AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 15
Oliver
Being back at the office felt like coming home from a long trip, or waking from an extended dream. Everything was the same in many ways. But the company was in danger, and the tension could be felt in the words that didn’t get spoken, the things people didn’t ask. Those words would come—but everyone was walking softly around me at first, probably waiting to see if I’d bolt.
Rob avoided me for that first week I was back, finally coming by on Friday. “Slumming?” he asked, pushing through my office door and seating himself across from me. His face was tight, and there were dark circles under his eyes. “Just dropping through on your way to the liquor store, or are you planning to stay awhile?”
I fixed him with a glare, biting back the words that tumbled over each other to jump out at him. I wasn’t going to be that guy. Not anymore.
I could still remember the smell of Holland on my skin, the memory of her citrus scent reminding me that everything had changed. I had changed.
“I’m back,” I told Rob. “And I’m sorry I left you to handle things alone for so long. For too long.”
Rob widened his eyes and pressed his lips together in a mocking expression. I couldn’t blame him for being skeptical. He’d figure it out, though. Once I’d been here regularly, he’d start to trust me again, see that I wasn’t going anywhere.
“What do I need to know?” I asked him. I’d already sat down with Pamela, who turned out to be a fucking sponge, soaking up every bit of information that passed over any of the desks on the executive floor. She knew what had transpired at board meetings, who was on edge (Rob, mostly), and who was looking to leave (our corporate counsel, mostly, but I’d already handled that). Things at Cody were not good, and it was my fault. I had a lot of work to do.
“Fuck, Ollie. This place is sinking. It might already be too late.”
I shook my head and stood, coming around to lean against the edge of my desk. “It’s not. I had a meeting with MLB Monday.”
His eyebrows shot up. “About…?”
“We have a crackerjack analyst working down in sales. She came up with a new application for StrokeStat that is gonna breathe new life into Cody. We pitched it Monday.”
He shook his head, running a hand through his short dark hair. “You pitched it? I didn’t even know this was happening!” His face darkened, the eyebrows knitting together. “Look, man, you don’t get to just walk back in and take over. There are things you don’t know…”
I waited while Rob ranted. He deserved it. He’d been doing both our jobs for almost a year, it made sense that he felt ownership of the company and wanted to know what was happening. When he’d finished pacing around, he sat back down.
“You’re right. It just happened quickly. I won’t take any more meetings without you knowing about them.”
“You think they’re gonna buy?” he asked, finally looking hopeful.
I nodded. “Holland is a genius. She got right to the heart of things. They almost don’t have a choice.”
“Holland…” Rob waved his hand absently and shook his head, trying to place the name.
“Holland O’Dell. Our new director of analytic application.”
“Director of…what?” Rob frowned. “Oliver. You’ve been back for like a day, you can’t just walk in and start handing out…” His voice slowed and then trailed off. “Shit, Oliver. Are you fucking this girl?”
I felt my lips press into a thin line. I wasn’t going to lie. Not to Rob, not to anyone. Adam and Sonja had lied to me my whole life, and as far as I was concerned, discovering the truth about being adopted had cast doubt on everything else they’d ever told me. Lies were poison and I wasn’t spreading any. But I didn’t want to out Holland, either. So I didn’t answer.
“Got it.” Rob stood again. He was full of some kind of nervous energy that made him move like an animated puppet, despite the clear exhaustion on his face.
“Hey,” I said. “It’s fine. Everything is gonna be fine now, man. And when we get things balanced again in a week or two, I want you to get out of here for a while. Take a break.”
“Yeah, I hear eight or nine months is the standard vacation around here now.”
I took the shot and shrugged. He was going to be angry with me for a while. I could handle it. “When’s the next board meeting?”
“Next month.”
“By then we’ll have MLB signed. That should quiet them down.”
“If half of them don’t sell first.” Rob shook his head. “There are investors from SonicCom breathing down their necks, ready to acquire whatever stock they’re willing to part with. We’ve already lost ten percent.”
“Hey. We’ve got fifty-one percent between us—you, me, and Tony,” I reminded him.
