Page 43 of See You Maybe
“Who is she?”
Declan, more than a foot taller than his sister, immediately located Olivia at her table. “Who?”
“Oh my god! Do you think I’m stupid?” Cara rolled her eyes. “I don’t even have to look over my shoulder to know exactly who you are looking at.”
Declan tensed. “I don’t have the first clue what you’re talking about. Are you pregnant? Is that why you’re being emotional?”
“If we weren’t in public, I would punch you in the face.”
“You couldn’t reach if you had a stool.”
“Yeah… well… there are plenty of sensitive parts that I can.”
“Not very lady-like Car-bear.”
“Who said I was a lady?”
His eyebrow lifted. “I suppose if years of Swiss boarding school couldn’t?—”
“You aren’t going to distract me, Dec,” she interrupted. “Who. Is. She?”
Declan sighed. His baby sister had grown into a confident adult, and while normally he’d be proud of her assertiveness, right now he wished she wasn’t so observant.
“Who is who?”
“Olivia Adler.”
Declan blew out an exasperated breath even while his stomach clenched. “You just gave me a name, so obviously you know who the woman is.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Cara’s eyes sparked. “Who is she to you?”
“I’m trying to buy her company.”
“Bullshit.”
Time for redirection. “Fine. I wasn’t going to tell all of you this, but… Olivia Adler’s company has developed a device that can increase streaming speeds ten times over. If I acquire it before Chris does, several key Bloom Communications’ board members have assured me I will have their backing at the annual shareholders’ meeting if I call for a vote of no confidence. I will become the CEO of Bloom Communications again.”
“And Fiona? She’s part of the deal? Because of her father?” A soft, disappointed puff of air escaped her lips. “Declan, you aren’t really thinking about marrying her just to secure her father’s voting block, are you?”
That was exactly what he was planning on doing, but he didn’t like how the disappointed look on his sister’s face made him feel.
“There is nothing official yet, but yes, I think Fiona would be a suitable?—”
“Suitable?” Cara cut him off again. It wasn’t lost on him that there were only a handful of people in the world who would dare do that. Half of them blood related and the other half were their spouses—and Olivia.
“I don’t remember you asking my opinion or advice when you married your ex-con roommate after only knowing him for a few months.”
It was an awful thing to say, and the hurt on Cara’s face made Declan instantly regret his words. His sister’s mouth snapped shut.
“Cara—”
“Don’t. Wes is nothing like Fiona.”
“I know. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
She sucked in a breath. “I know you didn’t. I also know you are being mean because you are trying to get me to back off because you’re hiding something.”
If she only knew.