Page 44 of See You Maybe
“I won’t, Dec.” Her expression was fierce. “Not when it comes to your happiness. You aren’t alone.”
Declan sighed and looped an arm around his sister’s shoulders, giving her a side hug. “Everything is fine, Car-bear. You just need to trust me.”
She pulled away from him, and the look in her eyes made his stomach sink. “I do trust you, Declan. Someday, you are going to trust me enough to tell me why a woman you claim is just a business associate knew who I was and my family nickname by the color of my eyes.”
Declan’s heart stopped. “What?”
“We shared an elevator this afternoon. She was nice.”
Declan bit the inside of his cheek to hide his reaction. This was bad. Really bad. If Olivia told Cara about Ireland…
“Don’t get involved in my business, Cara.” He intentionally used the low menacing tone that worked so well on most people, but his sister snorted, before turning to walk away. She stopped and turned back.
“I just met her again in the ladies’ room. Courtney had cornered her.” Cara’s expression was grim. “Courtney noticed how much attention Olivia’s drawing. And not just from Chris.”
“What happened?” he snapped.
Cara cocked her head. “See. That’s not the reaction I’d expect over a business associate.”
“You know as well as I do how sick Courtney is.”
“She was just being a bitch. Olivia handled it fine, and Courtney left. Nothing homicidal.” Cara winced. “Poor word choice.”
For the next ten minutes, Declan made the rounds, but he couldn’t focus. He couldn’t pull himself from the past, and it was an almost minute to minute struggle to not look in Olivia’s direction.
“Can I have some of your asparagus?” He speared the vegetable off her plate before she granted permission. It had only been three days. How was it he felt like he’d known her forever?
“Seeing as how it’s already on its way to your mouth, it’s a moot point,” she teased. “But back to the question. Favorite childhood cartoon.”
Declan chewed, thinking. “I was always partial to He-Man, but I think it was mostly the sword.”
“’By the power of Greyskull’…” Rose giggled as she recited the cartoon’s tag line.
“My little sister loves the Care Bears. It’s almost a fetish.”
Rose choked on her beer. “How old is she?”
They were seated on the floor around the scarred table in front of the fireplace. He’d offered to drive back to town to go to the pub, but Rose wanted to cook. She teased him the entire time, forcing him to help prepare the meal. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed one more.
“Eleven going on thirty,” Declan groused. “Too pretty for her own good.” His lips lifted, and he took a sip of Rose’s beer, having finished his own. “Her eyes are like mine… and our dad’s… but they are so much brighter. And she’s so fucking sweet.” He chuckled. “Doesn’t matter who our father brings into our lives, Cara welcomes them with open arms. With her purple eyes, Luke started calling her Share Bear, which of course evolved into?—”
“Car-Bear,” Rose laughed. “I’m sure she loves that.”
She’d remembered. One comment from one conversation, twelve years ago. Declan’s chest ached, and it felt like he couldn’t draw a full breath.
You can’t have her. She deserves better.
Declan made his way back to his seat, his thoughts too unsettled to even pretend to make polite conversation. Fiona was waiting for him, a brittle smile on her face.
“Where have you been? You left me with your family.”
In fact, he’d left her with her family, but he wasn’t interested in arguing.
Their table had rearranged so that Cara, Dahlia, and Cami sat next to each other, their heads bent close in an intense conversation. After a moment, Cara leaned over to Wes and whispered something. Wes looked over his shoulder at the table next to them and nodded.
“Are you all planning a covert operation or can we all play?” Fiona turned her head to look where their attention had gone, and she snickered. “Is she drunk? This is why they shouldn’t let just anyone into these events.”
Declan told himself not to look, but it had the same result as if he told his heart to stop beating. His head swiveled, body tingling and nerves jumping, as he watched Olivia slowly come to her feet at the table next to them. She tottered on her heels before he watched her back expand with a deep breath.