“But what about until then?”
Fiona tried reasoning with her sister. “Who’s going to call? I’m home for the holidays now, which means for the most part I’ll either be with you or Olivia, anyway.”
Liz hesitated. “I don’t know…”
“Come on. You said it yourself – she has a lot going on right now. The last thing we need to do is add to her stress about something like this. I will take care of it, I promise.”
Liz looked at her and nodded. “Okay, Fiona. But if you haven’t had a chance to replace it by New Year’s Day I’m going to have to say something.”
“Fair enough.” She scanned the store and noticed how crowded it was. The salesclerks on duty looked overwhelmed and frazzled by the amount of people needing help. She sighed. “Shoot. This place is a zoo. We might as well go to meet them; no way are we going to get helped anytime soon.”
Relieved, Liz looked down the concourse as they exited the store. “Thankfully the coffee shop isn’t too far away.”
Minutes later they sat down beside Olivia and Mason.
“Whew! The crowds are crazy. I saw two women get in a fight over a stuffed animal earlier,” Fiona said.
“Kind of goes against the whole point, doesn’t it?” Mason said, drily.
“About fifteen minutes in, I remembered that I hate shopping,” Liz said.
“But I think you have more bags than me.” Olivia exclaimed.
Defensively, she shrugged. “Well, if I’m going to be here, then I might as well get everything I need all at once. Besides,” she added, blushing, “there were some really good sales.”
They all laughed.
“So, what’s next?” Fiona asked.
“Well,” Olivia hesitated and looked at Mason. “I still have to buy a present for you but, in order to do that, we’re going to need to split up.”
Mason got a stubborn look on his face. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
Liz and Fiona noted the way they both jutted their chins out and adopted a mulish expression, and exchanged a look with each other. Hoping to avoid a standoff, Fiona cautiously interjected. “I have a thought…”
Everybody looked towards her. “These bags are getting super heavy. In fact, I don’t think I’d be nearly as exhausted if I didn’t have to cart them around everywhere. If you’re willing, Mason, maybe you could run all the bags out to the car and give us an hour to look around without you…”
Instantly, he opened his mouth to protest, but Fiona rushed to continue, “…IF we promise to stick by her side like glue.”
Liz nodded. “Come on, Mason. It will be all three of us. I doubt he’d try anything. That’s assuming he’s even here. Nobody has seen or heard from him in the last week, right?”
His scowl deepened. “That doesn’t mean he’s not still lying in wait. Just because we haven’t seen him or felt his presence doesn’t mean we can get lax in our vigilance.”
Olivia laid a hand on his. “You’re right. And, we won’t. Like Fiona said, we’ll all stick together.”
He sighed. “I don’t like it, but okay. It shouldn’t be too risky, since it’s so busy, anyway. We can meet back here.” He gave her a stern look. “One hour only, though, okay?”
Fiona cheered and clapped her hands as Olivia looked into Mason’s eyes. “One hour only, I promise.”
The three girls thanked Mason profusely and watched as he left with the mountain of bags.
Liz leaned across the table and asked, “So, where do we start?”
“I don’t know.” Olivia looked around for a moment, lost. “I’ve been wracking my brain, thinking about what to get him. He’s done so much for me this last week and a half, and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without his help.”
“Has it only been him helping you? You guys looked pretty romantically involved when I came home the other day,” Fiona asked.
Liz gave Olivia a teasing grin. “Ooh, sounds like there’s a story in there.”
Olivia blushed. “We were just kissing.”
Scoffing, Fiona chimed in. “You call that ‘just’ kissing? It was so hot, you were out-sizzling the bacon on the stove.”
“Woohoo!” Liz crowed. “Livvy’s got her groove back!”
Olivia smiled, smugly. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“If things are going well, why are you so worried about what to get him?” Fiona asked, puzzled.
“It’s just that, ever since we’ve gotten together, we’ve had this other thing hanging over us. I’m afraid it’s creating a false environment. We’ve been under a lot of stress and spending a lot more time together than we probably would have under normal circumstances. However, if you were to look at a calendar, we haven’t really been together all that long.”
“You’re afraid it’s not real?”
“Oh, it feels real to me, but what if it’s not the same as what he’s feeling? I’m just afraid it may be going too fast for him.”
Always pragmatic, Liz asked, “Has he been giving any indication that he feels it’s been getting too serious too quickly?”
“Well, no. Kind of the opposite, actually. The other night he was so sweet and tender…and I almost told him I loved him. It practically fell from my lips.”
“But you didn’t.” It was more of a statement than a question as Liz focused on the stream of emotions running across her sister’s face.
Olivia raised her hands. “What if his feelings are due to the forced intimacy the situation has created? What if he doesn’t feel the same after it’s resolved? And he’s already sacrificed so much of his time, when really he should be focused on healing enough to go back to the force. I don’t want to trap him here or make him feel an obligation to me.”
“Oh, Livvy…I’m sure he doesn’t feel like that.” Fiona put a hand on her shoulder.
Liz nodded. “I don’t get the impression he feels stuck, but I can understand your concerns.” She got a confused look on her face. “What I don’t understand is how this has anything to do with what kind of gift you get him?”
“You know…do I get him something intimate, and maybe expensive, or go more for light-hearted and casual? What’s the right note to hit?” Olivia threw her hands up. “Liz, it’s not as if I’ve had a lot of relationships before, and never during the holidays.” She looked at her sisters glumly. “I just feel awkward about how much to expect and what I’m doing. Throw in everything else, and I’m afraid I’m totally lost.”
Fiona moved to soothe her. “Well, we don’t have much time, so let’s just pop into some stores and see if anything stands out for you, okay?”
Together the women walked through a number of department stores, but nothing seemed quite right. Realizing they were running out of time, Liz checked her watch. Exasperated, she said, “I still think you should have just gotten him that wallet.”
“I didn’t know. I was afraid it would be too personal. Besides, I wasn’t sure if he preferred tri-fold or bi-fold.” Olivia explained, again. They walked by a lingerie shop.
“What if you got something sexy to wear? I mean, you guys have already been intimate, so there isn’t any question of whether it’s appropriate or not, right?”
“Hm, y’know, that’s not a bad idea.” Olivia paused and shrugged. “We might as well go in and look.”
The three women walked in. Olivia and Fiona were looking at a few nice pieces hanging on the display rack when Liz called to them from the back of the store. “Oh ho! I found the perfect gift.”
Excusing herself from the salesclerk, Olivia wandered back to see Liz holding a pair of fuzzy handcuffs up in the air triumphantly.
Choking on a laugh, Olivia covered her mouth. “Liz, put those away!”
“What? Don’t you think they’d go with these?” Liz whipped out a pair of hokey male boxers from behind her back.
Groaning, Olivia walked up and looked at them a little closer. “These have little Santas on them!”
Fiona came back
to join them. “What the heck, you guys?”
Olivia reached over to the rack and flipped through a number of items hanging there. “Are you kidding me, who wears this stuff?” She paused. “Oh…wow.”
She started giggling and lifted up a mini hanger with a male thong cut out in the shape of a reindeer. The absurdity of the item she was holding instantly hit her funny bone.
Fiona started laughing, which caused her to hiccup, which got her sisters started. Soon, all three of them were bent over in a fit of laughter, tears streaming from their eyes.
“It even has a red nose on the tip!” Olivia exclaimed, holding it up for further examination.
She felt buoyant. It was as if all that laughter had released some of the stress and tension she’d been feeling the last few weeks. “What do you think, Liz? Can you imagine the look on his face?”
Liz straightened up, still chuckling, and glanced behind Olivia. Her eyes widened.
“Sorry, that’s not really my color.” Mason’s deep voice cut Olivia’s laugh off as she spun around, instinctively hiding the garment behind her back. Instantly, her face turned deep crimson.
The look on her face had Mason shooting her a big grin and waggling his eyebrows. “Busted.”
Sputtering, she hastily shoved the hanger back on the rack and pointed. “It was Liz’s idea!” Realizing that didn’t sound quite right, either, she added, “Uh, not what I meant. We were just…”
“Ogling Rudolph? Hey, I get it. Should I be worried about this strange new fascination with reindeer? Lemme guess, it’s the antlers.” Behind her, she could hear her sisters snicker. Olivia sent them both a quick scowl, but couldn’t keep the grin off her face.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was standing right behind me. What happened to sister solidarity?” she admonished playfully.
“I honestly didn’t see him until it was too late,” Liz said, as she threaded her arm through Olivia’s. “Besides, we would have missed that absolutely priceless expression.” She stopped and pantomimed a mock look of shock and dismay, dropping her jaw wide open.
Giving her shoulder a light push for her teasing, Olivia turned to Mason, “Has it already been an hour?”
“Just about. I was on my way to get you when I noticed the three of you in the store, laughing. Of course, I had to come see what had made you all so happy.” He cocked his head at her. “Should I be taking notes?”
As she walked towards the front of the store, she tossed a wicked look over her shoulder. “I don’t know…maybe.”
The little group made their way out of the shop. “Questionable undergarments aside, did you ladies find what you were looking for?”
Olivia twisted her mouth. “Almost. I still haven’t found what I want to get you, but I’ve had an idea. I just don’t think I’m going to find it here.”
“So, does that mean we can get going?” Mason tried, but failed, to keep the eagerness from his voice.
“Yeah, I think we’re done here.” Fiona reassured him.
Liz had a look of relief on her face that matched his. “Thank goodness I only have to do this once a year. I think I’d go nuts otherwise.” She turned to Mason and gave him a bawdy wink. “No pun intended, of course.”
They all laughed as it was Mason’s turn to blush.
Chapter Forty-One
Robert watched as the three sisters left the slut shop for whores. He’d heard their laughter from across the concourse, and could only guess what it had been about. Most likely something inappropriate.
Despite her sin, he had to admit, it felt good to be near her again. Although he’d been busy for the past week and a half, getting the cabin ready for her arrival, his fantasies had been nothing compared to seeing her in person.
He lifted the camera and took a shot of the three sister’s standing just outside the store. Taking an extra minute, he zoomed in on the youngest sister.
She’d been so sweet and innocent when he’d chatted her up at the bar. He paused and fingered the slim phone in his pocket and grinned. Really, it had been like taking candy from a baby. He wondered how there were any women out there who could still be that trusting.
Then again, they didn’t know the things he’d done.
Tempting as the youngest was, she was nothing compared to her older sister.
Robert watched as Olivia linked her arm through Mason’s and headed towards the mall doors. He couldn’t wait to finally get her all alone and show her the present he’d made.
She was going to be so surprised.
Chapter Forty-Two
Mason ended the phone call with his captain and looked at the date and time he’d written down.
“Who was that?” Olivia asked, as she came into the room.
He looked up at her distractedly. “Huh? Oh, that was my captain. He wants me to come down and have my first psych evaluation. He reminded me that he wants me to be able to ‘hit the ground running’ after the holidays.”
“Do you think you’ll be ready to go back?”
He sighed. “Physically? Yeah, I’m almost fully recovered right now. Psychologically is maybe a little more questionable, but one thing is for sure.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled and walked to her, enveloping her in his arms. “I haven’t been having nightmares lately.”
Blushing, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Out of this whole situation, having you here with me has been the best part.”
Mason looked down at her and thought about the last few weeks. They had been some of the happiest he could remember. So good, in fact, that the thought of heading back to Boston didn’t sound as appealing as it should.
“Listen, Olivia…I know we haven’t talked much about what happens after the holidays, but I want you to know, I’m committed to keeping you safe. If Robert isn’t found before I’m supposed to leave, I will arrange for more leave time.”
Olivia reached up and brushed his hair back off his forehead. She nodded, but a small part of her heart broke inside. He wasn’t going to stay because he wanted to, but only in order to keep her safe.
Silently, she admonished herself. She couldn’t expect him to give up his whole career for her. It wasn’t as if he didn’t care for her. She knew he did.
She’d just been hoping for more.
Squaring her shoulders, she gave him a bright smile, determined to make the most of the time she had with him.
“So, when is your appointment?”
Mason grabbed the notepad. “Tomorrow afternoon, at two. Kind of late notice, but I guess he had a cancellation. We’re going to need to find someone to come over and spend the afternoon with you. Do you think Liz can do it?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to check. You know, Liz is right. We haven’t seen or heard from Robert in two weeks. Are you sure he hasn’t moved on?”
“As sure as I can be, yeah.” He noticed the hopeful doubt in her eyes. “I’d rather not chance it, okay?”
Olivia paced a few steps away from him. “No, I know you’re right. I just feel like a terrible imposition, constantly needing someone to watch me. It’s growing tedious, Mason.”
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and lightly traced his thumb down the curve of her jaw. “I know. I’m sorry it’s come to this. Just hang in there a little longer, okay? If it lasts past the holidays, then we can try to reassess the situation and figure something else out.”
She felt bad for complaining. She knew he had been bending over backwards to make sure she could get to all her insurance appointments, search for designers and engineers for the new restaurant, and shop for various fixtures. If anybody had the right to complain, it had to be Mason himself.
“Never mind. I’m sorry I said anything. I know you’re doing the best you can. Everybody is. I don’t mean to make it harder.”
“You’ve been very patient, Olivia. It would be hard for anybody.”
Trying to move past her feelings of restlessness, she sugges
ted, “Why don’t I give Liz a call and see if she can come over tomorrow?”
Moments later, Liz picked up the phone. “Tomorrow?” she responded, hesitating. She scanned the garage, looking at the row of cars waiting for her attention. “I don’t know, Olivia. I wish I could say yes, but I’m swamped over here. Especially since Paul is planning on taking off tomorrow for his annual hunting trip. Have you tried Fiona?”
“Not yet, that was going to be my next call.”
“See if she can do it. If not, I’ll try to move some things around.”
Olivia winced as she heard the doubt in her sister’s voice. She knew things must be pretty hectic if Liz was hedging. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I can find someone else for tomorrow.”
“Livvy, I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t want to…”
She rushed to reassure her. “Hey! Really, it’s okay. I get that you have a business to run. Besides, I think I’ve already had you taking off more days in the last few weeks than you have in the last few years. If you keep it up, you’re going to lose all of your customers.”
“Thanks, Livvy. It has been crazy around here lately.”
“I’m going to give Fiona a call. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
It was only after she had hung up with her sister that Liz remembered Fiona mentioned losing her phone. She was about to call her back, when a client walked in. “Ma’am? I was wondering if you could take a look at my car. It’s got a really strange knocking sound coming from the back right tire.”
The thought forgotten, Liz turned from the phone and greeted the man at the counter. “Sounds like it could be the ball bearings. Let me check the schedule and see when I can take a look at it for you.”
Olivia tried to reach Fiona, but got her voicemail. After leaving her a message, she decided to text her with the request.
Mason looked at her. “Well?”
“Liz is out, but I texted Fiona. Hopefully she’ll get back to me quickly.”
Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters) Page 28
