AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 10
It’s been two weeks since Rory’s wedding. I’ve stayed away from Olivia, as she requested. I rarely go into the office, and even though Zane has questioned why several times, I think he knows, especially after Joshua came by one day to say hello to Olivia.
My father keeps pressuring me to come back to Wilton. Right now, I don’t know what I want to do. Olivia never answered my text after the wedding. I still can’t get the couple of nights we spent making love out of my head. I keep telling myself that old cliché if you love something, set it free…
I’m not sure if I loved Olivia or that I had an extreme case of like for her. In any case, she deserves to be happy, and if this guy Joshua does it for her, then I won’t get in the way.
At work, we still have the Paul situation to deal with. Our three new employees start next week, which we announced this past Monday. I pay close attention to Paul’s face to gauge for any signs of worry once we do, but he remains passive. The plan is to place Dee under Olivia, and Steve and Jeff under Henry. All the projects where Paul was the lead have been completed, so there is no worry about him driving the new people out.
Our time frame is another couple of weeks before we oust Paul. Jeff needs to get up to speed with ongoing projects so that he can take over once Paul is thrown out on his rear. I want to be the one to do it, but Zane said it would be better if he did, and if legal was involved because Paul needs to understand that his behavior is what caused his termination.
I’ve documented everything, and since he’s acted up to me many times over in front of other employees, we have quite a bit of ammunition if he decides to take Eltech to court. He could have had a great career here, but his ego and arrogance got the best of him.
Today, I’m in the office. Zane asked me to check out some financials for a new project that they are considering—a specialized training accounting software for commercial application. Since I’ve been working on the projected figures all morning, I need a break. I head to the kitchen, hoping to get some caffeine. I finally talked Zane into getting a Keurig so that we can have some decent coffee.
I stop short when I get there because Olivia is at the counter, filling her travel mug. She doesn’t hear me, and I take a moment to survey her lovely body from the back. I slightly harden as I focus on her curvy hips and shapely ass.
She turns and is startled by me standing there. Hot coffee sloshes onto her hand, and she yelps. I rush over to her and turn on the cold water in the sink, then push her hand under the faucet. Her perfume is intoxicating, and all I want to do is take her in my arms and kiss her.
“Lucian,” she says softly.
“You need to do this, so it doesn’t blister.”
“It’s okay.”
I turn off the water, her hand still in mine as I grab a paper towel to dry it. I pull it close to my face to examine her skin. It’s slightly red, but there are no blisters. I release her hand and turn to face her. A lock of her black hair has slipped from her ponytail. Instinctively, I brush it back with my finger and tuck it behind her ear. Her eyes close at my touch.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, then turn to walk away.
“Lucian, for what it’s worth, I enjoyed spending time with you, too.”
I can feel my eyes sting as I nod at her. I quickly leave the kitchen because I don’t want her to see the tears threatening to spill. I know what loss is like, but with Cassie, it was different. She’s gone for good. With Olivia, I am still holding out hope that she’ll come back to me.
Back at my desk, I wipe away a few tears, then throw myself into my work. I think that Zane is onto something. Given how he wants to branch out, I think he will be able to because the preorders for the virtual gaming system have been phenomenal. The unit will be released in August, both in retail stores and online. We should be rid of Paul before then too.
Near the end of the day, I take off my reading glasses and lean my head back into my chair. I haven’t been sleeping since Olivia told me to shove off, but day by day, it’s getting easier. I must have dozed off because when I wake, I see the cleaning crew emptying garbage cans around the office. I check my watch and see that it’s nearly six.
After packing everything I am working on into the folder, I save the spreadsheet on my laptop. I’m walking to the elevator when I see Olivia waiting there.
“Hi,” I greet flatly. “I didn’t know anyone was still in the office.”
“I just finished some coding.”
“How are you getting along with Dee?”
“I like her a lot. It’s nice to have another woman in the department.”
“It’s part of the reason I hired her.”
She looks at the floor. “There might only be one woman in the department again.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Joshua got transferred to Chicago, and he wants me to go with him. His family lives there, so it’s not like we wouldn’t know anyone.”
“Olivia, no. You can’t leave here. I need… we need you.”
“I haven’t decided what to do yet. We’ve only been back together for a few weeks. I would only move if we were committed.”
