by Davis, Alexa
“Come on, Zack, I know you can do better than that.” She glanced across to where Lark was sitting on the bench staring at his phone. At first, he was interested, but that seemed to have dwindled over time. “Do you need me to get rid of Lark? Is he distracting you?”
“The only person is distracting me is you,” I teased. “I’m still waiting for my answer. I can’t believe you’re giving me such a runaround, it’s as if you want to torture me.”
“Is this really the time or place?” She rolled her eyes at me. “Come on; we’re supposed to be working here.”
“How can I focus on anything else with your hands all over me?”
“Trying to stretch you out!” She became indignant as if the idea that she might touch me inappropriately at work offended her. It was hilarious.
“Yeah, but I can’t focus on getting better when I’m so confused.” I sighed dramatically. “If only I knew one way or the other, I’d be able to concentrate so much better.”
“Are you serious? Bribery?”
“If it comes to that... By this point, I’m willing to use any dirty tricks.”
“Fine.” She tugged my leg hard. “If you focus, then I’ll agree.”
I pumped my fist excitedly in the air. “Yes!” Lark glanced over and gave me a grin at my obvious display of happiness. He knew what it meant. Then he indicated that he needed to go outside to take a phone call. “Yes, Olivia, I’m so excited.”
“You have to focus first...”
Before she managed to finish her sentence, an older lady appeared behind her. She had a kind, happy face and was obviously a very sweet person. “Hello there…Zack Taylor, is it?”
“Ah, I recognize that voice from the phone! Ms. Simms.” I reached out and awkwardly shook her hand, which was hard to do since Olivia still had my leg. “It’s good to put a face to the voice finally.”
“Likewise, and it’s good to thank you for the massive donation you gave our company, and for funding the annual party, too. That was really good of you.”
My ears heated up; that was supposed to be a secret. I didn’t want Olivia to find out about my money that way, but her intense stare burning into my cheek suggested that she’d heard. My brain raced, trying to find a way to play it off while Ms. Simms continued to talk.
“I trust you’ll be at the party tomorrow? Many people wish to meet you.”
“Oh yes, of course.” I hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest, but if Olivia would be there, then why the hell not? I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, and it sounded pretty fun.
“And who’s your friend out there on the phone?” As Ms. Simms turned and she gave a longing look towards the door, I recognized something there. She wanted Lark; she was interested in him. I didn’t know if she would be his type or not, but he’d gone for older women before, so it was possible.
“That’s my friend, Lark. He came a lot with me in the beginning, so he’s come to see how much I’ve improved... That is until his phone started ringing.”
“Well, you should definitely bring him to the party, he looks like a lot of fun.”
With that, Ms. Simms shot me a very inappropriate wink and walked from the room, leaving me alone with Olivia and that burning stare. Any minute now, the questions would start, and I hated the idea of having to lie to her. If only I hadn’t spent so long closing myself off from everyone, then maybe it wouldn’t be so difficult to tell her the truth now.
I just didn’t want her to look at me differently. That was all. I didn’t want her to think worse of me.
“Okay, so what the hell was that about?” Her tone was cold and angry. “The donation? The party?”
“Oh right, erm...” Think, think, think! “Well, there was a time when I first started coming here that the office needed money to hire more people. I knew that it was a good place, and they’d already done awesome work with me, so I offered the money. Now I give an annual donation for stuff like the party.” So far all the truth, that was a win as far as I was concerned.
Her mouth formed an “o” shape as she tried her best to process this. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I just told you. There’s nothing more to it.” I shrugged and glanced downwards, wishing this conversation could be done with already. “So what else do you need me to do?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She dropped my leg and looked at me like I was a stranger. It was already happening. I couldn’t tell her everything – it would destroy us. “I mean, I work here; why didn’t you tell me?”
“It never came up,” I shrugged as I gave her the shittiest excuse ever. “There was no reason to say anything.”
“But...” She tugged her fingers through her hair as she tried to process. “But that makes no sense. I mean, where does the money even come from? You’re retired, on disability benefits, right? I mean, with your leg. How can you afford to...”
“I don’t like talking about it,” I snapped as I stood up. “And, I certainly don’t want to start talking about it now. Maybe you should think about it before you start asking personal questions. Now, I think we’re done here, don’t you?”
Olivia didn’t say anything, for which I couldn’t blame her. Somehow, I’d managed to turn into the biggest jackass ever, and there was no way to come back from it. All I could do was walk away, to stop this before it escalated into something more. I sucked in and held a breath, which I didn’t let out until I’d left the room completely. Once we had some separation, I could clear my head again. There was something about Olivia that totally clouded my judgment.
“You done already?” Lark looked surprised. “That was quick.”
“All done, let’s go.” I had nothing to stick around for; I needed to get the hell out of here. “Oh, by the way, you have to come with me to that party this place holds every year. Ms. Simms has commanded it. She was very insistent that you need to be there.”
“The lady that just walked in to speak with you?” I nodded and chuckled to myself. He actually looked impressed. “Hmmm, okay, any reason? Did she say what she wanted with me?”
He didn’t look completely turned off by the idea. “She has the hots for you, Lark. Seriously. If you aren’t careful, she’ll have you naked by midnight.”
“Well, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world!” he declared loudly. “It’s been a while since someone’s had me naked. Yeah, I’ll come for sure. Sounds fun.”
My heart sunk, I didn’t really want to go myself now, but I would if Lark wanted to. He clearly needed a night to blow off some steam, and I’d happily give that to him. I didn’t have to understand what he saw in the cougar but to each their own.
I would just have to find a way to avoid getting into yet another argument with Olivia. Maybe I’d just have to keep out of her way completely. The only way we didn’t fight was if we didn’t speak to one another at all.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Olivia
Friday
As the black dress fell over my body and it swished around me, I felt a bolt of confidence. If I had to go through this tonight, then I needed to do it in style. I wasn’t keen on going to the party at all knowing that Zack was going to be there, but I still wanted to get to know my colleagues better, and this was my one and only chance to do so. I’d be damned if I let him take that away from me...especially considering his snarky attitude.
Honestly, what a head fuck , I thought. One minute he was spouting his mouth off about wanting to get to know me better, and the next he was secretive about himself. The way he reacted about money was super weird and only led me back to Lark’s comments about Zack wanting to keep out of the limelight.
There was something mysterious about him, and I needed to find out what it was... If I ever decided to speak to him again, that is – which at the moment, I really didn’t want to.
As my cell phone rang, I leaped out of my skin. I had a horrible feeling that I’d been thinking about Zack so much that I’d managed
to conjure him up. But nope, it was my mother calling.
I inwardly groaned but plastered a smile on my face as I answered. I needed to look happy if I wanted to sound it.
“Hey, Mom, how are you?”
“Hi, Olivia, it’s good to hear from you. Sorry that it’s been so long. How are things going?”
Had it been long? It didn’t feel that long to me! “Yeah, all good, Mom. How are you?”
“Oh, the same. It’s always the same here; you’re the one on the big New York adventure.” She laughed awkwardly, which let me know that she was about to pry. I sucked in a breath and held it as I waited. “So, how’s work?”
“Work’s good, actually, Ms. Simms seems really pleased with my progress. I’m actually out to a work party tonight, a team-building thing.”
“And Drea has Meghan?” Now that Mom had been up and she’d met my babysitter, she didn’t seem to mind her at all. Clearly seeing just how much Meghan liked her had helped.
“Yes, Drea’s here, being a lifesaver as usual. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“Right...” Mom paused, and I sensed it coming. “So what about that nice boy we met while we were there? Zack, is he called?”
Urgh, I’d just about managed to block out that hideously awkward moment when my parents inadvertently met Zack . Trust my luck that they’d go on to love him! “Yeah, he’s still here...living across the hall.” I had no idea what I was supposed to say to that one.
“Right, I see. And, that’s it is it? He just lives across the hall?”
Why couldn’t she just leave things alone? I had no idea what was going on between Zack and me! His head was clearly all over the place – and so was mine. There was no easy answer as to what was going to happen next, so there wasn’t anything I could say to Mom about it.
“Yeah, he lives across the hall... Erm, Mom? I have to go now, my ride is here,” I lied, just to get myself out of it. “How about I give you a call tomorrow when I have more time to talk?”
“Yes, that would be lovely. We miss you, Olivia.”
If my dad missed me, then surely he’d call me himself? Not that there was any point in saying that, I didn’t want Mom to get stuck in the middle of anything. “Yeah, I miss you guys, too. I’ll speak to you soon, okay?”
As soon as I hung up the phone, I collapsed on the bed. Speaking to my mom had left me emotionally exhausted, which was not what I needed tonight. I wanted to be in top form while I made small talk with potential new friends.
“Mommy?” I pulled my head out of my hands to see Meghan staring up at me with wide, curious eyes. “You look pretty, are you going out?”
I pulled her towards me for a much-needed hug. “Yes, sweetie. That’s why Drea’s here. But I won’t be out too long, so you will be okay, won’t you?”
“I will.” She nestled into my neck and warmed my heart. “Love you, Mommy.”
For a second, I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay in my little bubble with Meghan. She was really the only person I needed, and now that she was growing comfortable, we could happily stay like this all night long. It would be so much better than seeing Zack... But I didn’t want to end up lonely and friendless. I wanted to get to know people in the city, I needed to spread my wings a bit, so much as it crushed me, I moved.
“Come on, darling, let’s go and see Drea.”
Once Meghan was curled up on the couch, I gave Drea a very grateful look. “Thank you so much for doing this; you have no idea how grateful I am. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“That’s what they all say,” Drea laughed happily. “Now go on, go out and have fun. You look beautiful.”
Have fun... Should be simple, right?
“Yes,” I gasped while nodding a bit too hard. “I will see you soon.”
***
“Oh my God, Tess, you’re so funny!” I giggled at one of the other therapists, who was so awesome, I wanted to be her friend forever. “And so bad!”
“We have to laugh at ourselves, or we’ll go crazy,” she teased. “It’s not the easiest job in the world.”
“No, it’s not,” I agreed with her. “But it’s rewarding to know that we’re making people’s lives better. Without us, some people would be in pain forever.”
“Oh I know, it’s crazy.” All of a sudden she straightened her back and shushed me. “Oh my God, that’s him. Ant.”
“Who’s Ant?” I tried to follow her eye line, but there were so many people in the way. It was impossible to tell who she was looking at.
“Ant is an ex-patient of mine, and oh my God, he is to die for!” She physically swooned as she said that. “He’s honestly the best-looking guy that I’ve ever seen, and we had a real connection, too. I so want something to happen between us... Oh my God, he’s coming over.”
As a tall, dark, handsome man stood in front of Tess with a bright smile, I took a step backward. I was disappointed to lose Tess’ company, she was making the night awesome, but I certainly wasn’t one to step in the way of true love – especially not taboo true love, such as with an ex-patient. If Tess didn’t so much care about the unwritten rules about patients, then maybe I shouldn’t be so worried, either...
I took a walk around the room so I wouldn’t affect Tess while she was on her game, but as I moved, I tried not to lift my eyes off the ground. He was here somewhere. I could feel his magnetic presence trying to lure me in, but I wouldn’t cave. Not until I was sure what his mood was today. If he was still mad at me, the last thing I wanted to do was get into an argument here. Not with my boss and all my colleagues around.
“Oh, Zack!” I couldn’t avoid him, not when Ms. Simms had brushed past me in a haze of perfume and alcohol, making a beeline for him like he was the only person in the room. “You have to introduce me to this lovely friend of yours.”
Wow, she seemed really into Lark . I could see why, he was very handsome, but she was probably barking up the wrong tree. Lark spent most of his life in Vegas where all the beautiful women lived.
Zack’s eyes connected with mine, and he gave me a curious smirk while nodding towards Lark and Ms. Simms it was very strange, but weirdly, he seemed to be responding well to her. I smiled and shrugged back, enjoying communicating with him while he wasn’t furious at me. It made me want to forget everything else, all the mysteries that he so clearly wanted to keep inside. Especially for tonight.
What I’d prefer was a friendly face to talk to, someone to stop me from feeling so lonely in this crowded room. Tess was deep in conversation with Ant now, I didn’t think I’d get the chance to speak with her again, so when Zack started walking towards me, I remained fixed where I was.
“I’m sorry,” he started right away. “I was a jerk yesterday, and there’s no excuse for it.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have pried; it isn’t my business what you do.”
There was so much else that I could’ve said. I could’ve argued that he should be honest with me if he wanted the same in return. But if I told myself that there had to be a serious reason for it, then it didn’t seem so bad. After all, he’d made it clear that he wanted us to be together. If there was something locked away, then it had to be for the best.
Even if it drove me nuts.
“Do you want to dance?” he finally asked me with an adorable lopsided grin.
“Sure, why not.”
While Zack led me onto the dance floor, my heart raced like crazy. His fingers slipped through mine, and he clung to me tightly, which squeezed all the air out of my lungs and left me completely breathless. When I agreed to this, I didn’t think about the intimacy that it’d involve. A slow song was playing, everyone had their hands wrapped around one another, and soon Zack would have his arms around me... in front of everyone. It was almost too much to bear.
I awkwardly stood as we reached the center of the dance floor and I glanced up at Zack. I needed him to take control of this situation because I’d pretty much frozen. Luckily, he d
idn’t seem to be having the same issues as me because he grabbed hold of me quickly, pulling me into him.
As my body pressed against his chest, my breath caught in my throat. But when Zack smiled at me, I melted into him just a little bit. It felt good to have him around me, better than I expected, and it made me return the grin.
“So, what’s this?” he asked me gently. “Can we class this as our first date?”
I burst into giggles at his insistence not to let the subject go. “I don’t see why not,” I replied coyly. “It might as well be. This is probably nicer than anywhere you’d take me for a real first date.”
“Oh, you have no idea.” He yanked me even closer to him, almost inappropriately so. “Maybe I’d take you to Paris on our very first date.”
“Hmmm, that sounds wonderful. I would definitely be up for that.”
As we laughed and chatted, the rest of the world melted away. I forgot all about Tess and Ant, Lark and Ms. Simms, the party that Zack had seemingly paid for, and everything in it. All I cared about was his lovely eyes and the way he was looking at me with them. There truly was something there more than just lust, and I had to admit that it felt nice. I was scared to open up my heart once more, but at the same time, I really wanted to. It was very confusing. I felt like my head might explode.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zack
Saturday
I fixed my eyes out the window as the cab whizzed through the city towards the building that was about to become my office. My dad was talking to me about all the plans he’d laid out to bring the office to where it needed to be. I wanted to listen to him, to really drink it all in, but my mind kept wandering towards the red-haired beauty I’d spent the night with last night.
After dancing, we had a few drinks and a whole lot of laughs. It felt like there was no one else in the world, never mind the room. I didn’t care at all about the rest of the people at the party; I could only see Olivia. She made me feel more amazing than I could ever hope for.
