One Night with the Boss (7 page)

“Just say the word. But before I defend your honor, there are a couple of things you should consider. These are in no particular order, but it’s from the male point of view. That might be helpful.”

“Please.” Her sister made a hand gesture that urged him to go on.

Olivia was intensely curious about what he would say. He seemed so clueless about feelings and getting relationship advice from a guy who didn’t commit could be problematic.

“Think about this.” Brady folded his arms over his chest. “You’re better off that he broke up with you.”

“How can you say that?” Olivia cried. “She loves him.”

“And that’s unfortunate. At the risk of inciting the wrath of both Lawson sisters, Greg is right. You want commitment, he obviously doesn’t. As he said, not the same page. So, to continue as you are would be a waste of time. Move on. Find someone who’s looking for and ready to commit to a wonderful, beautiful, smart woman like you.”

“Just like that?” Olivia asked. “Go find someone else?”

He looked at her calmly, as if she were a hysterical child. “I’m not saying it’s easy, but isn’t it worse to invest time in a relationship that is clearly going nowhere?”

“When you put it that way...” Pru said reluctantly.

“But he hurt her.” This was her sister and Olivia wanted toad guy punished, preferably with pain involved.

“Believe it or not, most men don’t like calling it quits with a woman, deliberately hurting them. But if you don’t want the same things, ultimately it won’t work out. The sooner you break it off, the sooner you can get over him and move forward. So, look at it this way, Pru.”

“I’m listening.”

“He actually did you a favor.”

His calm, rational tone finally got through and Olivia thought about his words. It was exactly what she was doing, although Brady certainly hadn’t done
her
any favors. He’d kissed her, then nothing since. That was proof that it meant nothing to him and moving on was the right thing for her.

“I didn’t think about it like that.” Prudence sniffled and he handed her a tissue from the box on Olivia’s desk.

“Me, either,” Olivia admitted. “Same thing applies to a woman dumping a man. If they aren’t on the same page, she’s doing him a favor in the long run.”

“Absolutely.”

Who knew that a guy who understood computers as though they were his best friends could give such great relationship advice? He’d actually coaxed a smile from heartbroken Pru. He was showing some very definite symptoms of being wonderful. This man would understand if she explained that she was feeling stifled and needed to go out into the world, stopping short of confessing her crush, of course. But the rest he would get.

Olivia felt like pond scum for fibbing about a boyfriend. She’d underestimated Brady and would come clean as soon as her sister left.

But Pru didn’t seem inclined to leave the love guru’s office. “I feel so much better, Brady. When did you get so smart?”

He shrugged. “It’s not about IQ. What I said is just logical.”

“That’s where men and women are different,” Olivia said. “When emotion is involved, logic goes out the window. We’re wired differently.”

“And that’s a good thing. It’s about balance,” he said sagely.

Prudence crushed the tissue in her palm and smiled at him as if he’d hung the moon. “You, sir, are pretty amazing. How is it that no woman has snapped you up?”

He laughed. “I appreciate the kind words, but it’s not miraculous insight. Like I said, just common sense.”

“Yet sensitive,” Pru persisted.

Olivia looked from her sister to her boss. “I’ve never heard anyone accuse you of being sensitive before.”

“I can be.” There was a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at her. “You’re just too stressed out about leaving me for Leonard and finding your replacement to see it.”

“Oh, please.”

“He could be right, Liv. Because I thought it was going to take a bottle of wine to make me feel better and Brady took care of it with a conversation. Saving me a hangover, by the way. That’s seriously sensitive.” She tapped her lip as she studied him. “And you’re still single.”

“I am.”

“What’s wrong with the women of Blackwater Lake? Surely they’re interested.”

“I can’t complain.”

Olivia wanted to raise her hand and admit to being one of the interested, but held back. As it turned out, she was glad about that.

“So again I ask, why is it that you have avoided taking any relationship to the next level?” Pru asked.

“That’s easy to answer,” he said.

Pru glanced at her, then met his gaze. “So tell us.”

“I’m not a marrying kind of guy.” He shrugged, as if that said it all.

“No woman has tempted you to take the plunge?” her sister asked.

“It never goes that far. Like I said, a waste of time for everyone involved.”

They continued to talk, but Olivia felt a buzzing in her head and couldn’t concentrate on what was said. She was stunned at his revelation, but she should have realized it. After all these years, and who knew how many women, he’d never had a serious connection.

She would have known. Blackwater Lake was a small town and there was no way to keep that kind of thing a secret. But there was something shocking about hearing him confess the truth out loud. It was imperative for her to get away from this job while she still could.

As if the kiss wasn’t warning enough, his declaration that he would never get married convinced her she was leaving in the nick of time. Her decision to make up a lover in order to pull it off wasn’t
morally
right, but made perfect sense when one was into self-preservation. The fact that Brady’s words bothered her so much convinced her not to feel too guilty about her lies.

She wanted what her parents had. And to accomplish that, she had to do anything and everything necessary to leave Blackwater Lake. No matter what.

So, until she was free and clear, Leonard Sebastian Honeycut was here to stay.

Chapter Seven

I
t was almost quitting time, and Olivia looked at the watch on her wrist. Yesterday at this time her sister had dropped by and cried over the messy breakup with her boyfriend. Then Brady had given her straight talk, so straight he’d revealed that he wasn’t the kind of guy who was looking to get married.

That was confirmation that she’d been right to give her notice and get away from this job, from him. Maybe “right” wasn’t exactly the best way to describe her strategy of deceit to follow through with leaving, but there was one bright spot. She looked at her watch again.

“It’s been a whole twenty-four hours since I told a lie about Leonard.”

Just then the phone rang, startling her. It was like a reminder from God that she still had a pile of deceptions to be accountable for. The penance Brady was putting her through now probably didn’t wipe her record clean.

After the third ring she picked up and said, “O’Keefe Technology, Olivia speaking. How can I help you?”

“Hi, Liv. It’s Maureen.”

“Hey. How are you?”

“Been better,” she mumbled. “Is Brady there?”

“I’m sorry, he isn’t. He had some errands to run but should be back soon. Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes. You can keep that hussy away from my son.”

“What hussy would that be?” she asked his mother.

“Tiffani Guthrie.” She spat out the name as if it were a particularly fast-acting poison. “I have visual confirmation that she’s back in town.”

“You saw her?”

“At the diner,” she confirmed. “I didn’t talk to her, but Michelle Crawford did and told me that all the rumors are true about why she’s back in town.”

Great, Olivia thought. Because there wasn’t enough to deal with. The hussy couldn’t have waited until she was gone before stirring things up. “Do you want him to call you when he gets back?”

“That’s not necessary,” the other woman said. “Just give him the message. And tell him to watch his back.”

“Consider it done, Maureen.”

“Thank you, Liv.” There was a moment of hesitation before she added, “Why couldn’t he be involved with you?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re such a sweetie. If you two were an item, he’d have cover. Tiffani couldn’t get to him. Except there’s Leonard...”

If she didn’t say anything in response to that, was it still officially a lie? That would break a very short falsehood-free streak. It was nice to know Brady’s mother would approve of a relationship between them, but the information was bittersweet. Olivia wished he’d noticed her in that way, but it wasn’t to be. She’d thought pain was supposed to go away when you stopped beating your head against the wall. So far that wasn’t the case.

“Do you think Brady still cares for Tiffani?”

“He says not, but he did once. I know the breakup hurt him. If there’s a God in heaven, she won’t be able to do it again,” Maureen said.

“I’ll do what I can.” Olivia decided it would be best not to add that there wasn’t actually anything she could do. If Brady was still hung up, he’d take it wherever he wanted. “Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, that will happen.”

She heard the chirp indicating that someone had entered the house. “I know it’s hard. But you have to trust Brady.”

At that moment he walked into the room and heard his name. He frowned and pointed to the phone in her hand, asking who she was talking to. On a scratch pad she wrote, “Your mom,” and gave him a questioning look that asked if he wanted to speak with her. He shook his head and mouthed, “Take a message.” She nodded and turned her attention back to the conversation.

“He’s a man,” Maureen was saying, “and as you probably know since you’re practically engaged to Leonard, men don’t always use their heads. When it comes to women, especially ones with big—”

“Hair?” Olivia guessed.

Maureen laughed. “I was thinking boobs, but she’s been living in Texas, so I guess that’s appropriate. Although it would be an affront to Texas women to lump her in with them. Ellie Hart, that lovely girl Alex McKnight is engaged to, comes from the Lone Star state and there’s not a mean or manipulative bone in her body.”

In other words, Tiffani was both of those things. Olivia had seen her when Brady dated her, but she didn’t really know the woman.

“Don’t borrow trouble, Maureen. Brady has a lot of common sense.” She turned and saw him standing in the doorway between their offices. He was grinning and giving her a nod of approval for her vote of confidence. Since when did reassuring his mother fall under her job description? His ego needed taking down a peg or two. “Like all men, he can be influenced by a well-endowed woman. Seriously, wouldn’t you worry if he weren’t?”

He mouthed, “Hey, that’s my mom,” and she threw him a satisfied smirk.

“A mother worries about everything,” the other woman confirmed.

“Hang in there, Maureen. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“From your mouth to God’s ear. I wish you weren’t leaving him. With you there it was one less thing I worried about.”

“How sweet of you to say that.” Her voice caught on the emotion produced by the unexpected compliment. “I promise I’ll give him the message.”

“Thanks, sweetheart. Bye.”

The line went dead and Olivia put the phone back in its place, then prepared for a barrage of questions from Brady.

“So, I’m influenced by a woman’s physical virtues?”

“Your mom said it first.” To his credit, Olivia thought, he kept his gaze on hers. But then, maybe she didn’t have any physical virtues to speak of.

“May I ask what this is all about?” He didn’t look annoyed, just highly amused.

“She called to give you the four-one-one—”

“Excuse me?”

“Information,” she explained. “That hussy—her words, not mine—Tiffani Guthrie is back in town. She had visual confirmation. Again, her words.”

He nodded. “I heard.”

“Good news travels fast.”

Try as she might, Olivia couldn’t tell from his expression what was going through his mind. He wasn’t angry or upset, happy or excited. His face was blank, as if wiped clean of emotion.

Did that mean he was over Tiffani? Or, like he’d said yesterday, that he wasn’t interested in getting serious? The curiosity was too much for her and she really wanted to know. She was leaving anyway. What could it hurt?

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Anything.” He moved around the front of her desk and settled a hip on the corner. “Shoot.”

Olivia was momentarily tongue-tied. The spicy scent of his cologne wrapped her in a sensuous cocoon, swirling a spell around her. For just a second she pictured herself in his arms, their lips pressed tightly together, bodies so close it was as if they were one. Her pulse quickened and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

“Liv? What did you want to ask?” he prompted.

She shook her head to clear it of the erotic image. If she was going to speak, breathing was a vital component.
Here goes,
she thought.

“I was just wondering. Is Tiffani the reason you’re not the marrying kind? Did she hurt you that much?”

“It was a bad time for me.” For just a second there was a pained expression on his face, then it disappeared. “Senior year in college. There was a lot of stuff going on. Exams coming up. I just—” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “It’s hard to explain being a quitter, but I just didn’t have the reserves to stay in college. Not then.”

“So you were vulnerable?”

He shrugged. “Bottom line is that she didn’t have faith in me, so she said we were over.”

“That must have hurt a lot.”

“It’s so long ago I don’t even remember how I felt.”

“So,” she said, “after that you became cynical about women?”

“No. I realized she did me a favor.”

It took Olivia a few seconds for her brain to switch gears enough to ask, “What?”

“I’m actually grateful to her for breaking it off.”

“Why?”

“It was a lesson that took some time to integrate.” He looked thoughtful. “But I finally figured out that she found someone else pretty quickly.”

“Meaning?” Olivia wanted to hear him say it.

“She didn’t love me. We were a habit and when she walked away I didn’t miss her. It never would have worked with us. After awhile it became clear that deep feelings aren’t part of my skill set.”

“And that’s why you’re antimarriage?”

“Not for other people, only for me. It requires deep feeling, a level of commitment from both parties or it’s doomed to failure. And failure is a bitter pill to swallow. I can tell you that from personal experience.” There was disappointment on his face that was clearly self-directed. “I’ve always regretted not getting my college degree.”

“You could have gone back,” she pointed out.

“I was committed to building the company, and that didn’t allow time for erasing regrets.”

“So you’re still beating yourself up over it even though you’re one of the most brilliant and successful businessmen in the country?”

“Even though,” he confirmed. “As a life lesson, it earned me at least a master’s degree, possibly a PhD. But it’s also a valuable warning. Never start something you’re not going to finish because it’s a regret waiting to happen.”

“Okay, then,” she said. “You need to reassure your mom that you’re not susceptible to female—”

“Assets?” His look was wickedly endearing.

“Exactly.”

“I can do that.” He grinned, then stood and walked around the desk, standing so close that she could feel the heat from his body. “I’ll call her now.”

Olivia held her breath until he’d closed his office door, then let it out as she dropped into her desk chair. She wasn’t sure how she’d expected him to answer her question—but what he’d said hadn’t been it. He came from such a supportive and close-knit family and she knew he loved them very much. He
was
capable of deep emotion. Just not the kind of deep emotion required for a relationship.

That’s when she realized what just happened. They said curiosity killed the cat but it had done the same thing to hope.

She wished she’d never asked.

* * *

“Don’t you think this thing with Olivia’s boyfriend is weird?”

Brady had gone to his sister’s house following a call to his mother to reassure her that he could handle Tiffani Guthrie if necessary. Now he was stretched out on Maggie’s couch, feet on the coffee table after dinner. His niece was asleep and his sister was a good friend of Olivia’s and might be able to give him some insight. But when his question went unanswered, he looked over and noted a funny look on her face.

“Well?” he prompted.

“If I were you, I’d be more concerned about Tiffani Guthrie.”

He held a half-empty bottle of beer and rested it on his abdomen. “Mom said something similar. What is it with you and her?”

“She—Tiffani, not Mom—is a barracuda. You’re a wealthy man now. It’s pretty obvious.” Maggie sat in the chair beside him with her feet propped on the matching ottoman.

She was wearing fleece cartoon-character pants, fuzzy slippers and a Green Bay Packers sweatshirt. On her it looked good, but that was about her fresh-faced prettiness. Although he could be prejudiced. Then what she’d said sank in.

“It’s not obvious to me why I should be concerned about an old girlfriend.”

“Come on, Brady.” She snorted scornfully. “You weren’t good enough for her before.”

“Thanks, sis. Way to build up my self-esteem.”

“But now you’ve got a bundle of money and I’m sure you’ll be worth her time. Plus—” She held up her index finger. “There’s the whole her-marriage-is-over thing, not to mention the life lessons of living in a single-wide in the boonies.”

“So you think she came back for me?”

“No. Your money would help to finance a lifestyle to which she’d like to become accustomed.” Her brown eyes darkened with fierce protectiveness. “Watch yourself.”

“Look, Mags, I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me. I’m flattered you think I’m such a catch—”

“I’m sorry. You thought that’s what I meant?” She grinned. “Actually, in my humble opinion, you’re a toad.”

“Lest there be any doubt, in our family there’s no danger of developing a swelled head.”

“Seriously, Brady, don’t get sucked in. She did a number on you once.”

“Not really.”

It wasn’t committing to one person that he shied away from, but pinning hopes, dreams and love on one person who could be snatched away in a heartbeat. Olivia had advised him to assure his mom that he was over the past. Dumping the information on Maggie was almost as good. It would get where it needed to go.

“Look, sis, Tiffani did me a favor when she ended things. It was clear she didn’t love me and I realized we’d gotten used to each other. A habit. I didn’t miss her when she left, and that’s not love.”

“Good.” She was holding a mug of tea in her hands and took a sip. “But that doesn’t mean she won’t try again now that you’re rich.”

“Oh, please.” This was getting old. “It’s obvious why she came back. The marriage ended and this is her hometown. She has family. It’s the logical thing to do.”

“Okay. If you say so.”

“I’m more concerned about Olivia.”

“Why?” Maggie’s expression was full of innocence—on steroids.

“I can’t believe I’m the only one who sees this.” There was something going on and he had a sneaking suspicion that his saintly sister was in on it. He watched her closely. “Olivia is leaving Blackwater Lake for a man no one knows. Doesn’t that bother you? It’s what Tiffani did, and look what happened to her.”

“You have a point,” she admitted. “I’m afraid this guy is going to hurt Olivia. Brady, you have to do something to stop it.”

“Me?” He sat up straight and put his feet on the floor. “She’s found someone and is willing to move for him. What can I do?”

“Leonard is nothing.”

Something in Maggie’s tone had warning signals going off in his head. His sister wasn’t a very good liar and that had his suspicions multiplying like bunnies. “What’s going on, Maggie?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, you do. Like I said, this thing with Leonard is weird. Have you met him?”