Page 102 of The Time It Takes
Present
OliverandIenterthe hotel lobby side by side. As much as I want to grab his hand with my own, I don’t. Not because I don’t think we’re on the same page, but because for once, we are. I know I need to get other things sorted first. I think I might be holding back a little because I’m not sure if he’ll still want me after he learns the truth.
This day has been such a rollercoaster ride and I’m ready to fall into the bed waiting for me and pass out. My drowsiness is startled when Oliver comes to an abrupt stop, yanking me from my thoughts and reminding me about something I meant to ask him.
I open my mouth but realize he’s not looking at me. He’s looking past me. I frown up at him, a little scared to turn around. Oliver’s posture is stiff, and his expression tells me he’s on edge as his eyes finally fall on me. Cautious of my surroundings, slowly I turn and let my eyes roam the lobby.
My breath catches when I zero in on three very familiar faces. Just outside the lobby is the bar and that’s when my heart starts to pound in my ears. Colleen sits with Beth and…Julian freaking Havord.
I’m surprised my eyes don’t disconnect from their sockets. I can only see the back of his head, but I could recognize the faint sound of his voice from anywhere. Ollie and I stand entirely too still, but he’s the first to snap out of it when Beth’s gaze lands on us like a meteor shooting straight toward Earth.
His arm brushes against mine lightly as she excuses herself from the bar. I’m thankful that it doesn’t pull Colleen and Julian out of their conversation.What are they talking about?
And what in the hell is he doing in Florida?
As Beth continues her path toward us with her attention fixed on Oliver, I mumble out of the corner of my mouth, “I take it you two haven’t spoken yet?”
He sighs. “I’m afraid not.”
Beth finally reaches us, and I freeze when she stops directly in front of me. She plasters on the most insincere smile I’ve ever seen. She dips her head in Julian’s direction as she says, “You really know how to pick them, don’t you? He sure is a treat.”
I narrow my eyes. I thoughtmymoods were all over the place, but this woman can’t seem to stick with one personality. I’ve never been so confused about a person’s character in my life.
Oliver clears his throat, grabbing our attention. His gaze settles on Beth. “What are you doing here?”
Beth crosses her arms and sways. It seems she’s had a few drinks while chatting at the bar—or most likely waiting for Oliver to arrive. “I need to talk to you and you’re making it a little difficult when you don’t respond to any of my texts or phone calls.”
She stares at him a moment and I see it. The man I love is breaking her heart to be with me. Shame starts to creep up my neck.
“Plus…” She shrugs. “I wanted to see you,” she says quietly. Her eyes dart back and forth between us quickly. “There are some other things I think are important for you to know.”
I don’t have much time to process what she’s saying, because my phone starts to ring in my hand. I lift my head when I see the contact’s name. When the sound of my phone echoes through the lobby, Julian’s eyes dart behind him and land directly on me. A giddy smile crosses his face as he hangs up his phone. He slides off the bar stool with ease.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I say to them, but I’m looking at Oliver. His brows are knitted together, but he nods. When I turn back to Julian, he is already halfway to me. Colleen stands at the bar, watching her son closely, worry lacing her features.
I cross the room and in four strides Julian is scooping me up into his arms. His head falls into my neck.
“Hi,” I mutter.
His only response is a muffled laugh that vibrates beneath my ear. When he sets me down, he keeps his hands on my shoulders. His face stops being happy when he stares down at my body. I watch his jaw tick as he assesses the bruises across my chest and the gauze wrapped around my thigh.
I pat the top of his hands and let out an awkward laugh. “Geez. I knew I looked bad, but not enough to make even your face fall into despair,” I tease.
The creases between his eyebrows only deepen at that. His gray eyes inspect mine. “Are you okay?”
When I nod, he presses his lips to my temple. His hands fall from my shoulders as I step a reasonable distance away from him, aware of the man that stands not far from us.
“We have a lot to talk about,” I tell Julian and his gaze falls somewhere behind me.
His throat bobs with a swallow. “Is that him?” he asks in a low voice. When I turn, Oliver’s eyes are on me The look on his face is unlike anything I’ve seen from him before. It almost looks as if I’ve betrayed him. Then I remember saying that Julian was a friend, but it’s clear to him now that there had been something more between the two of us.
Beth stalks toward us, her heels clicking against the tile floors. Oliver follows and his eyes feel glued to me. His face is unreadable and yet I can still see all the questions there, all the alarms going off in that mind of his.
I don’t know why this feels a lot like being caught doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing. I don’t realize we’re all just standing here awkwardly until Beth clears her throat.
Oh. Right.
I gesture between them. “Julian, this is Oliver Grayson. He owns the hotel.” They shake hands, and my eyes feel stuck where their hands connect. "Ollie, this is Julian Havord."
