Placing her black-sequined purse on her lap, her fingers trembled in her right hand as a wave of pain rippled through the nerves. Not now, please? She clasped her other hand over her painful hand and massaged the palm as he got into the driver’s seat. He noticed and turned to her.
“You all right?”
“It’s just a little pain. I might look healed from that wreck you saved me from, but there’s some stuff that never healed.”
“Wow, that’s horrible that you still have pain. What are they doing to treat it?”
She blinked without a word for a moment. “Nothing. They won’t do anything for me anymore.” Her eyes welled as a whirlwind of emotional pain whirled around her on the inside. Thoughts of the other night looking for drugs on the streets and her daughter’s involvement in the late-night drive flooded her mind. She also thought about the image at work and with her family that she so desperately maintained to make sure nobody knew the truth. It was exhausting. There were so many lies, so much pain, and she had no way out of it.
&nb
sp; “There should be some Ibuprofen in the glove box if you need it.” Tyler pointed to it.
She opened the glove box. A pistol fell into view and she recoiled.
He laughed. “Sorry. The safety is on, and it’s registered, I promise. Behind that.”
Glancing over at him, she shook her head. “I can’t touch that.”
Reaching over, he grabbed the Ibuprofen and handed it to her, then shut the glove box.
As she tapped a few pills out from the bottle and took them, she tried to push the thought of the gun away from her. It made her uneasy. Tyler looked over at her.
“You must be miserable.”
It was as if he could see right through her walls and see a part of her soul. Her defensive walls shot up higher and she felt herself closing down. She set the pill bottle down in a cup holder and clasped her arms over her torso as she became nervous. She nodded toward the road out the windshield. “You wanted to eat. Let’s go eat.”
“Wow, no need to be rude to me.”
Olivia looked over at him and tilted her head. “Rude? I don’t think it’s rude to want to eat on a lunch date.”
He laughed in a way that made her feel like he had something she didn’t have. He had joy. He seemed calm. He raised a hand and shook his head.
“I do apologize for that comment. You’re probably uncomfortable with my forwardness about your seeming miserable.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It did make me uncomfortable. Who are you to determine who is miserable and who is not? Is that some role your God gave you?”
“No, not really. I can just see pain when I look into your eyes. Who knows? Maybe paying attention is special in today’s age.” He put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot of the car dealership. He didn’t say where they were going, but Olivia grew more comfortable as they drove. She began to not care where they were going to eat with each passing minute. She began to not pay any attention to the clock on her phone either. She had forgotten about the gun in the glovebox also. Olivia was becoming freer with each passing second with Tyler. It didn’t make any sense to her, but she wasn’t about to question it.