“I care.” Grant’s face was still flushed, but his voice was quiet. “I care and it doesn’t matter because she didn’t.”
“You don’t know that,” Rick said.
“I know that something happened in her life. I don’t know if it was something bad. I don’t know if it was something good. But I know that, either way, she didn’t bother to come to me about it, and that is the bottom line.”
There wasn’t much any of them could say to that, Derek thought, because it was the bottom line. Grant was ready to spend the rest of his life with her, but Wren hadn’t gone to him. Whether it was something from her past she was running from or some great opportunity she was running to, if she’d been on the same page as Grant, he should have been the first person she talked to about it.
“If she wanted my help or wanted me to chase after her, she would have told me what was going on or where she was going, so I don’t want to talk about it again.” Grant was still for a moment, and then he shook his head slowly and headed for the door. “It’s over.”
They let him go, because there wasn’t anything left to say and, even if there had been, he wasn’t in the mood to hear it.
Derek felt for the kid. It was painful enough when a relationship ended, but to be on the verge of asking a woman to spend the rest of her life with him and then she ends it like that? That was plain shitty and there wasn’t a damn thing any of them could say to help him feel better.
Suddenly, he had an urge to call Olivia. He just wanted to hear her voice. But he knew she had a very full schedule today and was still trying to catch up from traveling and spending the time she should have been catching up with him, instead.
He settled for telling himself they were okay. Sure, there was some stuff they were going to have to talk about soon, like the fact the distance between his place and hers became more of an issue the closer they got. He didn’t want to move that far from his kids, but he was pretty sure she’d have no interest in living in his neighborhood. But that was a problem that could be solved. He hoped.
Because he didn’t even want to consider the possibility of Olivia walking out of his life. He knew for damn sure he didn’t want to feel the way Grant did right now. They were going to make it work.
Chapter Fifteen
“Admit it, that was a good movie.” Olivia shivered as they stepped out of the theater into air that was a lot chillier than it had been when they went in. Now that they were heading into autumn, anything could happen when the sun went down.
“It was...not crowded.” He laced his fingers through hers as they walked down the sidewalk. “I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a Wednesday night or if it’s because you’re one of only two dozen people who wanted to see it.”
“You’re a reverse movie snob, Derek. If there aren’t any explosions, you think it’s boring.”
“Well, there was one bomb.” He paused until she looked over at him. “That fake British accent.”
She laughed and bumped his arm with her shoulder. “You’re so bad. But thank you for seeing it with me, anyway, and you can pick the next movie.”
“As long as I get to hold your hand and you share your popcorn with me, I’ll watch anything with you,” he said in a ridiculously bad British accent that made her laugh again. “You did promise me ice cream, though.”
Even though it wasn’t exactly ice cream weather, they walked to the ice cream shop and bought two cones—black raspberry and strawberry for him, and orange sherbet for her. Then they found a bench where they could sit and watch the people go by.
“How are the kids doing?” she asked after a few minutes. “Is school going okay for them?”
“Yeah, they’re good. Amber had to have a meeting with Isaac’s teacher already because he reads fast and when they read together, he always reads ahead and doesn’t know where they are if she calls on him. That’s pretty typical for him. And Julia got seated next to a girl who keeps talking to her and getting them both in trouble.”
“Oh, that happened to me once,” she said, laughing. “You raise kids not to ignore people who speak to them because it’s rude, and then you have a classmate talking to you when you’re supposed to be quiet. I feel for her.”
“Oh, you remember Wren? Grant’s girlfriend?”
“His almost fiancée? Of course. I really liked her.”
“I guess that’s over. She broke it off with him and didn’t even tell him why. And then she took off, with no forwarding information.”
“No.” While she didn’t know Grant or Wren very well, she liked them both and she honestly thought they were a genuinely happy couple. “That’s heartbreaking. Is he handling it okay?”
“I don’t think so. He was kind of like an empty shell wrapped in anger last time I saw him. But he was going home to New Hampshire for a few days, so hopefully his family can help him get his head on straight. I heard him telling Gavin he might just pack up and go home for good. I hope he doesn’t, not only because I’d hate to see him go, but he shouldn’t be making decisions like that until the dust settles.”
“They seemed so in love.” She tried not to dwell too much on the love word, since it had become the elephant in the room whenever she thought about Derek or was with him.
“He was. He was definitely in love with her, and we all thought she loved him, too. But to not only break it off, but the way she did it? He’s pretty messed up.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She licked around the bottom edge of her ice cream before it could drip onto her hand. “How’s everybody else doing?”
He talked about work for a while, and then he told her a funny story about the time he had to help a rookie firefighter get out of a tree while the cat he’d been trying to rescue watched them from the ground. He was a good storyteller and she never got tired of listening to his voice when he told them. Luckily his job and the people he worked with offered plenty of tales for him to tell.
When they reached her building, he squeezed her hand. “I should go.”
“It’s not that late.” She felt a twinge of guilt because, even though he didn’t have to be at the fire station early tomorrow morning, it would take him a while to drive home. She’d known from the beginning that being in a relationship with somebody who lived on the other side of the city would be tough, but the deeper in they got the more difficult it became. And maybe it was time for just stay over, but not only was she getting up early, but Kelsey was showing up early, too. It wasn’t a work night for him, but it was for her.
“You told me you have a meeting earlier than usual tomorrow because it’s the only time the guy could fit you in,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “If I go upstairs with you, you’ll stay up late again and I know it’s an important client you want to get.”
Looking up into his face, with the streetlight shining behind him, it was so tempting to tell him she didn’t care. So she’d be a little tired in the morning. He was worth it.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he said, his voice low and rough. “I’m trying to be a gentleman and you’re making it hard.”
Her mouth curved into a smile as she raised an eyebrow. “Am I?”
“Oh, you know you are.” He cleared his throat. “You’re making it rough on me, trying to behave over here.”
She sighed and moved in close, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I guess you’re right.”
He bowed his head, bringing his mouth close to her ear. “And you can make it up to me in the near future.”
“Make it up to you? This isn’t any easier for me than it is for you. And I really do think you have a thing for kissing on sidewalks.”
“I told you, I have a thing for you.”
I love you. It was right there, and she almost said the words. Not that she had a thing for him, but that she loved him.
But then his mouth was on hers, and she let him k
iss her goodnight so thoroughly, she almost changed her mind about going upstairs alone.
He broke it off and took a step back. “Okay, you need to go in now and I’m going to walk away. But call me when you get a chance and tell me how your meeting went.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
She forced herself to walk because dragging out their goodnight would only make it harder for him to leave, and he wouldn’t go until he saw that she was through the doors. As she pulled the heavy glass door open, she looked back and wasn’t surprised he was in the same spot, watching her. He lifted his hand in a wave and then tucked his hands in his pockets and headed off in the direction of his car.
Olivia watched him until he was out of sight, wishing she’d changed her mind and called him back.
* * *
When the phone rang and Derek’s name came up on her screen, Olivia almost sent it to voicemail. She was home, but they were doing a video-chat staff meeting in ten minutes and then she’d blocked off an hour for following up with contacts she’d made at the conference. Then she had a follow-up appointment with a smaller client who shouldn’t have any problems, but it was still a tight schedule.
He knew she rarely answered phone calls during the workday. But she also knew that, other than in the evenings, he usually sent a text message, so it might be important. She answered it on the third ring.
“Hi, Derek.”
“I’m sorry to bother you like this,” he said, and she heard the stress in his voice. She could also hear sirens and a lot of noise in the background. “I hate to ask you this, but is there any way you could pick up Julia at school and hang with her at my place until Amber or I can get there? It would only be for a few hours. She has a key.”
Only a few hours? She stared at the planner, which sat open on the counter next to her as always, and blinked. She didn’t have ten minutes, never mind a few hours. “I...isn’t there a babysitter or somebody?”
“Our regular sitter’s in Pennsylvania with her family this week and we’ve called everybody else. Amber and Jason are on their way to an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon and if they cancel, it could be weeks before he can get another appointment.” There was a pause. “I know it’s a big ask, Olivia. I wouldn’t ask if I had any other options. I’m on a scene. But she can wait for me in the nurse’s office until we’re cleared and I can get somebody to cover me if you can’t get away.”
“No.” Leaving the poor child at school for hours wasn’t an option. “I can work from your place. I’ll leave in five minutes and be there as soon as I can. Will they dismiss her to me?”
“Yeah. Amber will call them and take care of that.” She could hear the relief in his voice and felt guilty for having hesitated. “I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
Not unless he could manipulate time and get her some extra hours in the rest of the week. “Don’t worry about it. Be safe.”
As soon as the call ended, the panic hit. “Kelsey? Can you come in here?”
Kelsey appeared in the doorway two seconds later. “You okay?”
“I have to go.”
“Go where? When?”
“Now. And I have to go pick up Derek’s daughter at school because she’s sick and then take her to his place and stay with her until he or his ex-wife can get there.”
“Okay.” Kelsey stared at her for a few seconds, obviously trying to wrap her head around this unexpected and unusual turn of events. “We’ll still do the staff meeting and I’ll do a transcript for you. We can follow up by email or with a second meeting. And I can do the follow-up appointment.”
Olivia paused in the act of shoving her laptop into its bag. “On-site?”
“Yeah. I’m thoroughly versed in the system you implemented for them and we both know the visit’s just a courtesy because it’s in the contract. They’re all set and if he has any questions, I’ll answer them. And I’m wearing black leggings and boots. I’ll grab a jacket out of your closet and rock that millennial office-casual look. It’s no power suit, but I’ll look professional.”
“I don’t know.” Olivia shoved the power cord and mouse in the bag, zipped it and then set her planner on top.
“Your other option is to reschedule them, squeezing them into an already tight day in the future.” Kelsey put her hand on Olivia’s arm, making her stop and look at her. “You are amazing at taking a group of people, analyzing the various ways their brains are wired, and finding them the system that allows them to all work together efficiently. That’s the magic you bring. But the actual tech? And troubleshooting the system you implemented? I can do that, Olivia.”
“Okay.” Decision made, she nodded sharply and grabbed her car keys. She’d drive herself because she wasn’t sure how long it took to retrieve a child from a school building. And she wasn’t sure just how sick Julia was. “Let me know how it went. If everything’s quiet, maybe we can do a video chat. And good luck.”
Kelsey laughed. “I think you’ll need the luck more than I do.”
“I don’t actually believe in luck,” Olivia said, picking up her bag. “It’s just an expression.”
But when she was standing in a school office, signing her name and waiting for Julia, she almost wished she did believe in luck because she could use a little right now. Maybe Julia just had a headache. Or she could even be faking to get out of a test she hadn’t studied for. Olivia had tried that a few times before her parents decided she needed a better plan and taught her how to structure her study time.
But then a very pale, slightly sweaty Julia was walking down the hall toward her, a woman at her side, and Olivia’s stomach sank. She wasn’t faking.
“She was just sick again, so you have a short window to get her home,” the woman said. She handed over Julia’s backpack and an empty plastic shopping bag. “You’re all signed out?”
“Yes, we are.” She held the bag up. “What’s this?”
“In case the window until she gets sick again is shorter than the drive home.”
“Oh. Thank you.” At least she had a leather interior. “You ready to go, Julia?”
The little girl nodded and they walked out to the Audi in silence. Olivia opened the door, but Julia just looked at her blankly for a few seconds.
“I’m not tall enough to sit in the front yet,” she finally said. “The airbags.”
“Sorry.” Great. They weren’t even in the car yet and she was failing at this.
Once Julia was buckled in, with the empty bag in her lap just in case, and her backpack next to her, Olivia punched Derek’s address into the GPS. Luckily, it was a short drive and she caught mostly green lights, so she was able to get Julia out of her car and up the stairs to Derek’s apartment without using the shopping bag.
The little girl was making a whimpering sound as she dug the key out of her backpack, though, and as soon as they were inside, Julia bolted for the bathroom. Olivia kicked the door closed and dumped everything on the kitchen table, anxiety clouding her brain.
She could list the pros and cons of every work and productivity program on the market for every business model, personality type and neurodiversity, but she knew absolutely nothing about taking care of small children.
Then she heard Julia retching and stilled for a moment. She’d never been responsible for a sick child before, but she’d been sick herself. All she had to do was offer what comfort she could until she could be with her mom.
The bathroom door was open and Julia was bent over, her little hands braced on the toilet seat. Olivia grabbed a clean washcloth from the shelf and wet it with cool water. After wringing it out, she put one hand on Julia’s back and used the cloth to wipe her forehead. Then she unrolled some toilet paper and had the girl blow her nose.
“All done for now?” Julia nodded, so Olivia wiped her face again and then walked her to the couch. “I’ll be right back.”
&n
bsp; She grabbed the pillows from Julia’s bed, along with a small throw blanket that looked very well loved. On her way back, she opened cabinets until she found a large plastic bowl.
“When will Mommy be here?” Julia asked as Olivia set the bowl on the floor in front of the couch and then helped her sit up so she could put the pillows against the arm of the couch.
“I’m not sure, but I know she’ll come as fast as she can.”
Once Julia was snuggled against the pillows with her blanket, Olivia turned on the television and handed her the remote control. Then she went back into the girl’s bedroom and looked around. There were a ton of ponytail elastics on her dresser, but she finally found a soft band that would hold all that dark, curly hair back without pulling on her scalp.
Derek didn’t have any ginger ale in the fridge, but he did have some crackers, so she grabbed those, too. She took two out of the package and put a little bit of water in a cup. After setting them on the coffee table, she pulled it closer to the couch.
“If you want those, just little nibbles and sips, okay?”
“Okay.” Julia kept her gaze on the TV screen, but her eyelids were heavy and it looked as if she might even sleep a little.
Olivia had no sooner unzipped her laptop bag than Julia jumped up and ran for the bathroom.
She almost made it.
About fifteen minutes after Olivia tucked a cleaned-up Julia back into her nest on the couch, her phone vibrated.
How’s Julia? They’re trying to find somebody to cover for me, but a lot of people took vacations this week, I guess. Amber might get there before I do.
There was nothing to be gained by frustration at the situation. She knew if Derek could be there, he would be. She’s been sick several times, but she’s resting right now.
Under Control Page 18