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I collapse back onto my bed after hanging up. I barely slept last night, and that call took every last remaining speck of energy out of me.
He was right about one thing. Their trip to Florida and my trip home couldn’t be coming at a better time. Two weeks for this tension between us to ebb, two weeks to get my head back on straight, two weeks to forget about the possibility of anything happening where Leo is concerned.
* * *
I’m pretty much exhausted by the time I pull up outside of their house. It’s only ten-thirty in the morning but I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in days—not since that disastrous, humiliating, oh so awkward exit I made on Friday night.
How exactly does one look their employer in the eye after groping his dick? That’s the question I’ve been pondering for the past couple of days.
My tests are over with, papers handed in, so now I just have to get through the next hour or so before I can get on the road and let time start to heal this open, gaping wound.
“Surprise!”
I came in with my game face on, but just one look at Olivia with her big hopeful smile, and damn, I’m watering up again.
Jeez, Ineverused to cry.
I take in the room with the balloons, the flowers and the pink frosted cake, smiling as I wipe at those few stray tears.
“What’s all this?” I ask her.
“It’s my special person day!”
I take a seat at the kitchen table and open my arms for her to climb onto my lap. “This might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” I hug her close. “Thank you, Libs. You’re my special person, too.”
I don’t see him standing there until he clears his throat and says, “Olivia, did you bring the card downstairs?”
Her eyes go wide. “I be right back.”
I want to squeeze tight and beg,Please don’t go, Olivia!but she’s already running up the stairs so I have no choice but to face him and face the music.
“Hey.”
“Hi. This is, um, really nice. Thank you.”
“Libs basically did everything. I just drove her around and followed orders.” He shifts on his feet and swallows. “Listen, I just want to tell you again that I’m—”
“Don’t say it again. You don’t need to. Let’s just do what we said we’re going to do…Move past it.”
He lowers his head and nods.
“You can go get some work done or pack or do whatever you need to do. I’ll hang out with Olivia for a while before I get on the road.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
He lets out a breath—relieved or sad, I can’t tell which. “All right. I’ll just be in the garage. Let me know whenever you want to get going.”
But he lingers and watches as Olivia bounces back into the kitchen with her artwork.
She hands it to me and then clasps her little hands behind her back, waiting on my reaction.
It’s a picture of the two of us with her hand in mine. She’s taken care with it; this is more elaborate and detailed than the pictures she usually draws. My head is encircled in a halo of miniature hearts and she’s glued multi-colored glitter around the edges to make a special border. We’re both wearing smiles and there’s a big sun, so bright and yellow that I can almost feel the warmth radiating from it.
I press it to my chest, careful not to bend or damage the paper in any way. “Olivia, I love it. I think this is my favorite of all the pictures you’ve ever drawn.”
Her smile lights me up from the inside. “Really?”
