Stay with Me

by Jules Bennett

  She’d need to call someone to come measure and give her a price on new flooring. Not exactly what she wanted to spend some of her savings on, but she’d get a return back once the house sold. There was no way she could put it on the market in the state it was now. With the town thriving, people would expect the homes to be up to the same standards.

  As she was reading through her list, her cell rang. The number on the screen had her heart kicking up.

  “Tom,” Olivia greeted. “Good morning.”

  “Morning. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

  “No, this is perfect.” As if she’d tell the CEO any different. Why was he calling? The endless possibilities made her stomach churn. “I trust you saw the marketing plan I laid out for the VanKirk Agency.”

  “That’s why I’m calling. I have given that account over to Steve for the time being.”

  She’d busted her ass for this company. Her accounting degree was only a sliver of the talent she gave to this place. She’d always thought she was valued no matter what corporate hat she wore.

  Olivia’s heart sank, her breath caught in her throat. She came to her feet just as Jade came back around the side of the house. Whatever her friend saw in her eyes had Jade coming up the steps and standing right by Olivia.

  “May I ask why?”

  “I have something else in mind for you, and it’s something I only trust you with.”

  A little part of Olivia eased, but how could the largest account just be taken from her like that? Did this mean he thought Steve was better for the job or did Tom believe Olivia was the best and he was giving her an even bigger account? Too many questions and she was in no position to second-guess her boss.

  “I’m honored you trust me,” she stated. “Is this a new account or an already established client?”

  “I’m going to e-mail you the details shortly,” Tom told her. “I wanted to let you know about the VanKirk Agency first before you followed up with them or had any more contact. I’m putting you on a delicate would-be clientele. We’re hoping to sway them our way and if you can manage that, it will be the biggest project you’ve ever had.”

  Olivia rubbed her forehead, a little worried over what was to come, but excited at the prospect of pulling in the largest account they’d ever had. Surely that would ensure her position as COO . . . right? There was no way to know what her boss was thinking, but with the promotion on the line, Olivia would do what was asked of her.

  “I look forward to seeing more details,” she told him honestly. “Thank you for trusting me.”

  “No thanks necessary,” Tom replied. “On a personal note, how is the packing coming along?”

  Olivia had simply told her boss she needed to settle her father’s things and pack up the house before coming back. He’d been amazing by telling her to take her time because he’d lost his grandmother a year ago and had done the same.

  “A little slower than expected, but nothing I can’t handle.”

  “I never had any doubt,” he stated, a smile to his voice. “Take all the time you need. So long as you’re working, I’m fine with you not being in the office for now.”

  She knew he was sincere with that, but at the same time, she wanted to be back. She didn’t know if Steve would try something sneaky with her gone and she didn’t want to give him the opportunity, either.

  “I hope to be back within a couple weeks. I’m working on cleaning out the house, and then there are some minor repairs that need to be done before I can list it.”

  “Well, like I said, if you need more time, just let me know. I’ll send that e-mail within the hour.”

  Olivia disconnected the call and sank back into the chair. Her mind raced in all directions and she couldn’t wait to get that ping from her phone and open the e-mail.

  “I can’t decide if you’re panicking or if you’re fine.” Jade sat down on the porch swing on the other side of the chair. “Was that your boss?”

  Olivia nodded. “I’m fine, but panicking. He’s pulled me from one account and has something else for me. He claims it’s even bigger than what I was working on. I’m waiting on the details now.”

  “Does that mean you’re out of commission until you hear from him?”

  Narrowing her eyes, Olivia stared at her dearest yet sometimes sneaky friend. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I just figured we could go see Jax.” She offered a megawatt smile. “All three of us.”

  Olivia knew precisely what her friend was doing. She was being nosy and planned on pulling Melanie in on everything as a sidekick.

  Jade merely raised a brow and crossed her arms. “I can be showered and ready in twenty minutes.”

  “Which is another reason I hate you,” Olivia grumbled, reaching over to pull up her e-mails again. “How can you look like you walked off a magazine shoot and take so little time?”

  “It’s the Irish genes,” she explained, batting her lashes. “Now, give me just a few minutes. I’ll let Mel know we’re leaving soon.”

  As Jade literally raced past Olivia into the house, Olivia couldn’t help but laugh. Whatever it took to keep her friends’ minds off their own issues. If they wanted to join forces with her when she went to talk to Jackson, the more the merrier. Perhaps Jade could convince him to . . .

  What? Did Olivia actually want to make this grand change to the airport? Did she want to devote all the time, energy, and funds to not only get the place up and running to a normal standard, but to make it bigger and better than ever?

  Olivia stared at her e-mails as the one she’d been waiting for finally appeared in bold letters at the top. As she opened it and began reading, she realized her life may be getting more hectic than ever, but yes, she did want to make this work.

  Somehow, someway, she would. Because Olivia had never backed down from a challenge and if this risky renovation was going to bring in more money in the long run, then she’d be a fool to pursue the sale like she’d initially planned.

  First, she needed to reply to her boss, and then she needed to round up her girl posse and head to the hangar. She wasn’t sure if Jackson was out flying or if he’d be around, but she’d be ready for him. And if she had those chaperones they’d joked about, he wouldn’t try anything . . . would he?

  Chapter Ten

  “I need to get to the station.”

  Jax glanced up from the invoices and gave his cousin a nod. “Close the door behind you. I don’t have any flights until later this afternoon.”

  “Who’s getting Piper from school?”

  Jax loved how his cousins were always eager to pitch in and help with his daughter. It was almost as if she had three dads. When Jax had come back from the air force, Tanner and Cash hadn’t even hesitated to step up to the plate and help. They’d only bashed Carly a little, until Jax put a halt to that. While he loathed her for leaving Piper and ignoring their sweet, innocent baby, he never wanted Piper to overhear anything negative about her mother.

  He’d delicately explained that she had to leave and couldn’t come back. No doubt as Piper got older she’d ask more and as he saw fit, he would explain. But for now, she didn’t ask about her own mother anymore . . . she was too busy hooking him up on dates with Livie.

  “Cash is picking her up and taking her to the gym. I’ll get her there after work. I just have to fly a couple to Charleston. They’re planning on staying a few days, so I’ll head back up when they’re done. It’s just a quick flight there and back.”

  Tanner nodded and started for the door leading to the hangar. “I’ll be covering a shift until eleven tonight, but text if you need anything.”

  Jax glanced back down to the invoice currently on the top of his pile, wondering how the hell he was going to get all of this paid on time. The flight today would bring in a good chunk since it was a little farther than most of his clients traveled. But with Piper wanting to join a karate class, he was probably going to have to pay these bills by priorities. Half now and half in
a couple of weeks when the renters’ checks were due.

  He wished he could get more pilots to house their planes here. Not only would it generate more income, but it would also add an attraction in a positive manner toward the place he loved to call home.

  Women’s voices mixed with Tanner’s, pulling Jax out of his thoughts. He pushed away from his desk and stepped out of his office to see Tanner standing in front of the firing squad—er, Livie, Jade, and Melanie.

  “You know this guy?” Melanie was asking her friends as she pointed an accusatory finger at Tanner.

  “We went to school together,” Olivia stated. “How you doing, Tanner?”

  Tanner looped his thumbs through his belt loops and nodded. “Doing great. Headed out to work now.”

  “To give more tickets to innocent people,” Melanie muttered.

  Tanner laughed. “If you were innocent, you wouldn’t have been pulled over, and I wouldn’t call speeding nearly twenty miles over the limit ‘innocent.’”

  Jax glanced to Livie, who looked like she was holding back her laughter as well. When she met his gaze, the slight grin on her face twisted something in his gut. He didn’t know if she was smiling at him or just at the situation. Either way, he’d take it. He didn’t recall seeing a genuine smile since she’d been back. Even when she lived here before and he’d been an awkward preteen, Livie had never flashed him a smile.

  “Tanner.” Jade stepped forward and crossed her arms over her chest. “Haven’t seen you in years.”

  “Jade.” Tanner nodded his greeting. “I never thought you’d be back in this town.”

  She shrugged a slender shoulder. “Hadn’t planned on it, but I’m here for Olivia.”

  “Why are you nice to everyone but me?” Melanie grumbled.

  Now Olivia did laugh. “Calm down, killer. Tanner is headed out to work and I’m sure he’ll target other unsuspecting criminals.”

  Tanner threw Jax a glance over his shoulder. “See ya, man.”

  Once Tanner headed out the door, Jax turned his attention back to the small gang of women. He knew this was not just a simple social call and he was about to get bombarded with estrogen. He had no problem taking time from his day, and from the looming invoice, to see Olivia.

  “I assume the three of you are not here to take me to lunch?” he asked, propping his hands on his hips.

  “Not likely.” Jade glanced around the hangar before turning her attention back to him. “Place hasn’t changed much.”

  Jax could tell from her tone that she wasn’t being judgmental. If anything, she was being kind because the place had changed. While it may have needed some minor repairs, he did most everything himself and definitely kept the place clean. Just because he was low on funds—story of his life—didn’t mean he was lazy. He worked his ass off to make sure this place stayed running. As long as the planes took his clients to and from, that’s really all that mattered.

  “Is this where you all tell me about this grand idea to transform my airport into something on a bigger scale with fancier clients?”

  “Not how we would’ve worded it, but sort of,” Livie stated. “Should we go outside or into your office?”

  Jax shrugged, not really eager to do either. He still hadn’t given this a good deal of thought. Of course it had been on his mind, but he’d done a school project with Piper, then they’d baked cookies, and then he was scheduling future flights, and mulling over bills. So, the whole spending more money to make the airport “better” wasn’t something he’d focused on.

  “We’ll go to your office,” Jade chimed in. “It’s hotter than Hades out there even in the shade.”

  Resigned to the fact he was going to have to face this firing squad, Jax led the way back into his office. He gestured toward the sofa, which still had Piper’s sleeping bag spread out.

  “Go ahead and sit on it,” he told them. “The couch is scratchy, so we keep Piper’s bedding out for when she’s here and naps.”

  Suddenly he felt as if he were under some sort of scrutiny. Why was he explaining to them why he kept a princess sleeping bag on a ratty old plaid sofa? Maybe he liked princesses.

  Once they took a seat, Jax still wanted to maintain some of the upper hand, so he propped a hip on the corner of his desk.

  “Okay. Let’s hear the speech you rehearsed.” He held up a hand to stop them before they started. “Wait. Do you each have a part, like a play? Or are you winging it? Oh, no. Is this going to be a good cop–bad cop rendition?”

  Melanie laughed. “How do you want us to deliver the message?”

  Livie waved a hand. “We didn’t come for dinner and a show,” she stated. Her bright eyes came back to land on him, once again socking him right in the gut with arousal. “I’ve been thinking and Jade’s idea is actually brilliant and something that is a win-win for both of us.”

  Crossing his arms, he made sure to look her right in the eye. She may be a corporate shark and used to negotiating, but he was a former member of the United States Air Force. He used to answer to the government. He wasn’t too afraid of three women. Though they seemed to be staring at him. Were they waiting to attack or were they evaluating him?

  No doubt Livie had told them about the kisses. Women liked to chatter, to get opinions, to make sure their friends were in their corner. He didn’t care. If she was talking about their kissing, then that meant she was thinking about him. Jax was more than okay with that.

  “And how will we be winning?” he asked. “Because the way I see it, we’d have to invest an amount of money I can’t even wrap my mind around, plus hire contractors, designers. All of that renovating would disrupt the flights.”

  Jade held up her hands. “Wait. This can all be worked out. As far as the money goes, there are grants for this type of thing. The money isn’t going to be as big of an issue as you believe.”

  “Grants,” he muttered. “So who will draw up those proposals?”

  “Actually, I’m an attorney and Olivia works with budgeting and numbers all day.” Melanie offered a sweet smile and Jax immediately saw why Tanner had been so taken with the new girl in town. “Between the two of us, we’ll get it done.”

  Her assurance seemed so genuine. He had no doubt with these three they would get the job done because Olivia and Jade were strong, independent women. He didn’t know Melanie, but if she kept company with these two, then she had to be cut from the same cloth.

  “Where do you fit in?” He nodded toward Jade.

  “Oh, I’m the mastermind,” she stated as if that should’ve already been known. “I’ve been working in business for years. I am more than capable of finding contractors and architects to draw up plans.”

  Jax rubbed the back of his neck. Was he supposed to make a decision now? He had six eyes on him, the room wasn’t filled with tension, it was more like . . . uncertainty. How the hell was he supposed to know what the right decision was? If he knew the investment would be profitable, if they could get the funds covered, and only if his already established clients were not disrupted. Not to mention the pilots who rented from him. There were so many variables and not enough answers.

  “I need time to think about this,” he told them. “It’s not something that I can decide in a short time. This is my livelihood. You’ll plan from Atlanta where you can continue to work. I have to be with the mess, the contractors. I’d be the one on-site trying to make decisions while you’re hours away.”

  Livie’s gaze never wavered. Not once. It was as if she was daring him to keep finding reasons this wouldn’t work. Her set jaw, her clasped hands over her perfectly pressed capris were all telltale signs that she wasn’t going to back down from this.

  Well, he’d wanted her to move on from selling, right? In his mind, though, he figured he could talk her into just leaving him alone and moving on.

  But on the flip side, she’d have to stick around at least for a while to get this ball rolling . . . wouldn’t she? Jax wasn’t too proud to admit he wanted her. That a
dolescent crush had blown up into something he hadn’t expected, and frankly didn’t welcome. He had a young daughter and he was always careful not to bring women around. Not that he dated, but if he were to find someone, he’d have to be very careful about who he let into his life. Piper was at an age that she wouldn’t understand. And with her mentioning a mother lately, he really had to watch his actions and words.

  “I’d be here some,” Livie informed him. “But I am going to have to get back to Atlanta soon. So we don’t have a lot of time to think on this.”

  Jax came to his feet, propping his hands on his hips as he shook his head. “You’re not giving me much choice when half of this is mine.”

  “Maybe Jade and I should wait outside.” Melanie stood and glanced down to her friends. “This is between Livie and Jackson.”

  Jade came to her feet and sighed. “As much as I want to stick around and be nosy, I know Olivia will tell us anyway.”

  Jax watched as the two ladies left his office. Jade shot him a wink as she closed the door behind her. With a laugh, he turned his focus back to the woman on his couch.

  With her hair perfectly groomed over her shoulder, the polished clothes, and manicured hands, she looked completely out of place in this dingy room. But, at the same time, she belonged here, because beneath all that perfection was the girl who used to call this hangar home.

  Her eyes darted around the room. Nothing had changed since her father had passed. The same picture hung on the wall behind the desk. The picture her father had taken of him when he first purchased the Cessna that sat right outside the office door. With a wide smile on his face, Paul Daniels stood proudly in front of the plane.

  Piper stared at the photo. Slowly she came to her feet and kept her eyes locked on the picture behind him. He didn’t say a word, didn’t want to break whatever moment she had flashing through her mind. Maybe she was recalling a time when her father taught her to fly. Perhaps she was remembering how he always used to slip her money when she came to see him. Even if it was just five dollars, he always said he wanted Livie to have everything.