Page 34 of Billionaire In Vegas

Chapter Eight

I was sittingin Oliver’s office giving him a breakdown of everything he had in his calendar for the rest of the month. I was about two minutes into my update when Oliver started coughing. It was a dry cough, but it concerned me, especially since Oliver dodged every question about his health.

“Do you want me to get you some water?”

He shook his head, “No. I’m fine. But you’re boring me.”

That comment caught me off guard. “What?”

“Let’s talk about you instead. How’s everything going with my son?”

“I… fine. I think.”

“You think?” He frowned and that made me very nervous. I didn’t want him concerned.

“I mean... I know everything’s going fine. It’s only been a few months. So, we’re definitely still newlyweds. You know, learning about each other… doing married people things.” I chuckled dryly feeling highly uncomfortable. Married people things? Could I be any less eloquent? I wanted to kick myself. He hadn’t asked me any direct questions about my marriage until then and I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Great. I’m glad things are going well. And since you’re part of the family now, I guess you’ll be going to the charity ball with Jude this year.”

“The Friends of the Library Association Ball?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, I didn’t know I was expected to attend.”

“Jude and I attend every year. His mother sat on the board for most of her adult life. She loved public libraries. The smell of the books. The quiet. And then as she got older she helped sponsor a lot of the English language programs for resettled refugees and she raised funds for library materials in public schools.”

“Those are great causes.”

“Oh yes, Ophelia was a lovely woman with a huge heart. Whenever there was need, she tried to take care of it. She tried to save everyone.”

“How did she pass if you don’t mind me asking?”

He crossed his legs and tapped his fingers together. “I love talking about her, it’s no bother. She died from complications related to Alzheimer’s. At the end she barely recognized me. I could handle it, but not Jude. It really tore him up. They were very close. While Jude and I never saw eye to eye on anything, Ophelia was so accepting, so interested in all his pursuits. She was the better parent, I’m sure.”

‘I’m sure you tried your best.”

He shook his head and his eyes grew sad. “I could have done a lot better. My best wasn’t good enough for Jude. He hates me.”

“That’s not true.” Although, I wasn’t sure if I was right or not.

“I try not to dwell on it. The past is the past. I can’t fix that. I’m just focusing on the future now. Speaking of which, have you two decided on how many kids you’ll have?”

I wanted to run screaming from the room, but I gathered my wits about me and said, “We haven’t discussed children yet.”

“I hope you’ll have at least two. I regret that Jude is an only child. I wish he had someone else to help him make the tough choices especially now given my condition.”

I waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t I knew that was the end of the conversation. He promptly changed the subject like I knew he would. He’d avoided talking about his health and Jude knew even less than I did.

When we were done I prepared to leave, about to call a taxi when Oliver stopped me.

“What are you doing? Are you still taking taxis? I thought Jude would have gotten you a car. You’re family now, just take one of my cars.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I insist.”

“Oliver, you’re way too generous.”