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A few seconds of silence pass as I realize what I just said. Every word was true, but I haven’t really thought about it in the way I just vocalized it. Is the real issue with Olivier that I’m scared of what I feel?
“I think we just made good progress,” Julia says, looking smug. “Now what are we going to do about it?”
“We?”
“Okay, you. What are you going to do about it?”
I sit back on the sofa, feeling drained.
“I don’t know. I guess I have to decide how much the fear means to me. Whether I’m willing to risk getting hurt.”
“Look, you don’t have to lay everything on the table with Olivier. It’s okay to still move slowly. Just don’t shut him out, that’s all I’m saying.”
Someone pounds on the closed office door, and Julia says, “Who is it?”
“What are you doing in there? Is Daphne with you? Tell her I want to talk to her.”
Ugh, my mother. I roll my eyes and shake my head no.
“We’ll be out soon,” Julia says.
“Well, you should be. This is your son’s birthday party after all.”
I look at my sister and whisper, “She’s a delight.”
“Mother of the fucking year,” Julia whispers back.
“What?” our mom cries. “Did one of you just say something?”
“Nope!” Julia says. “We’ll be out soon.”
Grumbling, our mother walks away.
“And you wonder why I’m so fucked up,” I say to my sister.
“Actually, I don’t wonder. Not even a little bit.”
She raises her wine glass and I pick mine up, too. We toast each other before I toss back the last of my wine. I already know I’ll need several refills to get through this afternoon.
Chapter Sixteen
Olivier
“Your usual, Mr. Durand?”
I look up from my seat in the owner’s box at the Carson Center, the server’s voice pulling me out of my train of thought about Daphne.
“Yes, thanks,” I say.
Usually, I ask any Carson Center staffer I encounter how they’re doing, and I check in on how their families are doing, too. But tonight, I’m distracted. I’m not even doing a good job of entertaining my guests, an attorney from my New York office and her husband, who flew in to be here.
Jill and Brian seem to be doing a good job of entertaining themselves—they’re walking back into the owner’s suite with big smiles, bags of merchandise in one hand and drinks in the other.
“Guys, I would have comped anything you wanted from the store,” I say, standing up.
“You already flew us in on the company plane and took us to an amazing dinner,” Jill says. “We just wanted to pick up a few things for our kids.”
“This place beats the hell out of that shitty New York team’s setup, right?” I joke.
Brian’s a huge New York sports fan. He gives me a look like he’s about to argue, and Jill steps in to mediate.
“I think both teams have lovely arenas. I will say, though, that this margarita is one of the best I’ve ever had.”
I point at her and grin at Brian. “This is why I have her running my legal department. She could talk her way out of anything.”
“Don’t I know it,” Brian says, putting an arm around her.
“Giselle’s not coming?” Jill asks, looking at the empty chair next to me.
“Nah, she’s way too cool for her boring old dad,” I say.
“We completely understand that. Our kids feel the same way about us.” Jill sits down in her seat and Brian sits down next to her. “Well, tell her we said hello.”
“I will.”
“I was hoping we’d get to meet your new girlfriend while we were here,” Jill says.
The server brings my drink, and a welcome distraction from Jill’s mention of Daphne.
“Anything else I can get you, Mr. Durand?” the server asks.
She’s giving me an expectant look, like she’s hoping I’ll ask her for something—anything—else. I size her up in a matter of two seconds. Heavily made up, smelling like a perfume factory, eyes big, lips slightly pursed while also turned up in a seductive smile. Yeah, this woman who doesn’t even look old enough to be a college graduate is hoping to serve me a lot more than drinks. It happens all the time, but it never used to aggravate me as much as it does right now.
“No thanks,” I say, taking a sip of my drink.
She nods, looking a little disappointed, but then she brightens back up in an instant. “Let me know if you think of anything I can do for you. Anything at all.”
She holds my gaze and bites her lip before turning and walking out of the suite. Jill gives me an incredulous look.
“What was that? Did someone recruit her from a street corner?”
I shrug. “She’s just trying to do a good job. I think she’s new.”
Jill balks. “She’s trying to make you her sugar daddy. Blatantly.”
This is why I like Jill. In work situations, she doesn’t hold back when it’s just the two of us. She’s never afraid to tell me what she really thinks, even when she knows I won’t like it.
