Chapter 54
CHAPTER 54
CHARLIE
E verything Olivia was and did impressed me. I sat in the audience listening to her speech, wildly impressed by the depth of her knowledge and understanding of her chosen path. Every single time I thought I had a grasp on all the different aspects of her personality and the hidden depths inside her, she surprised me by revealing even more and I fucking loved it.
When she’d first dropped the bombshell of us accompanying her to the city for this thing, I hadn’t liked the idea at all. Dad had leaped onboard right away, though, and the more time I spent here, coming to these talks and learning about their firm and their industry, the more I was also reminded of what a smart man my father was.
I’d thought he’d just agreed in an attempt to mend the rift that had been between Olivia and me at the time, but I was starting to realize that there was actual value in us being here. We’d learned a ton over the last couple days and I was sure that by tonight, we were going to have learned so much more.
As Olivia’s speech finished, the audience leaped to their feet for her and I went right along with them, as did everyone else in our group. Deafening applause rang out and some people even hollered. Colt stuck his fingers into his mouth to whistle and I laughed, overflowing with adrenaline even though I hadn’t been the one who’d given the speech.
Liv gave a little bow and left the stage, the emcee taking her place and chuckling as people kept cheering regardless of the fact that she had disappeared behind the curtain. While he worked on settling them all down, I stole away from the table where I’d been sitting and made my way to the corridor I knew led to the backstage area.
Sure enough, as I reached the end of it, there she was. Radiant and practically glowing, she was accepting congratulations from some of her coworkers and I leaned against the wall as I watched her. Dressed impeccably and with her hair in a sleek ponytail, she looked like the powerhouse she was. Her spine was straight and proud, her shoulders open and her head held high. I hadn’t needed a reminder of the fact that the girl I had such intense feelings for was a force to be reckoned with, but I got it anyway and it was hot as hell.
As she slowly started turning my way, I pushed away from the wall and closed the distance between us, my heart just about bursting with pride about the happiness I saw in her sparkling greens. “You are truly amazing, Ms. Walker.”
She smiled from ear to ear and my heart lurched. God, I love her smile.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice a little hushed, as if she was in a state of complete disbelief. “I’m somewhat overwhelmed right now.”
Quickly looking around to make sure Nathan wasn’t there, I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me, wrapping her up in my arms for a tight hug. I held her for a few short moments, knowing it was risky but not giving a damn. “Better?”
She nodded against my chest, her arms lingering around my waist when I released her. “I kind of wish I could stay right here all day long.”
“So do I,” I agreed. “As far as I know though, we have a whole day of learning ahead of us.”
Chuckling as she let out a soft sigh, she finally let go of me and took a step away. “Unfortunately, you’re right. We should get going. I don’t want to miss Lance’s presentation. I think you’re going to be interested in it as well. He’s discussing a case study of a small-time chicken farmer who is now producing more eggs than any other business in his community.”
“That sounds great,” I said. “I’d like to find out who the farmer is. Maybe there will be some more opportunities for collaboration there. As long as he’s willing to have you take over his marketing instead of having whoever Lance is do it.”
“If you want to collaborate, Lace and I will have to do the same thing,” she said. “What he’s done for this business is incredible. He works extremely well with this client. I doubt he’d hand them over and I wouldn’t want to take them anyway. I’ve got my hands full with a different ranch.”
I winked at her. “And don’t you forget it.”
She chuckled as we walked back to the hall together, finding our seats at the table I’d left just as the next speaker took his place on the stage. Our day was full of talks and presentations, and I learned more about marketing than I’d ever realized I hadn’t known.
I took plenty of notes and had lots of information to take back to my father. Colt and Dallas seemed as captivated as I was, neither even trying to make up an excuse to leave. Around lunch time, however, I got a text from my dad asking me to call him as soon as possible.
I frowned and excused myself, immediately pressing dial on his number as I strode away from the restaurant where the others were in line at the buffet. The food smelled incredible, but not even the scent of lemon butter could dispel the nerves bunching in my stomach.
“Dad, are you okay?” I asked as soon as he picked up. “What’s going on?”
To my greatest relief, he chuckled and he sounded relaxed instead of stressed. “Everything is fine, boy. I just need you to come back to the ranch a little early, is all.”
“Why?” I dragged my free hand through my hair, looking up at the city skyline outside as I stood in front of the windows in the lobby. “I thought you just said everything was fine.”
“Yep, but we’ve been asked to host a big fundraiser on the ranch. It’s for a local nonprofit and the owner is coming out here tomorrow. I’d like you with me.”
“Alright.” The last thing I wanted to do was head back to Texas without her, but I nodded anyway. “I’ll let Liv know we’re leaving and the boys and I will be on the first plane out.”
Dad chuckled again, groaning softly as his laughter subsided. “Oh, no. You’re in love.”
I frowned. “What? No. You can’t possibly tell that from one sentence.”
“Son, I could tell it from one word,” he said. “ Liv .”
“That’s her nickname,” I argued. “We’ve all used it before.”
“Yeah, but not like that. You say a woman’s nickname like that, like you’re smiling just having her name on your lips, and you’re in love.”
I laughed. “I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from, but I know it wasn’t from the way I said her name. Goodbye, Dad. I’ll get home soon.”
“It’s all in the name, son,” he called just before I hung up and I sighed, chuckling under my breath as I dropped my phone back into my pocket.
It’s all in the name. What bullshit is that? Someone must’ve told him.
On the other hand, Dad didn’t usually talk to us about that kind of thing, so I didn’t know if perhaps he just had some kind of father’s intuition about it. Maybe he does. He sure has been a good husband. Who knows what he knows about being in love?
Shaking my head at myself, I strode back across the lobby to the restaurant, joining the buffet line and grabbing fish, rice, and vegetables. The food at this hotel made the price worth it. I still didn’t know how much it’d cost to stay here, but I did know that I’d happily pay it every time I had to come to this city if I could keep eating like this.
Olivia was gone by the time I joined Colt, the only remaining member of our group, at the table. I dropped into the chair across from my brother. “Where is everybody?”
“Olivia and Abigail had to go check on some of the people speaking this afternoon. London and Liam are probably either fighting or fucking somewhere, and Lacey and Dallas said they were going to get some fresh air.”
“Fresh air, huh?”
Colt laughed around his last bite of fish, chewing and swallowing before he nodded. “That’s what they said, man. Where’d you disappear to?”
“Talking to Dad. I didn’t expect everyone to be gone by the time I got back, though. We didn’t even talk that long.”
“Nah, Liv and Abi said they would eat on the go, Lacey and Dallas took their plates with them, and I’m really not sure about London and Liam.”
“Those two sure do keep things interesting.”
“You can say that again.” He chuckled, downing his water and making small talk while I finished my meal. “We’re going home soon?”
“Yep. Tomorrow morning at the latest. I’ll book our flight out as soon as I’m done here, but Dad needs us home to help him raise some money for some folks who need it.”
Colt sighed deeply but didn’t argue. “I’m going to miss the street food in this city.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Straight after lunch, we went into the afternoon sessions and learned even more stuff I hadn’t known I didn’t know. Once the conference ended for the day, I grabbed Liv before she could disappear again. “Can I buy you a drink at the lobby bar?”
Those green eyes of hers blinked slowly before she nodded, a curious furrow appearing between her brows. “Sure. Absolutely. I’d love that, but is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I just spoke to my dad earlier and it turns out the guys and I are going to have to get back to Texas sooner rather than later. I’ll tell you all about it at the bar, though.”
“Oh.” For a fraction of a second, she seemed a little crestfallen, but she recovered fast, smiling and motioning for me to lead the way.
Dim lights shone from the ceiling in the lobby bar, casting pools of golden light on the rich red carpeting covering the floors. A u-shaped bar dominated the center of the space, brighter lights running in strips along double lines of copper rails above the marble countertop.
Glasses of every shape hung from the rails while bottles littered the shelves in the middle of the U. Liv opted for a glass of white wine while I grabbed a beer. Then she and I found a table tucked around a corner far away from any potential prying eyes.
“You did a fantastic job today, Olivia,” I started, reaching for her hand across the table and sliding my palm over it. “I’ve realized that I think I owe you an apology.”
“You do?” Her head moved back a little, but she turned her much smaller hand underneath mine, making my skin zing as she wound our fingers together. “What for?”
“I underestimated you. Pretty severely. I’m sorry about that.” I stroked my thumb along the side of her hand. “You should know that I’m extremely grateful for what your company has done for my family’s ranch and that I trust your judgment completely. You won’t hear any arguments from me about what needs to be done anymore. What you say goes.”
Her eyebrows swept up and she smiled, lifting her glass for a toast. “It has truly been our pleasure, and I’m glad to hear it. I’ll keep that in mind when I pitch the idea for your very own reality show.”
I groaned but clinked my bottle against her glass and took a sip. “I’m busy that year. Whenever the show is filming, I’m always going to be busy.”
She chuckled before her expression grew a little more somber. “What’s this about you having to go home earlier?”
“Dad has been asked if we can host a fundraiser for a local nonprofit at the ranch. He said yes, but he needs me there to help get everything ready on time.”
“A fundraiser? I love fundraisers.” She flashed me a coy, excited smile. “I can’t wait to get home to help you plan. I’ll only be about two days behind you, so don’t have all the fun without me, okay?”
“Home?” I looked into those wide green eyes, taking in the faintest smattering of freckles on her nose in this light and finding myself unable to fight my grin. “Texas is home now?”
In a flash, she moved forward and used her free hand to punch me in the arm. “Well, yeah. I live in Texas now. That makes it home.”
God, I really like the sound of that . It was probably for the best not to tell her just how much I loved it.