His words made her feel slimy and stupid. The word fool also came to mind. Also ungrateful. After a sleepless night of thinking about the kiss she’d wanted from him and the one he’d given her, friend was not the word to sweeten her disposition.
* * *
For the rest of the morning, Brady had left her alone. But later in the afternoon she sat in his office, briefing him on details for employee-appreciation weekend. She had the high points jotted down on a legal pad and checked them off one by one.
“I’ve reserved a block of rooms at Blackwater Lake Lodge. The number is based on the RSVPs received with a couple extra on hold, just in case. Also there’s a deposit for conference rooms for Saturday’s workshops. I’ve contacted speakers whose focus is on wellness in the workplace.”
Brady got up and started pacing in front of the fireplace. “What about the awards dinner?”
“I’ve contracted with the manager of Fireside. The restaurant will be closed to the public that night for our private function. It will be the Lodge’s responsibility to notify their guests of any possible inconvenience and recommend other places in town for their dining pleasure. I’m sure the Grizzly Bear Diner will be happy about it.”
“No doubt. Any push back from the Lodge on this?”
She shook her head. “You make it worth their while.”
“Do I?” He stopped for a moment and raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, indeed.”
Brady was a really fair and astute businessman and everyone was happy to accommodate him. He was also a good boss, she thought, and felt bad for giving him a hard time about the flowers.
“Besides,” she continued, “it’s not a holiday weekend and traditionally slow at the Lodge this time of year. They’re happy to have us.”
Soon she wouldn’t be part of the “us.”
“It sounds like everything is under control. Thank you, Olivia, for agreeing to stay on and handle this for me.”
“Don’t mention it.” If she was being honest with herself, she would admit to being glad for the excuse to delay her departure a little longer. She stood. “So, if it’s all right with you, I’m going to leave a little early and go shopping. Someone has to buy those traditional gifts for banquet night.”
“What kind of stuff did you have in mind?”
“The usual for the honorees. Electronics. Everything from e-readers to phones, tablets and TVs.”
“You might need some help with it.”
She shook her head. “I’ve got the company credit card and Blackwater Lake Electronics will deliver everything to the Lodge for the awards banquet.”
In the five years she’d been here, not once had he considered that she needed assistance. He’d never questioned her ability to handle the job.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t mind that I leave a little early.”
“Not only do I not mind, I’m coming with you.”
She should have tried to talk him out of it, but all of a sudden, the chore she’d been dreading didn’t seem so bad. “You can get away?”
“Of course. I’m the boss.”
She just didn’t have the reserves to talk him out of it. “Okay. Let’s go.”
He drove to downtown Blackwater Lake, which was just fine with Olivia. She loved riding in his SUV. The sports car was fun, but in a guy way. She enjoyed the luxury in the bigger vehicle, especially the warmer in the butter-soft beige leather seat. The dashboard looked as though it belonged in a jet airplane and not for the first time she thought that people with money really were different. At least their cars were.
Still, with all his success, Brady hadn’t changed in all the time she’d known him. He was still the same good-looking charmer who would never notice her the way she wanted him to. If friendship was all she could have, she’d enjoy it until the day Blackwater Lake was reflected in her rearview mirror.
He pulled the SUV to a stop at the curb in front of the store on Main Street. Staring at the signs in the big window, he said, “It doesn’t get much better than this. A convenient parking place and a huge sale.”
“Kind of brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it?”
“Just saying...” He grinned. “Okay, let’s do this.”
They exited the car and walked inside. Olivia knew the place was bigger than it looked from the outside. The interior was deep and filled with enough merchandise to make a geek’s heart go pitter-patter. Overhead signs identified the various departments: phones in front; tablets, readers and laptops in the center; televisions in the back corner where an area was set up with reclining chairs in front of a very large flat-screen TV and home theater.
Before Brady could beeline for it, the store’s owner walked up to them. Clark Gibson was somewhere in his late fifties to early sixties with gray hair and blue eyes. He was tall, trim and fit.
Holding out his hand he said, “Brady O’Keefe. It’s been a long time.”
“Hi, Mr. G.”
“How are you, son?”
“Good. Yourself?”
“Can’t complain. Jeff was here over the holidays.”
Brady had been friends with Jeff Gibson in high school. “How does he like Seattle?”
“A lot of rain, but he’s adjusting. Got a good job with Amazon. Proposed to his girl on New Year’s Eve. We like her a lot. ’Bout time those two took the plunge.”
“That’s great.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe Jeff’s getting married. The next time you talk to him, please give him my congratulations.”
“Will do.” The older man studied him and smiled. “You must hear this all the time, but you look just like your dad.”
“I consider that a compliment, sir.” There was a soft reverence in Brady’s voice.
“Good. I meant it that way. He was a good man, good friend.” The older man looked at Olivia. “And what’s this I hear about you leaving town, young lady?”
“I know, right?” The sudden switch in conversational gears made her feel as if she had whiplash. “A job opportunity came my way in California and I couldn’t pass it up.”
Mr. Gibson nudged Brady. “You didn’t make her an offer she couldn’t refuse?”
“The Golden State has more perks than I could compete with,” he answered.
“Seems like I heard that. A man?” Blue eyes twinkled. “Is it serious?”
“Could be.” If Leonard existed. Olivia found it hard not to squirm while fibbing to this good-natured man.
“I’m glad for you,” he said. “But I sure do wish you didn’t have to move away.”
“You and me both,” Brady said, giving Olivia a funny look.
“Your folks will miss you.”
“And I’ll miss them. But you do what you have to.” She shrugged and decided it was time to do what they came here for. “So, it’s time for the annual O’Keefe Technology weekend bash and we came to shop.”
“Excellent. I guess you know your way around.” During the conversation he’d been glancing at customers browsing the aisles. “If you’ll excuse me, I see someone who needs help.”
“Thanks, Mr. G.” Olivia looked to the left and right, getting her bearings. “Let’s start with the tablets. Everyone likes those and they always want the latest version.”
“Okay.”
There was something in Brady’s voice that Olivia couldn’t define. But he seemed a little down and that surprised her. This stuff was right up his alley and he should be quivering with excitement. Then she checked herself. Monitoring his mood wasn’t in her job description.
She turned to the long display table and they slowly walked along it, browsing the current devices, comparing features and price. After a spirited discussion, agreement was reached about which one to purchase and how many. She
wrote down the pertinent numbers and later when the list was complete, she’d grab one of the salespeople and make his day.
When she looked up, Brady was still holding the tablet of choice and he had an odd expression on his face, equal parts distant and sad.
She knew ignoring it would be wise, but she simply couldn’t. “Okay, talk to me.”
He looked up and met her gaze. “About?”
“What’s bugging you?” She recognized the look on his face, the one he got when he planned to tell her she was imagining things. It would save time if she told him not to bother. “Don’t waste your breath. I think we already established I know you pretty well. There’s something on your mind and you might feel better talking about it.”
“Probably not.”
“Try me,” she insisted.
There was a moment’s hesitation, then he sighed and the resistance seemed to drain out of him. “I was thinking about my dad.”
“Because of what Mr. Gibson said.” It wasn’t a question.
“Partly,” he admitted. “But mostly I was remembering. He would have loved this stuff.”
“So that’s where you got it,” she said. “Your dad had the geek gene.”
“Yeah.” His smile was a little sad. “He’s the one who encouraged my interest in technology. If it was up to my mom, we’d be using a hammer and chisel on a rock.”
She laughed. “Computer averse, is she?”
“More like dead set against.” He shook his head ruefully. “She’s scared of it. If anyone touches her TV remote control and starts pushing buttons, she freaks.”
“Even you?”
“Especially me.” His grin was wicked and fleeting. “There’s hell to pay because she swears nothing works after I’m finished. She gets it just the way she wants it and everyone had better keep their mitts off or suffer the consequences. Dad would eat this up.”
The words, tone and regretful expression tugged at Olivia’s heart. “You still miss him, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” He set the tablet down.
“Family was important to him.” Olivia remembered that awful day. Her parents were deeply shocked and saddened when Kevin O’Keefe, their neighbor and friend, had a sudden massive heart attack and died. It was the first time she’d seen her mother cry. “He was a good man.”
Brady nodded. “When he changed jobs to stop traveling so much for work I’d just started middle school and played baseball and soccer. He came to all my games. Every one. No matter how badly we lost, he found something good about the way I played and the team as a whole.”
“He was a wonderful dad. It’s good he was around more so you could spend that time with him.”
“Was it?”
“Of course.” She was surprised that he’d question it. Time with loved ones was precious. “Why?”
“I don’t know. If he’d spent less time at home, he wouldn’t have been so much a part of my life. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so hard when he was gone.”
Olivia had never heard him talk like this. He was always the brilliant, charming, teasing, intense and hardworking founder and president of O’Keefe Technology. She’d never realized how hard he took the personal loss, how profoundly hurt he still was.
She started to say something when she heard her name. Turning, she recognized Rebecca Johnson, a local real estate broker they’d worked with to buy a piece of land for Brady’s corporate offices.
There was no way to ignore the woman who joined them. “Rebecca, I would say it’s a small world, but this is Blackwater Lake.”
“No kidding.” The attractive, fortyish blonde laughed. “Is that why you’re leaving us for sun, sand and a mysterious man?”
Dear God, here we go again, she thought. “It’s a job opportunity.”
The other woman tsked at Brady. “You couldn’t do anything to keep her here?”
“I tried my best.” He folded his arms over his chest. “She’s determined.”
“I guess so. You’ll visit often, I hope.”
“Definitely.” Olivia got the feeling Rebecca had a time crunch and was glad of it.
“Good. I have to run and pick up my daughter from the library. Take care, you two.”
When they were alone again, Brady grinned at her. “It’s nice to know some things don’t change.”
“No matter how much we wish they would.”
“California is big and impersonal. There’s something endearing about a small town where people have a way of making everything their business. You’re too stubborn to admit it, Liv, but you’re going to miss it.”
The only thing she would admit, and only to herself, was that she would miss him. Terribly.
“California will be an adventure,” she said.
“Right.”
“And before that, I’m taking some time off. A long vacation somewhere warm.”
But she wondered if anywhere Brady wasn’t could possibly feel warm.
Chapter Eleven
“These sketches are very impressive.” Brady looked up at Alex McKnight.
The building contractor, who also happened to be his friend, had brought in some drawings for the O’Keefe Technology corporate office his architect fiancée, Ellie Hart, had done. Alex was working on a job in the area and agreed to stop by to show Brady the ideas. He was glad for the distraction. Several days had passed since he and Olivia had gone to the local electronics store, and ever since Brady had been thinking about his dad.
Alex was sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk, carefully gauging Brady’s reaction. “Ellie wanted me to remind you that nothing is carved in stone yet. Walls, plumbing, anything can be moved, added or subtracted.”
“Understood.” Brady glanced down at the rendering of the impressive building, paved parking lot surrounded by trees and Blackwater Lake in the distance. At the street entrance there was a sign announcing O’Keefe Technology.
“This feels like a big threshold, the brink of something very important.”
Brady wished his father were here to share this moment. His mother often told him that his dad was watching, that he could see his success and was proud. But that never made him feel better. It never filled up the hole in his life where his father had been. He couldn’t see the pride on Kevin O’Keefe’s face, couldn’t hear, “Attaboy. Great job.”
He still remembered a certain tone in his dad’s deep, booming voice, the one he used when Brady had caught a ball against the right-field fence, or scored a soccer goal. He’d meant what he told Olivia. A part of him regretted getting so close to his father because if he hadn’t, losing him wouldn’t still hurt.
“A building definitely makes a statement,” Alex agreed.
Brady nodded thoughtfully. “It’s tangible proof that a pretty successful web hosting, web designing company is really a conglomerate. When I make news, and I will, a picture of my building will come on the screen. The viewing public will equate that structure with my company and it needs to be exciting and inspiring.”
Alex grinned. “You sound like Ellie. She’d be the first to agree with you about that.”
“No wonder she’s so good at what she does.” Brady studied the drawing. “Okay. I want to do some research—architectural stuff. It’s important to get the outside right, then work on the office space.”
“Absolutely. We need to incorporate the two visions for efficiency, functionality and ambience.”
“I want to live with this.” Brady held up the drawing. “Run it by Olivia—”
Damn. She’d be gone soon and would miss the expansion. That seemed wrong on so many levels. He couldn’t imagine doing this on his own. Actually, that wasn’t true. He couldn’t imagine doing it without her.
“Something wrong, Brady? Where is Olivia?”
&n
bsp; “At lunch.” He met the other man’s gaze. “I want her opinion on what you’ve given me.”
“If you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. Ellie was really bummed about not being here for the meeting, but she has a doctor’s appointment.” Excitement, pride and something resembling fear sparked in the other man’s eyes. “We’re getting down to the wire. The baby’s due in about four weeks.”
“Wow. You don’t look like you’re freaking out yet.”
“I am on the inside,” he admitted. “And I’ve been through this once before. At least the birth part.”
Brady knew his friend had been married before, to a woman who had lied to him about the paternity of the child she’d been carrying. Soon after the baby was born she left him for the man who’d fathered said child. That had to have been really tough.
Brady also knew his friend had grieved over the son he’d believed was his and had been alone for a long time after his wife left. Suddenly he was curious about what had made Alex decide to take another chance.
“You’re a lucky man.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at his friend. “Ellie is a special lady.”
“That she is.”
“When are you two getting married?”
“After the baby is born. Probably some time this summer.”
“Any particular reason you’re waiting?” Cold feet? Brady wondered. Time to make sure it wasn’t a mistake?
“I asked Ellie to marry me right after she found out she was pregnant and would have done it then and there.”
“And?”
“She turned me down.”
Brady figured if he asked Olivia she would know all the particulars of Alex and Ellie’s romance. All the women in Blackwater Lake probably knew what had gone down. He didn’t have a clue and counted on his assistant to keep him in the know on local news.
“Why did she say no?” he asked his friend.
“Said she didn’t want duty to be motivation for marriage. And I shouldn’t feel any obligation. That she could take care of herself and the baby.”
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