Page 84 of Time To Live Again

Olive takes the bottle to the kitchen, and I follow. She opens a cabinet and reaches up as far as she can, lifting her shirt, revealing her creamy, soft skin. I skim the soft patch with my hand. “I’ll get them for you.” I grab four flutes and place them on the counter near the bottle.

“Thanks,” she says, brushing her lips against mine.

“Can I help with anything?” Evelyn interrupts us, her voice louder than necessary. We both jump.

“Sure, Mom,” Olive answers, not bothered by it. She hands her mother two of the flutes. “Put these on the kitchen table. We’ll bring the rest.” She gives me the other two and the bottle. “I’ll be there in a sec. I need to check the mushrooms.”

“Come chat with us, Leo,” Evelyn urges, then turns away.

I glance at Olive, and she shoos me away with her hands.

“They don’t bite.”

I’m not sure about that. I follow Evelyn and put the flutes and the bottle on the table. I look at the brand of champagne. At least she has great taste. Brownie point for her. I open the bottle and pour equal amounts. Olive arrives shortly after and takes a glass of the bubbly. Bruce jumps in and makes a hilarious toast, which convinces me he’s harmless.

Evelyn stretches her arms out to hug Olive, but Olive hugs and kisses me first. Evelyn’s cheerful expression fades, and when she glances at me, her eyes turn cold. It suddenly clicks. I’m a threat to her. What kind, I don’t know. When Olive turns to hug her, the smile that returns to Evelyn’s face looks forced. Of course, Bruce gets a hug too, and he lifts her off the ground.

When the mushrooms are ready, we sit in the living room, chatting and munching. Thankfully, the focus isn’t on me yet. I sip my drink and observe some more. I notice how Evelyn watches my hand on Olive’s thigh. Her expressions are hard to read. It’s like looking into a kaleidoscope, something new revealed with every movement.

Because Bruce didn’t know everything, Olive and I recap how we met, how my family owns the hotel, how my mom’s a widower too, and how much Olive loves the island and the hotel. Evelyn has heard some of it already, so she stays quiet, but I can’t forget she’s told Olive more than once that she doesn’t like the island. And I hate that I’m on the defensive. Everyone has the right to their own opinion.

“Mom, I forgot to show you these pictures,” Olive blurts out, pulling me from my thoughts. She hands Evelyn the phone, and points at Sam. Bruce leans over to see too.

He snaps his fingers. “That’s… What’s his name? Oh, Samuel Moore…the soccer player,” he acknowledges, addressing Olive. “Weren’t you and Andy obsessed with him?”

“Yep,” Olive says. “And there he was at the New Year’s Eve party I almost didn’t go to.” She threads her arm through mine. “Leo, however, was more than convincing, and I gave in. What a night that was. No regrets there.”

Evelyn leans over, props her arms on her knees, and clasps her hands. “Leo, it sounds like you pressured Olive into doing things she didn’t want to do.”

I pull my head back. “Come again?” Oops. A little attitude snuck out there.

Bruce coughs on a piece of mushroom, and Olive snaps, “Mom! He didn’t force me to do anything. Give me a break. It was a party.”

Evelyn’s calm persona changes, and she throws up her hands. “Jeez. Sorry. I didn’t know it’s a sensitive subject.”

The real Evelyn has arrived.

“Leo, tell us about your job. I heard you travel a lot,” Bruce says, obviously trying to cut the tension. Olive squeezes my knee.

I explain what my job entails and where I’ll be going. They begin questioning me about where I’ve been and what nightmares I’ve seen.

“Ugh. I’ve found things like half-eaten food in the minibar, used condoms under the bed, and something on the floor that looked like fresh blood. The hotel denied it, of course. Let me put it this way—just because a hotel has a five-star rating, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best quality.”

“That’s disgusting,” Olive says, and the others nod in agreement.

“And have you reviewed your family’s hotel?” Evelyn asks, shoveling a mushroom into her mouth. “Find anything that would keep us away? Is the hotel a two-star or three?”

Don’t take the bait.

“It’s a four-star hotel, actually. Because I know what to look for, probably better than most, I ensure the hotel is in order whenever I’m there. No hotel is perfect, but we’re proud of the quality we provide for our guests.”

“I couldn’t complain about one thing during my visit. Other than the reservation system, but I lucked out in that situation.” Olive grins, nudging me in the side.

“Pfft.Don’t rub it in.” I tap my elbow against hers. “Anyway, Evelyn, you should come stay for a couple of days and check it out for yourself.”

“I don’t know about Evelyn, but I sure will,” Bruce interjects. “Do you have space for business meetings? I was thinking about doing an off-site team building event this year.”

Evelyn gives her brother in-law the evil eye. “You can’t be serious, Bruce.”

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