“But I told Addison we would watch a movie.”
I was disappointed, but it was her last night with Addison, too. “I understand.”
She studied my face. “Screw it. Addison lives a lot closer than you. Let’s go back to your place.”
I grinned. “Yay for winning.”
She laughed. “Now, I just have to go break the news to my friend.” She stepped away and opened the door.
I grabbed her wrist. “If you really want to stay, please don’t leave because I pressured you.”
She smiled. “I’m not. I really want to go back with you.”
I sighed with relief. Our time wasn’t over yet.
But it was coming to an end all too soon.
36
Olivia
It was going-home day. A week ago, I’d thought my vacation was going to drag out and last forever. But time had flown.
I stood in Addison and Maddox’s driveway, hugging Addison good-bye.
“Come back again, okay?” she said to me. “Don’t make it another few years either.”
I squeezed. “I will. I promise.” Especially if I knew Tommy was going to be in town.
I stepped back and gave Maddox, Thane, and Spencer hugs. And then it was Tommy’s turn.
He pulled me into a bear hug and buried my face in his chest. I was really afraid that I was going to cry right there for everyone to see.
I looked up into his face and forced a smile. “I’m going to miss you, you big oaf.”
“Ooh.” He pretended to be hurt. “I’m going to miss you, too, you little pixie.”
A genuine laugh came out of me. “I guess this is it.” I had no reason left to stay.
“Maybe the three of us can come and visit you this weekend,” Addison offered.
I immediately brightened at the idea until I saw the guys exchange looks.
“Uh, Addy, we were planning to get a lot of work done on the basement this weekend.”
“Oh crap. That’s right.” She shrugged. “Maybe just me then.”
“I’d like that.” Not as much, but that was neither here nor there.
I climbed behind my wheel and forced myself to start my car. The longer I hesitated to leave, the more everyone was going to think something was wrong.
I rolled down the window and waved as I pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.
“Call if you need anything,” Tommy yelled.
“I will.”
“He’s serious, Olivia. You’d better call us,” Addison said.
I smiled. “I will.” I put an X across my chest. “Promise.”
With one more wave, I put my vehicle in gear and drove away. By the time I reached the highway, I was wiping away more tears than I was comfortable with admitting.
I needed to keep my brain occupied before I got too sad about missing Tommy, so I went straight to work. Derek knew I was coming and had an afternoon coffee waiting for me.
“You’re the best assistant,” I said as I pushed open my office door.
“Says the woman who was planning to fire me less than a week ago.”
“I’m allowed to change my mind.” I flipped through the messages he’d handed me.
Most of them were potential clients who wanted to hire me. I was going to have to wade through them and decide who I wanted to meet with and who was going to be an outright no. There were simply too many of them and only one of me.
But we had a couple of associates that I could kick some of the cases down to. Even the first and second years were good because we didn’t hire bad attorneys. Or at least, we tried not to. We’d had to fire a couple over the years.
“Can you ask Bridget to come in here? I have a couple of things I need her to look into, so I can get started on Tate’s lawsuit case.”
Bridget was our investigator and one of the best there was. We were lucky to have her at our firm.
Derek looked uncomfortable. “About that.”
“Already something bad? I just got here. There aren’t any more letters that you haven’t told me about, are there?”
If Tommy or even Addison had told Derek to leave me alone on vacation, I was going to be pissed. Yes, I’d had a great time, but if something had been kept from me, there was going to be hell to pay. I was not a child.
“First things first.” Derek shook his head and handed me a pile of mail that was in his other hand.
“Junk mail, junk mail, a wedding invitation, junk mail, a reminder to schedule my six-month checkup at the dentist, junk mail, junk mail, and more junk mail.”
He pulled one last message slip out from his pocket. “Also, your mom called.”
I sighed. “What does she want?”
“To know if you’re going to your cousin’s wedding next month. She wanted you to know that she’ll be going a few days early, so you can’t ride together.”
My father had been the glue that held our little family together, but he’d died from a heart condition when I was in high school. It was the same heart condition that had been discovered after I was adopted but before my parents had tried to adopt a second child. That was the main reason they had been unable to adopt another child. So, now, it was just my mom and me, and we weren’t close. We were nothing alike, and I always got the impression that my father was the one who had wanted children while my mom had done it to make him happy. It was never said to me, but she always lacked a certain warmth. Not just to me. It was her personality. How my joyful, full-of-life father had ever married her was something I’d never understand.
“Joke’s on her. I’m not
