by Mia Ford
I break away from Neil wishing that he’ll ask me to do anything else. If I spend any more time with him, then I may turn to drink myself, and I’ve never touched a drop. Not ever since I found out that it killed my parents. My watery eyes meet Neil soft pleading eyes I relent. “Of course, Neil. You know I would move heaven and earth for you. You . . . You’ve been like a father to me for the past two years.”
Neil’s face lights up with a smile. “That’s what I want to hear. Just give him a second chance, that’s all I ask.”
He kisses me on the forehead and then leaves the laundry room with his head bowed down. He’s feeling down, and I know that there’s only one way to put a smile on his face and that’s to help Isaac. I decide to go to his room; I’ll do the laundry later.
I head up the stairs with a mission on my mind, that’s to help Isaac. I’ll find out who’s buying drinks for him and put it to an end. I’ll search his room with the help of Gloria and get rid of the existing bottles. I’ll make Neil see that there’s nothing I won’t do for him and it starts and end with making Isaac turn his nose from liquor.
I knock lightly on Isaac’s bedroom door. “Isaac?” I call out.
No answer.
“Isaac? Do you want to go for a swim with me? Come on. It’s hot, and a swim will be refreshing.”
I’m trying to sound pleasant and as if I mean it. I’m not a good actress, but I need this to work. If it doesn’t then I don’t want Neil to feel bad. He doesn’t deserve it. I’m standing and waiting for him to answer the door. I grow impatient and just open the door. He’s not in bed. I open the door and step into his room. His bags are gone!
Damn!
He’s left I realize as I face an empty closet with none of his clothes in there. This is the first time that he’s left the room clean. Which means that either Gloria or Harriet has come to clean it.
What’s up with this guy?
I know that this time of day, Neil will be in the library. That’s where he’ll be ready with one of his books.
“You’re not going to believe this. Isaac’s gone.”
“What?”
“Yes, Neil he’s gone and so has all his things.”
He lifts his hand up in the air dropping his book, “I give up. I do.”
I blurt out, “I don’t. I’m going to go to the city and find him.”
“Olivia, you don’t need to do that.”
Yes, I do, because you’ve been more than a father to me and I owe you big time. I’m going to find Isaac, and I’ll give him a piece of my mind. Once I do, he’ll be the one running back here, with his tail in between his legs.
“I’ll go in the morning. Don’t worry Neil. I don’t work Thursday’s. So, I’ll have cover.”
I kiss the old man on the head and reassure him with a hand pat on his shoulders. He holds on to my hand for a second, maybe trying to figure out if I’m serious. I’m a woman of my word, and one thing’s for sure. I’m going to bring Isaac back. No more miss nice girl. He’s going to see a different side to me now.
Chapter 5
Isaac
What the fuck is wrong with everyone?
I was just about to get a bottle from the stables. That’s where I’ve been hiding my bottles when I get a phone call. Tom, the IT director, ’s quit. Granddad sent Steven in to run the company for the weeks that I’ll be at the stables. The guy’s a fucking mercenary, he’s my oldest cousin and is desperate to take over the family business. Granddad says that he’s good because Steven doesn’t get attached, that’s right he’s a fucking workaholic because no one wants to be with him. He’s the type that treats women like dogs and his staff as if they’re the bottom of the food chain.
I told Tom to sit tight, and I’ll be in the office in a couple of hours. As soon as I got here, it was fucking World War IV.
“Isaac you need to realize that you don’t need an IT Director, Senior Manager and Head of the IT Department. All in the same building and all doing the same fucking job,” Steven says as we all sit down to discuss Tom’s resignation.
Shit, I didn’t even realize that there were so many senior managers working in IT. I drum my fingers on the table because I know that Steven’s right. I feel like a fool for even jumping in the car, stroking my bottle the whole fucking journey thinking that I’ll be having a drink soon.
“So, what now?” I whisper as I feel as if I’m in fucking school and being told off by the principle.
“Well, he can leave immediately. That’s the way that we normally do it.”
Steven has that smug look on his face as he rubs his oversized stomach and balding head. The guy’s only thirty, and he looks over forty. If that’s what dedication and hard work look like, then they can count me out.
“I don’t understand why you drove all this way, Isaac? Aren’t you enjoying being on the ranch?”
I hate his smugness and his tone.
“Yes, it’s just that I wanted to make sure that everything was alright here. There’s nothing wrong with that. I am still the CEO.”
He stands up, “Yes, we all know that.”
Good, that shut him up!
“Seeing as you have everything in hand, then I’ll be getting back. I just need to take a few things from my office. If you don’t mind?”
He stands up, “Be my guest. After all, it is your office. I’m going to grab something to eat, so I’ll be gone a while. If I don’t see you again, then have a safe trip.”
I nod because there’s no fucking way that he’s going to see me again and I’ll make sure that I’m not here when he comes back.
I just want to go to my office to see if my stash is still there. I’m going to get my driver to take me back to the ranch, and I want to make sure that I have some good stuff before we reach there.
“Until next time Steven.”
He’s standing and waiting for me to say something. The one thing that I rarely do, but I know that if granddad were here, then he would force me to do it.
Fuck!
Just this one.
“Thank you,” I say through gritted teeth. The smugness and smile reappear on Steven’s face as he holds out his hand and says, “Anytime cuz.”
Great as if I need reminding that we’re related. That’s when it dawns on me as I slump my shoulders and head to my office. I better go back to the ranch. I was so lost in my thoughts when I came here that I didn’t even tell granddad that I was going. I could have told Olivia, but I hated the way that she treats me at times as if I’m her kid or something.
I’ve never been with a woman that doesn’t want me to try something. Not even once. She makes me feel as if I’ve lost my fucking touch. No man wants to be with a woman who wants to be his friend.
Hell no!
Every time I flirt with her, she just backs away. I grab my key open the closet and my Scotch Malt Whisky Society Karuizawa Single Malt is sitting there begging me to open it. Shit, it won’t have to wait long. One phone call and one long car drive with a couple of blocks of ice, and I’ll be in fucking heaven.
I’m stuffing it in my bag and closing the door. I’m about to leave when I see a face. One that I never expected to see this side of Texas.
“Olivia!”
“Isaac!” she says as she walks into my office.
I don’t even know what to say to her.
“I should have told you that I was leaving…”
“But you didn’t.”
She says with her hands on her hips. I may not know much about women, but I know one thing for sure. Olivia’s genuinely pissed.
“Well you didn’t, and I came to bring you back to the ranch.”
“Really?” I sigh, because I’m not used to seeing her not smile and acting a bit too chirpy any hour of the day. It’s as if she’s constantly on a happy dial. Maybe I’m rubbing off on her with my crappy attitude.
“But before we do that. Let’s go and have a coffee.”
She’s so fucking close that all I want to do is kiss her
right now. Tell her that she must be as attracted to me as I am to her. But as she backs away I blurt out, “Fine, but you’re paying.”
Apparently, Granddad’s paying her too much. It didn’t take her long to get here, which means that she either drove or Trevor brought her? But he couldn’t have because he’s out for the day on some run, which means that she has her car. So, not only is she living in the cottage for free, she’s riding around town for free too. Not with me. Granddad may think that she’s an angel, but the way that she commanded me right now. I can tell that it’s all one big act.
Chapter 6
Olivia
I can’t believe that he agrees to everything I say. Something must have happened before I arrived at the office, part of me wants to know, and the other part thinks that ignorance is bliss and maybe that’s the problem. I’ve spent too much time trying to get to know him and forcing myself on him to some extent. Not stripping down and telling him to take me. But more subtly, like brushing my hand against his, or telling him to help me when I can do it myself.
Not once has he taken the hint!
Like the one time we were playing pool, he was so close to me that I could smell his woody scent. He just took the stick of me and told me that I needed to do it this way. He didn’t try to touch me, and I can’t just throw myself at him. I’m not that type of girl, but then he has a sadness about him. One that should make me stay as far away from him as possible, but it does the complete opposite it pulls me towards him like a magnet.
I do know one thing for sure. He’s holding on to his bag as if his life depends on it. That can only mean one thing. It has a bottle in it. So, I come up with the grand plan to distract him. Make him forget about what he’s holding.
“I thought that you might like to show me around, Houston. Instead of us rushing to the ranch.”
“But you stormed into my office saying that I was coming back to the ranch with you now!”
I laugh, “I know, but I’ve never been to Houston before.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“No, I’m serious. I’ve always lived in the country. Houston’s too crowded, and the traffic sucks. I was always afraid to drive here. But I finally decide it was time to tackle my fear of the traffic head on.”
“But it's only a couple of hours from the ranch! You make it sound as if it’s the other side of the world.”
“To you maybe, but for me, it’s a couple of hours by car and the world apart socially,” I sigh as I finish my second cup of coffee. I wonder if he’s mocking me or trying to educate me? I can never tell, but then there’s something different about our conversation compared to when we’re on the ranch. Maybe he seems me as Neil’s ranch hand there, and here he’ll see me in a different light?
“I’ll show you around. You can’t come to Houston, have a cup of coffee, and return to the ranch without seeing more of Houston than Interstate 10.”
Suddenly, I don’t want to go back to the ranch. I want to spend more time with Isaac. “Great, maybe I’ll like Houston if I see a little more of it.”
“What would you like to see?”
“Space Center Houston,” I say without hesitating. “I’ve wanted to visit it since I was a little girl. I remember telling everyone that one day I was going to be an astronaut and go the see the man on the moon.”
“To see the man in the moon?” Isaac laughs.
“I was only five years old,” I pout thinking that he’s mocking me now.
“It’s just cute. I didn’t think that you would be interested in things like that. You just caught me by surprise.”
We say nothing for a second, and I don’t know what to take about what he just said.
Doesn't he think that I’m educated? Or that I’m interested in space?
I’m about to ask him when he blurts out, “Space Center Houston it is. Come on, let’s go.”
He grabs my hand, and the other is safely in his bag. He’s smiling and maybe my plans working because as we get to his car. He dumps the bag at the back.
“Come on, cowgirl. No horses today, cars only in downtown,” Isaac says as he opens the car door for me. I feel like a Princess as he waits for me to enter. My car’s parked for the day, but as soon as he takes the wheel and starts driving, I have to close my eyes.
Isaac burrows through the notorious Houston traffic, and I think about the country roads near the ranch. They’re nothing compared to the noisy drivers in the city. I can’t wait for us to get there, so as soon as Isaac increases the volume of the radio. I start concentrating on the radio show and don’t even think about the way that he drives. Thank goodness he doesn’t ride horses the same way that he does cars. That’s when I spot the space shuttle atop the 747 as we approach the Space Center. I feel a surge of excitement that I don’t even try and hide.
“Excited?” Isaac says turning to smile at me as he parks the car.
I squeal, “Yes, I can’t believe that we’re here.”
Then I clap my hands together, and I can’t help but let out a little scream as he parks the car.
“Are we doing this?” I ask as he takes my hand and we enter the Space Center. "Where do you want to start?" I close my eyes and think for about two seconds, what's the one thing that I've always been dying to see the most, "The historic Apollo 11 command module without a doubt."
He nods, "Good choice. My lady gets what my lady demands.”
Then I loop my hand into his arm as he locks the car and then we go on a tour. I expected Isaac to go to the module and then turn around. The more time we spent in there, the more he wanted to see. I soon realized that he hadn’t been in there since he was a kid.
“It seems as if I’m not the only one was excited to come.”
He confesses, “You got me there. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
“Should we see some more?”
He laughs, “Why not? We’ve got nothing else to be rushing back for? Or do you have to work at the ranch today?”
I shake my head, “You’re asking me now. After we’ve spent most of the morning and afternoon out together?”
He laughs, “You know the crazy thing about it all?”
As he ignores my question, curiosity wants to know what’s on his mind.
“No.”
“I haven’t even wanted a drink.”
This means that my plan’s working. I start flicking through the guide book. I want us to stay all day, not only because I want to spend time with him, but because I never thought I'd say this, but I’m loving not being at the ranch for the first time in a long time.
***
I stop as we near the car and take out my cell phone. “I have to call Neil. It’s my day off, but I didn’t tell him that I got here safely.”
“Don’t go back,” Isaac says. “There’s much more to see in Houston. Tomorrow we can see more sights.”
“But where am I going to stay?”
“In my apartment. It’s huge. Of course, it’s nothing near as many square feet as the ranch house, but it’s more than big enough for the two of us.
“Okay, I’ll stay. You’ve twisted my arm.”
He nods, “Good now, call granddad and tell him that you’ll be back tomorrow night. I pick up my phone and Neil picks on the first ring, “Hi Neil’s speaking.”
“Neil, it’s Olivia,” I say as my eyes dart from Isaac to the floor.
“Where are you?”
“Houston.”
“ I know that you said that you were going, but I thought that you might change your mind,” he chuckles as he talks about my trip.
“Yeah, I surprised myself. Uh . . . I’m with Isaac. We just got through touring the Space Center,” I’m smiling at Isaac, but I know what he’s looking at. The back seat and his bottle that’s waiting for him.
“Now, that’s worth a trip to Houston for sure. Uh . . . How is Isaac? Are the two of you coming back to the ranch tonight?”
“Isaac wants to show me more sights in Ho
uston tomorrow. He said that I could stay in his apartment.”
I’m nodding my head waiting for a reaction from Neil. He’ll tell me if it's not a good idea. He’ll reassure me if it’s the right thing to do.
“I think that’s great. It’s about time you got away from the ranch and saw some of the city. Why don’t you take a couple of days off? You and Isaac enjoy yourselves. It’ll do both of you good.”
“You sure, Neil. You sure you’ll be okay. I’m worried about . . . You know your health.”
“Olivia, I’ll be fine. I’ll go down to the Brass Rail for meals. Don’t worry about me. Just have fun.”
“If you’re sure?” I say glancing at Isaac and smiling.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure.”
“Okay. Bye,” I say as I hung up the phone.
I turn to Isaac to tell him the good news, “Well, it looks like you’re stuck with me for a few days, Isaac.”
“You make it sound like something bad,” Isaac says as he opens the car door for me.
“Do you like Italian food?”
“Yes, lasagna is my all-time favorite!”
“Well, it just happens that there’s a great Italian restaurant near my apartment that I eat at regularly. And their lasagna is to die for, so you’re in luck.”
“I just need to get my car from the parking lot. I can’t leave it there all night.”
He shakes his head, “It’s fine. I’ll pay for it, and you didn’t bring anything with you. You didn’t know that you were staying overnight.”
He’s right about that. I visioned myself going back tonight for some reason. Not spending the day at the Space Centre and I never thought that I'd be enjoying myself with him.
“So, let’s go and get lasagne!”
As we ride in the car, I can’t think of anything better than spending the next couple of days with Isaac. Not only is the idea of speaking to someone and spending time with them, it feels as if it’s the best gift in the world. Neil and I have our moments, but apart from meal time, I don’t go out with him, or anything like that. This is about two people just enjoying each other’s company. My eyes dart towards Isaac once in a while. I wonder if he knows how I feel, but then again if he did he would make a move by now. It’s obvious that there is just one sided Isaac doesn’t feel any attraction towards me, I’m starting to realize it more and more. Isaac pulls into the parking lot of a small restaurant with a neon sight spelling out Fettuccines in big red letters.
