She shrugged as the flight attendant returned and handed hera crystal tumbler with some amber liquid in it.Sherri passed Garrett its twinand handed Keane a beer.“You can stay in the bunkhouse if you like.I thinkthere are a few beds open right now.Look, let’s get through this as quickly aspossible so we can be done with each other.”
“Or we could apologize and start over,” Garrett offered.
That wasn’t the way Keane would go.She needed time tosettle her head around the fact that her one-night stand had turned into weekstogether.“If you finish up with Garrett early, he knows how to work a ranch.”
Garrett sat back, obviously defeated.“I do.”
“We’re going to take off,” Sherri announced.“Once we’re inthe air, I’ll bring out some snacks.”
Olivia nodded her way.“Thank you.”She turned her attentionback to them.“We’ll get through it and go our separate ways.”
Keane sat back as the plane began to roll.He took a longdrink of that beer.He was going to need it.
* * * *
Garrett sipped the excellent Scotch and looked at thewoman he had insulted in a pretty fucking vile way.
Olivia Barnes-Fleetwood had a laptop open and was scrollingthrough something.Maybe social media.He could see the post now.
Olivia Barnes-Fleetwood is…suffering through a flightwith her much regretted one-night stands.
He had to find a way to fix this.Keane would be no help.Hewas just trying to survive the damn flight.His best friend wasn’t made forflight.He liked his boots planted firmly on the ground.He knew Keane wouldhave rather rented a car and made their own way.
The cold front Olivia was putting up was making him a littlecrazy.He would rather have her argue with them.
“I thought your parents were flying back with us,” he said.
Olivia’s eyes came up.“They are going to spend some time atThe Club.They’re trying to avoid the contractors and the dust.”
“But then who deals with…” He almost had the whole sentenceout when he realized he was fucking up again.“Sorry.They left you to dealwith them.”
She shrugged.“That’s what happens when you are known formaking grown men cry.Don’t worry.They won’t stay gone long.You’ll get thechance to kiss my dad’s ass.”
“That was rude.”
She shrugged again.It seemed to be her go-to move when itcame to him.“I tend to give back the same energy I get, Counselor.”
He needed to show her he could be professional.“Why don’twe talk about what we’re going to work on while we’re at the ranch?What areyour expectations?I would like to look through some of the standard contracts.I know they were written by Finn Taylor, but even he thinks we need to discussupdating them.”
“And my Uncle Lucas,” she corrected.
Yeah, he had questions.“So Aidan is your brother-in-law,but you call Lucas your uncle?”
The smile on her face was more like a smirk.He missed theopen smile she’d given him the night before, but he understood the need tobuild walls.“Lucas is my dad’s brother.He married my mom’s daughter, who isalso my dad’s stepdaughter.It’s a winding tree.”
Keane sat up straighter.“What?Your uncle married yoursister?”
“Lucas is actually my dad’s half-brother.Lexi is myhalf-sister.There’s zero blood between Lucas and Lexi.They didn’t grow uptogether.Lucas grew up in a wealthy political family and Lexi grew up with anice stepdad, since her father died before she was born and his family ran mymother out of town.Fun times, but no real DNA problems.”
Keane went a bit green.“Uh, is there a bathroom on thisplane?”
Olivia’s eyes showed a hint of concern, and she pointed tothe back.“It’s there on the right-hand side.You can’t miss it.Can I getsomething for you?”
Keane ran for the bathroom.
“He’s not used to flying.”Garrett took another sip and thendecided to be bold.The plane was laid out like a living room with two spaces.Olivia was sitting on one of the larger seats.It looked built for two.So hepicked up his drink and moved to her side.“He’ll be okay.He doesn’t have muchto get rid of.We planned to order this insanely huge breakfast but then you weregone and neither of us felt much like eating.Which for me is good because thisScotch is hitting hard.”
A brow rose over her gorgeous eyes.“Good for you.Why doyou think I fucked up the Gladen Farms account?Because I know he’s notfollowing the collective’s protocols.Not in any way.I took pictures.”
