by A. E. Radley
“Oh, I see. Very well. Thank you for looking into that.”
“No problem,” Simon said with a smile. “It’s my job.”
Olivia opened up her top desk drawer and took out an envelope. “Simon, I have these tickets to that show you were talking about. They were for tonight but I have other plans.”
Simon’s eyes lit up as he saw the proffered envelope. “Book of Mormon?”
“That’s the one.” Olivia held the envelope out of reach as he went to take it. “Do my caffeine levels a favour, go to the coffee shop and ask whoever it is in there who you’re so enamoured with to go along with you.”
CHAPTER 22
As Olivia travelled up in the elevator towards the suite, she smiled to herself. Everything was going so well. She felt rejuvenated following her lunchtime discussion with Nicole and ready to go after what she wanted and damn the consequences. She spent far too much time living in fear of what might be rather than just living her life and trying to allow good things to happen. Emily had agreed to dinner, albeit one where Henry would be present, so Olivia was fairly certain she couldn’t count it as a date but it was certainly a step in the right direction.
She opened the door but as she entered the room, the smile fell from her face. Henry was bawling in the middle of the floor. Tears streaked down his red cheeks with an inconceivable amount of mucus precariously balanced on the end of his nose to be either sniffed up or fall onto his chest. Olivia closed the door quickly so other guests at the hotel didn’t assume a murder was taking place, and stared at the normally sweet little boy in horror.
Emily sat on the sofa, facing away from Henry, casually flicking through a magazine as if nothing was happening. Olivia looked from Henry to Emily and back, as she wondered what was going on. Why was Emily ignoring her extremely distressed son? Meanwhile, Henry looked at Olivia as if she were a lifeline that had been thrown to him. He shakily stood up, crying loudly with his arms held out.
“Henry White don’t you dare,” Emily told him firmly without even looking up. He turned and looked at his mother with venom as he half-screamed, half-cried something that was completely unintelligible to Olivia.
“Sit. Down.” Emily ordered.
He stared at Emily for a couple of seconds in defiance and she spoke calmly, but firmly again. “Sit down, right now.”
A standoff was forming before Olivia’s very eyes as she looked hesitantly from one to another.
With a loud scream, Henry began bawling, flopped to the floor as if he had been shot, and laid there crying. Olivia put her bags down and walked further into the sitting room, giving the boy a wide berth.
“How was your day?” Emily smiled at Olivia as if nothing was happening.
Olivia blinked in surprise. “Well, it…yes.” She looked at Henry and then back at Emily. “It was…what on earth happened here?”
Emily looked over at Henry, who was still flailing about on the floor. “Well, first he was moody with the doctor and tried to hit him when he took his blood pressure, then he threw his afternoon snack on the floor, then he pushed a chair over, and then he refused to have a bath. Now he’s refusing to get dressed,” she casually explained.
“He’s crying,” Olivia pointed out as if Emily wasn’t aware.
“Yes, he has been for some time,” Emily agreed. “And if he would apologise and come talk to me and tell me what’s wrong, we could fix it. But he’s refusing, so we’re having a timeout.”
“Timeout?” Olivia questioned.
“Yes,” Emily replied as she indicated a dining room chair that had been placed in the sitting room facing the wall. “He’s not doing a very good job of it because he refuses to stay on his timeout chair.”
Henry sat up and sniffed as he looked at the women and fought down some tears while sucking in big gulps of breath.
“Henry, please go and sit on your timeout chair,” Emily said softly. With a swallow, he swallowed and then looked at Olivia before crawling towards the chair, taking far longer than necessary to get there, before slowly pulling himself up and dragging his body over it. “Sit nicely, Henry. Five minutes please,” Emily said calmly.
He fidgeted on the chair for a while before sitting up and folding his arms while pouting, craning his neck around so he could still see the two women.
Olivia sat down beside Emily and whispered, “What is timeout?”
“When he gets very upset, it’s impossible to get through to him,” Emily explained in a whisper so Henry couldn’t hear. “He acts out more and more so I put him into a timeout. He has to sit on the chair with no interaction with anyone, no TV, no toys, for five minutes. By the end of the five minutes, he’s usually calmed down enough that he can tell me what’s bothering him, if he knows himself.”
Olivia nodded. “I understand. So now he just sits there?”
“Yep,” Emily said. “Don’t look at him. He’ll act out for you or will try to make you feel sorry for him.”
Olivia averted her eyes from Henry and looked at Emily instead. “I do feel sorry for him, all those tears. I thought he was dying.”
“What would you have done?” Emily asked with interest.
“I’m not a mother,” Olivia answered. “But I would have probably given in and given him whatever he wanted, which I know is wrong.”
Emily chuckled. “It’s hard to be the bad guy but I keep telling myself it’s what’s best for him.”
“You do a remarkable job with him,” Olivia said struggling to maintain eye contact with Emily, knowing she shouldn’t look over at Henry. “Do you know why he’s acting out?”
Emily thought for a moment. “He’s been through a lot and I think he’s a bit fed up of the doctor’s and being cooped up in here. I think he just wants to go home, sleep in his own bed, and play with his toys, you know?”
“Understandable,” Olivia agreed.
Emily frowned at Olivia’s hand. “Can I ask why you do that?”
Olivia followed Emily’s gaze and noticed that she had been absentmindedly pinching the skin between her thumb and index finger.
“Oh. Well…” Olivia felt heat in her cheeks.
“You don’t have to tell me. I’ve just noticed that you do it sometimes when we talk.” Emily pointed at the bruise. “And it looks painful. I think you’re starting to bruise there?”
Olivia let out a quiet breath. “Maybe I can explain tonight, after dinner?”
Emily nodded and gently separated Olivia’s hands.
“How was Henry’s appointment? Aside from hitting the doctor?” Olivia asked, unsuccessfully holding back a smile.
“It’s not funny,” Emily chuckled. “He’s doing well; they’re pleased with his progress. Looks likely that we’ll be flying home on Friday.”
Olivia nodded. “That is good news.”
“Mommy, I’m thirsty,” Henry whined.
Emily looked at her watch. “Three more minutes.”
Olivia look at her in horror at the unexpected cruelty.
Emily whispered, “He’s not really thirsty, he’s trying to get around me.”
Olivia shook her head. “Devious. Should we cancel our dinner plans?”
“No, he’ll come around soon. He just needs to calm down. Oh, and let’s keep the surprise from him until his mood has stabilised.”
Olivia nodded. “Well, I’m going to have a quick shower and get changed.”
“Okay, we should be ready when you come back out. Don’t worry, he won’t be like this at the restaurant.”
Olivia walked past Henry on her way to her bedroom and only just managed to avoid eye contact with the pleading boy.
* * *
Three quarters of an hour later, Olivia entered the lounge having spent far too long choosing an outfit for what was supposed to be a simple dinner. She had eventually decided on a simple red top with a black pencil skirt. She had also opted to take her high heels down a notch for the sake of comfort though still high enough to make her equal to Emily’s height.
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br /> In the sitting room, Henry knelt by the coffee table dressed in smart looking dark blue jeans, a white button-down shirt, and a blue and grey argyle sweater. He was humming a tune to himself while colouring on some pieces of blank paper and Olivia was surprised at the dramatic turn around.
“Hello Henry, you’re looking very smart,” Olivia told him.
He looked up at her and smiled a toothy grin. “I’m a big boy.”
“Yes, you are,” She smiled, wondering how the child had managed to worm his way into her heart so quickly.
“And big boys are allowed to go to nice restaurants,” Emily’s voice floated out from the bedroom as she stepped out. Olivia turned around and her voice caught in her throat at the sight of Emily in a tight, purple pencil skirt with a silky white blouse. She was putting on one of her earrings and her just-curled hair fell beautifully around her face.
“I hope you don’t mind me repurposing my work uniform,” Emily said with a soft smile. “I didn’t bring anything special, but it’s nice to dress up. Without the jacket, the skirt doesn’t look too worky, does it?”
“You look lovely,” Olivia managed to not sound too distracted as Emily walked past her.
“Henry, shoes, please,” Emily said as she slipped on her own high heels, causing Olivia to wish that she had kept with her higher heels after all.
Henry dashed past on his way to the bedroom and Olivia looked at Emily appreciatively while her back was turned.
A few moments later, they exited the hotel and began the short walk up the road to the Italian restaurant, Henry holding both of their hands and chatting animatedly.
“I’m going to have macaroni and cheese!” Henry exclaimed loudly.
“Don’t you want to try something else?” Olivia asked him as they weaved around people.
“Why?” Henry asked.
“To see if you like other things,” Olivia answered.
“What if I don’t?”
“What if you do?”
“But what if I don’t?” Henry argued.
Emily laughed and looked over at Olivia. “You’ll not win this argument, I’m afraid.”
“We’ll see.” Olivia grinned. “Henry, if I order you a small tasting plate, will you try new things?”
“No.” Henry shook his head and grinned.
Olivia paused walking and knelt down to look at Henry, face to face. “Please, for me?”
Henry looked at her curiously for a few seconds before asking, “But what if I don’t like it?”
“Okay,” Olivia negotiated, “What if I order you a small tasting plate as well as your highly boring usual of macaroni and cheese? Then you can eat that if you don’t like what’s on your tasting plate, which I think you will.”
Henry made a thoughtful face and then nodded. She stood up again, pleased with her victory, and they continued walking. She was very aware of the thoughtful glances Emily was throwing her way.
The eatery was cosy and welcoming and Emily breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness it’s not a high–end establishment.”
“I didn’t think Henry would appreciate being anything more highbrow.” But before Emily could answer, an older Italian man who appeared to be the manager came over and kissed Olivia on both cheeks, welcoming her in Italian. Olivia replied comfortably, also in Italian, and they were escorted to their table. It was tucked away in the corner away from the other diners and set for three with a seat booster on one of the chairs.
“So, you’ve been here before I take it?” Emily took in the décor.
“Oh yes,” Olivia nodded as a menu was handed to her by their waiter. “I take all my flight attendants here.”
Emily raised her eyebrows and gave her a pointed stare though a smile played across her lips. The waiter handed Emily a menu and walked away.
“Mommy, look,” Henry caught his mother’s attention and pointed at the cutlery set in front of him.
Emily burst out laughing. “Giraffe cutlery? Really?”
“While I would love to take credit for that, it was Simon who booked the table and presumably arranged the cutlery.” Olivia smiled, happy Simon’s suggestion had worked so well.
“He really wants that raise.”
“If it makes you happy, then maybe he deserves it.” Olivia studied her menu intently indicating she was not going to be drawn into further conversation about it.
The waiter came over and addressed Emily. “Good evening, Miss. We have pencils and paper if you would like me to fetch some for your son?”
Henry’s head snapped up and Emily laughed. “Yes, please.”
The waiter returned with some activity sheets and colouring pencils and placed them in front of Henry with a wink.
“Thank you,” said Henry as he picked up a pencil and started to colour.
“So, how did the rest of the day go?” Emily glanced over her menu at Olivia.
During the meal Olivia spoke about her day in the office and how the insolvency was going. She also told Emily about her suspicion of a love interest in the coffee shop. They laughed over Simon’s sudden desire for drinking highly complicated caffeine-based drinks that took an age to make, just so he could spend a little more time in the coffee shop.
Occasionally, Henry dabbled in conversation in between his drawing, to talk about giraffes as well as outer space, in which he had recently became interested. But he mainly focused on his excitement about going home on Friday.
“Just remember,” Emily said with a warning tone. “You’ll probably be sitting on your own on the way back.”
“I know,” Henry said with a sigh, his understanding of the potential seating arrangement clearly disappointing him.
“Actually,” Olivia swirled the red wine in her glass and decided this was the best time to broach the subject. “He’ll be sitting with me.”
Emily looked up. “What do you mean?”
“I bought him a ticket, 10K, right where he was last time.”
Henry cheered happily and Emily stared hard at Olivia. “You did what?”
Olivia faltered for a moment, torn between celebrating the good news with Henry and wondering why Emily suddenly looked furious, apparent even to Olivia’s untrained eye.
A heavy silence fell over the table as a waiter came and cleared their plates away. As soon as he was gone Olivia spoke again.
“I…I bought him a ticket. I thought you’d be pleased? It means he’ll be sitting up front where you and I can keep an eye on him.”
Emily took a deep breath and clenched her jaw for a moment before picking her napkin up from her lap and placing it on the table.
“I’m going to the bathroom, please watch Henry.” She abruptly left.
Olivia watched her storm away before turning to face Henry in confusion.
“You’re in trouble,” he sing-songed with a little laugh to himself.
“Why?” Olivia asked him.
Henry shrugged. “I dunno, I’m five.”
“I bet you’re quick to play that card when it suits you.” Olivia reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts before pressing her thumb to the screen and holding the phone to her ear.
“Nicole, I need advice,” she whispered tersely as soon as the call was answered, looking around to check she wasn’t being overheard.
“Aren’t you on a date?”
“Yes, but I’ve done something wrong and she’s stormed off to the bathroom.” Olivia’s eyes flicked up towards the bathroom to see if Emily was returning.
“What happened?” Nicole sighed.
“I told her I bought Henry a ticket home and she seemed angry.”
“Didn’t he have a ticket home?” Nicole asked.
“Yes, but they place him wherever they can, there’s no guarantee he’ll be in first-class with me,” Olivia explained.
“So you bought a first-class ticket?” Nicole confirmed. “For the son of the woman in debt, who was so proud she nearly stayed in a grimy hostel rat
her than accept help?”
“Shi—” Olivia looked at Henry. “—eld. Shield software is the…name of the company,” she bluffed.
“Smooth,” Nicole drawled. “I take it the munchkin is there?”
“Yes.”
“And you know what you did wrong now?” Nicole pushed.
“Yes, what do I do now?” Olivia asked in a panic.
“You need to figure that one out between you,” Nicole said. “Sorry, darling.”
Olivia saw Emily returning with a face like thunder. “Nicole, Nicole! Nicole!” Olivia looked at the phone, shocked to find that Nicole had hung up on her. Then Emily was opposite her, taking her seat, as well as a calming breath, before picking up one of Henry’s drawings.
“This is very good, Henry,” Emily smiled at her son who smiled back, pleased with the praise.
“Emily, I…” Olivia started.
“Later,” Emily said firmly. “We’ll finish our meal and go back to the hotel and then we’ll talk about it.”
“But we should—” Olivia tried again.
“Olivia,” Emily said. “Think of this as my timeout. I need time to calm down. Please.”
Olivia felt her chest tighten in fear that her lack of foresight had caused irreparable damage. Emily’s hand snaked across the table top, took her fingers, and squeezed softly. “It’s okay, I know why you did it, I just need some time before we talk about it. But it’s okay.”
“Ice cream?” Henry said as he watched a waiter walk by with an enormous ice cream sundae.
Olivia looked for permission, Emily nodded before turning to her son and saying, “Yes, ice cream but only if you promise to go to bed on time tonight.” Henry silently coloured.
“Henry,” Emily sighed. “Do you promise?”
Henry nodded. “Okay, but only if Olivia reads to me.”
This time, Emily looked at Olivia for confirmation. Olivia gave a nervous nod of the head in agreement.
“Okay, but remember you’ve made a promise,” Emily told him as she gently tickled his side.
Olivia watched the couple with a smile, hoping that her miscalculation could be easily ironed out. She was beginning to realise that she wanted a lot of dinners like this in her life.
