Olivia nodded in agreement. The whole family atmosphere had awakened something inside her, something she didn’t even know had been lurking.
There was something so therapeutic about watching a kid movie with a bowl of buttery popcorn and not worrying about e-mails or conference calls—
“Oh, damn it.” Olivia jumped to her feet. “I have a conference call this morning.” Panic settled in as she glanced to the clock above the sink and groaned. “I’m so screwed.”
She’d missed the conference call by thirty minutes. Thirty minutes ago she was still trying to figure out how to slink out of Jax’s house without Piper seeing when she should’ve been more concerned with her career and the promotion she’d hoped to receive.
Her boss had handed her an even bigger client, or one they hoped to sign. She’d been entrusted with this potential new client, something far better than the load that had shifted from her to Steve. Damn it.
Now she’d have to do some major ass kissing. Not to mention damage control, because there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Steve was in on that call and had gotten his subtle jab in as to his thoughts on her not participating.
She wasn’t keen on lying, was adamantly against it actually, but she couldn’t be totally honest with her boss. She didn’t figure “I’m sorry I was sleeping off the morning after” was a valid reason.
“We’ll think of a good excuse,” Jade told her, patting her shoulder. “First, we need to get everything else straightened out and then you can call your boss. He’s on the other call anyway right now so just calm down.”
“Easy for you to say. Your ass isn’t on the line.”
Melanie pulled the juice and champagne back out and topped off Olivia’s glass. “This is an easy fix. All you have to do is explain you were in the middle of an emergency regarding your father’s estate. That’s all. They don’t need any more than that. They already know why you’re not at work, so I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Olivia listened to Melanie’s simple fix. It sounded easy enough, but this wasn’t how Olivia worked. Ever. She was always punctual, always efficient, and always prepared for every meeting whether it be in a boardroom or on a telephone.
“You’ve never missed before, have you?” Jade asked.
Swiping the cool glass with her thumb, Olivia shook her head. “Never.”
“Then there you go. You’re grieving and overwhelmed here.” Jade drained her glass of greens and sat it back down as she let out a sigh. “Okay, that was easy. So fill us in about Jax. Please, tell me you didn’t act weird this morning.”
Olivia shot her a glare.
“Oh, well, aside from the fact you left without shoes,” Jade amended. “You didn’t act like you regretted it, did you?”
Shoving her hair away from her face, Olivia smoothed it over her shoulder and concentrated on the ends. Perhaps she should get a trim while she was here. Surely there was someplace that wouldn’t botch up her cut too much.
“Your silence is telling,” Jade grumbled. “Why the regrets?”
Olivia glanced to Melanie, who seemed to be offering a sympathetic smile, but at the same time waiting for an answer.
“I don’t know what I feel,” Olivia answered honestly. “I mean, I’m glad that tension isn’t there anymore, but at the same time that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do if we’re going to be working together.”
“What did he say this morning?” Mel asked, leaning across the island on her forearms.
“Well, we only had a minute to talk because he was sneaking me out of the house while Piper wasn’t looking.”
Jade made some humming sound under her breath as she and Melanie exchanged a look.
“What?” Olivia demanded. “You guys can’t do that secret code thing with me in the room.”
“Did he try to rush you out?” Melanie asked.
“No. He tried to get me to tell him what I was thinking, but I had no clue.” She released her hair and rubbed her forehead. “I still don’t know.”
“I’d say he cares for you.”
Olivia stared across the scarred island to Melanie. Her friend merely shrugged. “I’m just telling you how I see it,” Mel defended.
There was no doubt Jax cared. She knew by the way he’d treated her, from the little he’d told her about his past. He wasn’t the type of guy to have a track record of sneaking women out before his daughter woke. Jax was a man of integrity, he was honest and loyal . . . and damn it, she was liking him more than she had right to.
She wasn’t going to be in Haven forever, so why was she allowing her mind to get swept up into this fairy tale she’d just recently realized she wanted?
“I need a shower.” She came to her feet, taking her glass with her. “Then I’m going to call and give some veiled, lame excuse to my boss and hope it’s not a black mark against me for the promotion or this new client he’s trusting me with.”
She only hoped he remembered that he’d been grieving recently too. She had to play on that aspect.
“When you’re done, we have a few things we need to run by you,” Melanie stated. “I started the process for a grant for the airport. We just need some information from you.”
Olivia nodded as she headed from the room. “Later,” she called back, waving her hand in the air. “Much later.”
Right now, she couldn’t think about grants or anything related to the airport because that would inevitably circle back to Jax. And right now, she needed to think about work. That was the only constant in her life. Whatever she had with Jax was temporary, so there was no room for a man and a promotion.
Chapter Fifteen
She wasn’t answering her texts. Not that he expected her to, but he also didn’t like being brushed off, either.
Jax pulled into her drive and stared up at the big, two-story house. Paul Daniels would
