by Fiona Riley
A reflexive laugh tumbled from Olivia’s lips as she shook her head and stabbed a piece of the shared dessert. “Yeah, she’s, umm…subtle.” She added hurriedly, “But she works well with boundaries and I will make sure she makes eye contact when she speaks with you. I’m sorry for that.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to apologize. Reagan was a big girl, and she made her own decisions in life, good or bad. “Is that a problem for you? That she likes women?”
An unidentifiable expression crossed Savannah’s face. “No, not at all.” She smiled and brought another piece of tiramisu to her lips, holding it there before asking, “What about you?”
Olivia’s attention was on the fork, hovering closely to Savannah’s lips, so she almost missed the question. Was Savannah asking if she was into women, too? “What?”
“What’s your role in the team? In your own words, I mean.” Savannah slipped the dessert past her lips as she waited for Olivia’s reply. Olivia reminded herself not to stare.
“I’m the ringmaster to the three-ring circus.” Olivia scooped up the last bit of dessert and popped it into her mouth. She wasn’t sure if it was the wine, the fatigue of the week clouding her mind, or the present company, but something about this dinner felt oddly more intimate than a business meeting. “I keep the wheels turning, the gears well lubricated, and the clock ticking along happily. Corrine gives me veto power and free creative rein to tweak all submissions as I see fit. It gives me the chance to foster everyone’s greatest strengths while allowing me to maintain my own creative design ideas. It’s sort of the best of both worlds: management and art.” She shrugged as she sipped her wine and leaned back into the booth.
Savannah appraised her from across the table and nodded. “That sounds lovely. And it sounds like you like your job.”
“I do. It’s fun and rewarding and I’ve got a great team.”
“Well then, I’m looking forward to spending more time with you and them. This should be a good experience for everyone involved.”
The look Savannah gave Olivia made her think that maybe Savannah was talking about more than just work. Or the wine was making her horny. Either way, tonight had turned out better than she had planned.
Chapter Five
It was amazing how many moving parts this new project involved. Savannah considered herself an organized, structured person, but this was trying even for her. Her days were long and she frequently found herself working once she was back at her hotel room for the night. There seemed to be an endless number of loose ends to tie up in preparation for the groundbreaking at the Denver site. But the week flew by and before she knew it, her time in NYC was nearly over. The realization made her frown. That meant her daily routine was going to come to an end and she wasn’t sure how that made her feel.
Over the past week, she and Olivia had fallen into a steady routine of sipping morning coffee while discussing the daily agenda. They reconvened around lunchtime to discuss the project and the team’s ideas, and met back up to finish the workday, conferring with Corrine and one of the Denver site managers via video call.
Savannah found herself looking forward to her time with Olivia. She liked the easy conversation and whimsical energy Olivia brought to the table. The hours between their meetings were filled with boring administrative issues and dull calls to corporate or ironing out site details for Denver. Savannah caught herself more than once watching the clock for when Olivia might pop back in. And today was no different. Except of course that it was. It was almost her last day here. And for some reason, that thought left her feeling a little unsettled.
She was finishing up a call with her boss Kenneth when she heard a soft rap on the glass of the conference room she had taken over as a temporary office. Olivia smiled at her from the other side of the glass and waved. She motioned for her to come in, glad to see her back so soon after their morning coffee chat.
“Back so soon? A girl could get spoiled.” Savannah heard the words leave her mouth and wondered what wild incantation she must be under for her to actually speak the words she was thinking. Clearly her filter had been damaged during last night’s fitful sleep.
“You looked tired this morning. I figured you could use a little pick-me-up. Besides, lunch is so far away.” Olivia scrunched her nose and handed her a granola bar. “It’s dark chocolate and peanut butter, but it’s high in protein. So that makes it the perfect midmorning snack. It’s got, like, all the food groups in it.”
“As long as it’s got chocolate, I’m sold.” Savannah accepted the bar and sighed. “I have to admit, I’m going to miss this.”
“The granola bar? You haven’t even tried it yet. You could hate it.” Olivia pointed to the bar and shrugged.
“That seems highly unlikely.” Savannah opened the bar and took a bite. “Yeah. No. Wow. This is good. Like, super good.”
Olivia cheered and dropped a file folder onto the table as she plopped into the chair next to her, lounging and offering her a broad carefree smile. “I keep a stash in my desk for when brainstorming sessions result in an absence of three square meals a day. I get hangry if I don’t eat.”
“Hangry?” That was a new one for Savannah.
“Hungry, angry. I’m like the Hulk when I miss my midmorning snack. The granola bar is for the safety of others, not for myself.” Olivia nodded solemnly.
“Well then.” She raised her bar and held her hand over her heart. “This is for the people.”
“You’re a true patriot,” Olivia deadpanned.
Yeah, she was definitely going to miss this.
As if reading her mind, Olivia asked, “So, if not the granola bar, then what are you going to miss?”
“Hmm?” Savannah stalled. She hadn’t meant to be so candid before but she didn’t see a way out of it now. She decided to be honest. “This. I’m going to miss my coffee partner.” She pointed to the now empty wrapper between them. “And my newly appointed snack savior.”
“Where am I going?” Olivia looked confused. Savannah was reminded how cute she thought Olivia looked when her brow furrowed. Olivia had all sorts of cute mannerisms. And hot ones, too, she’d noticed. But she was trying not to think of those at the moment.
“Well, eventually, you’re going to Denver. But I meant me. I’m leaving tomorrow and I’m going to miss our little routine. It’s been fun.”
Olivia’s mouth dropped open and she sat up in her chair. “Oh. I’d sort of forgotten you were on loan to us from New Horizons.”
“I know what you mean,” Savannah replied, letting her gaze settle momentarily on the slight pout Olivia had on her face. Olivia looked…sad. That was what she’d been feeling before that she couldn’t place—it was sadness. Savannah didn’t want to leave. It appeared that Olivia didn’t want her to leave either.
Corrine knocked and opened the door simultaneously. “Hi. Am I interrupting something?”
Savannah decided it was better not to point out the fact that Corrine hadn’t really given the knock a chance to announce itself. “Uh, no. What’s up?”
“Good.” Corrine came in like a whirlwind and within seconds she was standing between them at the table, talking a mile a minute. “Okay, so, we’ll be sending Randal, Daniel, and Reagan out to Denver first. Then Olivia and the rest of the crew will head out a few days later to get everything started. All in all, we have about two weeks to iron out the details. Is there anything else we need to meet on before you leave tomorrow? I want to make sure this first installation goes well.”
Savannah appreciated Corrine’s enthusiasm. She’d been an asset, even if she was a little like a wayward spinning top at times.
“All that’s left are the final outlines and specs.” Olivia picked up the folder she’d brought in with her. “They just need a quick review from you lovely ladies and then they’re ready for New Horizons.”
“Great. Thanks.” Savannah took the file from Olivia and thumbed through it.
“Good. This is all very good,” Corrine said. Her head bobbed so quickly
Savannah worried it would bobble right off her shoulders. Olivia rolled her eyes. Evidently, they were on the same wavelength.
Corrine clapped suddenly, jarring them both. “We should do dinner as a group before you leave.”
More time with Olivia? Okay. “Sure, that sounds great.”
“Excellent.” Corrine spun on her heel, facing Olivia so abruptly that Olivia leaned back in her seat. “Let the team know. Let’s celebrate our hard work.”
“Okay, will do.” Olivia’s words fell on deaf ears since Corrine had breezed out of the room before waiting for Olivia’s answer. “I love that woman, but sometimes she’s a bit—”
“Much?” Savannah put the folder down and pushed it away. She wasn’t interested in working right now.
“Exactly.” Olivia sighed. “I’m glad you noticed. I was really starting to like you and I wasn’t sure if we could still be friends if you didn’t agree.”
“No need to worry. I’m completely on the same page with you.” Savannah uncrossed her legs to stretch and could’ve sworn Olivia’s eyes flickered downward. Olivia all but confirmed it when she looked up and blushed. Savannah held her gaze, curious as to what Olivia might be thinking. She’d been instantly attracted to Olivia since that work dinner her first night here and the feeling didn’t fade when Olivia gave her a tour of some of her favorite NYC haunts before this week began. But they had been so busy with work since then, she’d all but pushed that attraction out of her mind. Not that that was really possible. But she’d tried. And here they were on their last workday together and Olivia was watching her uncross her legs. Like she’d caught Olivia noticing her chest when Reagan introduced herself to Savannah last week. Savannah didn’t miss that either. But she’d thought that maybe it was nothing. It was probably nothing. Except maybe it was something.
Olivia opened her mouth like she wanted to say something when another hurried knock interrupted them. Just like before, the person on the other side of the door didn’t wait for a response before barging it.
“Jesus. What is it with that door today?” Olivia grumbled as Devon’s face appeared in the doorway.
“Hey, Liv? Can I get tomorrow off? My sister popped into town sorta unexpectedly, and I—”
“Yeah, Devon, fine. Just fill out the form and leave it on my desk.” Olivia hurried him out of the doorway with a wave. She turned back to face her when Savannah’s phone rang.
They seemed destined to be interrupted. Savannah looked at the caller ID and frowned. It was Kenneth. “I have to take this.”
“I’ll leave you to it.” Olivia rose from her seat and headed for the door.
Savannah stopped her. “One last debriefing tonight before drinks later?”
Olivia turned and smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Savannah couldn’t wait for this day to be over.
* * *
“All right, all right. Focus, people. This is the last time we get to socialize before we become nomads.” Reagan held up a glass to toast. “Let’s all agree to get along as best we can and to steal as many mini shampoo bottles as possible.”
Savannah clinked her glass with the rest of the group and they cheered in unison. Devon was off with his sister, and Farrah had other plans, so tonight’s group was only Daniel, Randal, Reagan, and Olivia. Corrine had stuck around for a few appetizers but had ducked out to check on her kids, who were home alone since her husband had to work late.
Olivia was sitting to her immediate right and seemed to be distracted by something. She was looking off into the distance in that far-off way one does when they have something on their mind. Reagan had asked her something twice and Olivia hadn’t responded. Savannah wanted to know what she was thinking about.
“Liv?” Reagan repeated with a smirk.
“Hmm? What?” Olivia replied, shaking her head as if to lift the fog.
“Where’d you go?” Reagan nudged her before reaching over and finishing off the rest of Olivia’s drink. “You snooze, you lose, friend. Next round is on you.” Reagan excused herself from the booth, shuffling past Randal and Daniel toward the restroom before Olivia could reply.
“Rude,” Olivia muttered as she looked longingly at her empty martini glass.
“You all right?” Savannah leaned close and asked her quietly. The bar was packed and the crowd boisterous. She was glad they had a little corner booth right off the main bar, which gave them a little privacy and intimacy without removing them from the social lightness of the evening. Plus, it afforded her the luxury of seeing Olivia’s hazel eyes sparkle in the low lighting of the bar without it being creepy that she was so close and watching her so intently. She’d have to make a lot of eye contact to hear her over the ambient noise. She didn’t mind the excuse to be close.
“Yeah, I’m just…I don’t know, out of it today.” Olivia shrugged. “I feel like I’m in sort of a fog.”
Savannah waved to the bartender for another round. “Are you worried about the design project?”
Olivia shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I just feel like I’m forgetting to do something important.”
Savannah watched her closely as she decided to test the waters a bit, feeling emboldened by the martini she’d just drained. “It’s because I’m leaving tomorrow, huh? You’re sad?”
Olivia blinked, her mouth slightly agape until Savannah winked to give her an out.
Olivia chuckled. “Yeah, that’s it, you caught me.”
That was the second time Savannah had intentionally probed Olivia. She was fishing, no point in pretending that she wasn’t. She’d had an inkling that Olivia might be into women over their first dinner together when she’d intentionally asked her the ambiguous follow-up question to their Reagan discussion. She’d gotten the nonverbal response she was looking for then, and it was confirmed this morning when she caught Olivia watching her shift in the chair. Savannah wasn’t worried about whether or not Olivia was into women. Mostly she was curious as to whether Olivia was into her. That would make this a very interesting few months. It wasn’t like she was looking for anything serious, but Olivia was funny and smart and attractive. She’d be a fool to ignore their chemistry.
The bartender came over with a full tray of drinks, setting them down one by one, and when Olivia reached under the table for her purse to pick up the tab, Savannah placed her hand atop Olivia’s and halted her progress. Olivia’s eyes shifted up to hers and she smiled, letting her hand linger on Olivia’s for longer than was necessary.
“I’ve got this round—you get the first one in Denver.”
When Olivia didn’t refuse, or move her hand away from Savannah’s, she considered it a win.
* * *
Savannah had to laugh at the way the night had unfolded. Around the third round of drinks, Randal and Daniel had excused themselves for the night but not before tripping their way out of the bar. She had to admit, she’d expected them to hold their liquor better. Although it was pretty hilarious watching Randal sway into Reagan on his way out just as she was hitting on some unsuspecting straight girl at the bar, dumping the contents of her drink on said straight girl. That in and of itself was funny enough, until the straight girl’s boyfriend got back from the bathroom and lunged at Randal, probably assuming that he was the perpetrator of the crime. Luckily, Daniel stepped in and smoothed things over with just enough time for Reagan to sneak away and out the door. That left just Olivia and Savannah at the table, shaking their heads and laughing.
“She’s got some serious lady balls.” Savannah chuckled as she watched the confused boyfriend attempt to help his date, who was actively avoiding eye contact with Olivia and Savannah, knowing that they had seen everything that went down.
“Yeah. It’s always interesting with Reagan around.” Olivia finished off her drink before stacking the empty glasses and pushing them aside. She glanced over to Savannah and asked, “How often do you travel? I mean, are you ever home?”
Savannah paused, sipping her drink before settling her
gaze on Olivia. “I travel quite a bit. Sometimes three weeks at a time to one place or another, other times I’m home for a month or two at a time, it depends.”
“Air quotes on home, huh?” Olivia didn’t miss a thing.
“I’m sort of new to Chicago. I’m a recent transplant. I haven’t really unpacked yet.” Savannah hoped that wasn’t too vague. She’d rather not discuss that part of her life just yet. Light and easy was fine by her, right now.
“Does all the traveling ever get boring? I imagine waking up in a new place all the time is difficult.” Olivia looked at her empty water glass and frowned. Savannah pushed hers to Olivia and was rewarded with a bright smile.
“You get used to it. Although I would be lying if I told you there weren’t days when I didn’t know where I was and had to call down to the front desk to figure out what city and time zone I was in.” She was aware of how pathetic that sounded, but it was true.
“How do you make it work? I mean, all that jet-setting, how do you manage a family or a relationship? I don’t think I could do it…” Olivia shook her head. “I’m a terrible packer. There is no way I could just scoot around the country with one neat little bag like the one you showed up to my office with.”
Savannah gave her a small smile. “You find ways to make things work. You’d be surprised what you can do when you have to.” She paused. “But with that being said, the goal of this launch is to limit my time on the road. To give me a sense of home base—you know, like the one I have in your office, only more permanent.” She sipped her drink again, tracing the tabletop lightly with her fingers. She’d rather not discuss the relationship part of that question. Olivia didn’t seem to notice.
“Is that what you want? Eventually, I mean. To be in one place?” Olivia was facing her, leaning against the back of the booth. She looked so relaxed. And her skin looked so soft. She played with her mass of dark curls as she spoke and Savannah found herself captivated. She wondered if those curls were as soft as her skin looked. The desire to touch them was increasing by the moment.