Marquise stood and shook Olivia’s hand and Olivia couldn’t help feeling small and miniscule next to tall, statuesque, lean Marquise, who was drop dead beautiful. The thought struck Olivia that she must have men beating her door down. She could have stepped directly off the set of a photo shoot for Vogue for all Olivia knew. With long, jet black hair streaming down her back, big, black eyes and a perfectly angular jaw line and perfectly shaped lips, she was strikingly gorgeous.
“Finally, a face to the name,” Marquise said, sizing Olivia up with her eyes and giving her the once over before she finally took her seat again. “Alistair’s been talking about you for forever. Good to finally see what the fuss is all about.”
Olivia was taken aback by Marquise’s blunt manner and was trying to decide whether she liked her or not.
“Sit and join us, babe,” Alistair said pulling out a chair and waiting for Olivia to sit down.
“Would love to, but I can’t. I have too much to do back at the office.”
“Not even for half an hour?” Alistair asked, looking disappointed.
“Come on, why not?” Marquise asked, still sizing Olivia up with an unflinching gaze.
Despite the workload back at the office Olivia took a seat in the chair. “See what you do to me?” she said to Alistair. “You’re the only one, and I mean only one, who can make forego work for leisure. You’d better consider yourself lucky.”
Alistair took her hand from where sat, bringing it to his mouth and planting a soft wet kiss on it. “I know I’m lucky and I don’t take it for granted.”
“Wow, I almost feel out of place,” Marquise commented in an even tone as she took a sip from her coffee cup.
“Well you’re not out of place at all,” Alistair said, giving her a pat on the hand. “You’re actually right where you belong—here at home—finally.”
“If you say so.” Marquise rolled her eyes, flinging her hair back over her shoulders. “Now if your mother could just wrap her head around the fact that I have one more year left, maybe even two, until I finish my up masters. I can’t just drop everything and come back to this God-forsaken town.”
“Come on. Seriously, Marquise. You’d find something to do.”
Marquise looked appalled. “So just what would I be coming back to? You and I both know this city is still dry as hell.”
Alistair shook his head. “You get out of it what you put into it. Covington is a burgeoning city and growing by leaps and bounds.”
“Said the boy who bought a house in the country,” Marquise countered in a mocking tone. “If it’s such a burgeoning city, why aren’t you living in it? Don’t know what the hell you were thinking buying a house out in the sticks.”
“I work in the city. That’s enough for me. Besides, the country is my escape. I feel no need to apologize for it,” Alistair said. “Regardless. I still have the advantage of a growing city at my fingertips when I need it. You said so yourself yesterday when I took you around showing all the new developments. Have you forgotten I know a little something about real estate?”
Olivia watched the dynamic between the two siblings with great interest. Marquise came across as spoiled rotten and very high maintenance. But Olivia had to agree with her disdain for country living just the same. Even though Alistair’s house was a cozy and quaint, it didn’t resonate with Olivia’s leanings for dwelling in the city. She figured it was just something she’d have to tolerate if she was going to be with him. Besides, she’d always have her own house to come home to.
Marquise shrugged. “It might be a growing city but it won’t be able to sustain itself in a shaky economy. I know you know real estate. You’re probably one of the best realtors in the city. I’m constantly bragging you up to my girlfriends telling them as much. They’re practically lining up at my door to come home with me to meet you.”
Alistair gave Olivia a warm glance. “Unfortunately for them, I’m already taken.”
“You certainly are,” Olivia said, returning his warm gaze with one of her own. Momentarily the two of them were caught up, making eyes at each other. It was one of those moments that Olivia’s misgivings and apprehension about being in another relationship totally escaped her. It felt good to be with a man who was genuinely looking out for her best interests. It was hard to believe only moments earlier in the parking lot Olivia had been ready to kill him.
As if realizing hers wasn’t the foremost presence at the table, Marquise cleared her throat as if to divert the attention back to herself. “Anyway...” she said airily. “I still say it’s a bad decision to start a flipping business in an unstable economy.”
Alistair removed his attention away from Olivia, the smile dropping from his face. “Still? That’s too bad. I thought I convinced you the last time we talked about it.”
Marquise shook her head. “Really dumb decision. And one you shouldn’t have made without asking me first. Hate to burst your ego, but it’s true,” she said, studying her French manicure.
“Business is all about taking chances.” Alistair looked over at Olivia. “Don’t know if I mentioned it to you or not, but Marquise is getting a masters in economics. I took her by to show her the house yesterday and gave her the lowdown on things. She thinks we’re throwing our money away but I’m paying her no mind.”
“I’m pretty confident we’re doing the right thing,” Olivia said, managing a strained smile as she looked at Marquise. Olivia was no dummy herself. There was always the possibility of the market becoming oversaturated, but that was with any business. Olivia drew in a breath and bit her tongue. It would have been easy to give Marquise a piece of her mind right then and there. So far, her personality came across as very off-putting. Olivia was convinced Marquise loved her own spotlight, but wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“Tell me that after the house is still sitting on the market eight months after the flip,” Marquise responded pointedly. “I think you’ll be telling a different story.”
Alistair looked slightly annoyed. “You just stick to economics and let me do what I do best. Okay, sis?” he said, tacking a smile at the end of his sentence. His phone went off just then. He rummaged through his coat slung over his chair, removing the phone from one of the pockets. His expression changed as he looked at the phone display. “Hate to do this, ladies, but it’s a client. Have to take it,” he said, getting up and leaving the two women at the table alone.
The sounds of Christmas carols playing softly in the background filled the gap of silence between them. Marquise took another sip of coffee and eased back in her chair as she studied Olivia with her eyes. “So are you really into my brother or is this just a temporary fling so you’re not alone for the holidays?” She didn’t bat an eyelash as she set her coffee cup back down.
Olivia had contemplated eating her smoked meat on rye now instead of waiting until she got back to the office. But her hunger subsided the moment Marquise uttered her question. “Excuse me?”
Marquise simply stared at her. “Oh I’ve seen it all before,” she said in a snotty tone. “Typical woman wanting a hard-working man, as few and far between as they are, who can shower her with lavish gifts and trips. Then after draining his bank account, she’s off onto the next unsuspecting victim so she can do the same thing all over again.”
“You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” Olivia was amazed Marquise had the nerve.
“Oh don’t I? You may be a different woman, but you’re still a woman, and women always have motives.”
Olivia leaned in towards her from across the table. “Not to be rude or anything, Marquise, but I don’t know you. All I know of you is what Alistair has told me about you. And I don’t know how much he told you about me. But just so we’re clear,” Olivia said, giving her a no-nonsense look. “I’ve been fending for myself for nine years now. And not one iota of what I own came from a man. I’m a corporate lawyer. I struggled to put myself through law school all on my own merits. I make good bank. I don’t
have to scrounge for money. In other words, I’m a self-supporting woman. And yes, I care about your brother a great deal. But this notion that I’m only with him because of what he can give me is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Check your facts, sweetie.”
A look of insidiousness washed over Marquise’s face. “Oh really?” She smiled smugly.
Olivia could see as plain as day what was going on here. Marquise was used to being showered with her big brother’s attention, but now she had competition. “Yes—really.” Olivia slid her chair back, stood up, and began buttoning up her coat. “Now I hope you enjoy your holidays. Just remember, I don’t need your or anyone else’s permission to be with Alistair. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you and I have a chance at actually getting to know each other.”
She picked up the paper bag holding her lunch, slung her handbag across her shoulder and strode across the restaurant to where Alistair stood chatting on his phone. There was a look of bewilderment on his face when he realized she was leaving. Olivia gave him a quick kiss, told him she had to get back to the office, and that she would call him later on that evening.
Chapter Twenty
The shrill ring of the phone sent Olivia flying out of the den where she’d been wrapping Christmas gifts. She hurried to the kitchen to answer before it stopped ringing. The smell of Christmas cookies baking in the oven filled the room and she was glad to be out of the mall and into the quiet comfort of home.
The atmosphere at the shopping mall had been the usual holiday mob scene. As much as she loved shopping, she was glad to have escaped the rat race. Jazlynn might not be spending Christmas with them this year, but she’d be damned if she’d let that get her down. Instead, she had come up with her own strategy. She planned to postpone their Christmas dinner until later on in the evening so that Jazlynn could spend Christmas with Trey’s family then bring Trey over for a later Christmas dinner at their place. She hadn’t run her idea by Alistair yet, but was sure he’d be up for it. This way Alistair and Trey could meet Vondrelle. Olivia grinned to herself thinking Vondrelle would have a field day grilling the two brothers with tough questions while at the same time warning them to do right by her nieces. It was the perfect plan. She, Jazlynn, and Vondrelle would have Christmas breakfast together then the group of them would all gather together for a Christmas dinner much later. Honestly, Olivia wondered, why hadn’t she thought of it before? Alistair had phoned and said he wanted to drop by after work to discuss a few issues with the house. She would run her alternative Christmas dinner idea by him then.
She picked up the phone receiver and spoke a breathless hello into the mouthpiece.
“Hey, girlie! It’s Auntie!” Vondrelle’s vibrant voice filled the other end of the receiver.
“Auntie! I was just thinking about you.”
“I know you’re probably all tied up with work and Christmas stuff so I won’t keep you,” Vondrelle sounded a bit hesitant.
“Is everything okay?” Olivia asked worriedly.
“Well...yes...and no.”
Olivia took a seat at the table then. “Doesn’t sound too promising. So, what’s up?”
“Oh, sweetie. I’m really sorry to have to do this to you, but I’m not going to be able to make it for Christmas this year.”
Olivia felt as though she had been punched in the gut. She let out a sigh. “Well. Wow.” Any anticipation and desire she’d had to celebrate had drained out of her.
“I’m really sorry,” Vondrelle said regretfully. “Production decided to switch some of the dates around for a few of the tapings so it looks like I’ll be taping right up until Christmas Eve. To make matters worse, the new network needs me to fly out to Vancouver on Boxing Day to finalize a few things. With such a small window of time it’d be impossible to get to Boden in time to spend a reasonable Christmas with you and Jazlynn.”
“This really sucks, but I don’t want you to feel bad. I’m so happy for your new gig the last thing I’d want is for you to spread yourself so thin that you couldn’t give yourself one-hundred percent to your show right now. Don’t worry about it. It’s out of your control anyway. Right?”
“It is, yes. But I don’t want you to hang your head worrying about not keeping up with our Christmas tradition. We always have such a ball acting crazy, especially once you bring out the Dom.”
The two of them laughed in unison.
“Has Jazlynn changed her mind about spending Christmas with her boyfriend?”
“No, she hasn’t.” And Olivia honestly didn’t expect her to.
“I really didn’t want to say anything to you the last time we spoke, but I really think spending Christmas with Trey’s family is a good idea for her.”
Olivia had already come to that conclusion all by herself. It was foolish of her to think Jazlynn wouldn’t want to spend her first Christmas with the family of the man she was so serious about. “I know, I know. You’re right.”
“I didn’t want you to think I was lecturing you or anything, but I really feel that it’s best.”
“I agree,” Olivia said, resolving the thought in her mind.
”And, while I’m at it, you need to get your head out of your own ass and stop being so stubborn and tell that man of yours that you’ll take him up on his offer for Christmas dinner, too.”
It dawned on Olivia then, that the cards had laid themselves out for her, telling her she was meant to spend Christmas with Alistair and his family. The seriousness of it scared her something terrible. Alistair seemed to think it was just Christmas dinner, but to her it was something far more serious. A man didn’t bring a woman home to meet his parents unless he was serious about her. Once you met a man’s parents all bets were off. She laughed in spite of herself. “Gee, if I didn’t know any better, Auntie, I’d think you were scolding me.”
“Well that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Vondrelle said with a laugh of her own. “I know you’re strong, sweetie, but you’ve got nothing to prove. He sounds wonderful and sounds like he’s perfect for you. You need open yourself up to him and see where it goes.”
“I’ve been doing that.”
“So why am I sensing some reservations there?”
“You know me. I just have to be sure.”
“You already are sure. You just won’t admit it to yourself.”
Olivia had gone back and forth in her mind a million times about the pros and cons of getting in a serious relationship again. She realized she and Alistair hadn’t even had ‘the talk’ yet. But perhaps it was time. “You’re right...he’s a wonderful man. And I think the world of him. I think about him every waking moment of the day. Sometimes when we’re not around each other and he’s off doing his own thing and I’m off doing mine, my heart aches for him and I yearn for the next time I’ll see him again. So yes, you’re right. I am sure and I am in love with him and it scares me to death.”
“Have you told him that yet?”
“Told him what? That I’m scared?”
“That you’re in love him.”
“Not yet.”
“Well when the time is right, you be sure and let him know. You have it bad for him and he needs to know that. Please promise me you won’t let your fear get in the way of that.”
“I won’t.”
“Glad to hear it, sweetie. I really can’t wait to meet this man.”
“And I can’t wait for you to meet him either,” Olivia said, suddenly wanting it to happen sooner rather than later.
“Okay, Liv. Love ya.”
“Love you too, Auntie.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Tired from a full day of shopping, Olivia followed Alastair into his house a few days later anxious for him to make her the spaghetti dinner he’d promised her. They would relax in a hot Jacuzzi together afterwards.
They’d originally planned to spend the night at Olivia’s, but lack of supplies at her place had them changing their minds. Olivia’s mother’s old house seemed empty since Jazlynn had begu
n moving some of her things into Trey’s apartment. Strangely enough, Olivia almost preferred Alistair’s place. It seemed oddly welcoming. With Alistair working long days, both at office and on the flip, quality time together had been very limited. But Olivia was taking it all in stride. She was at peace with how content she was being Alistair’s woman.
“Hey, love.” Alistair took her by the waist as they stood in the foyer, pulling her into him and kissing her full in the mouth. “I’m going to go get out of these nasty clothes and get all showered up for dinner and was hoping you could get things started in the kitchen? I need to make a quick call to a client, too. I won’t be that long, okay?”
Olivia glanced up at him, melting into him with a sweet smile. “Of course, baby. I have to get used to your kitchen at some point don’t I?”
“Oh, I heard that—especially since I’ll be sampling more and more of your cooking,” Alistair said with a grin, bending down and stealing one more kiss from her before letting go of her and turning and making his way down the hallway to the bedroom.
Olivia went into the kitchen and began looking through cupboards when she heard Alistair shouting expletives at someone. Surprised, she bolted from the kitchen and down the hallway to see what the uproar was all about. She arrived in the bedroom just in time to see Marquise and a strange man, partially nude, scurrying around, scrambling to put their clothes on.
Alistair was standing with his back to both of them. “I swear to God, Luther, if you don’t get the hell out of my house I’m going to beat the shit out of you! Just what in the hell is going on here?”
The man was standing in his underwear with a look of surprise. “Look...sorry man,” he said as he wriggled into his pants. “I don’t mean any disrespect...you know me...we’re cool, me and you...”
“All I know...,” Alistair said, keeping his back turned to avoid having to look at his scantily clad sister, “...is that you have approximately ten seconds to get the hell up out of here or this shit is going to get ugly.”
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