AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before he made it halfway across the family room, two women strolled in. One was in her late thirties. Her long dark hair was pulled into a French twist. The sort of hairstyle Olivia would’ve only worn if she was going someplace fancy. She wore an orange and yellow blouse and a pair of yellow pants that would’ve looked ridiculous on most people, but with her matching orange heels and purse, the outfit looked chic.
The woman at her side was in her twenties. She was blond and beautiful, wearing a lacy pink halter top that showed off her tan—and her perfect figure. She wore ridiculously impractical heels with her white jeans and carried one of those Chanel bags that snubbed lesser purses.
The blond scanned the group. “Where’s Carson?”
Mr. Clark smiled and went over to greet her. “Megan, I didn’t know you were coming up.”
He’d extended his hand for a handshake but she swept in and gave him a quick hug before scanning the room again. “I wanted to surprise him, and Irena wanted to see how the house was progressing, so we decided to pop in for a visit. Where is he?”
“Outside with the landscapers.” Mr. Clark looked out the sliding glass doors to see if he could spot Carson. He was all friendliness and approval—none of the things he’d shown to Olivia. “I’ll call Carson and tell him you’re here.”
Olivia knew she was staring, probably rudely, maybe with her mouth hanging open, but she couldn’t help herself. Who was Megan and what was she to Carson that she was hugging his father?
She’s just a cousin,Olivia told herself. Or some long-time platonic friend. But dread twisted in her stomach. Fortunately, Megan wasn’t paying any attention to the corner where Olivia sat kneeling on the floor like a person doing obeisance. Olivia had time to clamp shut her jaw and put on a disinterested expression.
Megan flicked a hand in Mr. Clark’s direction. “You don’t need to interrupt him.”
Mr. Clark pulled out his phone anyway. “He’s going to want to know that his girlfriend is here.”
Girlfriend. Olivia’s stomach did a final, clamping twist. Carson had a girlfriend in Denver. How nice that he hadn’t mentioned that fact to Olivia. She stared at the floor so no one would see her face flushing with anger, with humiliation.
“Don’t call him,” Megan said, all brightness. “That will ruin the surprise. We can look around the house while we wait for him.”
Olivia wanted to leave, to stomp off, and at the same time desperately didn’t want to draw attention to herself. Not while she was shaking. She felt pinned here, trapped.
The older woman reached out her hand to shake hands with Mr. Carson. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Irena Gordon.”
The name Gordon snapped Mr. Clark’s attention away from Megan. He shook Mrs. Gordon’s hand and gave her a welcoming smile. “I’m Carson’s father. Let me show you around the place.” He wiped more dust from his shirt. “We weren’t expecting you yet, so you’ll have to keep in mind that the place will look a lot better when we’re finished.”
Irena gave an airy laugh. Even that sounded wealthy. “I figured I’d better come up now while I can still talk to Carson in person about the project.” She leaned closer toward Mr. Clark and lowered her voice. “Once he leaves for Denver, I imagine I’ll be talking to some project manager who doesn’t speak English.”
Mr. Clark’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “He plans on being here until the house is finished.”
Irena shifted her purse on her shoulder, a fluttering motion that dismissed his words. “The coaches are expecting him in Denver next Monday. Now that he’s been given the go-ahead from his doctor, they want to adjust his training regimen. Doesn’t he already have his plane ticket?”
This just kept getting worse. Olivia took deep breaths and willed herself to stop shaking.
Mr. Clark blinked in astonishment. “The doctor cleared him to practice?”
Irena put her hand to her chest, at once contrite. “Didn’t Carson tell you? Oh dear, he must have meant to surprise you and I ruined it.” She let out a remorseful breath. “But we got the news a couple of days ago. I thought he would’ve told you by now.”
Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
Mr. Clark grinned. “That’s great. I don’t know why he didn’t tell us.”
Olivia knew why. Carson didn’t want her to tell her he was picking up and leaving her, just like she’d predicted. He probably planned to wait until the last possible moment to break the news. Less of a scene that way.
“Well, I’d better show you around.” Mr. Clark moved toward the sliding glass doors. “You’re going to love the view from the deck.”
Megan happened to glance in Olivia’s direction. Olivia was keenly aware of how unglamorous she appeared, kneeling on the floor in a sweaty T-shirt, no makeup on, and her hair pulled back in a careless ponytail. She didn’t want Megan to notice her, and yet when the woman’s gaze passed over her without pause, Olivia felt the sting of her inattention. Megan didn’t even see her as a potential rival. Of course not. Why would she? Megan was beautiful and rich. She wasn’t the sort who worried about construction workers being rivals.
Irena and Megan followed after Mr. Clark, weaving around step ladders and islands of tools. Their voices grew more distant.
Irena said, “The flooring looks just like I imagined but the paint color—is that the shade I chose?”
“Yes,” Mr. Clark replied cheerfully. “We followed everything you wanted to the letter.”
The stony shock of the revelation was beginning to wear off, replaced by fresh waves of anger. Carson had told her that nothing was certain about his foot. Maybe that lie shouldn’t surprise her. After all, he’d also told her he wanted a real relationship. He’d even talked about their children. He’d known just how to reassure her that he wasn’t using her.
