Page 95 of See You Maybe
Olivia was grateful she made it to her car before the sobs fought their way free.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Atlanta—Present Day
Olivia was irritable the next morning as she made her coffee, cursing when she missed her mug and splashed the hot liquid on the marble countertop. She wiped up the spill in short, angry swipes. Then, with pursed lips and a dull headache, she tucked her laptop under her arm and carried it and her coffee to the screened porch overlooking the river behind her home.
One benefit of tossing and turning all night was, somewhere around three a.m., inspiration struck her. Olivia scrolled through her notes as she sipped her coffee, slowly feeling like herself again. When her phone rang on the table next to her, a flare of alarm shot into her stomach when she saw the name displayed.
Why is Chris Keller calling me?
They hadn’t spoken since the scene in the conference room the week before.
“I owe you a huge apology.”
Olivia blinked at his greeting. “Good morning.”
“Sorry. I should have led with that.” Chris’s voice sounded different. Almost sad. “I’ve recently become aware of something, and I wanted to call you right away. The night of the gala…” He sighed. “When you weren’t feeling well…”
Olivia’s cheeks flamed. She only had the vaguest of memories of Chris after leaving the ballroom. “I’m not sure what happened. I’m sorry if?—”
“I’m the one who should apologize to you. I feel responsible for what happened.”
What does that mean?
“Maybe I should have insisted on taking you back to your hotel, but Cara and the others were adamant. I thought it might be more appropriate for women…”
Olivia’s shoulders slumped, humiliation making her queasy. “You did the right thing. I’d blame it on jet lag, but we didn’t change time zones.” She joked, but even to her ears, it sounded flat.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Chris’s voice was so serious, the hairs on the back of her neck lifted. “You saw Courtney that night…”
Where is he going with this?
“She’s not in a healthy mental state right now.” Chris let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know how to tell you this, other than to just say it. Courtney apparently thought you and I were involved more than professionally. She put a couple of her Xanax pills in your drink while you were both in the bathroom.”
“What?” For a beat, Olivia wondered if she had finally fallen asleep the night before and was dreaming. “She drugged me?” Olivia tried to wrap her head around the concept.
“I’m so sorry. If I’d known how out of control her behavior had become… No, that’s not an excuse. I should have realized she’d completely lost it. I feel terrible. It’s why you were so light-headed. I only found out this morning.”
Olivia wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. “But… Why…”
“She’s really struggling with her sons’ deaths. Those boys were everything to her. Losing them broke her.” He sniffed. Was he crying? Despite her anger, Olivia felt a tug of sympathy for him. It wasn’t his fault he was dating a crazy person.
“It’s only been a little more than a month, and at first, I thought her behavior was a result of the initial shock, but it seems to be getting worse. She’s erratic, mixing her medications and alcohol, the paranoia… But I never dreamed she would do what she did to you.”
Another heavy sigh sounded through the phone. “I wanted you to know as soon as I heard.” Chris paused. “Look, I know the deal didn’t work out the way either of us anticipated, but I have a lot of respect for your abilities. I’d like to help you find another position… as an ‘I’m sorry.’”
His abrupt change of topic stunned her, but Chris continued when she didn’t speak. “I’m familiar with how Bloom Capital does business. Declan will strip down Armstrong and sell it. It’s unlikely the new buyers will have a place for you.”
“What are you suggesting, exactly?”
“Let me take you to dinner tomorrow night. You would be an asset to any company, but Bloom Communications has so many subsidiaries, I’m confident we can find the right fit within our network.”
“That’s not necessary.” Olivia wasn’t sure what to make of the offer. On the surface, it seemed harmless, but she didn’t trust him. She turned his offer over in her brain, but Olivia couldn’t figure out what he wanted from her. Was he worried she would make a complaint with the police? He must realize it was too late for that.
“Please. At the very least, let me buy you dinner as an apology for what Courtney did.” When Olivia hesitated, he continued. “I know you’ve worked at Armstrong for your entire career, and while you accomplished some impressive things, it wouldn’t hurt to build your network as you consider your next position.”
Olivia took a deep breath. As much as she hated it, Chris was right. “All right,” Olivia reluctantly agreed, before she had a chance to second guess herself. If her new plan didn’t work, her employees wouldn’t be the only ones looking for a job.