Page 29 of Hold My Heart

“Renee’s going to be fine,” she repeated. “And if I can get her to take a nap, I might be able to sneak in some work from here. Otherwise, Carl will just have to wait another day for me to get the invoices to him.”

“He won’t be happy, you know. He hates when you work less than seventy hours a week.”

It was true. Any time she’d tried to take some time for herself, even a half day, he got testy. And Ashleigh was more than happy to step up and offerherservices. It used to rub Olympia the wrong way, make her feel like she was being displaced. Or maybereplaced was a better word for it. At the moment, with a pathetic Renee curled at her shoulder like a weepy shrimp, Olympia didn’t feel like going anywhere.

“I’ll pop in at the end of the day anyway,” Harlan was saying, “because I’ve got a killer veggie and chicken noodle soup recipe that is great for colds. Kid tested and kid approved, by the way. I wouldn’t mind seeing you, either.”

The shiver was back with a vengeance, and Olympia opened her mouth to respond when the phone beeped, signaling a second call. “I’ve got to go. There’s someone on the other line.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.”

She clicked over, tightening her hold on Renee. “Hello?”

“Olympia? It’s Ashleigh.”

Speak of the devil. Even the girl’s voice grated on her nerves, which couldn’t be helped, but it was the last thing she wanted to hear. “It’s Sunday,” she reminded Ashleigh with tempered annoyance.

“I know, but with the gallery fundraiser coming up in two weeks we’ve been putting in overtime.”

She hated how Ashleigh emphasized the wordwe, like Olympia wasn’t part of the group anymore. Or maybe she only imagined it. At the moment, she was running on little sleep and caring for a fussy toddler, which made rational thought nearly impossible. “Yes, I realize the fundraiser is in two weeks. I’m the one who arranged the date,” she said. “What’s the trouble this time?”

“It’s Paolo.”

“The night manager?”

“He’s gone crazy. He tried to attack John today, and when Mrs. Palmer came to drop off the tablecloths we asked for, he came at her with a candlestick.”

Olympia’s spine jolted straighter. Paolo had never given her a bit of trouble. “Why would he do that? What’s going on there? Did you call the police?”

“No, but we cornered him in the staff bathroom and he says he won’t come out for anyone but you. You have to come and talk to him.Please,” Ashleigh begged.

She could do with more begging. When Renee whined and tightened her grip on the hairs at the back of Olympia’s neck, she sighed. “I have a sick kid at home. I can’t come in today.”

“What? No, youmust. He threatened to slash the Davidson nude!”

Oh, that was the last straw. Olympia sighed again, this one burning the back of her throat, and straightened her shoulders. She drew the line at the desecration of fine art. “Give me fifteen minutes.” She hung up the phone with a click, then rubbed the back of her hand along Renee’s shoulders. “Honey, we have to go to work for a quick minute.”

“Oly, no.” The baby tugged those fine hairs again, struggling to get closer still. It was like trying to hold onto a sweaty, squirmy ball of fire.

She usually tried to dissuade Renee from the cutesy nickname Harlan thought it hilarious to call her behind her back. Today, however, it was said with such sadness she had no choice but to let it slide. “Do you want me to call Harlan back and have him come to watch you? Either that or you can come with me. I want to give you the choice.”

There was no way Olympia felt comfortable leaving the toddler, even with Harlan. Renee slowly nodded and, although she wasn’t sure which option the child agreed to, she opted to go with the latter, not wanting to disturb Harlan again.

She didn’t want to need him.

Bundling Renee in several layers to keep her warm, Olympia packed her up in the car and drove to the gallery. She arrived minutes later and hurried toward the staff workroom with the child on her hip.

“What’s going on here?” She kept her voice authoritative, praying no one would notice the giant dark circles under her eyes that made her look like she’d been sucker punched.

Ashleigh turned to her with wild eyes, trembling like she was the one who’d been attacked. “We managed to corner him in the bathroom but he’s going nuts. Off his meds or something. He started screaming and yelling and threatening anyone who came near him.”

“Paolo doesn’t take meds. Have you tried talking to him?”

“He doesn’t want to listen!”

Olympia knelt next to the door to make sure she could be overheard through the thick wood. Renee cried and snuggled closer. It was a balancing act, one she was coming to enjoy more and more. “Paolo? It’s Olympia. What happened?”

She could hear a scuttle from the other side of the door moments before it opened a crack. And there was her night manager, frowning, a large red bump on his cheek. “Tell the she-devil I don’t want to talk to her. I asked for you and I asked for you and she told me she was the one in charge. She told me you didn’t want to come.”

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