Chapter 33
Olivia woke to find herself wrapped up in a warm, sleepy Connor-shaped blanket.
It surprised her how easily she’d gotten used to it.
God, was she seriously considering moving in with him?
Everything was happening so fast, a runaway train gaining momentum, hurtling her ever closer to a life she’d never seen herself
living. A man’s partner, a girl’s mother figure.
She must have jolted because he grunted, then tightened his hold. “You’re not going anywhere,” he whispered in her ear.
“What if I need to pee?”
His lids pinged open. “Do you?”
“No, but I will at some point. I’ll also need a cup of coffee and some breakfast. And I brought my running kit.”
“Not today.” He nuzzled her neck, his stubble sending a delicious rasp across her skin. “You’re going to have to learn how
to lie in, Livvy.” His mouth trailed hot kisses where his stubble had rubbed. “There won’t be many opportunities. Ellie’s
an early riser, so when she’s not here, we make the most of it.”
His head dipped to her breasts, where he ran his tongue over nipples still sensitive from the loud sex he’d promised—a promise
he’d delivered on—last night. “How do you propose we do that?” she asked.
“You’re a smart woman.” He thrust his hips, letting her feel the hard length of his erection against her thigh. “You’ll figure
it out.”
She might be smart, but when it came to Connor, she lost all sense.
Her morning run, habitual check of the news headlines, and imbibing of a large mug of coffee were all abandoned to slow, sleepy,
deeply sensual sex.
“How did you find your lie-in, then?” he asked as they finally set off on the walk to pick up Ellie from his parents’ house.
She decided he looked far too smug. “They don’t achieve much.”
He looked aghast. “You achieved three orgasms.”
She smirked. “I’ve always been a high achiever.”
He laughed and hugged her. It felt easy, right. She wasn’t a woman men hugged, she wasn’t warm, wasn’t friendly, yet where
other boyfriends had respected her boundaries, Connor had bulldozed through them.
Now she was a woman who enjoyed being touched. Who apparently enjoyed lazy mornings in bed.
A woman who went on walks, she thought a few hours later as the three of them trampled through the autumn leaves in the nearby park. Walks where she
held the hand of a nine-year-old girl and Connor held the other. And that nine-year-old girl beamed as they swung her between
them.
“You’re getting too heavy for this,” Connor grumbled. “Livvy’s going to get her arm wrenched out of its socket.”
“Hey, I’m stronger than I look!” Olivia gave him arch look and Ellie giggled.
“Yeah, Dad, you’re not allowed to say girls are weak.”
His gaze jumped from Olivia to Ellie, his expression full of indulgent amusement. “I have never said girls are weak. I know
they’re not.” He tapped Ellie on the shoulder. “Did Livvy tell you she’s going for a big promotion next week, a job that usually
goes to men, but she’s going to nail it?”
Ellie peered up at her with wide eyes. “You’re gonna beat the boys?”
“That’s the plan, yes.” She smiled. “If we work hard and are determined, we girls can do whatever we set our minds to.”
Connor chuckled. “Are you teaching her girl power?”
“You bet I am.”
He seemed to consider this. “I’m all for it, as long as you acknowledge us guys have our uses occasionally. For example, I
could help you prepare for the interviews,” Connor continued, the corners of his eyes crinkling with humor. “Along with Ellie,
of course.”
“Yesss!” Ellie jumped up and down. “How do we do that?”
“We think of some questions to test Livvy on, questions they might ask.”
“Okay.” Ellie scrunched her brow in concentration. “Will they ask about horses?”
Olivia bit down on her smile, glancing over at Connor. He returned her look, and a hum of something intimate zipped between
them. She imagined it was what parents around the world experienced when their child said something cute—pride, love.
She jolted, just like she had this morning, and Connor gave her a speculative look before focusing back on Ellie. “I don’t
think there are any horses involved in Livvy’s job.”
“I look after people’s money,” Olivia explained, pushing her fear back into its box to stew over another day. “They trust
me to find a place to put their money where it can earn even more money.”
“Like a bank,” Ellie said.
“Yes. Sometimes we put it in banks for them, sometimes we buy stakes in companies we believe will do well. Sometimes we buy
precious metals, like gold.”
Ellie nodded. “Gold is good. I get a gold star at school when I’ve done good work.”
Again Olivia caught Connor’s eye; again she felt that hum of connection.
“A lot of interviewers ask general stuff,” Connor said, looking fondly down at his daughter and giving her plaits a gentle
pull. “Like why she wants the job. How about we start with those? And be tough, because the people who’ll interview her will
be tough.”
For the rest of the walk they fired questions at her, doing it in funny voices that had Olivia fighting not to laugh. Some
questions, like why she wanted the job, what she would bring to it, she’d already prepared answers for. Some, like Connor
asking her how she would deal with Stuart, were actually helpful. Some of the ones Ellie asked, like would she give people
who came in late a detention, just made her want to pick the little girl up and hug her.
It was only later that she realized Connor had engineered the conversation to make her feel like she was part of them. Part
of their family.
He did the same on Sunday, arranging for her and Ellie to go riding together. A simple pleasure, something she’d not done
for twenty-odd years. And, boy, it felt good to be on the back of a horse again. Even better to enjoy it with the clearly
delighted Ellie while Connor leaned on the rails of the paddock, watching them with a look of quiet satisfaction.
She knew his game, and he was playing it to perfection. Every day she spent with them took her another step closer to seeing
how easily she could fit into their lives.
Another step closer to taking that leap he’d talked about.
Monday afternoon, and Connor was at work—and on edge. The guys in the kitchen knew it.
Worse, Aaron knew it.
It was two hours after Olivia’s last interview had been scheduled to end, and he’d still not heard from her.
“Am I keeping you from something important?” Aaron remarked dryly when he caught Connor sneaking a look at his phone.
“Nothing is more important than our discussion,” Connor assured him, guiltily shoving the phone back into this pocket. He
was finally talking through his menu ideas with Aaron and Pat. That’s where his focus should be.
“She’ll message when she can,” Pat said gently. “But today she has far more important things on her mind than you.”
“Who does?” Aaron stared at him. “Are you talking about Ashley’s sister?”
“Yes. She’s being interviewed for a promotion today.” And whatever the outcome, Connor was unlikely to be the first thing
on her mind when she walked away from it.
And that was fine. He could deal with it. Would deal with it, if she’d give him half a chance. Meanwhile, he needed to sort
out his own career. “So, the ideas I sent through, what did you think of them?”
Aaron sat back in his chair and gave him a long, level stare. “You want to have a special lunchtime menu devoted to New England–style
food. And to offer some of the options as takeaways from a separate counter.”
“Yes.” He tried to hold Aaron’s gaze. To remember what Olivia had said last week about Aaron recommending him to Felix only
because he respected him. “I’ve seen it work really well in Nantucket. Tacos, lobster rolls, something a bit different than the usual sandwich options.”
Aaron nodded but didn’t say anything, which set Connor’s already frayed nerves on edge. “F-fudge,” he corrected himself at
the last minute. “If you hate the idea, just say. Put me out of my misery.”
Aaron laughed, the fucker. A big, hearty belly laugh. Then he stood, walked around the desk, and slapped him on the back.
“Love it. Wondered when you were going to start telling me what I should do. Took longer than I thought, but at least you
got there in the end.” He stuck out his hand for Connor to shake. “I’ll leave you in charge of getting it done. Just run stuff
by Pat to keep her in the loop.”
Aaron sauntered out of the office, leaving Connor reeling. “Did he really agree to it, just like that?”
“Yep.” Pat waved her hands at him. “Now, go pick up your gorgeous daughter and stop imagining the worst. Olivia gets the job,
she’ll be happy, she’ll want to see you and have celebratory sex. She doesn’t get the job, she’ll want to see you and have
consolation sex.”
“Jesus.” He felt the tips of his ears burn hot, which only made the woman laugh.
“You think because I’m old I don’t know all the different types of sex on offer?” She winked. “I’m looking forward to some
retirement sex next year.”
“You’re going to leave us?” He felt a spike of panic. Pat, like Aaron, had been his savior. A boss who understood his commitments
and helped smooth the way for him.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going yet.” She gave him a long, steady look. “Not before I’ve made sure you’re ready to step into my
shoes.”
“Me? Head chef? In charge of the day-to-day running?” Had she lost her mind?
She squeezed his arm. “Of course you. I’ve talked with Aaron; we both agree. You’ll be able to do the paperwork side of things
from home, so you can still work around Ellie.” She patted his hand. “But that’s for the future. For now, go and get your
girl. And be there for your other girl when she calls you.”
His mind was in a spin as he walked toward the tube; it was still in a spin as he waited at the school gate, staring at his
phone and willing it to ring.
His fingers hovered. He didn’t want to be that guy, the needy one who had to know every detail of what his girlfriend was
doing, but fuck, the interviews must have ended three hours ago. He was getting worried.
Just checking in. Let me know how it went when you get a minute.
That sounded okay, didn’t it? Cool, chill, but with a hint of concern.
Exhaling heavily, he pressed Send.
A minute later, his phone buzzed with a message from her.
Sorry, all okay. How was it with Aaron?
Relief surged through him, almost making him lightheaded. With all she had going on today, she’d remembered his small meeting.
He liked the idea.
Told you he would! Can I see you tonight?
He gave a wry shake of his head as he typed.
Of course. Did you get it???
He waited . . . and waited. When her message finally arrived, it was short and strangely flat.
Yes
Was she teasing him? Being humble? Whatever, she’d got the job and he’d see her tonight. His mouth curved as he typed back.
Never in doubt. Celebratory sex way better than consolation sex. See you soon x
He pocketed the phone and waved at Ellie, who, as usual, came out in a rush, plaits bouncing as she raced over to him.
“We’re going to do a Christmas play and they want us to au . . . au . . .”
“Audition?”
“Yes. And Miss Green said she thought I’d be good as one of the main parts.”
He looped his arm around her shoulders. “Of course she did. When does the audition happen?”
“Tomorrow, so I have to learn my lines when we get home.” She grinned up at him. “You can help me like we helped Livvy.”
It never failed to send emotion jumping into his throat whenever his daughter mentioned his girlfriend. “Of course. And she
can help too, because she’s coming over later.” He kissed the top of his daughter’s head. “She got the job.”
“Yay! She got it like she said she would, so if I work hard, I can get this part.” Ellie clapped her hands. “We need to make
Livvy a card, like you made me one when I got the prize for bestest reader last term.”
“Best reader, and yeah, that’s a good idea.”
As soon as they stepped through the front door, Ellie dashed upstairs to get her felt pens and ordered him to find some paper.
He tested her on her lines as she worked, figuring correctly that she could multitask. Girl power and all that.
By the time Olivia messaged to say she was on the way, they had a card decorated with horses and a rosette declaring she was
number one, plus a banner. They also had an explosion of paper, pens, glue, and glitter across every surface in the kitchen.
He’d just started to clear up the mess when the doorbell sounded.
Ellie, clutching the card she’d made, dashed ahead of him and flung the door open.
“Dad says you got that big job.” As he settled his hands on his daughter’s shoulders, she pushed the card into a stunned Olivia’s
hands. “We made this for you. Well, I made it, but Dad helped do the rosette because I can’t draw them.”
Olivia’s eyes jumped to his and he saw a flash of panic cross her face, which instantly set his body on edge. Something was
wrong.
But whatever it was, it couldn’t be said in front of Ellie.
He watched Olivia swallow and force a bright smile on her face as she looked down at the card. “This is beautiful, Ellie.
Thank you so much.” She pressed a kiss on Ellie’s head. “I will treasure it.”
Again her eyes met his, and Connor could tell she wanted to talk.
“I’ve got lines to learn for the Christmas play. It’s called Straw and Order and Miss Green says I would make a good Judge Grumpy but I have to auuu . . .” His daughter glanced up at him for help, but
for once he couldn’t focus on her.
Not with Olivia looking like she was about to cry.
“Why don’t you go and practice your lines in the living room, then Livvy will come and listen to you,” Connor suggested.
With a vehement nod, Ellie scampered off.
Heart in his mouth, he slid his hands down Olivia’s arms. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, not really.” Her brittle smile did little to convince him. “I’ll tell you later, when Ellie’s gone to bed.” Her
gaze drifted down to the card. “This is . . . it’s so lovely.” Her voice broke on the words.
“It was her idea.” He took for her hands, entwined his fingers with hers. “Whatever’s troubling you, we’ll work through it.”
He smiled with a confidence he hoped wasn’t misplaced. “For now, go and help my daughter get this part she wants.” He kissed
her temple. “Not sure whether you realize this, but thanks to you, she thinks she can do anything if she works hard enough.”