Chapter 7
SEVEN
TAJ
From the moment I’d taken over as CEO of Blackman Boards, I always felt like there wasn’t enough time in the day to do all that needed to be done.
Of course, my parents, sister, friends, and employees might have disagreed with me, insisting I always found extra things to do to keep myself busy. But I didn’t necessarily think that was a bad thing. There was always something to do, things to be handled.
It was safe to say the hours often flew by before I accomplished all that I intended to each day I was in the office. But over the course of the last week, it felt as though my days were dragging. I was struggling not to glance at the clock and see if it was time to leave yet.
Sure, I was the guy in charge, and I could come and go as I pleased.
But I didn’t want to be that guy. Not this early into me holding this position.
I might not have really had anyone I needed to answer to—except for my sister who stood to inherit just as much controlling interest in the company as I did—but I still felt I owed it to my employees, my parents, my sister, our athletes, and even myself to put in the effort and prove I deserved to hold this title.
It had been different for my dad. Wes Blackman had built this company from the ground up. He’d made it everything it was today, so he’d had nothing to prove. I didn’t feel as though I’d reached that point just yet.
And because I wasn’t going to just walk out each day, this week was the first that I’d experienced such a slog. It was all because my thoughts were consumed by her.
Olivia Thomas.
There was something about that woman that made me want to take the week off and use it to get to know her.
After texting with her on Monday morning, I hadn’t wanted to come off too eager or pushy.
Without knowing the details of what led her to leave her fiancé at the altar, it was difficult to know what the best way was to approach the situation.
I didn’t know how she felt about the man she’d left behind or if her plans involved eventually returning to him.
If that was the case, I certainly didn’t want to stand in the way or make things more confusing for her.
But until she told me as much, until she asked me to keep my distance, I planned to continue to make the effort to connect with her.
No matter how tempting it was to spend my days calling, texting, or simply visiting her, I didn’t do that.
I didn’t want to be a creep about it, and I was eager to learn about her face-to-face.
But since I wasn’t prepared for her to leave town, thinking there was no reason to stay, I’d made the effort to touch base with her again once in the middle of the week.
We hadn’t had any groundbreaking conversations.
It was simply me calling her after I’d gotten home from work to ask about her day and how she’d spent it. It was nice. Casual.
Now, the day had finally arrived.
It was late Saturday morning, and I’d already been at Parks Ridge Ski Resort for a few hours. Most of my staff had been surprised to see me so early, but I wanted to make the effort to let them know I was just as much a part of the team as them.
Plus, if Olivia did show up—she’d promised as much when I spoke to her earlier in the week—I suspected I’d be too distracted by her to put in the effort as the day progressed.
“That’s the third time you’ve checked your watch in the past twenty minutes. Is everything okay?”
At the sound of Archer’s voice, I lifted my chin to find him and Kingston looking at me expectantly.
The pair of them were here, along with a few other team riders, to do some exhibition runs.
A few years ago, we’d learned that the success of the toy drive was drastically improved by having the professional riders around.
Folks enjoyed watching them ride, but they also liked being able to get autographs or pictures taken.
Fortunately, our team riders had huge hearts and didn’t mind being part of such a good cause.
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I assured them.
“Are you sure?” he pressed. “You went missing the night of the tree lighting, and now you’re distracted. It’s completely unlike you.”
I could hide it. Deny it. But if Olivia showed up here, I wouldn’t be able to hide her. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Plus, they’d recognize her anyway.
“I met someone,” I confessed.
Surprise washed over their expressions, and Kingston said, “I knew it had to be about a girl. Who is she? Did you meet her last weekend?”
I nodded. “Yeah. She was there, and that’s why I never caught up with you and the rest of the crew again that night.”
“So, she’s coming here today?”
“She’s supposed to be. But I don’t want you guys to get ahead of yourselves. She’s very recently out of a relationship, so she’s probably not looking to get into anything serious right now.”
“Keep it casual then,” Archer urged me. “That she’s coming here today says enough about her interest in having at least that much, doesn’t it?”
I wasn’t quite so sure that was the case, given she was a runaway bride just a week ago. But even if Olivia wanted something casual, I didn’t think I was interested in that.
Anyone who knew me knew that I was focused on work and the company.
I didn’t see the point in getting involved with someone who wasn’t interested in working toward something serious.
I was willing to put in the work to see if there was a chance, and I could be patient if she needed time.
But if there was no chance, I just wasn’t interested in a random hookup—supermodel or not.
In fact, what she did for a living didn’t factor into my decision at all.
“I don’t think so. She’s new in town, so perhaps she’s just looking for a friend.”
“And you intend to be that for her?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t intend to be anything. I’m just getting to know her at this point.”
I might’ve had hopes about where things could go at some point, but admitting that when Olivia and I barely knew one another seemed unreasonable.
It was bad enough I’d shared so openly with my parents.
But I figured if anyone could understand how I felt, it’d be them.
And the similarities between the situations were undeniable.
Sure, my mom hadn’t shown up in town in her wedding gown, but she’d needed to leave her hometown and start over.
Maybe that would be the case with Olivia.
Archer and Kingston shot me looks that indicated they didn’t believe a single word I’d just said as Kingston countered, “The way you keep checking your watch and looking over there to see if someone has arrived says differently. And it’s okay, Taj.
It’d be good for you to have something else to distract you from work for a bit. ”
If only they knew…
“Speaking of work, are the two of you prepared for today? Has anyone else from the team shown up?”
Archer stood a little taller, tipping his chin higher. “When are we ever not prepared?” I rolled my eyes. He added, “Wells arrived before we did, and he’s already hit the terrain park. Dani showed up after us, and she said she saw Matt pulling in as she made her way over here.”
“That’s good. I’m going to just make sure everything’s ready for—”
“Hey, guys. What’s going on?”
The three of us looked to the side to see my sister had approached. “Hey, Savanna. Nice of you to join us this morning,” I teased her.
She rolled her eyes. “Some of us try to have normal lives outside of work. Besides, it’s not like I’m late. You’re just a workaholic. Maybe you should try loosening up and having a bit of fun.”
I parted my lips to offer a retort, but before I could say anything, Archer blurted, “Oh, he’s done that.”
Savanna snapped her head in his direction. “What?”
Archer’s lips twitched, and Kingston was grinning like an idiot. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
When our friends didn’t respond, my sister looked at me expectantly.
I sighed. “I met someone a week ago at the Christmas tree lighting. Her name is Olivia, and she’s going to be here today.”
Her eyes rounded. “Are you serious? This is the best news ever.”
I should’ve expected nothing less. Savanna and I often teased one another, but we loved each other. She’d celebrate any happy moments with me the same as I would with her.
“Like I just told these two, it’s nothing serious yet,” I informed her. “I’m just getting to know her. That’s all.”
Savanna wouldn’t allow that to diminish the excitement she felt. “That’s more than we’ve seen from you in a very long time, Taj. Let me be happy about it.”
Kingston gasped. “Wait a minute. Did you say her name was Olivia?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Olivia. As in, Olivia Thomas?”
“What?” Savanna murmured, her confusion evident.
Kingston was no longer looking at me. His eyes had shifted to the side, directed at something behind me. I looked in that direction and felt my pulse quicken. Olivia was there, walking toward us with several gifts in her hands. She hadn’t spotted me yet.
Quickly, I glanced back at my sister and my friends. “Excuse me a minute.”
I didn’t wait around for them to respond, but Archer called after me. “You’ll be explaining yourself later, man.”
Ignoring that, I moved toward Olivia. Her eyes finally landed on me, and the corners of her mouth tipped up in a beautiful smile in response. I never thought I’d see the day a woman like her smiled at me like that with just one look.
“You made it,” I said when I was just a few feet away from her.
Her grin grew, and she held up the presents. “I told you I was going to be here. I brought presents, too.”
Was it crazy that I just wanted to wrap my arms around this woman? After waiting all week to see her again, she was finally here. “That’s awesome of you to do. We can take them over to put them with the rest of the donations.”
“Okay.” We’d barely taken two steps in the opposite direction when Olivia said, “Hang on a second.”