Now it was my turn to grin. “And with your momma?”
“You know it, Yankee.”
At that moment, I was hit, almost like being hit by a lightning bolt. Was this what it felt like to fall for someone?
I’d thought I’d loved other women, and I loved Tibby, and Bryant, and Seth—but this was different.
It was…amazing and scary all at once.
I’d known her all of three weeks.
She laughed, and I watched her, considering.
Yep. That’s where this was heading.
Scary as it was, I was completely okay with it.
Olivia
He loved Hattie B’s, as I knew he would. Even Momma did, and she was prim and proper at all times. Except when she cussed.
We laughed and talked as we ate with our fingers, sitting on the edge of a long picnic table. I could tell that other people recognized—or thought they did—him, but no one came over.
I did see a few cell phones come out, and people tried to be discreet, but I chose to ignore it. As he said, this was part of his life.
Because I was so engrossed in him, I didn’t pay attention to the other diners after that.
Which is why I nearly jumped out of my seat when she came over.
“Oh my God,” she breathed, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder, her back to me.
I leaned away. I didn’t need stray hair all over me.
She was wearing a skirt and a jacket, obviously here on a lunch break. “You’re XTC!”
Xavier smiled and having seen his smiles, I could tell this was his public smile, although his manner was his normal Xavier way.
“I am.”
“Can I get your autograph?” She breathed, fishing in her bag for paper and pen. Her eyes never left him.
I understood it. He was gorgeous. And he looked happy. He was good looking no matter what, but him looking happy was irresistible.
It gave me a small, shy surge of pride to think I was part of the reason he was happy. I hoped I was.
“Sure, and then I need to get back to my lunch,” he met my eyes and smiled.
The girl didn’t even turn around. “Here,” she handed him a piece of paper and a pink pen.
It was hard not to roll my eyes. But I didn’t want to come off bitchy, so I restrained myself.
She bent over, and for heaven’s sakes, her ass was nearly in my lunch. I glared and reminded myself to be calm.
“Thank you!” She squealed as he handed her back the paper. “Are you visiting? I thought you lived in New York.”
“I do, but I’m with my friend,” Xavier gestured to me.
The girl looked over her shoulder at me, with a toss of her hair I noticed, and then promptly ignored me. “Well, I can give you a tour if you like. Nashville’s a—”
“No, thank you,” Xavier said firmly. “I’m all set in that department. Now if you’ll excuse me,” he looked over at me again and smiled, turning from her and letting her know the conversation was over.
She made a noise, but Xavier took my hand and ignored her even harder.
She flounced away, and I felt about ten feet tall.
“See? Not so bad. I can be polite, and put the pushy in their place.”
“You did that nicely,” I said. “But next time, since I assume there will be one, will you please put her in her place before she nearly sits in my lunch?”
He burst out laughing. I felt everyone, especially Autograph Girl and her friends, because of course, she had a group of friends with her, looking at us. I focused on Xavier holding my hand, and he kissed it.
“You’re so funny. I’ll keep that in mind with the get the fuck out of here nicely vibe I’m sending out.”
It was my turn to laugh.
He looked around. “You heading into your office?”
“I was planning on it. Why?”
“Can I hitch a ride with you? I’ll meet the car there, rather than here.”
“Sure,” I said.
As we left, he held my hand. I resisted the urge to wave to Autograph Girl.
15
Xavier
She was so easy to talk to. We went over what we were planning for the week during the ride to her office. I was glad she didn’t mind me coming there with her. Although I wondered at myself. Why did I want to see all the places that Olivia went?
It felt kind of like a dog pissing all over the place, marking his territory. Was that what I was doing?
Maybe.
She pulled into a parking lot next to an older house. I’d been so deep in my own shit that I hadn’t noticed we were in a neighborhood. Similar to the place we went to dinner last night.
I got out. “I like this.”
Olivia beamed. “Yes, we got lucky. There was a house here, but it burned, and the city had it razed. I got in when they were considering what to do. I said if they let me put in a parking lot, I’d make sure I made the house totally in line with the historic look, and I’d pretty up the parking lot.”
I looked around. “You did a nice job. The lot is almost hidden. It looks more like a garden from the street.”
“That’s the idea. Keep the city happy. I’m sure Momma helped that along, too. She knows everyone.”
I circled my finger around my face, keeping a serious look. “This is my surprised face that your mom is all over the connections thing.”
“You like her, don’t you?” Olivia asked as we walked toward the porch.
“I do. She’s probably not easy on you, but she’s like a tiger, and she’ll always be there for you. I love that. I like her boyfriend, too.”
“Yeah, he’s like my dad.”
“Does he work here?”
“No. He’s our guy in court,” Olivia said with a laugh. “Come on in, you can wait here while you wait for your car.”
“You don’t want me hanging around like some kind of stalker on your front step?” I asked, chuckling.
“Not good for business. Come say hi to Momma.”
She stopped at an office door. “Momma, I’m in, and Xavier is waiting for his ride.”
I peered around Olivia. “Hey, Ms. Marguerite.”
She watched us over the top of her reading glasses. “You two look guilty as sin. No!” She held up a hand as we both started to speak. “I don’t want to hear it. Save it. I am too old to hear lies or confessions. When will we see you again, Xavier?”
It felt like some kind of queen was talking to me.
Olivia said, “Momma, I’m going to go check all the messages and whatever. Can Xavier wait here a minute?”
“Of course. Sit down, young man. And Olivia! The place runs without you, you know,” Marguerite yelled as Olivia left. “As you might have noticed with your recent absences!”
She looked at me and smiled. “I wasn’t kidding. You coming back?”
“I hope to. But Olivia’s coming to New York next weekend.”
“She does need to work,” Marguerite said.
“So do I. I have a tour coming up, and I’m working on some new material,” I said. Which wasn’t entirely true. I was set with my playlist, but I was fooling around with ‘X’s and O’s.’ I wanted to get it done, get it ready—ready for what?
Didn’t know, yet.
“Good to know you do work.”
I barked out a laugh. “How do you think I make a living? Of course I work. It’s funny though, you all seem to think I lay around and drink and party.”
“Don’t you?” She asked sternly, although a smile lurked at the corners of her mouth.
“Sure I party. After I work.”
“Weren’t you in Washington, D.C. recently?”
I laughed. “There were pics? Yeah, my best friend, Tibby, the one I told you about?”
She nodded.
“She got married, and her fiancé and other best friend and I went out. Bryant ended up taking us to a dance club. It’s also predominantly gay men who go there, so of course, there were rumors, and all that shit
,” I waved a hand.
But I watched her. I wanted to see what she thought of that if she had any sort of intolerance I should know about.
“Yes, indeed there were. Your ex was rather voluble on the subject.”
“Marcia?” I asked.
Marguerite nodded again. Interesting. She watched me as carefully as I watched her.
“She’s such a pain. I wish she’d get remarried, or at least, date someone long term. She needs a hobby other than riding on being my ex coattails.”
I wanted to cuss, but I’d already gotten the eyebrow of stink at my use of ‘shit’ a few seconds ago. Fucking Marcia. If there was a way to make things sound worse, that woman was right there with a comment. Why couldn’t she let it go?
I sighed. Once news of Olivia and I got out, and I hadn’t missed the pictures people were taking at lunch, I was guaranteed some kind of angry call. And the tabloids would get an ‘exclusive.’
“Well, exes are like that.”
I looked up. “Yeah, they do seem to be.” My phone rang. I picked up, and the driver from the car service let me know he was nearly here.
“I am enjoying our chat immensely,” I said, getting up, “But my ride’s almost here. I want to say bye to Olivia. Where’s her office?”
“End of the hall,” Marguerite said, pointing off toward the back of the house.
On impulse, I stepped around the desk and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for giving me another chance,” I said.
She opened her mouth, but I could tell that I’d surprised her. I stifled a laugh. Keeping people on their toes was a good thing.
“Have a good trip,” she said as I walked out.
I hurried down the hall, ignoring the buzz of conversation I heard off to my right. Couldn’t avoid that people were seeing me.
Olivia was glaring at her computer screen. She looked up as I came in.
“I gotta go. Car’s here,” I said. I closed the door behind me. “Give me a kiss. It’s going to be a long week without you.”
She was in my arms almost instantly. I loved it. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. Every time she did, I felt myself alternately go up in flames, and melt a little more toward her.
My phone buzzed.
“Car’s here,” I said. I didn’t want to leave.
She sighed. “I wish we lived closer, but count on me this weekend.”
“Yeah, I got permission from your jailer,” I teased.
“Oh, go on. She likes you.”
“I know. It’s mutual. Walk me out?”
I opened the office door, and holding her hand, walked down the hall. I felt her stiffen as we got close to her mom’s office, and as we kept walking, I saw a guy standing in the doorway. Everything on him screamed angry.
He opened his mouth as he spotted Olivia. Then his eyes went to our linked hands and flew back to hers in such a look of outrage, it was almost not real.
She held up a hand. “Wait with Momma, please. I’ll be in in a minute.”
He said something else, but I heard Marguerite drown him out, and the click as the door to her office closed. I caught a glimpse of Marguerite as she shut the door. She winked.
“The ex?” I asked.
She was trying not to laugh. “Yes. Did you see his face? He looked as lost as last year’s Easter egg!” She gave in and laughed.
I joined her. Sometimes these expressions were just too much.
“Hey,” I said, stopping at the door, “Take care of you. I’ll see you Friday night.”
I leaned down and kissed her, soft, not crazy like I wanted to.
We were in public after all.
Then I hustled out the door, grabbing my bag from where I’d left it when we came in.
Olivia
I touched my lips where he’d kissed them, watching the door and seeing his silhouette bounce down the steps.
I had it bad.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t just go and sit in my office and daydream. No, I had to deal with Royce the drip.
I sighed. He always did ruin a good time. Then I stopped. He did. He always was what Momma called a party pooper. When I would tell him this, he would cross his arms and tell me at least he was an adult, and that I was stuck in being an overgrown child.
Asshole.
What an asshole.
I squared my shoulders. He had no business here whatsoever. We were divorcing, his floozy wasn’t here anymore, and this wasn’t his office.
I slammed the door open, surprising both Royce and Momma.
“What do you want, Royce? There is no good reason on the Lord’s green Earth for you to be here. Was I unclear in any fashion when we last spoke? Anything you need to say goes through my attorney. So while I politely asked what you want, I don’t give a shit. Get out.” I stood at the door, with my arm pointing out.
I knew the two assistants that were sitting in the open area were watching this open-mouthed, and that Jessie, Suzan’s friend, and spy, would be letting her know about it, but I didn’t care.
He was an asshole, and he needed to go.
“I want to talk to you—”
I crossed my arms. “Nope. That time is over. The time for talking was before you were sleeping with the intern—” I rolled my eyes for the benefit of the audience, “And before you both plotted to take over this business, which your girlfriend would kill even without your help dragging it down to the gutter, and before you dropped divorce papers on me. There is nothing for us to say, Royce.”
“Royce,” Momma drawled, standing up from her desk. “You’re in a bit of a pickle. Except for one person here, we have all seen and heard Olivia ask you twice now to leave. Another time and it becomes harassment.” She looked down at her desk, shaking her head. “Not really what your attorney wants to hear, Royce.”
I kept my face stern, trying not to laugh. Royce looked between the two of us, first bewilderment, and then his standard emotion, anger, coming to the forefront.
“You’re both such—”
“I wouldn’t finish that, Royce, were I you. Course, were I you, I wouldn’t have pinned all my hopes on a lush, now,” Momma looked up and met his eyes with a wicked grin. “Oh, didn’t you realize that arrest made the papers? We all saw it. Leave my daughter, and fall in with drunkards. Another unhappy call from your attorney, I would bet. I hope you’re payin’ him well.” Momma stepped away from her desk, taking his arm as she did so. She ushered him out past me.
He glared like I’d run over his dog.
I glared like he’d stolen the dog from me first.
“He is earnin’ every single penny,” Momma muttered. “But that’s good. Make those sharks work for it, right?”
I could hear her suppressed laughter. She was quoting some of his less kind remarks about lawyers. He’d actually said that to her and Lloyd.
That had taken a lot of apologies on my part to smooth over.
Why in God’s name hadn’t I seen all this before? I hated how much I’d been asking myself that recently.
Royce looked back at me, at the office, and then at Momma as she opened the door for him.
“Get ready for court, Olivia.”
I’d never heard such an ugly tone from him. Surprisingly, I didn’t care anymore. Royce—the man I married, the man I thought I knew—he was dead to me. I didn’t know who this was.
Nor did I care.
The door slammed behind him. Asshole. He was trying to break the glass.
But it held.
Just like I would.
I smiled at Momma.
She peered intently at me. “You okay, darlin’?”
“Never better, Momma. Now ‘scuse me,” I said in the most obnoxiously cheerful manner I could find, “I have a plane to book.”
“You can’t have any more time off!” Momma yelled as I sauntered out of her office, not meeting the eyes of either of my assistants, but feeling so smug I could burst. “It had better be your personal time, on the weekend!”
I laughed out loud as I shut my office door behind me. I was out of here Friday night.
* * *
The rest of the week went quickly. Lloyd got a few calls from Royce’s attorney, but he made it clear that if Royce came near me again, in person or via phone, we would be bringing the police into it. I was angry, but it was a good, clean anger. It felt good to be angry at him.
I realized I’d been angry for a long time. I just hadn’t felt I could express it.
Boy howdy was I expressing it now. I smiled to myself as I looked in the mirror. The plane was getting ready to land, and I wanted to check my face and make sure I looked all right.
A little face powder, and then I finished my water. Xavier told me he’d have a car waiting for me. He was annoyed I hadn’t let him send his plane, but I’d insisted. I didn’t mind paying my own way at times. While Xavier had a metric ton more money than I did, I wasn’t hurting. In spite of Royce, I’d saved a lot. I could afford my own plane ticket when I wanted.
A driver holding a card with my name on it met me, and I followed him to the car, impatient to see Xavier. He told me that he’d be waiting in the car.
When we reached the car, the driver opened the door, and I hurried in to be enveloped by warm, strong arms. He smelled good and warm. I could tell he’d had whiskey when he kissed me, but I found I didn’t mind.
Which reminded me—I’d need to check my bag and make sure it didn’t break. I wanted to get Xavier something, but what do you get the guy who can get anything he wants?
I’d found something, and I was excited to share with him.
But first—I had to kiss him.
He beat me to it.
“I missed you,” he murmured into my lips.
“I missed you, too,” I closed my eyes and lost myself. He had the best lips.
The car pulled away from the curb, and I didn’t even care if the driver could see us.
Okay, maybe I did. I pulled away from him and settled into the seat. He glanced forward and smiled back at me.
He already knew why it was I pulled back.
“I’m glad you came,” he said.
“I couldn’t wait to see you,” I confessed.
Xavier laughed. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.”
Forgotten Wishes: Djinn Everlasting Book Two Page 19