Melanie nodded. “I put a little of that peach Bellini I mixed up earlier in it.”
“This is pretty good, actually.” Jade took another long drink, then swirled the remaining contents around in the glass. “Get back to the date. When and where? We need all the deets.”
She should’ve kept her mouth shut. Olivia knew she’d never hear the end of this, but at the same time it’s not like she could keep the date a total secret. At some point she’d have to leave the house and they’d know she was up to something.
Besides, in a town as small as Haven, someone would see them out and they’d instantly become the week’s fodder for the gossip mill. That left her no choice but to suggest they go to a different town for their date. And by suggest, she meant demand.
Olivia sighed and eased back in her seat, clutching her drink to her chest. “I have no clue what’s going on. He said he’d get with me when his schedule wasn’t so busy. Piper made him pinkie swear that he’d call me within two days.”
Jade laughed. “I love that little girl already. She’s going to be a fun adult.”
The spunky toddler would indeed, and an image of her in her teen years with Jackson trying to keep her under control was quite an amusing thought.
Piper was adorable, and it was clear she had her daddy wrapped around her finger. Olivia couldn’t help but see the parallels once again with her own life when she’d been young. She’d thought her father walked on water, she was convinced he was the greatest person, and her very own superhero. He could fly, couldn’t he? Definite superhero material.
But as she’d gotten older, her mother had told her things that made Olivia see her father in a different light. He hadn’t always been there for his family. Her mother had often stated that clearly, they weren’t enough for him, that the airport was all he needed. He’d chosen that dilapidated place over anything else . . . even his health, apparently.
Anger, resentment, even some guilt for not being enough coursed through her. Since her father passed, she’d run the full gamut of emotions. At the root of every single day, though, there was sorrow. No matter what happened in the past, he was still her father and she loved him. All those precious memories from her childhood kept replaying in her mind.
The burning in her throat, then her nose, followed by her eyes had her reaching for her drink again.
“We’re going to need another for her,” Melanie stated, nodding toward Olivia. “I know that look and she is about one second away from a meltdown. Quick, let’s think of a movie we can watch. Something hilarious, nobody can die, and there has to be hot men.”
Olivia shook her head and tipped back the last of her drink. “I’m okay. I just get nostalgic at times. Well, mostly since I came back.”
She blinked away the moisture as it threatened to make an unwelcome appearance. “I’m still determined to sell this property. I have bigger things to worry about than this Podunk town.”
So she kept telling herself, but every time she bashed the town out loud or even in her mind, that niggle of guilt rose once again. She seriously needed to get out of here and back to the life she’d created for herself. Returning to Haven might not have been the smartest move. She should’ve considered doing this business over the phone. Then again, what would she have done with all the stuff in her dad’s house?
There was no good way to get closure. She’d simply have to endure it and hopefully she’d be somewhat unscathed on the other side.
“You’re going to get that promotion,” Jade assured her. She slid her barstool back and headed for the mixer. After surveying the bottles, she started making her own concoction. “That ass you work with isn’t fit to be COO of Stennett Enterprises.”
“The choice is obvious,” Melanie agreed. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m your friend. I mean, I am, but I firmly believe you work harder and you are much more dedicated to your job.”
Wasn’t that the truth? She didn’t recall the last real date she had been on and now she’d been set up by a toddler.
Olivia appreciated her own cheering section—she just wished she was as confident as they were. Examining her red nails, Olivia figured she might as well polish her toes the same shade.
She lifted her knee and propped her foot on the edge of her seat. “Well, they must see something in him or we wouldn’t both be in the running.”
“It’s ridiculous and insulting that they even compare the two of you,” Jade fumed. “He asked me out and when I turned him down, he attempted to tarnish my business. It didn’t work, but he’s such an arrogant jerk, he doesn’t even deserve the position even if he was qualified.”
Olivia had been with the company longer than Steve, but he’d brought in more business than she had. In her defense, he’d gotten sneaky when he’d pulled clients away from other agencies. Olivia didn’t believe in being deceitful. She’d gotten this far in her career without being ruthless or flat-out lying. She worked her ass off, put in way more hours than Steve ever thought about, and had a legitimate love for the business and their clients. Steve basically loved himself and anything wearing a skirt.
“Are you still dodging the date question?” Melanie asked, raising her brows.
Olivia shrugged. “I don’t know anything else. We didn’t set a place, so for all I know we’ll have takeout food in the hangar office.”
“Or maybe he’ll fly you somewhere fancy for a nice dinner,” Melanie retorted with a wide grin.
“You’re a hopeless romantic even after all you’ve been through,” Jade stated as she added more ice to the mixer.
Melanie pulled her
