Stay with Me

by Jules Bennett

  Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. “Sorry. I’m just overwhelmed at the moment.”

  More like daydreaming about a man who was driving her out of her mind and keeping her awake at night. Not to mention the adorable toddler who had pretty much stolen her heart.

  “It’s okay,” she replied. “Just don’t get too wrapped up in that town and forget to come back to us.”

  Olivia laughed. “That would never happen.”

  But as she glanced down to the paper, she stilled. She’d drawn her Cessna. No, not her Cessna. Jax’s Cessna. That was his plane now; she had no ties to it. Well, legally she did, but it wasn’t the plane she wanted.

  What did she want, though? Because she thought she knew, but now she wasn’t so sure. She still wanted the coveted promotion; she’d worked too hard to just walk away. But part of her wanted that airport to be everything Jade suggested. Was it even possible to have both?

  Olivia disconnected the call and sat her cell on the desk in the formal living room. Jade and Melanie had gone out for a run. They’d begged Olivia to join them, but she knew she had too much work to catch up on this morning. She needed to run, though. It was the only thing that kept her sane and cleared her thoughts. Nothing was as therapeutic as getting fresh air, working up a sweat, and pounding the pavement.

  Getting in a good workout with her friends sounded ideal, but she wasn’t so sure she’d be good company.

  Olivia leaned back in the creaky old leather chair and stared at the plane. Melanie had said to look for signs, something Olivia didn’t necessarily believe in, but if she did, was this a sign? Was Piper wearing Olivia’s old bibs a sign?

  What exactly constituted a sign? Because Olivia would seriously love some help right about now.

  Olivia couldn’t help but think about how sweet little sleepy Piper felt in her arms. The way she just relaxed and gave in to the state of exhaustion. Olivia couldn’t recall the last time she was ever relaxed or even leaned on someone with such trust and abandon.

  Maybe as a child. Perhaps when her mind was still filled with puppy dogs and rainbows. Before her parents split she was definitely a different person. Once she graduated and she and her mother moved to Atlanta, Olivia started to gain some of her happiness back. College was a great escape and fresh start, especially with her best friend at her side.

  She and Jade had been through it all together. Then they’d met Melanie a few years ago and carried her into their happy circle. Olivia guessed she had them to lean on. She knew she could always count on them for anything she’d ever need. They depended on one another, though, and that’s what made them so perfect for one another. They were like their own little army.

  Olivia glanced back down to the image she’d drawn. Not that she was some grand artist, but she’d always loved doodling. Most often it was nothing of any importance, just a way to pass the time or relieve stress. Her planner had random ink sketches all around the borders.

  Pushing her chair out, Olivia came to her feet. She couldn’t sit here all day and evaluate life or try to dissect all the chaos inside her mind. There wasn’t enough time for the mess that was her emotional state.

  There were boxes to pack and memories to face. She’d finally made a dent in the spare room early this morning before her phone calls and e-mails. So far she had several bags of old school papers she was going to trash, but the pictures were sitting in a box until she could figure out the best approach for those.

  Her mother had moved on, remarrying and settling down in Charlotte. Olivia rarely saw her, but they’d text and chat on the phone. They were close, not like they were when they’d first left Haven. Part of Olivia wondered what had happened, but deep down she knew. Her mother had literally moved on. When she’d wanted to leave Olivia’s dad, she had. Then when she wanted to leave Olivia, she had.

  Weighing her mother’s actions wouldn’t change anything and Olivia was an adult. She didn’t need anyone, but she sure would like to know how to move forward. Was it even possible to get the promotion, increase her workload, and simultaneously work on revamping a dilapidated airport?

  She must have been out of her mind for even considering it. But the possibilities were mounting so fast in her head, and she was the budgeting manager over marketing, so she saw this type of work all day, every day.

  Before she could talk herself out of all the reasons not to, she jotted down a list. What started out as pros and cons quickly turned into pros and quickly escalated to grand ideas.

  Seeing things on paper always made them seem more real. After glancing over all her notes, Olivia knew in her heart she wanted to pursue this plan. Jackson may not be too keen on it, but moving ahead to something bigger and better was at least going to keep him in the business he wanted. This was obviously the happy middle ground Jade had suggested.

  Now Olivia just had to figure out a way to make sure Jackson knew this plan was brilliant and would benefit them both. That wasn’t even the most challenging part. She had to face him and hope he kept his roaming hands and talented lips to himself, because she was fighting a losing battle and each time he touched her, she craved even more.

  Chapter Nine

  “You win, again,” Jax declared.

  Piper squealed and pulled the cards across the table. “You guys are terrible at Go Fish.”

  “Why do I feel like I’m raising a card shark?” he muttered as he came to his feet.

  “Because you are,” Cash replied.

  Cash and Tanner had come over about an hour ago. They’d eaten and settled into Piper’s favorite game, but it was getting later and he needed to get Piper into bed.

  When they were home at a decent hour, he made sure she didn’t stay up late. There were circumstances where flights held him up, but even then his faithful babysitter and neighbor was always good to get Piper home and in bed.

  “One more game.” She stared up at him with those big brown eyes and shoved that bottom lip out. “Please, Daddy?”

  He laughed. “Nice try, darlin’. Go in and get your pajamas on and I’ll come tuck you in.”

  “And read my story,” she stated climbing down from the kitchen table.

  Cash stood and scooped Piper up. “How about I read your story? I haven’t tucked you in for a while.”

  “Yay, but when you read, you’re not allowed to do funny voices,” she told him, patting his stubbled jawline. “This is a serious book.”

  He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am. Let’s go.”

  Tanner remained at the table and started straightening the cards. “You talked anymore to Livie?”

  Jax opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. “You’ve been dying to ask that, haven’t you?”

  Tanner shrugged. “You going to get me a beer?”

  “No.” Jax popped the cap off and took a long, refreshing pull. “Piper barely got out of the room before you already started in on me like some gossipy old lady.”

  “Call me what you want, but I’m still waiting to hear. You must’ve seen her again or you would’ve already told me no.”

  Jax had seen her in person, as well as in every single dream since she’d stepped back into town. And she’d texted him earlier to inform him she wanted to sit down and discuss the airport. Heaven help him, she was going to test every bit of patience he had.

  “No, wait. Don’t say anything.” Tanner stood and circled the table. “Cash will want to hear this too.”

  He nudged Jax out of the way and took his own beer out of the fridge. Jax hadn’t told his cousins about the idea Livie had run by him. He was still trying to process it all himself. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was full-blown into this concept and was probably home making spreadsheets or a PowerPoint presentation to go over with him tomorrow.

  Well, he knew of one way to distract her if he didn’t like how their little meeting was going.

  “Anything exciting happening in Haven I don’t know about?” Jax asked, hoping to deflect the conversation away from him.r />
  Tanner pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sank into it. Resting his elbow on the edge of the table, he took a drink before setting his bottle down. “Not much. I get nervous when it’s this quiet, though. It’s like the calm before the storm.”

  “It’s Haven,” Jax stated. “Nothing too wild goes on here.”

  Tanner winced. “Don’t say that. When I start getting too comfortable, that’s when something strange happens. Last month I had a call that there was a guy in a pool trying to have sex with a blow-up floatie.”

  Jax was so glad he wasn’t taking a drink right at that moment. “How the hell is that even possible? I guess whatever people want to do in their pools is their business, but that’s gross.”

  “It wasn’t his pool,” Tanner corrected. “The lady came home and found a guy in her backyard with one of her floats.”

  “Brings a whole new light to breaking and entering.”

  Tanner shot him a narrowed glance. “You’re hilarious.”

  “I think so.”

  “I did pull over a woman the other day who was pretty hot and I hadn’t seen her in town before. That rarely happens.”

  Jax resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he took a seat across from Tanner. “Knowing you, I’d say it happens all the time. That’s how you get your dates.”

  “I do not abuse my badge,” he corrected. “The woman claimed she was from Atlanta, which might explain why she was speeding through town. City folks have no respect for the small towns.”

  “You said she was from Atlanta?” Jax asked, figuring he knew who his cousin had pulled over.

  Tanner knew Jade and Livie, so that pretty much left Melanie. She would definitely be his cousin’s type. Beautiful, classy. Tanner actually preferred all types. He had a habit of dating once and being done. Settling down wasn’t an option for him because he’d seen enough from Jax and Cash to be scarred for life.

  Perhaps Jax should’ve gone along with that way of life and just dated. Marriage clearly hadn’t worked for him, but had he not married, he wouldn’t have Piper and he couldn’t even fathom his life without her.

  “Blond. I believe her name was Melanie.”

  Jax smiled. Looks like the tide was about to turn. “That’s Livie’s friend. She’s staying with her.”

  Tanner quirked a dark brow. “Is that so?”

  “Livie, Melanie, and Jade are all staying together. I don’t know anything about Melanie, though. I just saw her the time I went to pick up Livie.”

  Cash stepped back into the room. “What are you two ladies gossiping about?”

  “She asleep?” Jax asked.

  Cash nodded and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. As a fitness trainer and coach, he was extremely particular about what he put into his body. At times he could be extreme, but Jax wasn’t judging. Cash had made quite a name and a business for himself over the years. His gym was the most popular in the area and Cash’s clients were constantly singing his praises on social media and around town.

  “I’m thinking about asking Livie out while she’s in town,” Tanner stated.

  Jax refused to take the bait. “Go ahead.”

  Cash smacked Tanner. “Shut up. You’re not asking her out because you know she’ll turn you down and you hate rejection.”

  “I don’t get rejected,” he retorted.

  Cash circled the table and took the seat Piper had been in. “We playing poker or is it time for our girl chat?”

  Jax didn’t keep secrets from his cousins—they’d been through everything together from the time they were toddlers, through school, girls, sex, the military, and now as adults. He valued their advice, and though he didn’t always take it, he still wanted to hear it to weigh all his options. Besides, he wasn’t about to go into this little meeting with her without some type of mental backup.

  “Livie approached me about renovating the airport.”

  Cash and Tanner stilled and stared across the table. Sliding his thumb over the condensation dripping down his bottle, he tried to still make sense of how this plan would come to life . . . if he and Livie ever got on the same page about anything other than kissing. Because they were most definitely on the same page about that.

  “So she doesn’t want it sold?” Cash asked. He leaned forward on his elbows and gripped his water. “What type of renovating does she want to do?”

  “She mentioned turning it into a private airstrip for high-profile clients.”

  Jax still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. This was a small town, he wanted to keep that ambiance. Granted the place could use some TLC, but changing the dynamics of the entire business was quite a bit to consider.

  “She said I’d continue to fly my regular clients, and the hangars we rent would still be the same. Jade had an idea—”

  “Jade’s here too?” Cash asked, his brows rising. “I haven’t seen her since high school.”

  Jax nodded. “Livie, Jade, and their friend Melanie. Ask Tanner about her.”

  Cash glanced over. “Melanie?”

  Tanner shrugged. “I gave her a speeding ticket. That’s all.”

  “She hot?” Cash asked.

  “You could say that.”

  Jax laughed and got up to toss his empty bottle. “She’s blond, petite, and he gave her a ticket days ago but is still thinking about it.”

  “Can we get back to this talk of renovations?” Tanner asked with a frustrated tone.

  “Jade said since there’s a huge influx of filming going on in Georgia, it would make sense to explore this angle.” Jax sank back down into his seat and leaned back, tapping his fingers on the table. “I don’t know, though. I mean, that would take an exorbitant amount of money, plus the planning, and . . . hell, I don’t even know what all would go into that. I’m sure some legal BS I don’t want to deal with.”

  “So what are you going to do?” Tanner asked. “Tell her you don’t want to sell or renovate? She’s not just going to go away.”

  No, no she wasn’t. Jax wasn’t so sure he wanted her to go away. She intrigued him. Beneath that stuffy exterior, the polished clothes, and the defiant tip of her chin she always gave him, Jax knew the girl who had grown up here and had fallen in love with the sport of flying was still in there . . . and he was damn well going to bring her out.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Jax admitted, blowing out a frustrated sigh. “I guess I’ll let her talk and then think about it. I’m in no hurry to do anything, really. I’m not selling, so anything else she proposes will be in my court. She’s going to have to go back to Atlanta at some point.”

  Not that he wanted her to go. He must have been a masochist because he actually enjoyed having her around. That was obviously the case considering he could still taste her kiss, feel her body pressed to his.

  Jax reached for the cards. He didn’t want to keep hashing this out with his friends. He needed some guy time now that Piper was asleep, and poker was the perfect solution.

  “Hope you ladies brought money,” he stated as he started shuffling. “I’m still saving for that new plane.”

  Cash snorted. “You’re going to have to find a sugar mama if you want that to happen or sell everything you own and live in it as well.”

  Jax wasn’t deterred by finances. Yes, things may have looked bleak, but he wasn’t about to give up. When had he ever? It may take him until he was ready to retire, but he’d save every extra dime he had.

  “So let’s hear more about this Melanie.” Cash reached for his cards and shot a look to Tanner.

  Jax merely smiled as Tanner groaned. “Yes, let’s hear more.”

  * * *

  “What are you doing?”

  Olivia stared at Jade as her friend came out the back door with trash bags. Not just the small ones from the kitchen, but the large black ones they’d had upstairs.

  “Getting a move on this.” Jade wrestled the bags down the steps. “There’s two more if you want to go get them.”

  They’d only been bac
k from their morning run for a half hour. Olivia had grabbed a quick shower and made coffee, and had just settled on the back porch to answer e-mails.

  “I’ll throw the stuff away when I’m ready,” she argued. “Put those down.”

  Jade dropped the bags and propped her hands on her hips. “Trash runs tomorrow. We need to get rid of these.”

  “We’re not paying for trash,” Olivia countered. “We’re not going to be here that long.”

  “One of your nosy neighbors said we could put it with hers. I asked.”

  Olivia stared down at her friend at the base of the steps. At some point, Olivia was going to have to let go. She didn’t think saying good-bye to old memories and her father’s things would be this difficult. She’d assumed she’d come into town, offer to help set up the sale of the airport, clean out her childhood home, and be back in Atlanta before she had to tap into any emotions.

  In theory that all sounded fantastic. But reality had settled in and Olivia knew she was going to have to truly focus if she wanted to get out of here.

  “Which sacks are those?” she asked Jade.

  “Just the old school papers you said to toss.” Jade tipped her head, her red ponytail swinging across her shoulder. “I’m doing this for you. If you can’t get rid of the stuff, then I can. Melanie and I are here to help.”

  Olivia sat her laptop on the side table. “I know. It needs to be done. Go ahead and make sure you tell Mrs. Timmonds thanks. We’ll have to make her a cake or something.”

  “Melanie can. I suck at baking.”

  Olivia laughed as Jade hauled the two sacks across the driveway toward the elderly lady’s house. Glancing back to her laptop, Olivia stared at the e-mails, but reached over and closed out the screen. She grabbed her phone and went to the notes section. There were some minor repairs she needed to do to the house before she could sell it. There wasn’t much reason for her to keep it since she didn’t plan on staying in Haven. Even if she and Jackson came to some agreement on the plans for the airport, she had no intention of living here.

  Olivia quickly typed in the issues she knew needed to be addressed. The living room and kitchen needed fresh coats of paint, the master bedroom carpet needed to be replaced, the floor in the kitchen needed to be changed out. The more Olivia added, the more she realized this was going to take a while to get done.