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Resigned to feeling like crap the rest of the day, she stomped toward the stairs. She stopped short at the sight of Shannon standing on the bottom step, her eyes wide in her unmade face.
“Everything okay?” Shannon asked, her tone cautious, as though she was worried it might stir the hornets’ nest.
“No.” Tears she’d been desperately trying to keep at bay filled Olivia’s eyes. “James is really pissed.”
“About last night?”
“Yeah. He asked me to not drink a lot because he’s freaking out about Angela’s murder.”
Shannon winced and sent her a sympathetic look. “I wish you’d said something. We could’ve just had wine or at least gotten the regular margaritas or something.”
Olivia jerked a shoulder. “It’s embarrassing.”
“I’m not going to judge you because your husband loves you enough to worry. And frankly, I thought we were better friends than that.”
The hurt in her friend’s eyes just gave the guilt she was already feeling a firmer grip on her insides. “Than what?”
“You think you can’t tell me Daddy told you not to drink? Like I’m going to judge you for it?”
“I…well, I honestly don’t know anymore.”
Shannon’s lips turned down at the edges. “Why not? Liv, you can tell me anything.”
“I guess. It’s just, I’m supposed to be this big bad real estate agent. Sometimes it’s humiliating to talk about having rules and crap like that. And you haven’t had a Daddy in ages, so I figured you just like, grew out of it.”
Something flashed in Shannon’s eyes but it was gone too quickly for Olivia to pin it down. “That’s not why I haven’t had a Daddy. It’s…more complicated than that. But even if thatwasthe reason, it doesn’t mean I would judge you for still having one.”
Groaning, Olivia sat on a step and dropped her head into her hands. “I fucked up, Shannon. Really bad. I haven’t seen him this mad in ages.”
“You guys will work it out. James loves you so much it almost makes me sick.”
“We’ll work it out with his belt across my ass,” Olivia mumbled.
“Probably.” Sounding far too chipper for Olivia’s taste, Shannon joined her on the step and draped an arm around her shoulder. “And you’ll feel a hell of a lot better once it’s said and done.”
The honking of a car horn cut Olivia off before she could respond. With another quick sideways hug, Shannon popped up off the stairs. “That’s my ride. Call me later, let me know how it went.”
Olivia watched her friend waltz through the front door. As much as she hated to admit it, Shannon was right. She’d feel better once she’d been punished and forgiven. Somehow, she just had to get through the rest of the day without having a complete meltdown so they could finally clear the air.
Dragging in a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart. When she finally felt a bit steadier, she made her way upstairs to get ready for work.
Chapter13
An hour later, Olivia walked into the office with her headache down from torturous to merely nagging. She still hadn’t been able to eat anything, between the hangover and the guilt. Hopefully after she talked to James again, she’d be able to hold down some breakfast.
“Morning, MaryAnn.”
MaryAnn looked up from her computer, and for once she didn’t look like a deer caught in the headlights. And unlike Olivia and Shannon, she didn’t look the least bit hungover. If anything, she was more alert and bright-eyed than Olivia had ever seen her. “Morning, Olivia! Last night was so much fun. Thank you again for inviting me.”
“It was my pleasure.” At least, she assumed it was. From what she could remember, they’d had fun, and MaryAnn had turned out to be far more interesting outside of the office than Olivia had expected. “We’ll have to do it again sometime soon.”
Excitement lit MaryAnn’s eyes. “Really? That would be amazing. And don’t worry.” The other woman’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Alarm bells rang in the back of Olivia’s mind. “Ah, I think I may have had just a little bit too much to drink. What secret is that?”
“You know.” When Olivia shook her head, MaryAnn glanced from side to side and leaned forward, her voice lowering even further. “About Mr. Monroe being your…Daddy.”
Just when she thought this day couldn’t possibly get any worse. “I told you that?”
