“Ugh.”
“I agree.”
“How’s he doing?”
“According to Shannon, he’s a hot mess. I don’t get it.”
“He obviously loves you, or he wouldn’t have sent Dave here to make sure you’re okay.”
“Meh. He does stuff like that because that’s how he was raised. His mother probably made him do it.”
“You’re absolutely right. That’s how I raised him. But sending Dr. Cameron was a decision he made on his own.”
Shocked Olivia drops her coffee cup. “Anna?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Olivia jumps to her feet as the hot liquid spills over the edge of the desk and onto her lap. Rachel quickly looks for anything to soak it up, while Anna tries to help, brushing her hand over her clothing trying to rid what hasn’t already soaked in. A flash of confusion washes over her expression as she holds her hand over, the now wiggling, baby bump. “You’re pregnant,” she says emotionally.
Olivia looks over at Rachel, perplexed. “Ummm. Yes.”
Anna pulls her into her arms and squeezes her tightly. “You’re still pregnant!”
“Anna?”
“We didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know she was pregnant?” Rachel says baffled.
“No. I mean yes,” Anna tries to explain.
“You thought I lost the baby?” Olivia says shocked.
“Ethan hasn’t told us anything. All we knew was that you collapsed. Despite my best threats, Dave wouldn’t tell me anything. We assumed the worst. That’s why I’m here.”
“Are the girls with you?”
“No. They don’t know I’m here. Madison was ready to book the first flight here the minute she found out something was wrong.”
Olivia holds the damp clothes away from her skin, feeling uncomfortable.
“Maybe you can take some time off, go home and change, so we can talk?”
“Of course.”
Olivia protests as Anna stands in her kitchen, making her a cup of tea.
“Really, Anna. I’m fine. I can make my own cup of tea.”
“Sit,” Anna demands.
Olivia pulls out the kitchen chair and sits; frustrated that she always seems to be losing battles to members of the O’Connell family.
Anna puts the teacup down in front of her and pulls out a chair. “Now, tell me what happened.”
“I made him feel like a monster.”
“Does this have anything to do with what happened to you a few years ago?”
Olivia’s face turns pale. “You know about that?”
“Yes. You can’t hide anything from this family.”
She sighs, “Apparently not.”
“I had an… episode, I guess you can call it.”
“Ah,” Anna nods, “his temper triggered it, no doubt.”
“It was everything all at once.”
“I see.” Anna cocks her head to the side. “Where’s your wedding ring?”
Olivia looks down, avoiding Anna’s stare.
“I gave it back to him. He made it very clear that it’s over, Anna.”
Anna sits pensively back in her chair. “Interesting.”
“Why?”
“He’s still wearing his.”
“I have no idea why.”
“Obvious, isn’t it? He loves you.”
“Anna.”
“He needs you, Olivia.”
“NO, he doesn’t. Ethan O’Connell doesn’t need anybody,” she says sarcastically.
Anna smiles. “Mmhmm. Aiden O’Connell pretended he didn’t either. But you and I… we’re smarter than that.”
“What are you saying?”
“He’s given up. He feels like he’s failed, not just you, but all of us. He and his father are at odds again. He’s shut out his sisters and completely avoids me all together. I know my boy, so I’ve given him some space, for the time being, but I know that he’s not going to fix this on his own. This, you need to fix.”
“I have no idea how,” Olivia says sadly.
“Love him. Believe in him. Kick his stubborn Irish ass. But don’t give in.”
“I’m not so sure he wants to be rescued.”
“Are you going to let him decide when you’re marriage is over?”
Olivia looks up, surprised. Good question.
“The O’Connell men will never admit that they need us. So we just have to do what needs to be done.”
Conflicted and confused, Olivia gets to her feet. “I need to get back to work. You’re welcome to hang out here.”
The door opens and Carter pushes his way in, carrying a large cardboard box.
“You obviously know Carter Brant.”
Carter drops the box on the floor, his eyes opening wide when he sees her. “Oh, fuck.”
“Carter!” Olivia says.
“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to see her here. Hi, Anna.”
“Hello, Carter.” Anna makes her way across the room and gives him a hug, then kisses both cheeks.
“Carter? What the hell is that?” Olivia asks.
Carter gives her an apologetic look. “It’s your stuff from the other house. Ethan asked me to bring it back to you.”
“Awesome.” Void of emotion she picks up her purse. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” She stops at the bottom of the stairs, putting on her shoes, out of sight.
“So, Anna. If you’re here it must be really bad,” Carter says, thinking Olivia is gone.
“I’ve never seen him this low, Carter. I’m frightened for him.”
“He’ll be fine. He always lands on his feet.”
“Not this time. This time his heart is broken, he doesn’t know how to survive that. He’s never been in love before.”
“Maybe you can get Aiden to bring back the Artemis Project. He needs to do something that’s going to help his public image and keep his mind busy.”
Olivia closes her eyes. Artemis. That was her failure, not his. Distracted, she flips through the paperwork in front of her and tries to concentrate. Her efforts are disrupted by a call.
“Hi, Shannon.”
“Hey. How are you holding up?”
“I’m miserable.”
“If it’s any consolation, so is he. We were there last night, and he’s a hot mess.”
“No, it doesn’t make me feel any better. It just makes it worse.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I knew how to help. I told him he’s an asshole. But he already knows that.”
“Shannon? Carter says that he should be working on his public image. Doing humanitarian kind of stuff.”
“That’s true. Even when we get the charges dropped, there’s been so much bad publicity. People don’t forget that stuff.”
“So… if the Artemis Project got completed, and he was able to donate them to the hospital centres that need them, that would be good for him?”
“That would be a really good start in rebuilding his reputation. People usually like it when you save babies.”
Anna refuses to let Olivia lift a finger around the house. Tired of fighting with her, she finally just settles in on the couch and falls asleep. Dreams whisk her away to the green rolling hills of Ireland.
Owen wraps his arms around her, pulling her in close. Softly he serenades her, singing her an old Irish lullaby.
Olivia sits upright, her heart feeling shattered. Her eyes fix on the cardboard box Carter dropped in the middle of the room. Dragging it over to the chair, she sits and opens the flaps. She rummages through the box of clothes and shoes and comes across the book, nestled in the bottom. She pulls it free and sits with it on her lap, memorizing every worn inch of the leather cover. A piece of paper sticks out of the top and she opens it to find a note, in Carter’s handwriting.
“Don’t ever doubt it.”
Only Carter would understand the significance of this particular copy of Romeo and Juliet. She gently skims her hand across the delicate, century old paper, tracing the inscribed heart
with the tip of her finger. With the next heavy beat of her heart, she begins to breathe again. Ethan’s energy washes over her, making the hair on her arms rise. For the first time in weeks, she senses him, and she feels his suffering. Placing Carter’s note to the side, she flips through the pages, stopping exactly where the universe is leading her.
So dear I love him that with him,
All deaths I could endure.
Without him, live no life.
“Look for the signs,” she whispers, remembering Eva’s last words. She puts down the book and picks up her laptop.
“Right…” she says out loud, as she opens the file called Artemis. “Let’s begin this rescue mission.”
After getting very little sleep, and not making any progress, Olivia drags herself into the office of Dunn and McLellan.
“Have you got a minute?” Rachel asks, walking into her office.
“Of course.”
“How are you making out on the Silva project?”
“What is it that they manufacture?”
“Compasses and GPS; stuff like that, I think. Why?”
Olivia laughs once and shakes her head, amused. “Of course they do,” she mumbles to herself. “I finished going through the requirements this morning. It’s a complicated profile.”
“That’s why Jeremiah gave it to you,” Rachel laughs.
“I don’t think we can solve all their problems with one software package. I think we need to determine which technology works for each individual requirement and then bundle them together.” Olivia’s eyes open wide and she pauses. “Well… fuck.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” She smiles. “Everything is finally going to be right. I love you, but I have to go.”
“What? Wait…where are you going?”
Olivia bursts through the front door. “ANNA!”
Startled she rushes out of the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
“I know how to fix it!”
“Fix what, child?”
Olivia bounces around the room, looking through papers and opening drawers. “Artemis! I know how to fix it! I need to test it, but I’m sure I can get it up and running, so Ethan can get it into the hands of the people who need it.”
Anna smiles. “What do you need to make it happen?”
Olivia stops what she’s doing. “I need the data and the prototype. And the engineer! I definitely need James, the engineer.” Walking to the desk, she opens the drawer and finds what she’s looking for.
Anna patiently waits for her to finish her thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, Olivia turns to meet her inquisitive stare. “I need to go home.”
Anna nods. “I’m confident that I can make all of those things happen.”
“You can? What about Aiden? Won’t he have a fit?” she asks concerned.
“You leave him to me. There’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re not getting on a plane and going anywhere unless Dave says it’s safe.”
“Ooooh. I didn’t think about that. I’ll call him now.”
Everybody sits patiently in the exam room, waiting for the results. Everybody except for Olivia; she occupies herself with pushing buttons and fidgeting with switches.
“No. Absolutely not,” Carter says.
“Carter. You don’t get a vote,” Anna reminds him.
“Would you two stop it?”
Everybody gets quiet when the door opens and Dave walks in reading test results.”
“Well?” Olivia asks.
Dave sits, looking conflicted. “The rest results are all within normal ranges.”
“Awesome!”
“But I’m worried.”
“Aha! Not so awesome,” Carter says, squashing Olivia’s excitement.
She flashes him an unimpressed look and then turns to Dave. “What are you worried about?”
A lot of things happen on a flight: altitude changes, air pressure. Your condition is stable, at the moment, but the way this baby gets jumping around, I’m worried that the membranes could rupture.”
“Then it’s out of the question,” Carter advises.
“Really, Carter?” Olivia says exasperated.
“Carter, leave the girl alone. She’s going to make her own decision anyway,” Anna adds.
“Oh, I already know that, Anna. However, when and if your son finds out, heads are going to roll. I need to be able to tell him that I forbade it and she ignored me.”
“Oh my God,” Olivia says rolling her eyes. Then they begin to sparkle. “So… Dave. What if I was to travel with my own specialist on this flight?”
He looks between Anna and Olivia and cocks his head to the side. “What are you two cooking up?”
“If I’m not here, there’s no reason for you to be here, right?”
“Right.” Nervously he glances over at Carter’s concerned look.
“So, if you’re not needed here, you’ll be going home anyway,” Olivia adds.
Dave crosses his arms. “So you think that if I accompany you on the flight, I’ll find that acceptable?”
She shrugs. “Well, if anything did happen, wouldn’t I be in the best possible hands?”
Feeling uncomfortable, Dave looks over at Carter.
“Fuck. You might as well do it, mate. I give up and she’s going to go anyway.”
Anna and Dave follow Olivia down the narrow airplane aisle toward their seats. “You need to sit in the aisle seat, so you can get up and move around periodically,” Dave says, as he stows away their carry-ons.
Olivia stands, waiting for them to get comfortable, and then plops herself in the aisle seat. An elderly gentleman stops beside her, staring at his boarding pass and looking lost.
“Do you need help?”
He shows her the pass in his hand. “Am I in the right spot?
“Yes, you are. Yours is the middle seat.”
Out of breath and struggling with his bags, he finally takes his place. The airplane jockeys down the runway and Olivia prepares for take off. The older man, travelling alone, holds onto the armrest looking terrified. She smiles and undoes her seatbelt, jumping quickly across the aisle and into the vacant seat. He looks at her startled.
“Hi,” she says with a soothing smile. “I get really nervous when I fly. Since my husband isn’t here, I was wondering if you would mind holding my hand until we get in the air.”
“You’re husband lets you travel alone?”
“He had to go home early without me.” She rubs her hand across her stomach, drawing his attention to her baby bump. “We’re on our way back home to him.”
“My wife used to travel with me. She passed away a few years ago. Now it’s just me.”
“I’m so sorry.” The plane picks up speed and Olivia notes his angst. “Oh, here we go. I really hate this part,” she admits. She looks down as he folds his hand over hers. His own trembling seems to subside when she grips it firmly.
“Now don’t you worry,” he says. “There’s nothing to be concerned about. These planes are safe nowadays. I’ve heard there’s more chance of being in a car accident.”
“I’ve heard that too.” She gives his hand a little squeeze.
“You don’t sound Irish.”
Olivia laughs. “I’m Canadian. My husband is Irish.”
“I was born and raised in Ireland; lived in Dublin all my life.”
“What were you doing in Canada?”
“Just visiting. I’ve been thinking about retiring and doing a little travelling. I’ve been doing the same job for nearly fifty years.”
“That’s impressive. You certainly deserve to retire.”
He nods, loosening up on his grip and relaxing somewhat.
“Well, look at that. I think we’re leveling off now. Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Now, I may be old but don’t think I didn’t figure out that you were taking care of me.”
Olivia smiles. “If you mus
t know the truth, I was just looking for an excuse to get away from my companions.”
“Oh? Is that your family?” he asks curiously, looking over at Anna and Dave.
Olivia leans over and whispers. “My mother-in-law and her new husband. I think they would like some time alone.”
“Oh, I see.” He leans forward and looks around her, staring across the aisle. “I don’t want to judge her or anything, but he looks a good thirty years younger than her.”
“I know, right? Shhh. We don’t talk about it.” Olivia glances over at Anna’s suspicious stare.
“What are you up to?”
“Nothing.” She grins mischievously. “I’m Olivia,” she says, introducing herself to the older man. Reaching down, she opens her bag. “Do you mind if I hang out over here and read for awhile?”
“Not at all. I was going to do some work on my laptop but something is all buggered up. I’m not so great with technology. My grandson knows more about it than I do.”
“Well, you’re sitting next to the right girl. I’m a systems expert by trade.”
“Oh, I hate to impose on you. I’ll just watch a movie, if I can figure out how to make that work.”
“Nonsense. What else am I going to do for the next billion hours on this plane?” she flirts. “Let’s boot her up and see if we can’t really fuck things up.”
Olivia opens her eyes, several hours into the flight.
“Oh, I guess I dozed off.” She yawns.
“You needed the rest, they just announced we’re about to land.
“Oh, good timing. I like this part even less than taking off.”
He holds out his hand. “Let me, take care of you this time.”
“My pleasure.”
The plane hits the runway and tired, cranky passengers grab for their bags; impatiently pushing their way off the plane. “Why don’t we just wait for everybody to leave?” Olivia suggests.
“Good idea. No point in the rickety old man and the pregnant lady trying to maneuver this crowd.”
“Agreed.”
“You’ve been awfully patient with this old man.”
“I’ve really enjoyed your company.”
He hands her a business card. “Once you’ve settled back home, please call me. I’d like to take you and your husband out for dinner. I’m looking forward to meeting the man who’s captured your heart. You’re an amazing young woman.”
Indivisible Souls: Book 3 of the Bound4Ireland Series Page 27
