“I’m glad,” he said, sincerity softening his voice. “I knew you’d be a natural at this.”
For a moment, her whole being warmed up as she bathed in his praise. Then she remembered her other news.
“Speaking of being needed,” Maude said, choosing her words carefully. “I got a call from Robbie Sunday.”
Ollie’s fork paused halfway to his mouth. He raised a brow. “Your brother? What’s he up to?”
Maude nodded. “I’m not sure. He’s…going through some stuff. Feeling lost, I think. He asked if he could come stay with me for a while. Check out the local area, maybe get a bit of a fresh start.”
Ollie didn’t react with hesitation or worry, just a quiet nod of understanding. “How doyoufeel about that?”
Maude let out a long breath. “I love him. Of course I’ll help him. But Robbie and I don’t always see eye-to-eye. We can butt heads. And we have in the past. But he’s my brother. I can’t say no.”
“So what worries you the most?”
“That he’ll upend my life. Things feel like they’re falling into place here. I don’t want anything to mess that up. Having said that, I’ve already converted my loft into a little guest space. The mattress arrived this morning.”
Ollie’s expression eased into something surprisingly protective. “It’s not my place to tell you what to do, but you should probably set some boundaries. Even though he’s your family. Maybe especially because he’s your family.”
She looked down at her plate as a small smile tugged at her lips. “I told him not to interfere with us. At all. And I meant it.”
When she glanced up, Ollie was nodding.
“Good,” he said quietly. “Because I like where you and I are going. And I like your brother, but I’m not letting him get in the way of us. That said, if I can help him in some way, just let me know.”
Maude’s heart skipped a beat. Ollie was the best. She cleared her throat, smiling. “Now that we’ve handled that small emotional hurricane, how’s your day going?”
Ollie chuckled, nudging her foot gently under the table. “Better now.”
He pushed aside his empty plate. “There’s something I should probably update you on,” he said, resting his forearms on the table. “I heard from my attorney this morning.”
Maude went still. “Anything good?”
“Well,” he said with a humorless little laugh. “He’s still stunned Emily bought her boyfriend a condo.”
Maude felt angry on Ollie’s behalf. “I still can’t believe she did that. Withyourmoney.”
Ollie shrugged, but the hurt was visible in his eyes. “Technically, it wasourmoney. Community property, as she keeps reminding everyone. But my attorney thinks the paper trail is strong enough that it’ll count heavily against her. Especially if we can prove she diverted marital assets to support the guy.”
Maude reached across the table, her hand brushing his wrist. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He gave her a quick smile. “You’ve been more help with this mess than you know.” He took a breath. “There’s more,” he said. “My attorney thinks I’ve got a real shot at getting Milo back.”
Maude brightened. She knew he missed his dog. “Ollie, that’s wonderful!”
“I don’t want to get my hopes up too high,” he cautioned, though a smile pulled at one corner of his mouth. “But my attorney says with the boyfriend, the secret condo, and the way she moved money around, it’s enough to reopen the civil side of things. And we’ve maintained that Milo was always my dog.”
“I have no doubt he adores you,” Maude said. “Who wouldn’t?”
Ollie was full-on grinning now. “That’s what I’m hoping the judge will see, too.”
“I guess your kids know everything then.”
His smile faltered. He toyed with his napkin for a moment. “Nolan and Harper are… They’re taking everything better than I thought, but it’s still tough on them. Harper’s angry. Not yelling angry, but she’s sort of closed down. She doesn’t want to spend time with Emily after finding out about the affair, so she’s refusing to visit.”
“And Nolan?” Maude asked softly.
“He’s confused. He wants things to go back to how they were, but he also knows too much to pretend it’s all fine. They’re trying, though. Both of them.”
