Chapter 28 Olivia
OLIVIA
The next week passed by in a blur of sex and denial.
When Duke and I weren’t sneaking around, desperate to spend every possible free moment with one another, I was fielding calls and emails from the Hartstrings board.
They all asked the same question: to know whether someone was going to inherit control or whether John’s stocks were up for sale. And each time I answered, I told them the same thing.
I didn’t know.
After day two, I was tired of repeating myself, so I asked Darcy to make up some bullshit excuse about not taking calls until the reading of the will next week.
As grateful as I was for the extra time in Pinecrest, I had no idea what Uncle John’s reasoning for the delay was.
Even Carl had said it was most unusual for it to have been written in.
We couldn’t have forced an earlier reading even if we wanted to, which left us to hold our breath and bide our time as we watched the meeting tick closer.
But now the waiting game was coming to a close, and I’d never felt so scared in my life. Sometimes, I just lay awake at night in a state of panic. Unable to do anything other than stare at the ceiling while my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest.
Would it have been easier if I’d just gone back to Nashville after John’s death? If I had, it would’ve been a clean break. If I had, I wouldn’t have known what it felt like to be loved—yes, loved—by Duke Bennett.
But even knowing now what I didn’t know then, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. The thought of living a life without ever experiencing the kind of tenderness he showed me was not one I wanted to live.
Despite every red flag and warning bell telling us not to go there, I was sure neither of us would go back and change what was happening between us.
Duke and I hadn’t talked about what happened last Saturday night.
We hadn’t spoken about the fact that he’d asked me to stay.
Anytime we veered too close to ardent promises and hopeful wishes, one of us was forced to navigate toward safer water rather than the terrifying cliff’s edge we were charted for.
My duty to my career and my family was at war with the duty to my heart. Even though I knew which option would win out, I was praying for some kind of miracle that could have me being a part of my family’s legacy and with those I loved.
I wanted to stay in Pinecrest more than anything. I wanted to spend my days with my daughter and not find out about her life secondhand. I wanted to see my brother more than once every six months if we were lucky. And I wanted to spend every night with Duke, curled in his arms.
I wanted to make plans. To live my life as I saw fit, without worrying about profit margins or acquisitions.
“Mrs. Thompson said I was the best singer in class today,” Charlie boasted from the back seat. “She said I have a real talent.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled. “That doesn’t surprise me at all, sunshine. You’re pretty amazing.”
“I can’t wait for you to see my play, Mom.”
Guilt struck hard and fast, not knowing whether or not I’d even be here by then. With John’s original prognosis of three to six months, I’d hoped it wouldn’t have been an issue. Now, I had no idea what my future looked like.
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just mumbled, “It’s gonna be great.”
My daughter was quiet for a moment, her little voice barely above a whisper as she asked, “You’re going to be there, right?”
Thrusting a knife into my heart would’ve hurt less than the subtle heartbreak behind her words. Knowing my daughter was already expecting me to cancel was the shittiest feeling in the world. And I couldn’t promise a damn thing because I truly didn’t know where I’d be or what I‘d be doing.
“I’m going to try,” I said, attempting to sound convincing. “I don’t know what work is going to look like, and—”
There was a long, insufferable sigh from the back seat. “Yeah, okay.”
“Charlie, it isn’t like I don’t want to be. You know that, right?”
My daughter looked out the window. “I get it, Mom. You’re busy.”
I drove in silence, trying to blink away the moisture pooling along my lash line. None of this was fair. Losing John, finding Duke, spending time with my daughter. It was all too fresh, too new. I didn’t want to lose any more than I already had.
It wasn’t as simple as walking away. Even if I found a way to leave Hartstrings, it would take months at best. Years at worst. And, depending on what happened in the upcoming meeting, it would mean leaving behind a company that has meant a great deal to the people who matter most to me.
My voice broke as I said, “I don’t want you to think I’m too busy for you, sunshine. I’m going to do everything I can to be there.”
She nodded, clearly uninterested in speaking about it further. If I didn’t already hate myself for my situationship with Duke, Charlie’s cutting disappointment was the final nail in my coffin.
The rest of our ride home was quiet, save for the radio playing softly in the background. As much as I wanted to ask questions, to know more about her day, I knew my daughter well enough that she would only shut down further if I tried.
She was a lot like me in that way.
As we pulled up to the cottage, Lukas and Duke’s trucks were both parked outside. There was a flash of red hair at the window before Harper ran outside to our car the moment we came to a stop.
“Charlie! Oh my gosh, come on! You’ve got to pack.”
I stepped out of my car, holding a hand up as they tried to run back into the house. “Whoa, whoa, hold up. What’s going on? What do you mean by “pack”?
Lukas strolled out of the house, holding a phone up to his ear. He quickly said goodbye before stopping next to me. “Didn’t you get my text?”
“I was driving, so no. Mind filling me in?”
My brother smiled. “You remember that trip we took after graduation?”
“Uh, the cabin?” I asked slowly.
“That’s the one.”
I stared at Lukas, waiting for an explanation, but he just smiled broadly. “Mind filling me in?”
“Turns out it’s an Airbnb now.”
“And?”
“We’re going away for the weekend,” Duke said, strolling out of the house. My mouth watered at the sight of him in a maroon henley and jeans. It was different from his usual plain black t-shirt. Both delicious, but in different ways.
“To the cabin?”
Lukas shot me a wink, ushering the girls inside the house to pack as Duke walked up and placed his hand on my lower back. He pressed a kiss to my temple, holding me steady. “Are you surprised?”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “And maybe a little confused, too.”
“Hardest surprise of my life to keep. I’ve wanted to tell you for days.”
“Days?” I turned to look at him. “Just how long have you been planning this?”
“In my defense, your brother helped. I was simply the source of information.”
Suddenly, our conversation from last weekend came hurtling back. How he’d asked me where I’d like to go if I could. I’d said the cabin because it was the last time I remembered before I was bombarded with obligations and expectations.
I missed the days when the only thing causing me anxiety was a calculus test.
“What would you have done if I said Paris?”
Duke smiled. “Well, we might have had to wait on that one a bit. Can’t be gone from the bar for that long. But a weekend is manageable.”
My god. Could everyone in my life stop making me so damn emotional? It was too much for a girl to handle. I stared up at him, searching his green depths for comfort. “How?”
Duke pursed his lips. “It’s likely your last weekend at home. I wanted it to be a good one.”
The reality of our situation was like a lead weight sinking to the pit of my stomach.
I could feel it there, the pressure and dread of the next few days nearly making me want to vomit.
I didn’t want to admit it, but there was a chance this was my last weekend for a long time with the people I loved.
Depending on how the reading of John’s will went, I could be boarding our jet as early as Tuesday and heading off to handle some godforsaken crisis.
“You didn’t have to do all this.”
Duke cupped my face, pulling me back into this rare, private moment with him.
“Hey, I can’t take all the credit. Your brother wanted to throw a party, but that seemed like the last thing you’d want.
” I snorted, loving the way he knew me so well already.
“So I proposed this. Grady and Cleo are coming, too. It’s a whole family affair. ”
“Thank you,” I said, leaning into his touch and pressing a kiss to his palm. “I can’t tell you what this means to me.”
He slid his hands down my body, tugging me into him. “You’re worth it, honey.”