by Meier, Susan
He was here. She was here. They should be together. She shouldn’t be with Antonio. She should be with him.
His mental temper tantrum stopped him. He wasn’t just eager to see her. He wasn’t just longing to see her. He was possessive. And being possessive was dangerous. Every person who’d ever come into his life had left him.
He did not want to be hurt again.
But with every second that ticked off the clock, and every move she made with Antonio from one crowd of art enthusiasts to the next, his heart beat a little harder, a little faster. If this was jealousy he hated it. And if this was jealousy didn’t that mean that he felt a little more for Olivia than he’d let himself believe?
Still, could he trust her with his heart? Trust her never to leave?
As the night wound down and guests began heading to Constanzo’s, he watched Olivia commandeer a limo for Constanzo and Antonio. She kissed Antonio’s cheek. “Congratulations on a wonderful show. I’ll be at the house as soon as everything is closed up here.”
As Antonio climbed into the limo, she kissed Constanzo’s cheek. “Good luck.”
He sucked in a breath. “I will need it.”
“No, you won’t.” She straightened his bow tie. “You’ll tell him the truth. His mother came to you once and disappeared.” She kissed his cheek again. “You can do this.”
As Constanzo’s limo pulled away and another drove up, she turned to walk into the gallery.
Tucker glanced back at Olivia and then at the limo. If he timed this right, he could wheedle the last limo for himself and Olivia. He could finally have the ten minutes of peace and privacy he’d wanted since they’d arrived.
He opened the limo door slowly enough that the first couple slid in just as the second couple walked toward the limo door. He managed to pair couple after couple into limos until, exactly as he wanted, a limo pulled up as Olivia walked toward him. She carried the raspberry-colored wrap that matched her dress in one hand and a small purse in the other.
He opened the door for her with a smile. She accepted his courtesy with a nod and her own smile, and slid inside. He slid in beside her.
“I thought I’d missed you while I was in New York, but that was nothing compared to the torture of watching you all night.”
“Watching me was torture?”
He laughed. “Watching you was fun, but I didn’t want to watch you. I wanted to kiss you.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
He drifted closer. “Yes. I can’t say for sure you’ll never leave me. I can’t say for sure what I feel for you is love. But I do know I can’t ignore what I feel. I wanted you desperately.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really?” He paused, realizing his mistake. The last man she’d been involved with had attacked her. He hadn’t even thought of that in weeks. Hadn’t taken that into consideration when he thought about the possibility of loving her.
What if she wasn’t ready?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ON THE DRIVE TO CONSTANZO’S, Tucker turned the conversation to Antonio’s showing. Olivia didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or yell at herself. She’d waited two weeks to see him and now suddenly she was afraid?
He’d never hurt her the way Cord had, but that was because he could hurt her in a worse way. She loved him. And he confided in her, got her jobs, bought her dresses. None of which meant he loved her. For all she knew, he wanted sex. And the way she felt tonight, she’d be a very easy target. But what would happen in the morning?
When they arrived, he got out of the limo and turned around to help Olivia out. She smiled, trying not to be panicky.
He tapped her nose affectionately. “Let’s find Constanzo.”
Then he took her hand and her heart stuttered. Sweet and loving, the gesture soothed her jumping nerves. He wasn’t a guy she had to be afraid of. She loved him. Trusted him.
They found Constanzo on the patio by the pool beside Antonio as if holding court.
Careful not to disturb the artist or his group of admirers, she pulled Constanzo away from the small crowd. “How did it go?”
He laughed. “Antonio was a bit surprised.” He winced. “Shocked actually, but we agreed to work this out.”
She squeezed his forearm. “That’s so exciting.”
He nodded. “And I have you to thank.” He faced Tucker. “And you. It looks like we’ll be in some heavy-duty negotiation starting tomorrow.”
Tucker shook his hand. “I look forward to it.”
With that, Constanzo rejoined his son. Antonio turned to him with a smile and Vivi’s heart melted. They had done it.
Tucker faced Olivia. “So.”
She stepped toward him. “So?”
“I think we’re free.”
She ran her hand down his lapels. With things settled with Constanzo, and because Tucker had held her hand, hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t rushed her, everything suddenly felt okay. She loved this man, and she believed in her heart of hearts he loved her. She could not be a coward.
“You’re about to start the biggest negotiations of your life. That’s not freedom. That’s work.”
“Yeah. But I can do these negotiations in my sleep.” He grinned. “I kinda owe this to you.”
“You bet you do.”
He slid his hands to her waist. “I could think of about thirty ways I could repay you.”
Need sizzled through her. She’d never been more ready or more afraid. But she knew she had to do this. Conquer her fears. Be with the man she loved. “You’re inventive.”
“I like to think so.” For Tucker, everything suddenly seemed easy, right, and he didn’t care that they were in a crowd. He dipped his head and kissed her. The kiss was slow and sweet, like nothing he’d ever experienced. It wasn’t just physical. It was personal, emotional, intimate—if only because she knew him. And he knew her. He’d never realized two serious, broken people could be so playful, so happy. And that’s what he really owed to Olivia. His soul.
Her purse began to play out a lively beat. She pulled away, opening it. “It’s the cell phone you gave me.” She caught his gaze. “I thought only you had that number.”
“It’s company property. Human Resources has it, too.”
She rummaged to find the phone. “What could they want?”
Before she could get it out of her purse the call went to voice mail, but a few seconds later her phone buzzed with a text.
Looking over her shoulder, Tucker saw it was from her mom.
Call me. Emergency.
She immediately punched a number into the cell phone.
“Mom?”
Tucker watched Vivi’s face fall as she listened to her mother and his heart kicked against his ribs.
“What kind of accident?”
Filled with a fear he’d never experienced, Tucker stood impotently, waiting. When she disconnected the call, her eyes glistened with tears.
“What happened?”
“My sister was driving in the rain, a deer ran out in front of her and when she swerved to miss it, she hit a tree.”
“Oh, my God.”
“My mom said they aren’t sure how bad it is. Cindy’s in surgery right now—” Her lips trembled. She pressed her fingers to them. “I have to go home.”
He pulled Vivi against him with one arm, then retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and hit a speed-dial number. “Jonah, get the plane ready. File a flight plan for the airport closest to Starlight, Kentucky. Have a car ready for us when we land.”
Huddled into his shoulder she said, “I don’t want to take your plane. You might need it while you’re here.”
“You’re not taking my plane. We’re taking my plane.”
She pulled away so
she could look at him. “You’re coming with me?”
“Yes.” Though it astounded him, he couldn’t let her go alone. He didn’t have a sister or a brother to be able to relate to her feelings, but maybe that was the point. Knowing how priceless siblings could be, he couldn’t let her suffer the thought of losing one of them alone.
With an explanation to Constanzo, they left the party as unobtrusively as possible. Exhausted from the long weeks she’d had with Antonio, Vivi fell asleep on the flight. Tucker found her a blanket and pillow, marveling at how different this trip was from their first flight to Italy. With so much work to do for his negotiations with Constanzo, he could have gone back to his makeshift desk. Instead, he sat on the seat beside her, letting her lean against him while she slept.
When they landed in Kentucky, he woke her.
“Where are we?”
“If my calculations are correct we’re about two hours away from your home.” He clicked a few buttons on his smart phone. “And there is no limo service here so Jonah rented a car for us.”
They got out of the plane at the small public airport. There was only one rental car agency. When he walked up to the counter, he gave them a credit card, signed a few forms and they presented him with keys.
Still wearing her frothy pink dress, Olivia drew all kinds of strange looks from passersby. Behind her in his tux, he got his fair share of odd glances, too.
“We should probably find Jonah, get our bags and change.”
“I don’t want to waste time.”
Tucker caught her by the shoulders. “This isn’t a waste of time. We need to get into comfortable clothes. We need to get something to eat. Maybe a bottle of water. We have a two-hour drive ahead of us. Call your mom. See how things are going. If there’s no news, we have plenty of time to change.”
She closed her eyes. “I’m afraid to.”
“You? Olivia ‘Vivi’ Prentiss? A woman who yelled at her boss? You’re afraid?”
“I never yelled at you. I just made a few points strongly. And this is different. This is my sister. I don’t want to talk on the phone. I need to be there.”
He turned her in the direction of the door where they’d pick up their rental car. “If you’re okay, I’m okay. But we are stopping somewhere for water.”
She was out the door before he’d even said water. He ran after her to find Jonah just outside the door, holding their bags. He located their rental car, Jonah tucked the luggage in the trunk and he and Vivi slid into the front seat.
Before they left, he used his phone’s GPS to find the best route to the hospital and they drove away from the municipal airport.
He tried to think of something hopeful to say, but nothing came to mind. He almost said, “Everything’s going to be fine,” but he didn’t know that it was. He considered telling her to hang in there, but that sounded stupid.
He glanced over at her. She leaned back against the headrest, her eyes closed in misery, her usually happy face drawn in grim lines. Pain sliced through his heart. He couldn’t stand to see her this way.
“Please call your mom.” The words came up from the deepest part of him. “For all we know, there could be good news.”
She opened her eyes slowly and retrieved the cell phone from her purse. She punched in the numbers. Her voice wobbled when she said, “Mom?”
There was a pause that filled the car with reverent silence. Finally she said, “How she can still be in surgery? That’s over eight hours now.”
She quieted again as her mother spoke. Tears filled her eyes. And he wanted to kick himself for insisting she call.
“So they’re saying the surgery could go on for twelve hours? Four more hours?”
Another pause.
“We’re on our way. Tucker’s driving. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Her little bit of confidence in his driving at least gave him the feeling he was doing something. He tried twice to get her to talk. Once about Antonio. Once about how he’d negotiate with Constanzo. But she barely listened. She didn’t care. And he didn’t blame her.
When they finally made it to the hospital, he parked the car and held on to her elbow as she tried to frantically race into the building. They stopped at the information desk and were told the number of the floor for the surgical waiting room. They stayed quiet as they rode the elevator.
As the doors opened, she raced out. He followed at a slower pace. He’d been inept in the car. Clueless about what to say. He could only imagine how he’d boggle things if he tried to talk to her family.
He stepped into the waiting room in time to see her in a group hug with her mom and dad and younger brother. Her parents wept as her brother tried to keep a stiff upper lip. And Vivi, his Olivia, just fell apart.
Total uselessness rattled through him. He knew nothing about families, knew nothing about this kind of loss, had no idea what to say or do.
After what felt like forever, she pulled away from the group. She faced him, her eyes red rimmed, her nose runny and his heart broke again as impotence filled him. Shaming him. Scaring him.
What the hell did a person say or do at a time like this?
“Mom, Dad, Billy...” Her breath shuddered in and out, a remnant of her crying. “You remember my boss, Tucker Engle.”
Though it felt incredibly odd to be called her boss, he stepped forward to shake her dad’s hand.
Vivi sniffed a laugh. “I think right now I need that bottle of water you offered me at the airport.”
“Okay, one water. Would anyone else like anything?”
Her mother said, “I wouldn’t mind a coffee.”
Her dad ran his hand along the back of his neck. “Coffee would be good for me, too.”
Billy said, “I’ll take a soda.” He moved away from the group. “But I’ll also show you the way to the cafeteria. Coffee from the vending machines is worthless.”
As they walked out the door, he nearly breathed a sigh of relief, not sure if he was glad to be getting her parents decent coffee, or glad to be getting out of the room.
“So you brought Vivi the whole way from Italy.”
“It’s kind of easy when you have a private plane.”
Billy snorted. “I guess.” He paused, caught Tucker’s gaze. “You know, my sister really likes you.”
Another wave of relief poured through him but on its heels came an odd sense that he’d never felt before. Olivia liked him in his world. Now, here they were in hers and he was faltering.
“I like your sister, too.”
They grew silent again. Hospital sounds crept up on Tucker. Beeps of monitors. Swishes of machines. The scuffing sound of nurses’ rubber-soled shoes. Hushed conversations.
And here he was in a tuxedo.
They stopped at an elevator and Billy pushed the button. The doors opened. As they entered, Billy hit the light for the second floor.
He cleared his throat. “So you’re what? Sixteen?”
“Not quite sixteen.”
“Do you have plans for college?”
He snorted derisively. “To do what? Move away like Vivi did?” He shook his head. “I know she had her reasons for wanting to leave. But around here, unless you’re going to be a teacher, you’re better off getting some experience as a construction worker or miner.”
“Is that what you want?”
Billy glared at him as if he were crazy. “What I want is to live near my family. No fancy college degree is going to help me do that.”
The elevator bell pinged. They headed to the cafeteria in silence. He poured the coffees from tall containers at a drink station and retrieved sufficient sugar and cream for an army as Billy grabbed a soda and two waters. He paid for it with a bank card and they returned to the elevator, where they were silent. With the exception of telling
Billy he liked his sister, he seemed to always say the wrong thing.
They finally reached the waiting room. He handed Olivia’s parents their coffee. Billy gave him one of the waters. Everyone said thanks and the room grew stone-cold silent again. For an hour.
Thirsty, he’d guzzled his water then wished he hadn’t because now he had nothing to do with his hands.
When the doctor finally walked into the room, everybody jumped off their seats.
The doctor held up his hand when everybody but Tucker began to talk at once. “She’s fine. Great actually. We had to put a few pins in her leg, and she’ll be closely monitored for the next twenty-four hours, but I’m very optimistic. There weren’t any internal injuries and her head CT came back normal.”
Olivia’s mother dissolved into tears. Olivia fell to a chair. Her dad shook hands with the doctor, who left.
After drying her tears, Olivia’s mom caught her hand. “You should go home. Change.” She laughed a little. Skimming the hem of the poofy skirt of Olivia’s dress she said, “This is a pretty little thing.”
She smiled across the waiting room at Tucker. “Tucker bought it for me.”
Her mother’s gaze took a slower, more serious stroll across the room, latching on to his. “Really?”
He’d never realized mothers could be so protective, so suspicious of even simple things, but there was no denying the look on Loraina’s face. “Your daughter was responsible for the first showing of a very important new artist in Bordighera, Italy. As an employee of Inferno, she needed to look the part.”
“Fancy.”
“I wish you could have been there, Mom. It was great. The artist is Antonio Signorelli. His work is fantastic. His dad wanted to foot the bill for a showing so I had to work with him and a woman who owns the gallery and keep Antonio from freaking out.” Her eyes grew soft, dreamy. “It was great. The most fun I’ve ever had.”
Her mom clutched her hand. “That does sound great.”
