Forgotten Wishes: Djinn Everlasting Book Two

by Manifold, Lisa

  “Nothing else?”

  Why did I feel like this was an interrogation?

  “Other than miss you and feel like I was counting the minutes until the fucking thing was over? No.”

  “Oh.”

  “Why are you asking me all this shit, and talking like this? I haven’t done anything wrong, Olivia. I fucked up in not knowing what was going on, but I did what I could to try and get out of the situation, and when I couldn’t, I made the best of it.”

  Whatever I’d said made her shoot out of the chair, and head over to the desk that had an open laptop on it. She bent over it, looking for something.

  “Made the best of it, did you? You mean like this?”

  She turned it around, and I saw a full-screen picture of the drunken girl on my lap pulling my face towards her ample cleavage.

  Oh, hell.

  “There weren’t supposed to be any pictures!” I said. This was frustrating as fuck.

  Then I saw Olivia’s face.

  Oh, fuck.

  Olivia

  Did he really just say that? Nothing about how this was all a bunch of trash—no, it was about there weren’t supposed to be pictures.

  I turned around, trying to stay calm. It was Royce all over again, although this felt as though it had more bite. The viciousness of the bite was upfront, whereas Royce ate a little at a time until he brought me down to the bone.

  Bastards, both of them.

  Facing him, I was determined not to go all banshee. “What is it you’re more upset about? That there were pictures, or that I saw them?”

  His answer was immediate. “Both, because they make it look like there was something to this, and it didn’t mean shit!”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “Look, I understand how this looks. I also get that part of this is my fault, because I was a weasel initially, and I didn’t do what I said I would. Will you let me show you that this isn’t a big deal? Just give me ten minutes.”

  I wanted to believe him, wanted to trust him.

  What the hell? He was already here, and it was only ten minutes.

  “You have ten minutes.”

  “Will you sit down with me?”

  I sat across from him and waited.

  He scrolled through his phone. Then he hit a number and put the phone on speaker.

  “X! Hey, where’d you run off to? I was going to ask you to lunch to talk a little more shop,” a woman’s cheerful voice answered.

  “Hey, Jazmine, I’m sorry. I had some things that couldn’t wait. Let’s make a date the next time I’m out there, or you’re in NYC.”

  “It’s on. You have some interesting ideas. So why the call?”

  “I just saw some pics from the boat.”

  “What? There weren’t supposed to be any!” Now she sounded mad.

  “No shit. They had one of me when you abandoned me Saturday night,” he looked at me as he spoke.

  She laughed. “I only abandoned you to find security. I’m sorry though if they have a photo of you with that chick. She was drunk and silly. She didn’t bother you again, did she?”

  “No, I hid in my cabin after that.”

  “Smart move. You see any of me?”

  “Only from you working Friday night, but you might want to keep an eye out. It looks like whoever took these are looking for a money shot—they’re all couples.”

  “Oh, well no worries. I didn’t even have the accidental meeting you did,” Jazmine chuckled. “I’m going to hold you to that date! Thanks for the heads up.”

  “You’re welcome. Let me know when you’re in town.”

  He hit the end button. Then he looked at me again. “I was sitting on that couch, talking with Jazmine. Then the girl plopped herself in my lap, and I didn’t want to shove her away from me. I was trying to figure out how to get rid of her nicely when Jaz came back with a couple of crew who took her away.”

  “Why was it you couldn’t just push her off your lap?” I couldn’t get over this part. He was a poor victim?

  “Because I shove someone, and they fall on their ass because they are drunk, and I get sued for assault. That’s how it goes. This girl was young, drunk, and I didn’t want to be an asshole, plus I don’t need any legal troubles. It meant nothing, Olivia! I’ve done nothing wrong other than not read. I made a mistake, and I am so sorry if I hurt your feelings in the process. I want to make this right, but I’m not sure what it is you are looking for here.”

  I filed away that he got as mad as I did, but was willing to talk it out, even if it meant an argument.

  We stared at one another for a few minutes. Then I sighed and sagged back into my chair.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I am making a mountain out of a molehill. I’m sorry, Xavier. Thank you for putting up with my questions.”

  He waited, and then got up and pulled me into his embrace. “I get it. I really do. You don’t know me really well, and this shit is fair game for questions. But thank you for letting me explain.” He tipped my chin up so that he could look into my eyes. “I’m really sorry. I knew you’d be worried, and I felt bad enough about that. I felt bad because I’d already stood you up once.”

  “You did, but I think you’ve made up that first time.”

  “Only the first time?” Now he smiled.

  “Well, this does seem to become a pattern. And I had plans for this weekend for us,” I added. I was so relieved, and at the same time, I was…I didn’t know. Off balance? Definitely.

  “Really? What would those be?”

  “You were going to get to meet my mother.”

  “What?” His jaw dropped.

  “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t warn me?”

  “There’s no warning that will you help you with Momma.”

  He opened his mouth, then stopped, thinking. “So she knows I stood you up again?”

  I nodded.

  “Oh, shit. She hates me now?”

  I hesitated, not sure how to put it nicely.

  “What’s your mom doing today?”

  “Um, I don’t know? Why?”

  “Call her and ask her to meet you for dinner.”

  “What? When? This really won’t be enough time for her, and I need some time to get ready.”

  “Nope. Call her and tell her you’d like her to meet us at Monell’s.”

  I stopped, caught by the fact that he knew one of our restaurants. “You’ve been to Monell’s?”

  “No, but two different people mentioned it to me this weekend as worth going to, so I figure it’s a good call.”

  “They do family dining there. We’ll end up sitting next to strangers.”

  “That’s fine. Less chance your mom will brain me.”

  I just stared. He was in earnest. I shrugged. “Okay. Your funeral.”

  But secretly, I was delighted he was willing to take on my mom.

  “Momma?”

  “How are you, honey?”

  “I’m good. Xavier is here. He—”

  “Did he come back with flowers and an overly extravagant present?” She shot at me.

  “No, but—”

  “There are no buts here, Olivia Anne. A man needs to apologize when he makes a mistake.”

  “He did.”

  “Satisfactorily?”

  “Well, you can see for yourself.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “He wants you—and Lloyd—to join us at Monell’s.”

  I could hear the wheels turning. “Fine. When?”

  “Say an hour and a half? I’m not dressed.”

  “Well, don’t delay. Who knows how long we’ll have to wait.”

  “Okay, bye Momma.”

  She hung up without a word.

  “Did you hear any of that?”

  “Yeah,” he grimaced. “Your mom is a hardass, isn’t she?”

  “In the best way,” I said.

  “No reservations at this place?”

  “No. They are first come, fir
st serve. You’ll love it if you love southern food.”

  “Well, okay. What do we do now?”

  “I need to get ready.”

  He looked me up and down. “You look good.”

  “Trust me on this, this is one of the things I just need to do. I don’t just roll out when I’m with my mother.”

  Xavier held up his hands. “Peace. I don’t want to even think about arguing anymore. Tell me the truth, Olivia. Are we okay?”

  I stepped closer to him and put my arms around him, enjoying that my head felt right against his chest. His heart beat softly in my ear.

  “We are,” I said.

  He sighed. “Thank God.”

  Xavier

  I held her, wrapped my arms around her, and enjoyed the feel of hers around me—willingly, which was a big step from where she was when she let me in.

  It was a good thing that she’d let me explain. So many of my exes would have been throwing shit and demanding things. Usually from a store that started with Harry and ended with Winston. Olivia didn’t do that.

  Again, this must be what it was like to be normal. To be with someone who didn’t live in the sideways world that I did.

  I loved it.

  Olivia let go of me. “I really do need to go shower,” she said, and she reached up and kissed me. “Make yourself at home. There’s coffee and stuff in the fridge.”

  She left. I’d had a moment where I thought about asking her to let me join her, but I didn’t want to upset things. I couldn’t tell why I thought it might, but something warned me to take it slow right now.

  Although thinking about her worry over meeting with her mother, maybe I needed to clean up a little.

  I headed for where I heard water running. She was already in the shower. I walked into her room, enjoying the smell that was uniquely hers. I’d seen her spray some kind of body spray on herself when we were in San Francisco. This must be it because it was all over this room.

  The bathroom door was open, and I poked my head in, determined not to look at the shower where I knew she stood naked, and probably soapy and…stop it!

  “Olivia?”

  She yelped. “Holy hell, Xavier, you scared the life off of me!”

  “I’m sorry,” I said to the back wall, still ignoring the shower. “I just wondered if you had anything I could use to clean up a little. I got a look at myself, and I’m a little rough.

  The shower door opened and Olivia’s head appeared. “If you look on that vanity over there—” she pointed at the one furthest from me—”There’s still some of Royce’s stuff. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s here, and it probably won’t have his stupid cooties.”

  I burst out laughing, not only because I couldn’t believe she’d just used the word ‘cooties’ but because I was so relieved. I hadn’t realized how stressed I was until I talked to her. Until I felt we were back on normal ground.

  We wouldn’t be that, in my head, until we were together again, and alone. Until we were able to speak the physical language that we spoke—there were no lies when you were naked with another person. I’d learned that the hard way, both with my own lack of telling the truth and with some of the woman I’d dated.

  The lack of transparency always showed.

  Part of me wondered if I was putting too much on this brand new thing via sex, but sex was important, and it was so good with Olivia, for both of us, that I didn’t think so.

  I heard the water stop, and I left the bathroom. I could get cleaned up, but I didn’t want to crowd her.

  “I’ll wait until you’re done in here,” I said, ducking back out.

  The living room seemed the safest place at the moment.

  Twenty minutes later, Olivia came out, her hair still wet. “You can come in if you like. I’m going to be a bit longer, but you can have a little privacy.”

  I followed her in. She sat at a little vanity that was in the room. I slowly walked back to the bathroom, watching her brush her hair.

  It wasn’t long, but I loved watching her hands move back and forth as she did whatever it was women did when doing their hair.

  I’d always just washed mine and tossed some gel in it and called it a day.

  Olivia smiled at me in the mirror. “I’m moving it along, I promise. Go on, it’s all yours.” The brush in her hand waved at the bathroom.

  When I’d finished, I looked in the mirror. “Good as it’s gonna get, son. Drop the swears and don’t be a dick tonight.”

  Then I went to join Olivia.

  When we got to the restaurant, I looked around. This was nice, and the fish in the koi pond were great.

  I’d always thought that only really well-off people had koi ponds. A leftover from my assumptions as a kid. But I loved them and loved watching the fish. If I didn’t travel so much or live in an apartment building, I’d love to have a koi pond.

  “We’re here first,” Olivia scanned the place. “I’ll go and put our names on the list.”

  I waited as she ran lightly up the steps to the door.

  “It’s a little while,” she said when she came back. “You want to sit down while we wait?”

  “No, I’ve been sitting too much today,” I said. “I love koi ponds.” The fish were huge and colorful, and they were hovering around where we stood.

  “Olivia,” a voice said behind us.

  “Hey, Momma,” Olivia answered, smiling, as she gave the woman, who was small, well-dressed and glaring a hug.

  13

  Olivia

  I hugged Momma hard, whispering in her ear, “Be nice. He wanted to meet you, even after he knew you were mad, so be nice.”

  Then I pulled back from her and gave her the stink eye. She pursed her lips, and then a smile slid across her face as she focused on Xavier.

  “So you’re Xavier. I am Marguerite Mereoux, Olivia’s mother. This is Lloyd Basterson, my friend.”

  Xavier shook both their hands.

  “You get us on the list, Liv?” Lloyd asked.

  I nodded. “It won’t be that long.”

  “Have you been here before, Xavier?” Momma asked.

  “No. I’ve never been anywhere in Nashville other than the airport. I have some friends who recommended this place, though. Although I think they went to a late night breakfast or something.”

  “That’s on Saturday nights. It’s great,” I said.

  “Yeah, they were raving about it. And they’re both foodies, so I figured that was a good thing.”

  “It’s very good here. But let’s get the elephant out of the middle of the room, Xavier,” Momma said.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered to her.

  “Shush, Olivia. I’m your momma. And this young man knew what was coming. No sense in letting the elephant sit there. Don’t you agree, Xavier?”

  To my surprise, Xavier was smiling. “I do, Ms. Marguerite. You leave them just sitting there, they shit in the middle of the room.”

  A very heavy, very long moment of silence, and then Lloyd burst into laughter. Big, loud, belly laughs, to the point that he only laughed harder as Momma and I stared at him, and he put his hand on her shoulder, leaning over.

  “Don’t go gettin’ your gussie up, Ri,” he got out. “Let the boy talk. You’re all ready for a fight, but that gun might be half-cocked.”

  “Could you fit any more good ole boy in that?” I asked. He must have had a cocktail before they met up with us. Normally, he kept the southern side kind of quiet.

  “Don’t you sass me, Lloyd!” Momma fumed at him.

  “Momma, ease up,” I said. “Xavier agreed with you. I know it derailed you a little but don’t let it stop you.”

  I’d been horrified when she’d started in on Xavier, but he handled himself perfectly. I wasn’t worried at all. It was also nice to see someone else get under Momma’s skin.

  Lloyd was still chuckling, and I couldn’t stop my smile. Xavier, wisely, had kept an outright grin off his face, but I could tell it was an effort.

/>   As awkward as this all was, it was lightening my heart.

  “As I was saying, and you agreed, before we were so rudely interrupted by…this,” she gestured at Lloyd, “I like to get things out in the open. Especially when it concerns my daughter.”

  “Did you stick up for her with Royce?” Xavier asked.

  Oh, sweet baby Jesus on a pogo stick.

  He did not. But as I looked at him, he didn’t look smug, or anything, just curious.

  Momma also was staring at him, and she sighed. “I did as much as I could. I encouraged him to let us try our hand at our little idea, and when he said he was better suited for something else, I acted sad.”

  “Momma! You never told me that!” I gasped.

  “Well, you loved him,” she said with a shrug. “Sometimes a woman can’t be out in the open. You have to work with what you got. Anyway, and now that the bastard has hightailed it out to more…,” she glanced at Lloyd and grinned, earlier anger forgotten, “Drunken pastures, I am going to make sure that Livvie gets everything that is hers and that man can never bother her again.

  “Drunken pastures?” Xavier asked.

  “We’ll tell you that over dinner. Quit misdirecting, young man. You’re handsome enough, but I am too old to be bothered by that. Why was my daughter crying this weekend?”

  Xavier looked at me, and put an arm around my waist, drawing me close and kissing the top of my head. He must have balls of steel, I thought. No fear or sense whatsoever, and he was in enemy territory.

  “Because she’s having a tough time in general, and although she and I are something positive, there was a miscommunication between us. It’s been explained, and I even have evidence. Isn’t that what you lawyers love, evidence?”

  No sense at all. None. You didn’t just tease my mother.

  “When it’s on your side,” Lloyd said.

  Xavier laughed. “You sound like my best friend.”

  “What, he’s an attorney?” Momma asked.

  “She is. She works in DC, does shipping related stuff. Tib’s widely feared for her negotiating. I make her do mine when I can get on her schedule. She scares the shit out of the person on the other side.”

  “That’s a good talent to have, in a woman,” Momma said. “It’s always so unexpected. But you will not hurt my daughter again? Because as you said, she’s having a tough time in general.”