Page 18 of See You Maybe
Olivia’s jaw dropped open.
“Does that surprise you?” He tried to make his tone self-deprecating, but there was an edge he couldn’t hide.
“My father was their family doctor and a close friend of David Bloom, so Declan and I were thrown together a lot. We actually had a lot in common… Dec can be a lot of fun… when he’s getting his way.” He sighed again. “But the older I got, the more disturbed I was by the things I saw happening. They all do it. David, Declan, the twins, even Cara. They can turn on the charm and make you feel like you are the center of the universe, but then just as quick, they flip the switch and you are left alone out in the cold. An outsider.”
Her heart ached. Chris’s words hit too close to Olivia’s own situation,
“I know what that’s like,” she said quietly, and Chris gave her a quizzical look. “Family businesses can be a tough group to break into.”
His eyes returned speculatively to the other passengers.
“I imagine even worse when you leave the family. Our situations are similar. I pulled away from the Blooms and… That’s why I still have questions about Trey and Matt’s deaths. Why Courtney is having such a hard time accepting the police version of what happened…” He shook his head. “I know they claim that Camellia Messina got Trey on tape confessing, but she married James Bloom less than two weeks later. Between him and his brother Luke, they know how to work the legal system.
“Then, if you consider their sister Cara is married to some sort of computer hacker... It wouldn’t be hard for them to fake a recording. Who knows how many judges and cops Declan has in his pocket?”
Olivia couldn’t hide her shock. “You think they murdered?—”
“No.” He sagged in his seat. “I don’t know. The whole situation is so hard to accept… I’m sorry, I never should have said anything.”
Olivia was deeply uncomfortable with the conversation but nodded, hoping Chris would take it as a signal it was over and return to his seat.
There was clearly a lot of animosity between Chris and the Blooms, Declan in particular. She was getting a terrible feeling that Armstrong Electronics was going to end up as collateral damage in whatever war the two men were waging.
The flight attendant stopped by to let them know they would land soon, and Chris stood staring down at her for a long moment, his hand resting on the back of her seat.
“Whichever company you choose, be careful. Declan has a reputation for a reason.”
Olivia gave him a bland smile, not wanting to reveal how much the conversation had unnerved her.
But as the plane made its descent into the New York area, a sudden disturbing thought hit her.
Does Chris know about our history? He said he’d been best friends with Declan. Would he have told Chris about the week together the way she had told Jessica? Was this his way of warning her not to make the same mistake? Then again, Declan didn’t know her real name, and he hadn’t remembered her…
“What were you and Chris Keller speaking so cozily about?” Kyle hissed in her ear as they waited for their luggage to be put in the black SUVs waiting for them.
“He was just trying to muddy the waters of his competitors.” Olivia slipped on her sunglasses even though the day was overcast.
“Right,” Kyle grunted. “Don’t screw this up by flirting, Livvy. It will only make you look stupid and embarrass my father. He’s way out of your league. Though maybe that’s your goal? To embarrass me more?”
With an intentionally bored look on her face, Olivia took a few steps away from Kyle under the guise of supervising their luggage. His fingers grabbed at her elbow, but released almost instantly, and Kyle let her move away. Olivia’s heart raced, and she struggled to maintain her calm façade. She hadn’t survived Kyle with her job intact for him to ruin it for her now that they were divorced.
The stress of the potential deal was bringing out the worst in Kyle. Since she moved out, and their divorce finalized, he’d been unpleasant on the rare occasion they’d been forced to interact, but Olivia suspected he was as happy as she was that their marriage was over. However, over the past several weeks, his behavior had shifted back to what it had been when they were married.
Olivia tightly controlled the air entering and leaving her lungs. She was so close to being completely free of him. With the buyout, Kyle would most likely leave the company to live the life of leisure he’d always wanted. Not that it would look much different from the one he led now, but it would mean he no longer came to the office, and hopefully, she would never see him again.
Once in her room, Olivia tried to settle her nerves, but she still had hours to go until the event that evening. Tea, she needed tea. Fortunately, there was a café only two blocks away, and by the time she returned to the lobby, her tea had cooled enough for her to drink.
Clutching her cup of mint tea, Olivia waited for the elevator that would take her to her floor. A petite woman jabbed at the button, balancing a drink carrier with three coffees and what looked like several individual pastry bags. Two bags slid to the side, clearly in danger of ending up on the floor.
“Argh,” the woman growled.
“Do you need some help?” Transferring her cup to one hand, Olivia carefully stacked the bags in the center of the carrier so that the coffee cups blocked the edges. “Hopefully, that will hold you until you get to your room.”
“Thanks.” The young woman flashed a brilliant smile at her. “I volunteered to get sustenance for my sisters… Well, I guess only one is technically my sister, but I know Dahlia will be soon enough,” the woman said, as the elevator car arrived and they stepped on. The young woman barely paused as she continued to speak. “I know Dahlia says she wants to wait a year, but I’m a big fan of fast weddings…” She stopped cheeks flushing.
Olivia tried to follow the woman’s train of thought, but her violet eyes were distracting.
“I’m babbling, aren’t I?” The woman huffed a breath that ruffled her golden hair. This woman was seriously stunning. “I babble when I’m nervous, and my anxiety about tonight is about as high as it can be.”