Summer on Highland Beach

Chapter Eight Just a Friend

May 2022

Even though Garrett wanted her to stay at his place, she convinced him that she needed to briefly check on her home.

Olivia opened her door, expecting a stale smell to hit, but the smell of lemon greeted her.

A note sat on her table, along with a vase of flowers. Olivia smiled, leaned over, and smelled the surprise gift. A small placard bore familiar handwriting.

I’ll be waiting for my invitation to play chess.

—Mr. Whittingham

Olivia immediately picked up her phone.

“Hello, neighbor.” Her friend’s familiar deep voice came through the speaker.

“Mr. Whittingham. Thank you so much for the flowers.” She stroked the mixture of daisies, tulips, and sunflowers.

“Of course. You deserve beauty.” He cleared his throat. “Your father called. He told me what happened.”

Olivia sighed. “I’m sure he’s upset that I left.”

“Your father is upset, but not because of your actions. He’s upset with himself. CJ promised to protect you and your mother, and now you’re being followed. Be careful. Check your surroundings, you hear?”

“I hear,” Olivia replied softly. Then she pivoted the conversation. “How about we go for a walk and play a game tomorrow?”

“Of course. I’ll meet you at eight a.m.?”

“Sounds like a date, Mr. Whittingham.”

“All right. Garrett tells me you’re having dinner at Whitney and Charles’s place?”

“Yes. Along with Kara, Rich, and Addy.” Olivia had met her Sag Harbor neighbors only last summer. Their bond had been quickly solidified, however, when they came together to defend their neighborhood against gentrification. Now they’d become sounding boards and very dear friends.

On Olivia’s drive to Sag Harbor, she had given Whitney the Reader’s Digest version of what had happened in Highland Beach, and her friend had insisted on catering a dinner for Olivia when she got home. She let Whitney give the details to her other neighbors, and now friends, Kara and Addy, but had made it clear that Addy had to keep it a secret from others. Though her friend was a huge gossip, Addy had a code that she wouldn’t share if explicitly asked.

Garrett knocked on her door and then together they took the fifteen-minute walk to Whitney’s home.

“I forgot to ask about your appointment with Dr. LaGrange. How did it go?” he asked.

“It went well.” Olivia nodded to reinforce her words, but her tone conveyed uncertainty.

“Are you sure?” Garrett walked backward, studying her face.

“Yes. It was productive.” Dr. LaGrange had surprised Olivia when she agreed with her running-away strategy. Well, as her doctor had framed it, Olivia didn’t run away so much as prioritize her mental health and safety.

“What?” Garrett’s eyes narrowed. “You know, you can talk to me about the hard things.”

Olivia stopped walking at his words. “I know, Garrett. But I’m a processer. I like to... mull things over and weigh the pros and cons. Trust me, I’m not shutting you out.”

“Good. Because I’d just have to pry you open.”

“Pry me open?” Olivia smiled. “How would you do that?”

“Seduce you with all of your favorite things.”

“Like?”

“A foot massage. Prawns with sweet chili sauce. I’ll take you out dancing. Drinks and music on a rooftop bar in New York City. Or maybe I’ll just pull together a picnic by the beach. Give you a nice... thick...” He raised his eyebrows.

“Garrett!”

“Book.” He laughed.

Olivia chuckled. “Bah. You don’t know me.”

“Yes, I do. And if you’re feeling really stressed, I’ll bypass the nonfiction that you have lined up in your office for optics. Something contemporary, maybe a thriller or a beach read.” He looked up, as if contemplating the choices. “A thought-provoking beach read.”

“Did I tell you CJ’s neighbors invited me to join a book club?”

“See? You were already making friends.”

“Well, we’ll see when I get back. They’ll either welcome me with open arms or tar and feather me.”

Aneesa, her mother’s friend, was likely to be understanding. She knew the history of the Jones family, after all.

When Olivia and Garrett arrived at Whitney’s home, their host opened the door and immediately pulled Olivia in for a hug. “Girl, do I need to travel out there and kick somebody’s ass?”

Olivia laughed, but she didn’t pull away. She hadn’t realized just how much she needed a friendly hug.

“No ass-kicking services are necessary. I just need some time away with my people.”

Whitney pulled back, a wide grin on her face. “That’s right. We are your people.”

She stepped back from the door, hooked Olivia’s elbow, and guided her to the formal dining room, where the table was set with gleaming polished silverware.

Olivia sat in the middle, and Garrett settled in the seat across from her.

Before Olivia could open her mouth to make a request, Whitney returned with a half bottle of roséin an Olivia Pope–sized wineglass. If she attempted to toast anyone, the wine would slosh over the table.

“Ummm... how many ounces did you put in here?”

“I don’t count ounces.” Whitney shrugged. “And hurry and drink it before Addy arrives. I am not in the mood to hear her disrespect my wine choices.”

Olivia followed directions and quickly sipped the wine. Garrett grinned from across the table.

The doorbell rang, announcing Kara, Rich, and Addy. When the trio entered the room, they exchanged more hugs. Olivia briefly wondered if Kara and Rich still maintained their open marriage, especially now that Kara was traveling again.

Olivia shook her head and smiled. Not my business. Besides, her friends looked happy, and that’s all she could ask for.

Addy immediately went into nosy mode, wanting all the details.

“Girl, I joined that little Facebook page and saw your picture. It’s fuzzy, and it looks like they snapped it through a window.”

“I hadn’t... I only looked at it once.” Olivia couldn’t recall the post’s specific words. She just remembered how she had felt—violated. Like she’d been slapped.

While they caught up, Charles and Whitney started the first course, a creamy summer squash soup.

“Bea sends her love.” Kara took a sip of wine. “She couldn’t make it tonight. She’s in New York with her boo.”

“Who, Mike?” Olivia asked, though she knew the answer. Billie still wasn’t quite used to her father being in a relationship, let alone with her mother, the woman who’d abandoned them over twenty years ago.

“Yes. They are hot and heavy. She’s like a new woman,” Kara said before she began to scoop up the delicious soup. “Their PDA is on ten. I saw them last weekend holding hands.”

Olivia lowered her spoon. “Our prickly Bea held Mike’s hand?”

“Yes.” Addy’s eyes sparked. “With a smile on her face.”

“Wow. The world is changing.” Olivia shook her head. She’d be sure to call Billie to tease her. Her godsister needed a good laugh these days, what with her limited sleep thanks to life with a newborn.

“What else is new around here?”

Addy glanced at Kara, who then looked at Whitney, who then zeroed her attention on Garrett.

“More like who’s new in town.” Whitney lifted her eyebrow and cut a glance at Garrett.

Olivia immediately knew who they were referring to. “I’ve met my new neighbor. Francesca McCoy, right?”

Whitney nodded. “She’s got her eye on Garrett.”

Garrett groaned. “No, she doesn’t.”

“Yes, she does, best friend,” Addy responded. “Get this,” she added, leaning forward, her eyes glittering with mischief. “She asked me for his number yesterday.”

Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “No, she didn’t.”

“Yes, she did! With claims that she needs more help around the house. I recommended Thumbtack for a maintenance worker, since Garrett has his hands full with Zora and his beautiful and accomplished girlfriend.”

Olivia couldn’t help but laugh at the smirk on Addy’s face. “You didn’t.”

“You’re welcome. Also, I took it upon myself to get the scoop on Francesca. She’s an architect for a big firm in New York, and I hear she’s very good. And your lovely neighbor got divorced a little over a year ago. Her ex-husband was well off, one of the managing partners at the architecture firm, and she received a nice settlement—”

“How do you know all of this?” Kara interrupted her friend.

“Some things she told me, and some things I found out through my contacts in the city.”

Whitney sighed. “Look, she’s not a bad person. She just needs to fix her eyes elsewhere.” Then she stood, saying she was going to get the shrimp cocktail.

“Well, enough about Francesca,” Olivia said, in an attempt to end the conversation about the woman who most definitely was interested in her boyfriend. “She hasn’t done anything wrong.” Yet.

Addy shrugged. “Okay, then. Let’s talk about your plan of attack when you return to Highland Beach.”

“Or we can just talk about something else.” Kara smacked her friend’s shoulder. “You aren’t going to change, are you?”

Addy looked genuinely confused. “Why would I?”

Kara sighed. Olivia took advantage of the small reprieve to ask about Kara’s latest work.

“I’m doing an art show in New York in December. Right now I’m working on pieces for the exhibition. I hope you can make it.”

“Of course. What’s your theme?”

“The world is a gift. The intention is to showcase that life can be complicated and messy, and so the themes will encompass both light and dark as well as shades of gray elements.” She looked at Rich without judgment, but with love. “But life can also be beautiful. I just want to remind people to enjoy the journey.”

Rich leaned over and kissed her. Addy, to her credit, looked unbothered. No, Olivia would never understand their arrangement, but she reminded herself again that it wasn’t her place to judge.

Garrett grabbed her hand and attention, giving her a gorgeous smile. An army of butterflies stormed her stomach.

Will it always be this way with Garrett?Or would time diminish our feelings and allow someone else to step into the relationship?

Francesca wasn’t the only woman who would find Garrett attractive. Olivia didn’t want to feel insecure, but the thought of someone taking her place in Garrett’s heart was terrifying.