Page 17 of See You Maybe
Richard glanced at Olivia, and she gave him a small nod. “We’d be delighted.”
Olivia smiled. It might be fun. She’d been to plenty of black-tie events in Atlanta, but never something as high-profile as the Crystal Gala.
“Wonderful. I’ll have our jet ready on Friday morning.”
Kyle beamed, and even Olivia had to admit the prospect of flying private for the first time was exciting.
Now seated in the buttery leather seats and accepting a mimosa from the flight attendant, she tried to relax. Richard wanted to wait until after Christmas to announce their decision, but Olivia couldn’t help but worry that at any moment something would fall through. She couldn’t truly relax until the sale was complete.
Olivia sipped her drink as Chris lowered himself into the seat across from her. She didn’t miss how his eyes roved over her crossed legs, and she swung her foot. He met her eyes with an unapologetic grin at having been caught looking.
“Courtney couldn’t make it?” She deliberately referenced his fiancée.
Chris’s face drooped. “She flew back to New York yesterday. She didn’t think she could travel and attend the event on the same day.”
“This must be an awful time for her.”
Chris rolled his lips in before pushing them out again with a thoughtful expression. “Those boys were everything to her. She’s having a hard time… coping.”
A stab of sympathy went through Olivia. Losing your children would be traumatic enough, but the circumstances and stories coming out about the crimes they had committed… had to make it worse.
“I’m trying to help her, but it’s hard.” Chris continued quietly. “Matt and I had our issues, but to find out Trey…” He shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve fully accepted it. Sometimes I wonder if he...” Chris turned to look out the window at the clouds.
“Wonder if he what?” Olivia bit her lip. That was rude. This must be difficult for him. Over the last couple of days, she’d looked into the story online. One of the murders Trey Crawford, Courtney’s youngest son, had confessed to, before being killed by the woman he had kidnapped, was Chris Keller’s own father. There was a deeper story to all this, she was sure of it.
Chris let out a heavy sigh. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. Not particularly professional of me.” He chuckled, but his hands clenched in his lap.
Olivia smiled. “It’s okay. Like you said, if we are going to be partners in a sense?—”
“It’s only that you’re so easy to talk to,” Chris interrupted.
Olivia wasn’t sure what to say to that.
His eyes studied her face for a moment, then he leaned forward suddenly, his expression earnest. Olivia instinctively pushed her back into the seat. “I wouldn’t have said anything. I’m trying to let it go… Camellia, she’s the podcaster who killed Trey…The police insist she shot him in self-defense, but I can’t ignore the connection. It seems like an extreme coincidence that Declan Bloom’s sister-in-law just happened to be the one to kill Trey. The Blooms haven’t exactly been quiet about the fact they think Courtney was involved in their father’s death.”
Olivia’s eyes widened in shock. “I haven’t heard anything about that.”
Chris’s expression faltered. “I’m sure it’s just the grief talking. It’s only…” His eyes returned to the window before returning to her. Chris appeared to struggle with his words. “Do your research. You need to know who you are getting involved with.”
The unease that appeared when he had gotten close came roaring back. He seemed sincere, and yet…
Her eyes cut to the other passengers. Richard and Stuart were asleep, and Kyle was flirting with the poor flight attendant. He’d be of no help, anyway.
Sensing her discomfiture, Chris leaned back, remorse written all over his face. “I’m so sorry. That was inappropriate. I like you, Olivia, and I really like XEROS. I’m hoping you’ll accept our offer, but I worry you don’t know what the Blooms, particularly Declan, are capable of.”
“Declan?”
He grimaced. “People have always whispered about how Bloom Communications did business when the Bloom family was in charge. Declan might claim it was a petty move by Courtney to force him out once she inherited the stock, but the fact is, the board had grown weary of how he did business… His less than savory connections made them nervous.”
“There are always rumors about powerful people,” Olivia hedged, intentionally keeping her voice neutral. Her first instinct was to defend Declan, but she realized that the man she wanted to defend didn’t exist.
Olivia had heard the innuendos about David Bloom and his cadre of children. After discovering Declan’s true identity, Olivia had a hard time reconciling the Declan she knew—the man who recited poetry from memory while lying in the Irish sun—with the cutthroat businessman people spoke about.
“Trust me.” Chris’s lips twisted bitterly. “They’re true. I’ve seen first-hand how the Bloom family operates. If you are of use to them, they can be charming, but the second they are done with you… You don’t exist.”
Olivia shifted in her seat, her chest tightening.
“I’m not gossiping. I’m genuinely concerned for you and…” Chris looked at Kyle and the others to assure himself that no one was eavesdropping. “I don’t think you’ve come across Declan’s type before. Not that you haven’t built an impressive business, but Bloom is a global…” He rubbed his palm against his cheek and lowered his voice. “Declan and I were friends for most of our lives. Best friends, really.”