by London Casey
“Funny,” Olivia said. “I do really have to go soon though.”
I nodded. “Doors are unlocked. You’re not being held captive.”
“Hey. I talked to Nikki a little bit. She really feels like shit about what happened. If she ever needs someone to talk to… I mean, a woman…”
“Let’s just start with some pancakes.”
I put the plate on the table and we all went to town. It was an interesting scene seeing not only Nikki and Ava at my table, but also Olivia. She looked like she let her guard down a little, too. Grabbing pancakes with her hand and dipping them in sugary syrup.
I poured everyone a glass of orange juice and the adults a refill of coffee.
It was a good morning. A really good morning.
Sitting there at the head of the table, watching Nikki and Olivia talk. It had a feel to it that left me uneasy. Because when I looked down to the other end of the table, the seat was empty. That fucking seat wasn’t supposed to be empty.
I stood up and grabbed my plate and walked into the kitchen. I threw it into the sink harder than I should have and just stood there. That drew attention to me.
I soon had both Nikki and Olivia checking on me.
“I know,” Nikki said as she touched my back.
I shook my head.
“Know what?” Olivia asked.
I saw the hesitation on Nikki’s face. “Just… stuff.”
“Well, I just hope you know you can trust me,” Olivia said. She stood on my other side. She put her hand to mine. “Whatever it is, Gavin. I just want to also say thanks for entertaining me again. Things haven’t been so great…”
“And I’m in paradise,” I said.
I glanced over at Nikki.
The mood changed and it was my fault.
I sucked in a breath and rubbed my jaw. “Nik, do me a favor. Make sure Ava’s cleaned up so Jesse isn’t licking her to death.”
“Right,” Nikki said.
I was then alone with Olivia. Without missing a beat, I grabbed her by the waist and walked her to the corner of the countertop. I lifted and put her there. She was eye level with me then.
“Hey. I just want to say thank you. For what you did with Nikki.”
“She’s in pain, Gavin. Almost like she’s lost and grieving.”
“That’s exactly what she is,” I said.
“So what happened?”
I stared at her. Not yet, darling. Not fucking yet.
I leaned and gave her a kiss.
When I pulled back, Olivia touched my face.
“So are we just going to hide from each other?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Are you going to just show up in an expensive car? Tell me you’re a business consultant? Not talk about what you’re running from.”
“I told you what happened,” she said.
“Right. The little girl. That’s the final piece to something bigger.”
“Kind of like Nikki getting drunk and driving her car off the road and you covering it up?”
“Exactly,” I said and pushed away from the counter.
“I have to leave in a few,” she said. “I have a few meetings today. Can I call you later?”
“You want to call me?” I asked with a laugh. “Why do I feel like a lot of this happening between us is backwards?”
“Okay. You call me then.”
“Are you going to answer?”
“Only if I’m not busy.”
I smiled. “You’re really something, Olivia. I hope you know that. I can’t figure it out but I think I like it. I hope you know…”
I heard a noise outside.
A second later, Ava came running through the dining room and climbed up into the bay window.
I hated when she did that. I was always afraid she would push through the glass and get hurt.
“A plane!” Ava cried out.
The sound outside was getting louder.
I went to the window and looked up.
“No, Ava, that’s not a plane,” I said. “That’s a helicopter. Flying low, too.”
That was an understatement because a few seconds later I realized just what the helicopter was doing.
It was dropping down… into my backyard.
I turned my head and watched as Olivia had a grin on her face. She walked to the living room and grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder.
“My ride is here,” she said so calmly.
“What…”
“My meeting starts really soon,” she said. “But I didn’t want to miss out on pancakes. So I needed a different ride.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” I said.
“Uncle Gavin!” Ava yelled. “You said the super bad word.”
“I did,” I said. “Sorry.”
“You need soap!”
I walked from the window, ignoring Ava. I watched as Olivia walked to the backdoor off the kitchen. She opened it and went outside. I went after her.
Right at the fire pit, I grabbed for Olivia’s arm. “Hey, Olivia. What is this?”
There was a fucking helicopter in my yard. The engine whirring, shaking the ground. The propeller spinning, throwing a breeze that wrestled with the trees and smacked my face over and over.
Olivia turned to face me and her hair blew in her face. She moved it out of the way, smiling, realizing she had one up on me.
“I have to go,” she said.
Olivia stepped toward me one last time and kissed my cheek. Then she said, “I hope I get to see you again. I like this, Gavin.”
And then she walked away.
I stood there and watched as she climbed into the helicopter with ease. Meaning she had done it before. She was used to this kind of stuff. The only time I saw a helicopter up close was during a fucking air show when I was a little kid.
Once she was inside, the helicopter engine whirred even louder. Then it slowly lifted off the ground and rose up before turning and flying away.
In a matter of a minute, my yard was silent again.
But my head, heart, everything was buzzing.
Before I could catch my breath, Nikki appeared next to me.
“Crazy, huh?” she asked.
I looked at her. “What the fuck was that?”
“I know who she is,” Nikki said. “It finally hit me. I had been looking at her, knowing she was familiar.”
“What are you talking about, Nik?”
Nikki shoved her phone in my face.
There was a picture of Olivia. Or a woman that looked like her. This woman wore a really fancy black dress that sparkled like it was covered in diamonds. She had a huge diamond ring on her right hand, one that matched her necklace and earrings. Her hair was done up all fancy, pulled back, showing off her neck and shoulders. She looked beyond elegant. She looked like a super model. Or maybe like a…
“Princess,” Nikki said. “That’s what they call her.”
“They? Her?” I asked.
“Gavin. She’s called The Princess. Her father’s name is Sterling and he’s this ruthless business guy. But she’s everywhere in the city. Super rich. Super fancy. Always getting her picture taken. Always wearing stuff like this. Doing big and expensive things. That’s why everyone calls her The Princess.”
“What?” I asked. I shook my head.
I looked to the sky.
There was no evidence of Olivia being at my place except for the taste of her lips on my lips.
I looked at Nikki.
I looked at the phone again.
The picture of this insanely beautiful woman. Dressed up so much. But I had seen her in jeans and a hoodie and she looked just as beautiful.
Aside from all of that, there was one question that I had.
What the hell was Olivia doing with me?
Ten
Some More of the Truth
(Olivia)
Andy snuck into the room and bit her bottom lip, terrified she was going to get in trouble. She brought me a bottle of water and a
bottle of super healthy green juice. The meeting was for a nonprofit building to set up an education center right outside a rougher part of the city. The goal was to help kids have somewhere to go before school and after school to work on anything they may need help with. The hard part wasn’t just the funding, but to find people who wanted to work there. The original notion was to have it be a voluntary position, but I pushed for paid workers so we could attract the attention of qualified teachers.
Of course, for my father, just having the wooden stake in the ground with his empire on the sign was good enough for now. It showed intention and intention was all he needed to point, smile, and make himself appear better than everyone else in the room.
The meeting ended sooner than I hoped when the lead financial guy - Tony - showed that funding had all but dried up and that there had been a few requested withdrawals.
I listened, nodded, in a sad way knowing my place there. I was a figurehead. I was there to have my picture taken so that it would appear in newspapers and local magazines, proclaiming that my father and The Princess were forever working for the better good of the city.
The truth was far different.
If the fund had no money then the project would become stale. And it would eventually fall apart.
I asked for a copy of the financials and Tony laughed. He winked and exited the room.
I sat at the long conference table feeling a little empty.
Whitney came into the room, dressed like she was about to go out for a night on the town. Big black sunglasses on her face. A coffee in her hand. A diamond laced bag hooked over her elbow. She walked to the table and put everything down.
“How was your night?” she asked.
“Good.”
“You were in that little town again. Nasty girl.”
“Not quite,” I said. “Just visiting.”
“Visiting,” Whitney said. “I visited someone last night. Hedge fund manager with an apartment that was all glass. Let me just say that my handprints go from top to bottom… and not just on the glass either.”
“Wow,” I said. “Thanks for that visual.”
“Hey, did you lock all that down yet? I mean, with the town?”
“I’m not talking about it,” I said.
“Right. Classified. I’m the enemy, huh? Well, I got a tour of that town myself. It’s a great blueprint town. Meaning if it gets fucked up, nobody has to know.”
“Except the people there?”
“The people? They aren’t people. They’re like rats, you know? Just looking for a scrap of food or something. It’s better off probably. How do people live like that?”
I felt my anger rising. Sometimes I wanted to slap Whitney.
Before I could retort, the door opened and in came my father.
Whitney quickly popped up and grabbed her stuff. Ninety-nine percent of the world was terrified of my father.
Not Whitney.
She got right in front of him. She grabbed his tie. Anyone else who did that would have paid dearly. But not Whitney. She slowly stroked my father’s tie, smiling.
“You look good, Sterling,” she said in a purring voice.
“As do you. Tell your father I said hello.”
“You know, there’s a really good way to get his attention…”
I turned my head. I couldn’t stand the mindless flirting. Not to mention it was gross. Whitney was six months younger than me.
“How is your father?” my father asked Whitney.
“You know him. Forever working. I was actually just talking to Olivia. She was back in our favorite little town last night. She really wants the jump on this. I better hurry and tell my father. So he can get the jump on you, Sterling.”
“He can be an Olympic pole vaulter and still not jump higher than me, Whitney.”
She giggled like a fool and kissed my father’s cheek.
Then she left.
My father looked right at me. “I knew you had it in you. You get what I want?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “It’s not as easy…”
“Yes it is. Money. Money is easy. Money is king. Money is everything. I just need to know where to hit the weak spot.”
Oh, let me see… his business is barely alive because he keeps everyone else afloat. There’s a huge secret he’s hiding regarding Nikki and Ava… something to do with his brother that he won’t talk about. Nikki is depressed and grieving so I assume Gavin’s brother…
“Olivia, look at me.”
I looked at my father. “Yes?”
“The weak spot.”
I swallowed hard. “Why did you take money out of the funding account for the education center?”
My father waved a hand. “We knew what that project was for. Hardly any good can come of it once it’s built. It’ll get run over with issues and tarnish my name.”
“The Sterling name,” I said.
“Exactly.”
“You never use our last name. What’s wrong with Breckning?”
My father’s nostrils flared. He put his fists to the conference table. “I built this. Not you. Not anyone else that has the last name. Sterling built this.”
I stood up. “Well, I wish I had more for you but I don’t.”
“You spent the night there and have nothing?”
I looked at my father. Years taught me how to be as fake as he was. Or maybe it was just in my genes.
“I left in a helicopter to get out of there. It’s not worth the time or the effort.”
“It’s my money,” my father growled. “I decide the time and effort. If I don’t move on this…” He pushed away from the table and pointed to the door. “I bet you Whitney is on her way there right now. I will not lose this opportunity, Olivia. And I don’t expect my daughter to let me down. After all I’ve done for you. Given to you.”
“And I’ve given right back,” I said. “I’ve spoken at events. Organized events. Took care of business while you were tending to other business. Forever keeping potential clientele happy.”
“What about Parker?” he asked. “Those pictures of you and him were perfect.”
“My heart is not for sale.”
My father laughed. “Try me, Olivia. There’s a number for everything in life.”
“Not here,” I said. “Not with that. Not with Parker.”
“Look, it’s simple, Olivia. The Princess meets her Prince. You make this work. I get a leg up in the financial world for a little while. Best case you have a kid with him. Then it can fall apart.”
“So I become a single mother?”
“Not the single mother’s you’re used to seeing. You know that.” My father touched my face. “I would never let anything happen to you. But this is what we’re building. You can be the hard nosed bitch that kicked the Prince out for not being a King… and then take his empire.”
I swallowed hard when I saw the greed and hate in my father’s eyes. I was not comfortable with anything he was suggesting.
“I think I better go,” I said.
“Olivia, I want to make something clear. Your mother knew what I wanted to achieve. She supported it.”
“Was that why you had me?” I asked. “So you would look better? Have that family image?”
My father grinned. “You get feisty like her sometimes, you know that?”
I opened the conference room door. “Before you ask, no, I’m not done with that town. Let me do this my way.”
“Of course, Olivia. And best of luck on your upcoming event for that poor little girl. I’ve petitioned the hospital to have a section named after her. In your honor for her. It’ll cost well into seven figures, but I know you’re good at bringing that back to me.”
I left the conference room and had to get out of the building.
Andy was with me when we got outside. There were a few people lingering around with thousands more all walking. Car horns beeping. The rush-rush life of the city. Someone always ready to run you over if you weren’t going to run som
eone else over.
“You look stressed,” Andy said. “Why don’t we…”
“Take the rest of the day off,” I said.
“What? I can’t do that. We have…”
“Nothing,” I said. “Clear it all out, Andy. I’m not available. I have to do something else.”
“Okay. Where are we going?”
I threw my left hand into the air and waved for a cab. Could you believe I never did that before? Living in the city my entire life… I was used to a car waiting, just like the one I stood next to.
“Olivia…”
“That’s for you,” I said. I walked to the cab and opened the backdoor. I nodded. “Go. Now.”
“I don’t like this,” Andy said. “What are you up to?”
I took money out of my bag and handed it to the driver. “Take her wherever she wants to go.
“Hey, I know you!” the driver said. “You’re The Princess…”
“So don’t piss me off,” I said to the driver. Then I looked at Andy. “That goes for you too. Don’t piss me off, Andy.”
“Olivia, you have to give me a hint here. If your father calls. If something…”
I touched her arm. “I have to be somewhere. Alone. I have to do something.”
“Just give me something.”
“Fine.”
I thought for a second and then gave her a name.
“Gavin.”
Gavin agreed to meet me just about halfway. I was a little closer to him than he was to me, but whatever. The driver parked in a little parking lot at what looked like a roadside ice cream place, but it was a small pizza shop. There were two picnic tables outside, and it felt so good to eat a real lunch. Not some flown in, fresh caught, weird sauce kind of lunch that was served on a giant plate and took two bites to eat.
A little pizza grease was sometimes good for the soul.
Hell, it eased my twisted stomach.
Only until I saw Gavin’s truck swing into the parking lot.
He got out and had a cigarette between his lips. He was everything I wasn’t. He was the opposite of everyone I knew. If Parker stood six feet tall, a perfect height, wearing a custom fit suit, a tie that matched his eyes, sporting a three hundred dollar haircut and a ten thousand dollar smile, Gavin was… so opposite. Gavin was six-six, arms packed with muscle, one arm with tattoos. He plucked his cigarette from his mouth, threw it to the ground and stepped on it. His boots were beat up and definitely not shining. His jeans were stained and worn, doing wonders for his tree trunk like legs. His t-shirt came up to the button of his jeans, as filthy as his hands, a man’s t-shirt. Everything earned through working with his hands… and his heart.
