Chapter 17 #2
And it was those words that did it for me.
My eyes moved through these six women who’d welcomed me with open arms weeks ago and hadn’t ever made me feel like I was anything less than human.
They treated me like I suspected they treated one another, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I had real friends.
Sure, there was still so much to learn about them, but if they were even half as great as Taj, I’d consider myself extremely lucky.
So, I did what I thought friends would do with one another in a situation like this.
I shared.
I trusted that I could tell them about what led me here and why I’d decided to stay, and I didn’t think that would change anything about how they treated me. At least, not in a negative way.
And I was right.
They listened as I shared, asking questions along the way, and sharing their sorrow for what I’d been through. It was nice to finally feel some validation for the choice I ultimately made to get my life back. Like they all believed that no other choice would’ve been acceptable.
“You know what this means?” Chloe asked after I’d finished sharing and dinner was done.
“What?”
She pointed at me. “You are getting up on that stage tonight and singing your heart out.”
“I don’t know if I have a great singing voice.”
“It’s karaoke,” Lark reminded me. “You don’t have to have a good voice. I’ve done it, and I got my mom’s voice.”
“Is your mom a singer?”
The women all burst out laughing.
“Aunt Nikki is stunning in so many ways, but it is not her voice that makes her so,” Savanna said.
I bit my lip. “Alright. I guess I’ll do it.”
With that, we got our bill and paid for dinner.
Then we took off out of the restaurant and upstairs to the saloon.
For the next couple of hours, I had such a blast. Harper got on stage to perform first, and Tessa followed her sister’s performance.
With a bit of encouragement, I went next.
And I had such a great time that after everyone else had gotten a turn, I went a second time.
When the night was over, I wished for more time. I would’ve given anything for just a few more hours of fun. Even though I couldn’t have that, I was glad to have the time I did.
After saying goodbye to all the girls, exchanging numbers with them, and learning that I’d see Savanna, Tessa, Lark, and Mia in Colorado for the snowboarding contest the following weekend, Savanna took me home.
I thanked her profusely for the invitation once more before we said goodnight to one another.
As I walked to my front door, I was riding such a high.
With Taj alone, I’d already been feeling like I’d landed exactly where I was supposed to land.
But after tonight with these women, I had not a single doubt.
Rising Sun was going to be my home permanently.
At that realization, there wasn’t anything that could’ve brought my mood down.
Just as I put my key in to unlock my door, my phone rang.
I stepped inside, lips twitching. Taj must’ve gotten too impatient or worried about me and decided to call me instead of waiting.
Between fishing through my purse for my phone, closing the door, stepping out of my shoes, and turning on the light, I wasn’t paying much attention when I answered his call.
“Hello?”
“Olivia.”
Everything stopped. That was not Taj’s voice. That was a voice I’d been avoiding hearing for more than a month now.
Conrad was on the other end of the line.
“What do you want?”
“What do I want?” He was furious. “I want to know where my fiancée is. I want to know why she walked out of our wedding. I’ve been reaching out to you for weeks.”
That he was pretending not to know why I left was hysterical. But since he was on the phone, I figured this was the best time to just take care of it. “I wasn’t happy.”
“Of course, you were. How could you not be when I gave you everything?”
“You didn’t, Conrad. You didn’t give me what I needed.”
“What are you talking about? You had the best of everything.”
I shook my head as I moved deeper into my apartment and dropped my purse onto the kitchen counter. “Sometimes, the things we need have nothing to do with money. I have my own money. I needed something else, something nobody was interested in giving me. Hell, none of you would even listen to me.”
“Is this about you wanting fun and games all the time?” He scoffed. “Grow up, Olivia. You’re an adult. You need to work.”
“Are you insane? I’ve been working since I was a child!”
“Where are you?”
“That’s none of your business. Not anymore.”
There was a long pause. “You know you’ll never work in this industry again, right?”
I wasn’t the least bit upset about it when I replied, “I can only hope that’s the case.”
A loud bang came through the line. I could only assume he’d slammed his closed fist on a table or desk. “Knock this shit off, Olivia. Tell me where you are.”
“Not a chance.”
“I’m giving you one last opportunity to tell me where you are.”
“And I’m telling you I don’t care. You aren’t entitled to that information.”
His heavy breaths filled the air. Following a few beats of silence, he seethed, “I’ll find you, Olivia. And when I do, you’re going to regret ever turning your back on me.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond before the line went dead.
For a few moments, I replayed that conversation in my head. An unwelcome chill slithered down my spine at the promise in his tone.
Conrad had the means to locate me. But if he knew he no longer had any hold over me, would he actually follow through?
I couldn’t answer that question.
So, I sent a text to Taj.
Hey. I just got home.
Taj
Thanks for letting me know. I hope you had a great time tonight.
It was the best.
Taj
You’re probably exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow?
Can’t wait!
I carried my phone and walked to my bedroom. I probably should’ve told Taj about the call from Conrad.
But it was late, and I knew he’d panic.
It could wait until later. Even if Conrad did set out to find me, he wouldn’t be showing up tonight.
Plus, after learning how much joy Taj seemed to have in his life now, the last thing I wanted to do was take it away from him.