Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“Dinner time,” my mother says when she senses an argument brewing. “We’ll pause this discussion and give everyone a chance to think things through.” She stands up and leads the way to dinner.
We catch up on our other news as we eat. I can’t wait to introduce Olivia to Mother. They’ll hit it off I’m sure. You can’t not love Olivia.
After dinner, Dylan suggests that we go for a quick drink.
“As long as it’s not to talk about the free clinic again,” Alec surprises me by saying.
Dylan shrugs. “I wasn’t planning on it. Are you in, Jace?”
I check my phone. No other message from Olivia. No invitation to pass by her apartment. I could do with the distraction else I’ll drive myself insane worrying about Olivia. “Fine,” I say.
We drive to a nearby bar where I limit myself to two beers and even though I try to get in on the conversation, it’s not working. I’m tired and I miss Olivia with an intensity that shakes me.
“You okay?” Dylan says. “You’re not your usual self.”
“I’m okay, just tired.” What else can I say? I’m worried that things are not okay between Olivia and me because she’s taken a night off. I’m an idiot when it comes to women but everyone doesn’t have to know. I’m relieved when they opt out of another beer and after Alec gets the bill, we leave.
I resist the urge to text Olivia again and after a shower, I go straight to bed. Sleep evades me and I sit staring at the darkness, wondering what could have changed after we had such an awesome weekend. Or maybe that’s how younger people conduct relationships.
Is that it? An age problem? I feel so fucking old. At twenty-four, Olivia is practically a kid. Maybe all this is too much for her. I try to remember how I was at twenty-four and what I wanted from a partner. I can’t fucking remember. It was that long ago. I should have known that dating a woman ten years younger than me was not a good idea.
Too late. She already has me, hook, line, and sinker.
I finally fall into a restless sleep but I’m relieved when I wake up and it’s morning. I can’t wait to see Olivia. See for myself whether everything is okay. I hate being insecure. Nothing can convince me that we’re good. If we were, Olivia and I would have texted each other or spoken, several times.
I skip breakfast and head out. I stop at the cafeteria for a coffee which I carry to my office. It’s early when I walk into my office. Olivia is not in yet, but I wasn’t expecting her to be.
I pretend to work but all I’m doing is listening for her steps. She finally comes in at half past seven and I focus on work to see if she’ll come in and say good morning. She doesn’t. That confirms my suspicions that something is definitely wrong. Since we started dating, whoever comes into the office second must say hello to the other.
A deep ache for her comes over me. I’m tempted to storm to her desk and demand that she tell me what’s wrong. I make myself wait. At eight, a soft knock comes on my desk and I invite her in. One look at her face and I know that I wasn’t being paranoid.
Her eyelids are swollen like she hasn’t slept well. “Good morning,” she says and sets the mug of coffee on my desk.
“Morning. Are you okay?” I ask her and jump to my feet. I walk around the desk. Olivia takes a step back as if she’s afraid of me. “Hey, what’s going on? Did someone hurt you?” I can’t think of anything else that would make her behave as if she’s scared. I’d never hurt a fly and she knows that.
“No,” Olivia says, twirling her fingers together.
I take a step closer and she takes one back. Puzzled, I search her face. She won’t even let me look into her eyes as she keeps her gaze downcast. “Sweetheart, talk to me?” I beseech her.
“I’m sorry, Jace. I can’t do this,” she says.
Pain spreads over my chest. “What are you talking about?”
“Us,” she says almost shouting. “I can’t do it anymore. It’s not right. You’re my boss, Jace.”
“Not for long. I don’t get what the issue is.” We both knew that I was her boss when we first got together. “No one is complaining and we’re not hurting anybody. Tell me what the issue really is. It can’t be that.”
She drops her gaze and then looks up at me. Her eyes have so much sadness. I don’t get it. I try to put myself in her shoes and the only reason I can come up with is fear. She’s scared of what is happening between us.