Stay with Me

by Jules Bennett

  “I do,” Olivia agreed. “But I have to figure out this partnership first.”

  Why didn’t her father just leave the entire airport to Jackson? Then Olivia wouldn’t be here, taking time away from other projects she needed to focus on—like the career move she’d worked the past decade to maintain. If she were just doing her regular job, and not vying for the top spot, she could technically work from anywhere.

  But she didn’t want to work from Haven. This may have been her childhood home, but she’d left here long ago and never looked back. Why did she have to be pulled back in?

  When she and her mother had left, they’d sworn to never return. Olivia didn’t want to be so hard about it, but...

  No. She couldn’t travel down that lane of memories, not when she was desperately just trying to get out and keep this a business arrangement.

  She glanced to Jade and Melanie, who stared back at her as if they were afraid she was going to crack or have a meltdown at any moment. Pity looks, or the sympathy hugs, were a surefire way to get her to break.

  Another wave of emotions swept through her as she thought of how amazing these girls were. Not that she expected anything less than for them to band around her and offer support.

  After her father’s death, they’d all come to Haven to the cute women-only spa, Bella Vous. Jade had booked the trip because they all needed to get away from Atlanta and just unwind. What better way than a spa? They’d all heard the buzz over the new resort run by three brothers in honor of their late sister. How poetic and amazing was that? There was no way Olivia and her friends were going to be left out.

  Just after the trip Olivia learned of the will, Jade’s career literally blew up in her face, and Melanie was embarking on her own journey after her hellacious marriage came to an end. So here they were with no clear path, but they were always a team. If they were going to succeed or fail, they were doing it together.

  “We need a ladies’ night. Is there a bar in this town?” Melanie took one last drink of her smoothie. “I mean, I saw one, but it was . . .”

  Olivia laughed at Melanie’s shudder. “Yeah. Taps is the only bar. It’s not terrible if you want a neat whiskey or beer.”

  “I never trust a place that doesn’t have a wine collection. And I don’t mean the box variety.”

  Olivia laughed. She could always count on Jade to have her own “crisis” during someone else’s. Still, they deserved some bonding time.

  “We’ll just do a girls’ night in. I need a manicure in the worst way and there’s nowhere around here I’ll go.”

  “Good thing I packed the necessities,” Jade replied. “Melanie, you do the liquor run.”

  Melanie held up her empty shaker. “Wait, is there even a store that sells the supplies we need?”

  Olivia rolled her eyes. “I would think. Surely the town isn’t made up of complete savages.”

  “I’m not so sure.” Jade came to the other side of the island, holding her bottle, and resting her palm on the counter. “During my jog I saw a man watering his lawn in only plaid boxers, a woman in curlers and a hideous floral robe standing on the curb getting her mail, and I won’t even get into the man who was standing in his doorway wearing nothing but what the good Lord gave him. He had the balls to actually wave at me. Pun intended. But in my too-long chat with Mrs. Kinard, I did learn that our favorite teacher’s husband passed just yesterday. I thought we should send flowers or . . . I don’t know, bake a casserole.”

  “Flowers,” Olivia muttered. “We’re not baking anything and getting too cozy with the neighbors. We won’t be here that long.”

  Olivia didn’t want to hear anymore. She didn’t want to know what was going on in this town or who the people were. All she wanted was to get this deal in motion so she could get out.

  “Remind me not to take that same path when I go tomorrow,” Melanie said as she sat her bottle in the sink. “I’d rather not have Mr. Balls waving at me.”

  Olivia came to her feet. “Well, as fun as discussing balls has been, I need to get to work cleaning out the closets. I’ll never sell this place with all the boxes and knickknacks.”

  She shoved her hair back from her face, wondering if she should go on a jog herself. She’d been so anxious to talk to Jackson, she’d skipped her morning workout so she could take extra time and care on her appearance. It was like he didn’t even care about her new killer suit. She could definitely use the release and time alone to clear her head and work on another game plan.

  Piper. His daughter. Was the mother in the picture? Not that his personal life was her concern, but damn it, she deserved to know. Because of her father’s will, now Jax was her concern. She would’ve been perfectly fine not receiving anything.

  Olivia had just gotten to the doorway leading into the living room when her friends burst into laughter.

  She jerked around. “What?”

  “Did you leave out something about your visit with Mr. Morgan?” Jade asked, her smile wide, her eyes sparkling with something that frightened Olivia.

  “No, why.”

  Melanie picked up her phone from the counter. “Turn back around.”

  Confused, Olivia put her back to the kitchen once again, and once again her friends’ laughter filled the space.

  “What?” Olivia asked, throwing her arms in the air and facing them. “What is so funny?”

  Melanie flipped her phone around and showed Olivia the picture. A picture of Olivia’s ass.

  A picture of Olivia’s ass with a greasy handprint right where Jackson had tried to catch her . . . after he’d put a grease mark on her face.

  Fury bubbled through her. “I’m going to kill him.”

  “Well, that would be one way to get your half of the airport, but orange isn’t your color.”

  Olivia glared at Jade. “Not funny.”

  “So, you only thought you got the last word in because I’d say—”

  Holding up a hand, Olivia cut Melanie off. “I know. Damn it, I know. He got the one up on me. But I’m not done.”

  “Do you want me to send you this picture?” she asked, causing Jade to laugh even harder. “In case you wanted to update your profile on any of your social media outlets.”

  “You two are a riot,” Olivia stated dryly. “I’m going to change and I’m going back to the airport. Jackson Morgan will not make me look like a fool.”

  “I think he already—”

  Olivia marched off, ignoring Jade stating the obvious. Her friends at least attempted to snicker quietly, but Olivia couldn’t worry about that now. She had more pressing matters and a brand-new suit Jackson had to dry-clean.

  * * *

  “Livie Daniels. Is that you?”

  Again with the name. Did people get a nickname and then never part from it? Why couldn’t she have been dubbed “O Great One” or “Her Highness”? If she were to go back and pick her nickname in school, she definitely wouldn’t have let “Livie” pass.

  Olivia clutched the shopping bag she carried . . . a bag with her soiled suit. It took every bit of Olivia’s willpower not to explode on the young woman leaving the airport hangar, but all she had done was call Olivia by the annoying name.

  No, Olivia would rather save her frustration for Jackson.

  Not recognizing the blonde headed her way, Olivia pasted on a smile that was as fake as this lady’s nails. Did people actually still do acrylics?

  “I’m sorry, I don’t recall your name.”

  The lady with dark blond hair, which was actually a pretty shade, waved a hand in the air. “It’s okay. I was a couple of years behind you in school. You wouldn’t know me.” The woman held out her hand. “I’m April Collins.”

  Olivia ran the name through her head, vaguely placing the woman who stood before her. “Of course I remember you now,” Olivia lied as she shook her hand. “How wonderful to see you again.”

  “I’m sorry about your dad.” April pulled her hand back and shielded her eyes against the late afterno
on sun. “I know words don’t change anything, but he sure will be missed around here.”

  Forcing her smile to remain in place, Olivia nodded. Just another person her father had left an impression on. Another reason she didn’t want to stick around too long. All of these people would be coming forward, wanting to express their condolences, and Olivia truly didn’t have the mental capacity to cope. Years of an absentee father hurt, but knowing he hadn’t fought for her and remained here catering to everyone else was absolutely crushing.

  Well, he’d e-mailed randomly. Maybe twice a year and called on Christmas and her birthday. He never asked why she left, but he always asked her to come back. Why? She never fully grasped why he wanted her to return unless he only wanted someone to take over his precious airport. But he had Jax for that, didn’t he?

  It had been easier to settle into her new life and push away her old . . . her father included.

  Olivia couldn’t get into all of that with April, so she just replied with a simple, “Thank you.”

  “I’m glad Jax is keeping the place running. He’s got as much determination as your dad did,” April went on. “Maybe more since Piper is still so young. She absolutely loves coming here and she told me in class today that her dream is to be an air force pilot like her daddy.”

  The guilt punch to the gut impacted her more than she would’ve liked. She had to push personal feelings aside. If she wanted this deal to be done in her favor, she had to keep her eye on the prize . . . and the prize was getting out of here as soon as possible with the full deed to the airport and her sanity intact.

  “Piper is quite the tomboy.” April went on as if they were old friends reuniting for a chitchat. “All she talks about during school is planes and how her daddy lets her help with repairs. She’s got a passion for flying, that’s for sure.” April laughed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t keep you.”

  “Oh, it’s no bother.”

  Surprisingly, she meant that. Small-town ramblings were how anyone found out anything going on. Jade’s run was proof enough.

  The fact that Jackson had a daughter may have tilted the stakes just a bit, but Olivia couldn’t let it deter her from seeking what she wanted . . . what she needed for closure.

  “I need to get going,” April said, pulling Olivia from her thoughts. “It was good to see you again.”

  Offering a nod and a smile, Olivia waited until April got in her car and started to pull out of the grassy lot. With bag in hand, Olivia headed toward the closed hangar door.

  Besides the inevitable partnership chat, Olivia wanted to know what he planned to do about her suit. Her new suit.

  As soon as she pushed the door open, she wasn’t sure what she expected to find. The same lonely plane she’d seen earlier, the same sexy man who grated on her last nerve and stood in the way of her closure. Definitely those, but she hadn’t anticipated that same sexy man dancing around the same damn plane.

  Dancing around with his daughter. The little girl squealed as he twirled from one end of the hangar to the other, her blond pigtails bouncing with each step. Jackson’s arms extended out, and his little girl lay across the top in plank position as a human airplane. As Jackson ran back to the other end, she let out another high-pitched noise somewhere between a laugh and a scream.

  Olivia remained in the doorway, hand clutched on the doorknob as she took in the sight. Memories she’d wanted to suppress had slammed her right in the heart and there was no stopping the flood of emotions. She blinked against the tears, instantly taken back to her childhood when she and her father would do that very thing . . . in front of that exact plane.

  For the first time since being so hell-bent on removing this place from her life, there was an unwelcome tug on her heart. What did she do with that emotion? She hadn’t counted on feeling anything other than elation as she skipped back out of Haven with the property solely in her name.

  Once upon a time she’d wanted a family, children. She’d given up on those dreams—or so she thought—to have a lucrative career. Yet watching memories being made right before her eyes was more than her biological clock could handle.

  Damn it. She thought for sure that thing stopped ticking. She didn’t want these emotions and the doubts. There was a plan in place and she was going to see it through.

  The bag slipped from her hand, banging against the concrete. Jackson froze, turned with his daughter in his arms, and met her gaze across the hangar.

  Olivia pulled in a breath, blinked against the unwanted tears filling her eyes. This was not what she came for. A stroll down the lane of memories could not be part of this business deal.

  The sooner she could get him on her side, the sooner she could say good riddance forever.

  Chapter Three

  Jax knew instantly that they weren’t alone anymore, but he wasn’t going to stop playing with his daughter simply because the princess had returned. Piper’s squeals had him spinning and running faster. She had an adventurous spirit just like her father. His spunky daughter may have been the exact image of her mother, but thankfully she didn’t have the personality.

  “Daddy,” Piper giggled. “You have a visitor.”

  Yeah, he knew, but he didn’t like this visitor. He slowed down and slowly put Piper on her feet. One of her ponytails was lopsided, but he was pretty proud he’d mastered this little-girl style. Those tiny rubber bands he had to use in her hair were damn hard to maneuver with hands his size.

  Piper raced across the hangar toward Olivia. Jax opted to stand back to see what she wanted. No doubt she thought they’d pick up where they left off in conversation earlier.

  He had to bite back a smile when he realized she’d changed. Now she wore a pair of white cropped pants and a fitted red tank. She still had on a pair of damn heels. Did she always have to silently scream money?

  “My name is Piper,” his daughter greeted because she’d never met a stranger. “I’m four. You’re really pretty. Did you need Daddy to fly you somewhere?”

  Olivia met his gaze from across the open space. When she quirked her brow, he merely smiled.

  “No.” Olivia looked back down to Piper and squatted down to get on her level. “I’m actually here to give him this sack.”

  “Like a present?” Piper exclaimed.

  “Exactly like a present,” she stated, holding her hand out. “I’m Olivia and you are pretty, too. My age isn’t important.”

  “Does that mean you’re old?” Piper asked. “Because you don’t look old. Can I guess your age?”

  Oh, this was always a fun game. Jax waited to see what number she’d come up with. He never knew what she’d say . . . the joys of parenthood. Sometimes she guessed him to be fifteen and others she pegged him as eighty-eight.

  “Well . . .” Olivia stood back up and shot a worried glance to him.

  “I say nineteen.”

  Olivia’s wide smile did that whole twisty thing to his gut again. He liked it better when she was grouchy and frowning.

  “I’m quite flattered, but I’m a little older.”

  Piper shrugged and turned, threw her arms wide, and ran back toward Jax. “Go open the sack so I can see your surprise,” she told him as she ran right into his leg.

  He scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder, causing an instant scream. “Daddy,” she squealed.

  Easing her down just a bit, he kept hold of her against his side as he headed toward Olivia and the mysterious sack . . . though he had a pretty good idea as to what she had in there, especially since she had changed.

  “You didn’t have to bring me a peace offering.”

  Olivia’s bright eyes narrowed into slits. “This is your dry cleaning. My new suit apparently has a stain on the a—”

  “Yes, I believe I saw that when you left earlier.” Jax smiled as he darted a glance to his daughter, then back to Olivia. “I’m sure it was already there when you arrived.”

  “Oh, I think you know exactly how it got there.”

  “Can I
go get some juice in the office?” Piper asked.

  Jax sat her on her feet and she darted off out of the hangar to the adjoining office where he kept snacks and drinks. They seemed to be here more often than home, so he liked to keep things stocked. He even had a pull-out sofa because before Piper had started preschool, she’d be here most days and would take naps. Only when he was flying did he pay for a sitter.

  Now that Piper was in all-day preschool, his schedule was a bit freer, but he missed her. He wasn’t used to being without his knee-high sidekick. They were a team. Where he went, she went. Even some flights he’d taken her on when the passengers didn’t mind and seating allowed. She loved the sky as much as he did, maybe more because she only knew the fun side of this job. The hard work hadn’t come into her life yet, but as she got older, he’d teach her the mechanics, the technical things so she was independent.

  Not to mention he wanted her to know that sacrifice was all part of the job. But, when you were doing what you loved, then even the most trying things didn’t feel like work.

  “She’s adorable,” Olivia stated once they were alone. “She must take after her mother.”

  Jax knew her comment was meant to be a jab, but she’d hit a nerve. “Beyond her looks, she’s nothing like my ex-wife. She doesn’t even remember her, so don’t mention her again when Piper is around.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Olivia blinked, her face indeed expressing just how sorry she was. “I didn’t know.”

  “Exactly,” he retorted, shoving his hands in his pockets. “There’s quite a bit you don’t know about what’s happened here since you left, so don’t come in all assuming.”

  Silence surrounded them and Jax wondered if she was going to apologize again. But, nope. There went that defiant chin he’d been introduced to earlier. Oh, and right on cue there went the squared, rigid shoulders. Olivia was now in fighting position . . . he’d do best to keep his armor in place.

  “I came to drop this off.” She dropped the sack between their feet and took a step back. “I was hoping we could talk, but maybe this isn’t the best time. Does tomorrow work for you?”