“If you want to call being right impossible, go right ahead.”
Ugh. Of all the overconfident, presumptuous, cocky—
“That’s what I thought,” he said with a smirk, cutting off my internal tirade.
My mouth dropped open, tongue at the ready to protest, but he tossed me a grin, threw the gear into reverse, and revved the engine.
The sound had me stumbling back, and he jerked out of the spot.
Without a glance, he shifted into drive and gunned it.
The man just left me there, staring behind him, wanting to stomp my feet and throw a fit or maybe just scream.
Arrogant asshole.
“What on earth?”
I whirled around when I heard the voice coming from down the sidewalk.
What had I done to anger the gods?
Only a curse could explain this string of bad luck.
When it rains it pours and all of that.
Because there was Lillith with her hands on her hips, wearing one of her fitted pant-suits and heels that made her look like some kind of vixen who’d rolled around in a billion bucks.
Rynna, the owner of Pepper’s Pies, was at her side.
“Tell me you didn’t have a one-nighter with Oliver Preston.” Lillith went all power-attorney lecturer on me.
That’s what I got for picking a BFF who was gonna turn out to be a lawyer.
“I mean, I know you’re infatuated with him, but seriously, Nikki? That isn’t healthy. That man is liable to break your heart.”
I had to hold back the dubious laugh.
Too late.
He’d done that a long, long time ago. Had been doing it all along.
Guilt swept through me. I hated that I kept it from her.
She was my closest friend.
Still, the sad thing was, she’d taken Sydney’s place. And Sydney hadn’t known the full truth either, so how could I tell Lillith? Maybe it was stupid, but that felt like another betrayal.
I forced a playful scowl on to my face. “Oh, stop it. You know full well I didn’t have a one-nighter with Ollie. He may star in a fantasy or two, but that’s where it ends. I think I’m a little too hot for him to handle.”
More like he’d burn me to ashes.
Lillith narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Forever searching for the truth. But I’d played this one off for so long, she wouldn’t recognize the lie. “Then why is he driving you to work?”
Rynna gave me an I-second-that look as we turned and headed up the sidewalk toward Pepper’s.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I think the real question is, what are you doing here before five in the morning, Lily? Shouldn’t you be back home snuggled up in bed with that hot husband of yours, getting yourself more of those orgasms I was so kind to set up for you? Rynna and I have work to do.”
Loosely translated? I knew Rynna wouldn’t give me such a hard time.
At Pepper’s front door, Rynna turned the key in the lock and widened the door for us to enter.
Pepper’s fronted Fairview Street. It was another area that had undergone a massive rejuvenation over the last handful of years, including the luxury hotel Lillith’s husband, Broderick, and his company had developed directly across the street.
The entire area buzzed with possibility.
Pepper’s served sweet pies and pot pies and breakfast pies.
You know, basically heaven.
Rynna had inherited the little diner from her grandmother and brought it back to life. Her grandmother’s unique recipes were the staple that brought patrons in droves every single morning.
Lillith gave a casual shrug. “I thought I’d help set up this morning.”
I shot her a dry look. “Dressed like that?”
Another shrug. “So maybe I woke up starving and wanted the first slice of pie this morning.”
“Are you pregnant?”
Nothing like a little deflection.
She gasped a horrified sound. “Shut your mouth. You know Brody and I aren’t ready for that.”
“Yeah, yeah, you have empires to build.” I waved my hand dramatically.
Lily’s husband, Broderick Wolfe, was the CEO of Wolfe Industries. His company had been responsible for a bunch of the revitalization projects that had been taking place in Gingham Lakes over the last several years.
She scoffed. “Hardly. We’re just . . . focusing on us for a while.”
“And all those orgasms I earned you. I have to say, my matchmaking skills are on point.”
She playfully rolled her eyes Rynna’s direction. “She really thinks she set us up with Brody and Rex, doesn’t she?”
Rynna smiled. The woman was one of the kindest people I’d ever met. “You know there’s no rationalizing with her madness. Let the poor girl have her delusions,” she teased.
“Delusions?” I gestured to myself with both hands. “This is the stark, glorious reality. I’m responsible for all your happiness. I think you should give me all the presents as a thank you.”
Rynna’s light laughter tinkled through the air, and my chest tightened in affection.
I was so happy for her.
For Rex.
That he’d found the love of his life after everything he’d been through.
Rex was one of Ollie’s best friends, and I’d known him my whole life. Rex and Kale had become members of our pack somewhere in our childhood, with us nearly as much as Ollie, Sydney, and me had been together.
Rynna had adopted Rex’s little girl, Frankie Leigh. Rex and Rynna had a little boy named Ryland who was a year and a half old.
I’d stepped into the role of honorary auntie faster than the doctor could say “one more push.”
I adored those babies, my heart overflowing every time I got to be in their space.
Of course, that rule applied to the newest member of our extended family—Evan.
Sweetness didn’t come close to describing that little thing. He’d been born completely deaf and had required a heart transplant as an infant.
The thing about him? The child was pure joy, just like his mom, Hope. Honestly, sometimes when I saw Hope and Kale together, I was the deepest shade of jealous a person could be.
I didn’t mean to be.
Didn’t want to be.
But sometimes it was hard to watch all the things you wanted most, feel them burn inside of you, and have the deep-lying fear that they would never become a reality.
Rynna flicked on the switches right inside the door. Bright lights burst to life in the darkened space.
We all blinked, adjusting to it.
The echo of pots and pans clanged from the very back of the kitchen where Kevin, the head cook, would have already been working for the last two hours preparing for the morning rush.
“Morning, Kevin,” Rynna hollered, moving around the counter to start the coffee.
Priorities and all.
His voice was barely heard when he shouted back, “Mornin’.”
Lillith slid onto one of the swiveling stools.
“So, what were you doing with Ollie this morning?” Lillith asked, point blank.
Did I really think she’d let it go?
I sucked in a breath, already knowing the riot my response was going to cause.
But there was no hiding this.
“Someone broke into my apartment last night.”
Rynna’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God.”
Lillith flew to her feet. “What?” she demanded while Rynna moved toward me, her hand reaching to grip my forearm, her eyes searching as she whispered, “Are you okay?”
I knew that wasn’t going to go over well. But I did my best to downplay it, to shake off just how truly shaken up I was.
Shrugging a shoulder, I leaned against the counter and did my best to sound convincing.
“Seth was the one who responded to the call. He thinks it was just kids running around being punks the way they love to be. They’re lucky I didn’t catch them. A little ass ki
ckin’ would have ensued. Or maybe I would have grabbed them by the ear and dragged them back to their mamas the way my grandma used to do when I was getting unruly. Death by humiliation. I’m pretty sure that’s all they need to teach them a lesson. I mean, seriously? Doesn’t the world have enough douchebags? Here I’d been crossing my fingers it might skip this new generation.”
“This isn’t funny, Nikki.” A shiver rocked Lillith’s entire body as if she’d just been slammed with visions of every single horrible thing that could have happened. “Kids aren’t the same as they used to be.”
As if I hadn’t noticed the downward spiral of decency.
Distress rolled the length of her throat. “They can be dangerous and mean, and they don’t think twice about taking someone out if they think it will get them something they want or cover something up to keep them out of trouble.”
I deflated.
Because it wasn’t a joke.
Not at all.
Deep down in my gut, I knew I’d been targeted. That it was personal, the way Ollie had said.
Brenna and Kyle’s faces flashed through my mind.
They were worth it, and I’d learned a long time ago that fighting for what was right wasn’t always easy.
I rubbed my palms over my arms. “I know. And I promise I’m not being careless. Which is why I went to Ollie’s place.”
I could fight with the man about going back to his loft until I was blue in the face. But the truth of the matter was, I was thankful. Thankful that he’d somehow known I needed him.
Rynna moved back to the counter. She pressed brew on the coffee machine before she turned around and propped her hip on the counter. “So, you called Ollie, and he came running?”
“Something like that.”
Lily’s brow arched. “What do you mean, something like that?”
I sighed.
It wasn’t like I was surprised that she’d insist on pushing the issue.
I searched for an explanation that wouldn’t cause an uproar. “He . . . he’d stopped by just as I was getting home after the meeting, so he was there when I discovered it.”
Surprise and speculation slashed a bunch of lines across her forehead. I could almost see the cogs turning in that analytical brain of hers. “He just happened to stop by?”
An uncomfortable chuckle rumbled in my chest. “He said he was worried . . . you know . . . since you went and told him I’d bailed on you for drinks when you knew I just needed to study,” I tossed out.
The traitor.
She probably thought she was doing me a favor.
The problem was, she didn’t have the first clue she was throwing me to the wolves.
Her brows lifted. “Um . . . maybe I was worried, too. Since when do you pass up an awesome bottle of wine on my balcony with your best friend?”
“Since I decided to do something with my life.”
“Hey, managing Pepper’s is doing something with your life,” Rynna pouted through a tease.
A light chuckle rumbled out. “Of course, it is.” Turning back to Lily, I cleared my throat. “Correction. Since I decided to do something different with my life.”
Lily pursed her lips “Uh-huh. Okay. So, you’re busy. I get it. That still doesn’t explain Ollie showing up at your place. Are you sure there isn’t anything you want to tell us?” she pushed.
I shook my head. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“You have to admit, things have been super weird between the two of you for the last year.”
She pointed at me to stop me from speaking when my mouth started to flap with another flimsy excuse.
Because things had been incredibly weird between Ollie and me over the last year.
Worse than ever.
I just hadn’t thought she’d noticed.
“Yeah. He showed up, stayed while I dealt with the cops, and then kind of demanded I go home with him since my door was busted in. He said it wasn’t safe for me to stay alone.”
“Since when do you do anything someone tells you to do?”
Since an overbearing, brute of a man decided he wanted to be my defender.
“Have you met Ollie?” I figured that answer would suffice.
“A sleepover at Ollie’s. Sounds to me like you’re begging for trouble.” Rynna’s observation blazed into the air. “There isn’t a whole lot that is simple when it comes to that man.”
My attention darted to her. A sea of unease lapped and churned in my belly. “Ollie and I are old friends.”
Why’d it have to come out sounding like a confession of guilt?
Rynna blushed with whatever thought went racing through her mind, and Lily was looking at me as if she were chipping pieces of me away and labeling each one as evidence.
“That’s all you have to say about it? After you’ve been gushing about that man for all of forever? Dish the goods, lady. God knows you always demand them of me.”
I had gushed.
Telling Lillith I thought Ollie was hot and, if I got the chance, I would chew him up and spit him out. At the time, it had seemed like the best way to explain away the longing looks that lasted just a little too long.
Play it off.
Pretend.
It was what I’d done to make it through.
“Believe me, if I had goods to dish, I’d be spilling because that would indeed be a fun story to tell.” I lumbered through the lie.
At least I got it out.
“The one where he picked me up and dumped me in his guest room, where I slept alone, and then brought me here this morning? Not so much.”
I left out all the million other things that made the situation complicated and so very messy. How I’d woken to hearing him having a nightmare and begging Sydney’s name. How I’d wanted to go to him.
Comfort him.
He’d only made it worse when he’d stumbled out of his room, rumpled from sleep, looking so sexy, I’d wanted to toss every single promise I’d made about him right out the window.
Lillith pointed at me. “Um . . . I call bullshit. I know that salacious mind of yours just went to dirty, dirty places. I demand a confession.”
I shrugged. “The man’s hot, and he was sleeping in the room next to me. Don’t blame me for a fantasy or two.”
Worry pursed Rynna’s mouth. “What do you do now? I’m not sure I like the idea of you going back to your apartment by yourself.”
Lily nodded. “Me, neither. The second you told me what side of town you were moving to, I knew it had trouble written all over it.”
“Okay, Miss Money Bags,” I shot at her.
Her mouth dropped open in offense. “Um, hello. You do remember I had to have Addelaine take me in when I had no place to live. It’s not like I haven’t been penniless before.”
“I’m going to have Rex start looking around for a house that his crew can fix up. It isn’t right that you’re living in that dump by yourself,” Rynna piped in.
And here I thought Lillith was going to be the problem.
Adamantly, my head shook. “There is no way I’m letting you two buy a house for me.”
Rynna carried on as if I hadn’t said a thing. “We’ve been talking about getting some investment properties. Really, it would be a favor to us.”
“Not a chance, Rynna. I’m no charity case. You know me better than that.”
She shook her head as she flipped on the heat lamps in the window. “I do . . . and I know you slave away here at my little restaurant for meager pay. If anyone’s getting charity, it’s me.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Lillith agreed a little too eagerly. “Maybe Brody can fund it, and together we can get another rejuvenation project going in Gingham Lakes. There are quite a few old neighborhoods that would benefit from one. It’s good for everyone—the community, the economy, the investors. It’s a win-win, really.”
Excitement bounced between the two of them.
“That would be amazing, Rex and Broderick back on a project to
gether.”
“Y’all are out of your minds,” I said with a flippant wave of my hand, turning to start filling the little creamer pitchers. “When I said gimme all the presents, I was thinking along the lines of a gift certificate to A Drop of Hope, or maybe a nice Vicky’s Secret bra, you know, the push-up kind since my boobs are basically non-existent? I didn’t mean a house.”
Lily pursed her lips. “Well, you can’t go back to that hole, and it isn’t like you can stay with Ollie forever. God knows I love him, but that man is a moody bear. He’ll eat you alive.”
That was exactly what I was worried about. I didn’t respond.
“Or has that been your plan all along? Tell me you didn’t go into some dark alley and pay some sketchy-looking guy to bust in your door just so you could sleep in the same house as Ollie.”
“You got me,” I told her, the words scratchy with dry sarcasm.
“Hey, when a woman gets desperate . . .”
She had no idea.
I spun back around and leaned on the far counter, arms across my chest. “I’m not desperate. He’s the one insisting I go back over there tonight. That he doesn’t want me stayin’ alone.”
Lillith widened her eyes. “Are you surprised?”
“I guess I am.”
Shocked.
Floored.
Stupefied.
I figured the last thing Ollie wanted was to be in close quarters with me.
“He cares about you,” Rynna said as if it were as plain as the coming day lighting up on the bank of windows that faced the street.
I shook my head. “No. The only thing Ollie cares about is being a savior.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
No. Not when it was going to destroy me in the end.
10
Ollie
“Seth, it’s Ollie.”
He blew out a breath on the other end of the line. “Hey, man. Was wondering if you were going to call.”
“You think I wouldn’t?”
I paced the concrete floors of my loft in front of the big bay of windows that overlooked my balcony and the city beyond. I had a view of the river twisting through the buildings as it cut through Gingham Lakes.
My loft took up the entire third floor of the building, Olive’s existing in the bottom two floors besides for the small bit at the back that was my garage.
Fight for Me: The Complete Collection Page 75