by Alexa Davis
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” She smirked. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
I tucked the newspaper in my bag and left the stress of the office behind. I walked to the subway station with Tess, stopping only to pick Meghan up a treat along the way. With all that had been going on, I felt like I’d been a bit distracted, which wasn’t fair on my baby girl. I needed to make up for that.
The train ride seemed to fly past much faster than it usually did. I felt myself get home much quicker than usual and as I walked up the stairs, because of course the elevator wouldn’t be working on one of my worst days ever, exhaustion washed over me. I found myself completely unable and unwilling to deal with anything. I was just too tired…all I wanted to do was sleep. I would just deal with the mess with Zack in the morning…
Oh! Or not. When I reached my floor I spotted him leaning up against my doorframe with a glowering expression on his face.
“H…hi.” This was so unexpected. He’d gone from ignoring me to waiting for me. “You okay, Zack?”
I wanted to grab the newspaper from my bag to discuss it with him, but I didn’t get a chance. Before I could get hold of any of my possessions something skidded along the ground and hit my foot.
What the…
I lowered myself to the ground and picked it up. It appeared to be a newspaper, but it was challenging to see what it was about because a muddy footprint covered most of it.
“How could you do it?” Zack growled as I finally spotted the headline. “Zack Taylor: Ex-Navy Seal, Billionaire Lottery Winner.” “How could you do that to me?”
“What do you mean? What did I do?” I could hardly swallow his anger, fired at me in full force. “And please keep the noise down…” I didn’t want my daughter to hear.
“Oh don’t worry, Meghan and Drea aren’t back yet. I wouldn’t be having this discussion with you otherwise.” He stepped a little closer to me. “So there’s no excuse, you finally have to answer me, Olivia. Why did you do this to me? Why did you go to the media and tell them that I’m the lottery winner after all that I confessed to you? I opened up my heart to you; I told you things I haven’t told anyone else. Why would you betray me like that?”
“Why would I…” I could hardly speak I was so angry. “How can you even think that of me? Are you insane?” I glanced down at the paper again. “This is Friday’s paper. I guess you didn’t see Sunday’s?” His face said it all. He didn’t have a clue. “Right, well maybe you should read this before you judge me.”
I tossed it at him and folded my arms across my chest. I didn’t want to see the story again – it crushed me every time I looked at the words. Somewhere along the line, some clever journalist had pulled my connection to Zack out the bag and had done everything they could to destroy my reputation. The story focused on my physiotherapy career and the fact that Zack was a patient of mine, which I knew could be a problem. More than a problem – a disaster.
Actually, the whole mess with Mike took me away from the fear that I was going to get fired, but now it was back with a vengeance.
Then it went deeper into my past, publishing details about my time playing volleyball, and the surprise pregnancy that “rocked the small town” I grew up in. Thankfully, no one managed to work out who Meghan’s father was, but the rest of it was a mess.
The whole feel of the story was that I failed at my sports career, I failed at my relationship, I failed at my professionalism in my current job…and that basically I was a gold digger.
“Do you actually think I would do this to myself?” I practically screamed. “Do you honestly think I’m capable of being such a bitch? I cannot believe you.”
Angry, hot tears pricked at my eyes. It felt like I was standing opposite a stranger. All the memories that we had created together fell apart as we shouted angry words at one another.
I felt done with the day, done with life. All I wanted to do was lock myself away in my apartment where none of this could hurt me and to spend time with my daughter when she finally got home. The last thing I wanted was to continue on with this argument.
“You know what, Zack? If you think I’d do that to you…if you think I’d risk this happening to me, to Meghan, then it proves how little you know me.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I shut him down instantly. “It makes it much easier to walk away from all of this, which is what I think we should do.”
This time, Zack said nothing.
“Never speak to me again, Zack Taylor. I mean that. Pretend you don’t even know me if you see me, and I’ll do the same to you. I suggest you find another therapist.”
I spun on my heels and slammed the door loudly behind me. The entire building almost shook under the pressure of how hard I did that, but I needed Zack to understand how infuriated I was. I wanted him to feel just some of the pain that I was currently experiencing.
“Argh!” I screamed running my hands up into my hair. “Asshole.” I kicked the door and curled my fists around. “Bastard.”
Once that last word burst from my mouth, the anger slid away from me and all I was left with was sadness. I fell back against the door and slid to the ground with tears streaming down my face. Zack and I were over – the best relationship that I’d ever had was over before it got real chance to even get started. Not only was it going to be really difficult at work now, knowing that he had his appointments there, it was also going to be horrible to even go outside the door.
And there was Meghan, too. This was exactly what I’d been worried about. Now she would be stuck in the middle, and she loved Lark, too. My dad was right. I shouldn’t have let those men into our lives. I should’ve known it would end up this way.
I was an idiot, but I didn’t have time to wallow in that. I needed to straighten myself up before my baby got home. She was my priority now, like she always should’ve been. I would never make the same mistake again.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Zack
Tuesday
“I’m so sorry, man. Honestly, you have no idea how terrible I feel.”
I was the one who felt like a complete and utter asshole with that statement. I tugged my fingers through my hair and I stared wide-eyed at him. “I don’t know what to say, Lark. This is something else.” I couldn’t believe that I’d falsely accused Olivia of this; what an idiot.
“If I’d known that Carlie was only after information about you, I never would’ve even spoken to her. She just didn’t seem interested at you at all at the party, it was all about me.”
“I can’t think of Ms. Simms as Carlie, that’s too weird.” I pursed my lips together thoughtfully. “I also can’t believe she did that to me.”
“I don’t know, man; she just started asking questions while I was all…riled up.” I shuddered. I didn’t want to think of Ms. Simms and Lark in any way like that. “She wanted to know how you could afford to fund the party and donate money to the physical therapy office. She kept asking me, and I guess at some point it just came out. Honestly, I didn’t even think about it. I certainly didn’t think she’d ever do anything like that. If I wasn’t in Texas over the weekend, I would’ve known right away…”
“Lark, it’s okay,” I replied wearily. “I know you’d never do anything to hurt me.”
“But you’re pissed.”
“I am pissed, but not at you. Just at the situation. I’m annoyed that my life’s become public knowledge when I’ve tried so hard to keep it inside. But that isn’t your fault.”
“I’m so sorry, though, dude. This is a fucking nightmare. I wish I could do something to sort it out for you. I understand if it changes things and you don’t want to be my friend anymore.”
“No, no, of course not.” I reached out and rubbed his arm reassuringly. “You’ve been there with me from the start. I’m not going to kick you out of my life over one mistake.” There was no way I was getting rid of Lark. It was a big fuck up, but I still loved and appreciated him. “I guess I’m more freaked out how I’ve be
haved.”
Shit. I slumped down on my couch and allowed my head to fall into my hands. I’d been a true asshole – just as things were getting really good I went and absolutely wrecked it. Possibly irrevocably so.
“What do you mean?” Lark asked cautiously. “How you behaved when?”
“I’ve screwed things up with Olivia over this, and I don’t know if there’s any way to come back from that.”
He took a seat next to me and he gave me a concerned look. “What do you mean? What happened? What did you do?”
“I accused her of selling the story, and we had a huge fight about it. She basically told me to get out of her life and never speak to her again.” I sighed loudly and shook my head in dismay. I still couldn’t believe how I’d come at her, I allowed myself to stew for far too long and I created a mess. “I can’t blame her, either. I acted like a dick. I was just starting to really fall for her, I felt like we were on the verge of creating something real, and I fucked it by not trusting her.”
“Oh God,” Lark groaned. “I’m so sorry, that’s my fault, too. Just as your life was picking back up, I’ve screwed it all up for you. I’m such a mug.”
“It’s not your fault,” I repeated myself. “Stop saying sorry. I know you didn’t want any of this to happen. You didn’t make me behave in that way, I did that all by myself.”
For a few moments we sat there in silence, both stewing over everything that had happened. Lark was probably lost in his one idiotic moment with Ms. Simms, and I was slowly becoming consumed with the harsh words I had spoken to Olivia in the heat of the moment. She didn’t deserve any of that attack, especially when it affected her, too, and I could see why she’d be done with me.
Olivia had already told me that she didn’t want to ever upset Meghan, that she wanted us to be very sure. She had another heart to protect, as well as her own. I’d effectively hurt two people with my stupid decision.
“Do you know what? There is something you can do, Lark.”
“There is?” He sat up straighter, his expression lit up with joy. He really wanted to make this work. “Anything, man, whatever you need.”
“I need you to help me fix things with Olivia.”
After a beat, he burst into laughter. “Are you serious? Have I not already proven to you that I suck at anything to do with women? Are you sure you want me meddling more in your relationship?”
“I can’t do it alone.” I didn’t have a plan, but I was sure with Lark by my side, we could work it out together. “And, you don’t always suck with women, do you?”
“Have you ever seen me have a real relationship?” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Have you ever seen a woman sticking with me? Why do you think I get sucked into these toxic messes like with Car…Ms. Simms? I’m a fucking mess.”
Hmm, that was true. I hadn’t ever seen him with a girlfriend, but I didn’t think that made him unhappy. It hadn’t ever made me miserable before, so I’d assumed it didn’t him. I was going to have to be more receptive to how Lark was feeling; I needed to pull my head out of my ass and stop worrying all about myself. The injury and the depression that followed had made me selfish and self absorbed. I needed to stop that from ever happening again.
“Well, I guess the first thing we can do is contact the main boss at the physical therapy place, tell them all about what happened.”
“Get Ms. Simms fired?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure that was my end goal, but I didn’t want her to go unpunished. “I don’t know, but maybe I can help convince them to give Olivia a better job. That’s a good start, right?”
“Yeah, maybe you are right.” Lark nodded slowly, the cogs in his brains turning wildly. “You know what else? You should also go to the newspaper.” I gave him an incredulous look. Was he insane?
“No wait, just hear me out. I think you should go and use the media to spin your story, get your side across. You’ve spent so long fearing and avoiding it, and now it’s come back to bite you on the ass, anyway. Why not use it to help you? Go, share your story, promote your charity. Maybe you could even say some things to Olivia that you might not get across otherwise.”
Hmm. Weirdly, I didn’t hate the idea. Lark was right. I’d allowed the media to control me for far too long. It made sense for me to take the control back. I had something to be proud of now – I was working towards something awesome. The world needed to know about it.
“Okay.” I nodded rapidly. “Okay, yeah. I like that plan. It scares the living shit out of me, but I’m willing to give it a go.”
“Best scrub up nice then,” Lark insisted as he stood upwards. “This is going to be one hell of an important day.”
Inside, I hoped desperately that it was also the day that I made up for all my foolish errors and got Olivia back by my side. I hadn’t ever been as happy as when she was with me, when we were building towards a wonderful relationship. I shouldn’t have fucked all that up because I couldn’t trust. I should’ve just spoken to her.
I would learn from this, though; if I ever got Olivia back, I wouldn’t ever make the same mistake again.
“Help me out then. Pick me out a suit or something. I mean it, Lark, I really need your help today.”
***
“Thank you,” the gruff-looking man named Mike said gravely to me. “I appreciate you meeting with me today.” He shuffled paperwork and narrowed his eyes at me. “I do apologize that you’ve suffered so badly at the hands of one of my employees, and I appreciate your honesty. It just isn’t right, what’s happened with your private data. And, I’m not happy with the misconduct with regards to Lark, as well. I’m just trying to decide what to do with that information.”
“I don’t want anything dramatic. I’m not here on some form of revenge plan. I just think you should know what’s going on around here.”
“We can’t have this, though, especially when it comes to you. You’ve given the practice so much, you’ve donated a lot. It isn’t right.” He shook his head angrily. “I just can’t believe it. I never would’ve hired her if I’d known. And as a manager, too. Damn it.” He slammed his fists down on the desk in front of him. “Now I need to hire someone else to take over all her duties, and that’s gonna be almost impossible.”
My heart hammered in my chest, now was the moment to try and bring Olivia up. “What about Olivia, couldn’t she do it?”
“Hmm, I did meet Olivia. She is a good employee, and she’s smart, too. But I don’t know…she hasn’t been around as long as the other girls. It might cause friction.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Only a suggestion.” I smiled brightly. “I just wanted to throw her name into the mix.”
“I certainly will think about it, thank you, Zack.”
“I want to discuss donating more, as well. I really do think you run a wonderful practice here and I’d love to help it grow.” This wasn’t a reaction to the whole mess with Ms. Simms, and I certainly didn’t want him to assume I wanted more influence. It just felt right. “I’m setting up a charity, for ex-military men, so maybe we can work together on that?”
“That sounds wonderful,” Mike agreed. “I definitely want to have a meeting about all of that at some point. I’ll be in touch. For now, I just want to focus on what I’m going to do here.”
“Of course, of course.” I stood up and extended my hand to shake his. This had gone well, and I felt pleased with the progress I’d made. I wasn’t sure how it would help me with Olivia, but it felt good. “It was great to meet with you, Mike. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”
“Anytime, Zack. I shall speak to you soon.”
I left the office to find Lark sitting patiently outside. I grinned and gave him the thumbs up to show it had all gone well.
“What next?” he hissed quietly at me. “Where do we go from here?”
“The newspaper.” I felt like I was flying, like I was on top of the world. I wanted to roll with that. “I’ve got to go and give my side of the story.”
/> “I know I suggested it, but just before you do that, I need to know for sure that you really want to do this. Are you ready for it?”
“I am,” I replied confidently. “I really am. This feels right, Lark. This is definitely what I need to do.”
I’d even been planning exactly what I wanted to say and it felt good. I was pretty sure it’d work. If not, at least I’d tried. At least I didn’t give up. I’d never be able to forgive myself if I did.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Olivia
Wednesday
Shit, shit, shit.
What the hell was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I get myself together today?
My make-up wasn’t done, my hair flew out all around my head… I felt and looked a mess. I hadn’t overslept, everything had pretty much gone to plan. It was just me falling apart and I couldn’t work out why. Sure my head was all over the place and I was worried about being fired, but there seemed to be something else going on in me too.
“Are you okay, Olivia?” Drea called loudly into my bedroom. “It’s just that I don’t want you to be late for work.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m leaving. I’m just, erm…” Urgh, I didn’t know what I even needed to do anymore. Did it even matter what I looked like when I was probably going to lose my job anyway? “I’m just coming.”
I checked my cell phone one last time to see if I’d heard anything from Ms. Simms, but still nothing. Something serious must have happened for her to be so neglectful of work. That wasn’t like her at all! I’d only known her for a short while, but she always seemed very dedicated to the practice as far as I was aware.
Still, that wasn’t for me to worry about right now, I had many other concerns – and the first one was getting my sorry ass to work. I gave up on make-up and tied my hair back into a bun so at least it wouldn’t be in my way. Then, with one last withering glance in the mirror, I gave up and pushed my way into the living room just as there was a knock on the door.
“Do you want me to get it?” Drea asked me. “While you fix your face.”