by Natalie Ann
“I am. I’m just here to help, Olivia. As the firm overseeing your books, it’s part of my job to look at the finances and help in any way we can. I know you want to take over things on your own, but it’s best you have a firm grasp first and have staff that you can trust before you just take it all on yourself.”
“I don’t want to do it all on my own really. I want a manager I can trust to run the store, work the bulk of the hours, and deal with the staff on a daily basis. I’m willing to put my time in, don’t get me wrong, but I want to focus on design. I don’t want to give that up.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Don’t try to do it all. Do what you excel at and let others do the same.”
“So there is money in there for me to hire a full-time manager?”
“Of course there is. Plus a few more full-time staff and several part time. I’ve got your back, Olivia.”
The nice feeling of someone watching out for her was slowly overriding her fear that everyone thought she couldn’t handle this. That she was going to fail before she even got it off the ground.
“Thanks. It means a lot to know I can depend on you.”
“I know I said I wouldn’t interfere with who you hired.”
“No,” Olivia said, cutting her off. “I want your input. I really am not sure about that part of it. I’m not sure what to ask, and what to look for, and as much as I want to prove to everyone I can do this, I know I’ll need help.” It was hard for Olivia to admit that, but Sophia was the only person she knew she could be so truthful with.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll do whatever you want me to, just ask. But what I was going to say is I might know someone for the manager position.”
“Who?”
“Mary’s daughter.”
“Mary? The kooky office manager at Harper’s?”
Great, if Mary’s daughter looked or dressed anything like her mother, then she wouldn’t work at all. Olivia didn’t care how good of an employee someone was. One thing Hartman Designs was going to have was style. It had to be front and center when you walked in the door.
Atmosphere. If you want to sell high-end pieces, you have to walk the walk, talk the talk, and look the look.
“Yes, and no, she is nothing like her mother.”
“Thank God.”
“She is about your age, but she’s been managing retail stores for years. She started working in the jewelry counter of a department store in Albany, and then she ran that department. She left when all the corporate headquarters stuff got to be too much and has been managing a local boutique downtown. Close to your store.”
Sophia said the name, and Olivia was impressed. It was a high-end boutique. She’d been in there already and she knew the employees were required to blend in with the merchandise.
“Okay, why is she looking to leave?”
“Mary mentioned it to Phil, who mentioned it to me. I called and talked to Mary about it briefly and said I’d pass it on. Aside from loving jewelry, Kristen doesn’t really care for the owner of the boutique. And since I know who the owner is, I can’t blame her, but let’s leave it at that. It’s nothing more than Kristin being taken advantage of by the sounds of it.”
“Okay. I’ll take your word for it. When I go see Brynn tomorrow I’ll have Mary tell Kristin to send me her resume and we’ll go from there.”
“Perfect. If it works out, Olivia, she’ll help you staff the rest of the store.”
“I don’t even know what to pay her.”
Olivia realized she had no clue about wages or benefits, time off, nothing. She’d never worked anywhere before. She’d always been her own boss, worked when she wanted, picked and chose whatever jobs she wanted, and answered to no one.
“I have everything you need to know right here. Don’t worry.”
So she’d take Sophia at her word and try not to worry. Even though she was terrified of messing up.
***
“So are you going to tell me what is going on with you and the owner?”
Finn looked over at Chris when he made that statement. “Excuse me?”
“Please. I didn’t need to read between the lines when one of the crew made the comment about the pretty lady being in the back. Nor did I have to see Andy giving you the eye. But you coming out of the back room looking guilty pretty much sealed the deal.”
There was no use denying it. Only he wasn’t one for kissing and telling. Even before Trey came along, and Chris and he and plenty of the other men went out carousing on a Friday night. Chris, of all people, would remember those times. Drinking too much, bringing home a woman and forgetting her name, if he even asked her name to begin with.
Thinking of that made him remember the first time he met Becca. In a bar one night, he and Chris sitting there talking about work.
“Are you two firemen?” Becca had asked as she waltzed over to them. Her shirt was extremely tight, the V of it cut low enough that when she bent over there wasn’t much left to the imagination.
“We are,” Chris had said to her.
She’d gotten a wicked gleam in her eye, poured three shots, and grabbed a book of matches. He watched as she set two of the shot glasses in front of them and one for herself.
“Light ‘em up, boys,” she said, set the shots aflame, grabbed hers and tossed it back.
He and Chris did the same, then tossed back a few more with her. Finn took her home that night, and several nights after.
“Does it matter?” he said to Chris in the truck just now on their way back to the firehouse.
“No, just curious. She’s a looker.”
“When did you see her?” Finn was pretty sure Olivia hadn’t come out of the back room when they were there.
“Last time I was in the store. You were at the firehouse that day.”
“Your point?”
“Just that she seems kind of young,” Chris said questioningly.
Though Finn never talked much about it, it was common knowledge Becca was a lot younger than him, and that Finn was pretty smitten with her in the beginning. The younger woman played hard to get. Then when Finn had enough of the games and walked away, Becca changed her mind, wanting the conquest of reeling him in for another round. “Again, your point?”
“Just don’t want to see you burned again, man. Nothing more than that.”
The exact reason Finn stayed away from younger women. They were often immature and needy, demanding too much of his time…that he had little enough to give at this point in his life.
But Olivia wasn’t like that. She had her own life, was trying to build her own store and she was far from needy. She wasn’t silly or petty or demanding either.
Age was just a number, she’d said, and she was right. If he didn’t know her actual age, he wouldn’t have thought she could be just a few years older than Becca.
Thoughts of Becca were the last thing he needed to have right now. Not when he had finally decided to live again. Finally decided that it wasn’t healthy just working two jobs and focusing everything he had on Trey.
He was entitled to a private life. He was entitled to date someone and see where it led.
Maybe he’d be setting himself up to be burned again, just like Chris said, but he’d never know unless he tried.
He was going in with his eyes open this time. No high expectations of anything. Taking it day by day. Enjoying himself. It’s not like he was going to introduce her to Trey.
He’d never introduced any woman to Trey. First off, Trey was shy around women. Finn’s mother and sister were the only two women Trey would talk openly with. It’d taken months for Trey to even talk to his teachers without looking at the ground.
Second of all, there was no way he was letting his son get hurt. Just because he was looking to start dating didn’t mean he was going to drag Trey into it.
Finn—he could handle being burned again. As much as he didn’t want it to happen and was trying everything to avoid it, he wasn’t stupid and knew it could happ
en.
Young or old, a woman could still play you and leave you hanging on by a thread when she decided the life wasn’t for her. But he’d be damned if he’d let Trey be affected by it.
He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to see Olivia’s text. I’m going to have such sweet dreams tonight of you in that uniform.
“I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry about me.”
He hoped to God it was true, because she had a bigger hold on him than he thought possible.
Classic
It was the perfect day to go look at the house with Brynn. Finn wasn’t working, but he was home sleeping right now so she wouldn’t be missing him at the store anyway.
Sleep. Something she didn’t get very much of last night. Damn him for showing up in his uniform. He knew very well what he was doing yesterday, and it worked.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d tossed and turned at night, least of all over a man. But Finn had her churned up inside more than she could ever recall being before.
Edgy, that’s what it was, plain and simple. She was on edge.
“Hey, Olivia, all set to go?” Brynn asked.
Olivia had just pulled into the parking lot and was getting out of her car when Brynn walked out of the building and spoke to her loudly over the traffic.
“Sure. Want me to follow you?”
“Nope, I want to sit in this sweet ride of yours.”
Climbing back in, Olivia tried not to snort over Brynn’s comment or the huge grin as she climbed into the passenger seat. “Want to drive it?”
“I’d love to, but you’re joking, right?”
“No, I’m not. Remember, I’m used to living in bigger cities, this is the first car I’ve owned in years. Besides that, I have no idea where I’m going. It’ll be easier and less stressful if you just drove me there.”
Brynn quickly hopped out of the car and walked to the other side, then Olivia switched seats with her.
“So how far away is this house?”
“Not far, ten to fifteen minutes from your shop. It’s still in the city limits, but it’s an older development.”
“How close are the houses around it?”
She’d never cared if she lived close to people before. After all, she spent most of her life in apartments, condos and hotels. But the last month at the lake was nice and she was thinking she might not mind having some solitude.
“Not really close. You’ll see when we get there.”
Fifteen minutes later Brynn was turning down a long narrow driveway. “The house is set back pretty far.”
“It is. You’ll probably need to have your driveway plowed by someone in the winter.”
Crap, she didn’t think of that. “If I buy it.”
They came to the end and she was staring at a huge red brick colonial and wasn’t sure what she thought of it. It wasn’t what she had in mind, but it wasn’t unpleasant either. “It’s a big house.”
“Yep, over three thousand square feet, not including the finished basement.”
What the hell was she going to do with that much house? They parked, climbed out, and Olivia followed Brynn around to the side of the house and let her into a glassed-in sunroom.
“Okay, this is beautiful.”
“I thought you would like it. You can view the front of your property, or the back and look out over the pool.”
“Pool?” Olivia turned her head and saw the huge pool in question surrounded by concrete patios and shrubs. “It’s kind of plain. I mean, no colors.” It was beautifully landscaped, but it had no appeal to it. Still though, she loved to swim.
“I think they were going for low maintenance since there is so much land to care for.”
Olivia looked around some more. There were houses on both sides of her, partially blocked by the trees, but between the land in front, behind and on each side, she was starting to get nervous.
“How much land are we talking?”
“A little over three acres.”
“Geez, Brynn, are you trying to kill me here?”
“No one expects you to do the work, Olivia. Hire someone to take care of the pool and lawn.”
Great, another person who felt she couldn’t handle it.
“I don’t know. It’s just another thing to think about.”
Brynn stopped her progress into the house from the porch. “No one is going to think ill of you for hiring someone to care for the property.”
“Really?”
“Olivia,” Brynn said, laying her hand on her arm and giving it a squeeze. “This place is huge for one person. Kaitlin has a housekeeper and someone to take care of her property. So does her sister-in-law, Brooke.”
“But you and Sophia don’t. Does Presley?” Olivia asked of Brynn’s other sister-in-law.
“Actually, Alec finally convinced me to get a housekeeper to come in once a week for the big stuff and I know Phil has been on Sophia’s case, too. We all work, we have kids, and we have big homes. It’s hard to do it alone, even with the guys helping.”
“I’ll think about it. But I don’t have kids.”
“You have a business. That is more work than a child can be. I know. Enough talk about what you can and can’t do. Let’s just look at the house and weigh your options, okay? Be open-minded and don’t worry about the little details right now.”
They walked into the living room and Olivia looked around at the large empty room. The house was completely barren.
“How long has it been empty?”
“Just a month. The owners moved to Arizona to be closer to their daughter. What do you think so far, first impressions?”
“The floors need to be redone.”
“They’re the original floors. The house is about twenty years old. Remember I said to be open-minded, because nothing has been changed. What do you think of the color of the floors?”
“I like it. I’m not a big fan of everything being so dark. The lighter wood makes everything brighter, especially with all the windows.”
Brynn pulled her tablet out. “I’m going to start making a list of the things you think need to be done, and then we’ll talk price after.”
“More than one thing has to be done?”
“I just said the house is original.”
They walked through the living room, then a formal dining room, an office, and another family room. The same floors throughout, the same ugly wallpaper or paint that needed to be changed too, not to mention the old half bath. The house had been cared for, but it was downright ugly in Olivia’s eyes. So far though, the kitchen was the worst.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Sorry,” Brynn said, laughing. “I know it’s bad.”
“That’s an understatement. That wallpaper is hideous. I suppose the cows do match the black and white floor and counters.”
“There is no accounting for other people’s tastes. Let’s just say the kitchen is a total gut job. What do you think of the flow though? I know you like to cook too. Walk me through what you think doesn’t work.”
“Did Sophia tell you I cook?”
“She did. She said you cook pretty darn well too, so you must know your way around the kitchen.”
Olivia felt all warm and fuzzy from the glow of praise Sophia had given Brynn about her. Olivia had been trying to cook dinner a few nights a week to help Sophia out.
“It’s kind of crowded in here. I like that everything isn’t open concept, but the entryways are nice and wide, giving more space to move around. Still, I think the wall between the little nook and the kitchen has to go to open things up, and the island should be moved out a bit more.”
“You’re thinking the same way I did when I walked through.”
“What are we looking at for the cost of something like this?”
Olivia was clueless on the cost of construction for a home. She’d been slightly shocked over the cost for her shop, but had researched beforehand and knew what to expect for the most par
t. A house was completely different though.
“Low-end basic finishes, about forty thousand. High-end, closer to sixty.”
“Put the high-end in. I’m not scrimping on a kitchen.”
“I figured. Okay, let’s go through the rest of the house.”
Twenty minutes later Olivia was starting to sweat. The entire house had to be redone and she was starting to wonder if she would be getting in over her head because she was seriously falling in love with the house, even though it was ugly and too big for her.
The more she walked around, the more she realized that it had charm underneath all the nasty wallpaper, and the dingy carpet in the bedrooms and even the bathrooms.
The yard was huge and she could imagine children running around some day while she taught them how to swim. Everything she missed in her childhood. All the times she wouldn’t have minded a parent being around while she played and was a normal kid.
“Are you ready to know the damage?” Brynn asked, “Or would you prefer to move on and take this off the list?”
“No, tell me.” Brynn listed the cost of the house and Olivia was slightly surprised. “That’s not as high as I thought.”
“Not for this area, no. They know a lot of work has to go into it. They called me first. This area is in high demand, but the house needs a complete overhaul. The good news is, it’s livable too. So you could live here while the work was being done, if you wanted.”
“Only if my master suite and kitchen were done; otherwise there is no way I could stay here.” Even if she did want to get out of Sophia’s house fast.
“It sounds like you’re considering it.”
“I am. What’s the cost of the rehab?” Olivia lifted her eyebrows briefly at the total cost. “How soon could I own it, and how soon could you start?”
This would be the deciding factor. As much as she was falling in love with the house, and the more she could envision it, she didn’t want to drag it out. She wanted to be on her own. She needed a space for herself.
“They’re very motivated to sell. If you came in with an all cash offer, you could close within a week or less. The husband is an attorney, and I’m sure I can twist Ryan’s arm to have his firm push this through fast too.”
