At the sight of her tears, Aunt Bea’s face fell. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” She bustled over to Olivia and pulled her into her big, soft embrace. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”
Olivia started to cry... and she couldn’t stop.
“Let’s sit down.” Aunt Bea led Olivia to the chairs in front of her desk and sat in one. As Olivia followed suit, her aunt grabbed a handful of tissues from the box next to her work computer. “Here. Your nose needs a little blow.”
Olivia used a tissue, then swiped her upper lip. “I’m sorry,” she said, taking a clean tissue and wiping her eyes. “I don’t know what happened.”
“It’s okay. Sometimes we all need a good cry.”
“I don’t cry.” She sniffed. It was true. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried, even over a sad movie, although she tended to avoid those. She hadn’t even cried when her parents moved away.
“Then you’re overdue, sugar.” Aunt Bea smiled, every trace of her earlier anger gone. “Tell me what’s going on.”
There was nothing else she could do but tell the truth. “Kingston and I aren’t together.”
“Oh, honey.” Bea reached for a tissue and dabbed her own eyes. “I’m so sorry—”
“We never were.” She glanced at her blueberry-colored skirt, ashamed. “We pretended to be together.”
Her aunt’s hand flew to her chest. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“Because Karen Bedford was trying to get us together.”
Aunt Bea’s eyes bulged. “Um, she was?” She started shredding the tissue with her fingers.
“We thought the best way to circumvent that would be to go along with it. Then after a few days we would break up—”
“And everyone would leave you both alone.”
“Exactly.”
Aunt Bea desperately looked around the room. “You wouldn’t happen to have any snacks around here, would you?”
Olivia peered at her aunt. “You’re acting suspicious again.”Oh boy.“Did you have anything to do with Karen’s scheme?”
“Um... possibly?”
“I don’t believe this.” Olivia gritted her teeth together. “I told you I was doing fine.”
“But when you and Kingston came over for peach pie, you were having such a lovely time. I’d never seen you so lively around another man. Or any man, for that matter.”
“You promised me you would let me live my life.”
“And I meant it at the time... Oh bother.” Aunt Bea hung her head. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered.”
Olivia didn’t doubt her sincerity. She sighed. “It’s okay.”
Her aunt met her gaze, her expression slightly brighter. “Well, it’s all water under the bridge now, right? Since you and Kingston don’t have feelings for each other, no one got hurt.”
Olivia tried to nod. She needed to confirm Aunt Bea’s statement before the older woman got any more crazy ideas about Olivia’s love life. She also wanted to believe it. Instead, she stayed still and silent.
Aunt Bea tilted her head, also not saying anything. Then she took Olivia’s hand. “I promise,” she said, making anXmotion across her heart with her other hand, “that I will never, ever meddle in your business again. Or Erma’s.”
“Erma?”
Her aunt’s eyes grew wide again as she let go of Olivia.“Oh, nothing. We sorted it all out last night. You should really keep some snacks here. Just in case.”
Olivia finally managed to smile. “I’ll think about it.”
