Chapter Six #4
asked. “Did you pull the professional, we need to stay apart so the business
doesn’t die card?”
Put like that it sounded over dramatic. But also true.
“Yes.”
Miranda simply nodded and continued. “And then you land and
get out of the plane and there’s asshole and you introduce the two dudes you
rejected as your boyfriends to save face.”
“It wasn’t about saving face.” Maybe a little. “It’s about
ensuring Scott doesn’t make this whole week difficult. I thought if he believes
I’m involved he might back off. I think he sees it as a challenge.”
“And how did the guys take it?” Gigi asked.
“Surprisingly well. They didn’t miss a beat. I thought Keane
might react poorly, but he was right there with me.” Keane felt things deeply,
and she was pretty sure he was hurt by her rejection. Which made her heart
ache. The last thing she wanted was to cause him more pain. “Then I had to call
Gwen out because some jerk blew all four of my tires, so we needed a ride.”
“You put them in her station wagon?” Miranda asked,
obviously horrified. “At least tell me she didn’t bring the dog.”
“I think the dog is in love with Keane.” It had been
slightly funny to watch him try to deal with an elderly Chihuahua when he
clearly didn’t have much experience with pets. Then she remembered why he
didn’t and it made her sad.
“You are lucky they’re still around,” Miranda announced.
“Unless they aren’t. Did you already scare them off with Willow Fork
weirdness?”
“Bet she didn’t.” Gigi leaned over. “Think about it. Why did
she run out of the house the first chance she got? And left her purse behind.
And didn’t lock the door.”
“Livie, did you leave those two men at your house without a
single good-bye?” Miranda asked.
Shame heated her cheeks. “Yeah. I did.”
“Why?” That question from Miranda’s lips made her gut
tighten.
If she couldn’t talk to her friends, who could she talk to?
She wished Bobby was here, but he would almost certainly try to push her into
the nice, hot men’s arms. Miranda and Gigi both understood what it meant to be
women in the dating world. “Because when we got there, Garrett wanted to
negotiate.”
A brow rose over Gigi’s eyes. “Negotiate?”
She shouldn’t have used that word. “Yes, they wanted to
understand how the whole Scott incident changed things. Originally, Garrett was
going to stay at the motel and Keane was going to be in the bunkhouse.”
“I thought they lived together,” Miranda said. “A lot of men
like that don’t like being apart. You should know that. Your papa would never
want to be apart from your dad. Mine don’t even have sex with each other but
they still sleep in the same bed. Even when my mom’s not around.”
“I didn’t think about that at the time. I was mean to them.
I didn’t mean to be, but it happened.” She would be lucky if they weren’t gone
by the time she got home. She thought about calling them, but she didn’t have
their numbers. “I know it was wrong.”
“Which part?” Miranda asked.
All of them, but Olivia focused on one. “I shouldn’t have
asked them to help me. I know a bit about them now. They’ve been through a lot,
and I shouldn’t blow through their lives and cause more damage.”
“Why do you think you would cause damage?” Miranda’s eyes
went distinctly sympathetic. “Olivia, you don’t cause damage. You’re a born
protector. You’re the one people come to when they need help. Why would you say
that?”
She didn’t know. Her parents loved her. She didn’t have a
lot to worry about, and yet there was part of her that worried she wasn’t
worthy of the kind of love her parents had found. Her brothers had found. “I’ve
never had anything that worked out.”
“Livie, you have. Bobby worked out,” Gigi said with surety.
“Not in the way you wanted, but he’s going to be there for you for the rest of
your life. I know the whole thing with Scott cost you a lot, but you can’t let
that hold you back. Or is this more about Bobby?”
“It’s not. I’m at peace with where Bobby and I are. I
thought I was over Scott. Not himself. I’m one hundred percent over that
asshole. I’m talking about what he did to me. What the guy from high school did
to me. I’ve got a great family, but it feels like the minute I’m out of the
insular world Dad and the uncles built for us, everyone thinks I’m nothing more
than a walking bank account and access to power. Bobby is the only one who ever
really saw me.”
“My brothers do not care about your bank account,” Miranda
pointed out.
Olivia snorted. “They care about humping every woman in
Colorado.” She sighed and stared at her friend for a moment. “Miranda, do you
honestly think they’re ready to settle down?”
“No, but I want you for my sister-in-law,” Miranda replied
with a pout. “They hang out with the bitchiest women.”
“Because they’re not ready to settle down, and they wouldn’t
bring home a woman who isn’t nice,” Gigi pointed out. “It’s like a fail-safe
for them. So the question becomes are you going to go back and negotiate with
your guys?”
They weren’t her guys.
But they could be. For a little while.
She picked up her margarita. Maybe tequila would help her
think.