Souls ReAligned (22 page)

Ethan sighs. He knows her so well that he can see the tension in her body. “Sweetheart, trust me. You’re going to get the Artemis team back on track. I have no interest in my ex-girlfriend, except to settle this paternity issue. Anything you need, I will provide for you.” Running his fingers tips gently across her cheek, he leans in for a kiss, “And my family is going to love you.”

Olivia takes in a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

“Okay?” he asks, concerned.

She smiles, feeling foolish. “Okay,” she confirms.

“Good girl. If my mother should ask,” hesitating, he clears his expression. “We go to church
every
Sunday.”

Olivia raises her eyebrows, “We do?”

“Yes, we do,” he confirms.

Olivia sits in silence for a minute, jiggling her knee. Finally, she can’t keep quiet anymore.

“Um, won’t God know that I’m lying?”

Ethan glances at her with a serious expression, “Yes, he will. But I’m much more afraid of my mother.”

For Olivia, surviving the landing, without having a panic attack, is a miracle. The heat from the cabin, along with the motion of the plane only makes her more nauseous. When they come to a complete stop, she can’t wait to get off the plane.

Ethan flashes her an annoyed look when she reaches for the handle of her carry-on luggage. “Sorry,” she says, backing away and letting him take it.

Making their way through the terminal, Olivia struggles to keep up with his long stride. Suddenly, the loud squealing of a teenage girl making her way through the crowd pierces the droning sound of the people around them. Dropping the bags on the floor, Ethan prepares himself for his youngest sister, as she catapults herself through the air and into his arms.

“I missed you,” Kaylie says, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

“I missed you, too.” Releasing her, he sets her feet down on the ground. “Kaylie, this is Olivia.”

Olivia smiles, “Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Kaylie voice cracks with emotion as she pulls her into an embrace, “for taking care of my brother, while he’s so far away.”

Olivia returns her embrace, her heart fluttering, “I think you’ve got that backward, Kaylie. Your brother looks after me.”

Pulling herself away, she smiles, “That’s what Ethan does. He looks after people. He’s really good at it, too.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ethan interrupts, “Enough of the mushy stuff.”

Maddie joins them, giving them both a hug. Two other woman wait, nearby, to say hello. From the things that Ethan told her on the plane, she knows that woman with the short hair and business like clothes has to be McKenna. She welcomes Olivia with a polite handshake. The lovely woman, with the soft eyes and welcoming smile, is obviously his mother. Maddie and Kaylie look just like her. She gives Olivia a brief hug and a hesitant smile. No doubt, she’d be concerned about the new woman in Ethan’s life.

“Dad?” Ethan asks, as his mother wraps her arms around him.

“He’s busy at work, Son,” she says, apologetically.

Nodding, Ethan tries not to look disappointed, “I’ll see him there later then.”

Olivia starts to feel a bit dizzy and perspiration dots her forehead.

“Are you feeling okay?” Maddie asks, as she glances over at her.

Alarmed, Ethan looks over at her, “Do you need to sit down?” He asks concerned.

“I’m fine. Jet lag, I guess.”

“It was a long flight. Let’s get some food into you, and then McKenna can take us to O’Connell Industries. I’m eager to get started.”

“Ethan,” his mother scolds. “You’ve just got home, take today off, and start tomorrow. Let the poor girl get settled.”

“Oh, it’s alright, Mrs. O’Connell. I’m anxious to meet the team, anyway,” Olivia says, as she breaths through the dizziness.

Anna O’Connell gives her son a stern look. One he won’t ignore, if he’s wise.

“Okay, Mom. Don’t give me that look.” He kisses her tenderly on the cheek and smiles. “We’ll stop by the office, just to say hello to Dad, then I promise to take her home to rest.”

“Make sure you do. Don’t push your father, Ethan. He’ll come around in his own time,” Anna warns.

Sighing out loud, he nods his head in disappointment. Olivia feels his despair. They’ve had several conversations about the discord between him and his father. She suspects that Ethan’s takeover of the company is not the only bone of contention between them. He’s guarding something; something he feels is so horrible that he won’t talk about it. All she knows is that it’s tearing him apart inside.

Looking at Olivia, he frowns, “We’ll go with McKenna. John can take the stuff back to the flat.” Ethan looks around curiously, noting John’s unusual silence. “John?”

The girls start to snicker. “I think he’s a little busy,” Olivia says, grinning.

“Busy? Doing what?” Ethan gives her a confused look.

“Saying hello to Shannon,” Olivia starts to blush, feeling like she’s just invaded a private moment.

Surveying the large airport lobby, he finally finds John in the crowd. It’s not an easy task since Shannon is glued to him in a passionate kiss. Shaking his head, Ethan begins to walk toward him, clearing his throat in an attempt to get his attention, “Ahem.” When he doesn’t succeed, he looks back at Olivia and shrugs.

Smiling, she mouths the words, “Leave them alone!”

Looking frustrated, Ethan gives up and walks away. Returning to the group of women, Ethan picks up Olivia’s bag. Grunting at the weight of it, he looks up at her in disbelief, “How could you possibly think that there’s something you’ve forgotten?”

“I’ve got it,” John says, approaching from behind. Taking it out of Ethan’s hand, he places it on a luggage trolley.

“Be careful you don’t injure yourself, old fella,” Ethan says in jest. “Hello, Shannon,” he says, nodding in her direction, pretending not to notice her blush.

“Hello, Ethan,” she says, acknowledging him. “I’ve missed you!”

Ethan looks at her confused. “Not YOU!” Shannon says, giving him a look and shaking her head. Her grin spreads quickly as she steps forward and wraps her arms around Olivia. Startled, Shannon pulls back and puts the back of her hand against Olivia’s forehead, “Sweetheart, are you okay? It feels like you’re running a fever.”

Pushing Shannon’s hand away from her forehead, she protests her concern, “I’m fine.” Glancing at Ethan, she tries to reassure him, “Let’s go meet the team.”

On the way to the car, Ethan promises Kaylie that he’ll bring Olivia around to visit soon. She won’t let go of him until she’s convinced that he’s telling the truth.

Getting into the back seat of McKenna’s car, Olivia gives Ethan an affectionate grin.

“What?” he asks, suspiciously.

“You’re little sister worships you.”

Ethan shrugs. “And?”

Olivia laughs, “I think it’s adorable.”

“I think it’s bloody annoying,” McKenna adds from the front seat as she drives along the streets of Dublin.

“You adore me, don’t you Mack?” Ethan quirks a grin.

“Right. I’m about as fond of you as I am of a bad rash,” she replies, looking back at him through the mirror with a devilish smile.

Glancing down at Olivia’s look of uncertainty, he grins, “She loves me, honest.”

McKenna grumbles words in Gaelic that Olivia is quickly becoming more familiar with. Pulling into a space in front of an older factory, she turns to Ethan with some advice.

“Dad’s not too happy about you ignoring his wishes on the Artemis Project, Ethan. My husband has spent weeks trying to run damage control for you. Don’t go in there and upset everybody, like your usual arsehole self.”

Olivia feels Ethan tense beside her and becomes nervous. Reaching over, she slides her hand along his, locking their fingers together. Looking down at her hand in his, he pauses. Squeezing it gently, rubbing his thumb against her skin, he relaxes. “I’ll be sure to thank Ian for his support.” Getting out of the car, he leaves McKenna looking stunned in the front seat.

With an air of confidence, Ethan O’Connell opens the front door of O’Connell Industries and walks in. Everyone stops what they’re doing, looking up nervously. They greet him politely as he makes his way through the office, but the tension in the air is unmistakable. Olivia follows behind him, smiling at those who are brave enough to make eye contact.

A slim, blond man, in a grey suit, intercepts them as they head down a corridor of offices.

“Nice to have you back, Ethan.”

Ethan nods curtly, “Is he in his office?”

Reaching his hand out to Olivia, he introduces himself, “Hi, I’m Ian Walsh.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Olivia James.”

“We’ve heard a lot about you, Miss James,” Ian says. Stepping quickly to the side, he puts his hand up to stop an impatient Ethan O’Connell from proceeding any further down the hallway. “Why don’t I give you the tour and introduce Olivia to the team first?”

Annoyed, Ethan tries to push past him. “I want to see my father, first.”

“Ethan,” Ian begins. “He hasn’t yelled at me at all today. If you go in there and mess that up,” Ian hesitates, ashamed to voice his thoughts, “well…you may think less of me as a man, but I will tell your sister and let you deal with her.”

“He’s in his office then?” Ethan says, ignoring him. “I’m just going to say hello to him, Ian. Introduce him to Olivia. That’s all.” Continuing down the corridor, he stops at the end and looks back. Ian shakes his head, looking distraught. Olivia starts to feel anxious and grabs on to Ethan’s arm, causing him to look down at her.

“Nothing to worry about,” he assures her. “He’s going to love you.”

Knocking once, he pushes the door open without waiting for an invitation. Entering the large lavish office, he finds his father, Aiden O’Connell, sitting at his desk. Olivia moves to Ethan’s side, making Aiden’s posture soften when he see’s her.

“Hello, Dad,” Ethan says.

“Ethan,” he answers apathetically.

“I want to introduce you to Olivia James,” Ethan continues, ignoring the suffocating tension in the air. “She’s the consultant from Canada that Ian told you about. She’ll be working on the Artemis Project.”

Aiden stares at them, not saying a word, and making it far more uncomfortable.

“Dad?” Ethan prompts.

Aiden purses his lips and pushes back his chair, getting to his feet. Olivia holds her breath, firmly grasping a handful of Ethan’s shirt as he approaches.

“Welcome home, Ethan,” he says, in a business like tone. Reaching his hand toward Olivia, he attempts a sincere smile, “It’s nice to meet you, Miss James.”

It takes her a moment to find her voice, after she takes his hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Sir.” Feeling completely intimidated, she leans closer to Ethan. The slight touch of his body against her makes her feel safe. Ethan places his hand on the small of her back, pressing firmly until it calms her and she loosens her grip on him.

“Ian has made arrangements for a desk to be moved into Ethan’s office for you, temporarily. Ethan will make sure that you have everything that you need.” Glancing over at Ethan, he pauses, waiting for him to nod his acknowledgement. “If there’s anything I can do to make you more comfortable while you’re so far away from home, please speak to McKenna or Ian.”

Olivia nods, still feeling the overwhelming tension of having both O’Connell men in the same room.

“Give her a tour of the facility, Ethan,” Aiden instructs with an uncomfortable expression. One that makes Olivia continue to wonder what happened between him and his son. “Introduce her to the team, and then take her home to rest. Work can start tomorrow,” he continues, as he walks back to his desk and sits.

“Thank you, Mr. O’Connell,” Olivia says meekly, glancing over to meet with Ethan’s approval.

“Dad, we need to meet tomorrow to discuss…”

“Talk to Ian about it Ethan. I’m very busy for the next few days,” Aiden interrupts. Putting on his reading glasses, he turns his attention to some papers on his desk.

Olivia has never seen Ethan bite his tongue before. Feeling uneasy, she watches as he struggles with it. His jaw clenches tightly, his face is turning bright red, but he refrains from voicing his anger. Turning, he ushers Olivia toward the door, closing it with a loud thud.

Aiden sits back in his chair and releases a long, frustrated breath. “Are you satisfied, woman?” he says aloud.

Anna O’Connell’s voice comes over the phone speaker, “Well, you were somewhat polite to her. You need to stop punishing the boy. He’s reaching out to you.”

“Anna,” he begins,

“He needs his father’s support, Aiden. Now more than ever.”

“I’m not talking about it anymore today, Anna,” he warns her.

“Okay, Aiden. If you’d like to see just how cross I can get, then come home late for dinner one more night this week.”

Walking through the facility with Ethan at her side, Olivia doesn’t hear most of what Ian’s saying. She’s focused on Ethan and his dour mood. She wishes she could take him in her arms and hold him until the sting of his father’s dismissal fades away. A few times, she reaches for his hand, forgetting where they are, and then lowers it slowly to her side. If she could just touch him, even for just a moment, maybe she could draw him out of his fog and make him smile.

“And this… is where the Artemis team is working,” Ian announces as he swings open a heavy looking glass door, “You’ll be spending most of your time in here.”

Olivia looks around the white, sterile looking room, where design sheets and schematics cover the tables and walls. Several engineers look up curiously from their work areas.

Feeling their discontent about her intrusion, Olivia smiles politely as Ian introduces them, one by one. “I hope I remember everybody’s name tomorrow,” she says, embarrassed that she didn’t catch most of them. With his thick Irish accent infused with the common Gaelic dialogue, she wonders, at times, if Ian is even speaking English. “I hope there isn’t going to be a quiz,” she jests.

Ethan grins for the first time, in what seems like hours, “Do we need name tags for tomorrow, Miss James?”