“No, you don’t,” Jade interjected. “That’s the hurt talking. We know you’re a shark when it comes to your career, but this is personal and you’re still facing these feelings from the past.”
Yeah, she was. There was no way to dodge them . . . she’d tried.
“What am I going to do?” she asked, setting her mug back on the counter. She ran her fingertip over the crack in the handle. “I have half an airport that I don’t want and Jackson clearly isn’t budging either. It’s impossible for both of us to get our way.”
Well, except for when his lips were on hers, but that was another matter entirely. There was no denying they’d both wanted that. Unfortunately, the sampling of Jackson Morgan only left her wanting more, and acting on her wants and needs and this damn achiness was only a recipe for disaster.
“Why don’t you join as partners?” Melanie stated simply, as if that were the answer for them all.
Olivia came to her feet and circled the old island. She grabbed a granola bar from the counter and ripped the wrapping off before taking a bite.
“This tastes like sawdust,” she muttered around the dry bite.
“That’s mine,” Jade growled.
“Well, it tastes like I’d rather be fat.” The second the words were out of her mouth, Olivia turned to Melanie. “I’m so sorry. That was uncalled for and insensitive.”
Mel waved a hand and smiled. “You’re having a rough morning and I love you. You get a free pass at any fat jokes.”
If there were ever a real-life saint, Melanie Ramsey was it. She forgave easily, loved freely, and was always the peacemaker. Which is most likely how she remained in an abusive marriage and overweight for too many years. She’d taken the attention offered by a ruthless man and mistaken it for love. It was only after they married that the verbal and physical abuse started. Melanie was stronger than she thought because she’d not only escaped that nightmare, she was thriving.
Olivia tossed the bar onto the island in front of Jade. “You can have the rest.”
With a shrug, her perfectly fit friend finished the bar claiming to be akin to s’mores. The next time Olivia had a s’more, it better be with a campfire and a stick with a gooey marshmallow on the end.
Olivia leaned back against the counter and sighed. “I guess while I’m formulating a game plan, I’ll start cleaning out these closets.”
“We’re here to help,” Jade stated. “My morning run is done. It was actually nice with the warmer temps; I didn’t need to pack my inhaler. So, use me where you want. I’m yours the rest of the day. Unless some hunk knocks on the door and offers to take me out.”
Rolling her eyes, Olivia glanced to Melanie. “What about you? You ready to tackle my demons with me?”
“Do we need to go ahead and open the wine and get tissues?”
Olivia pushed off the counter with a laugh. “It might not be a bad idea, but let’s do champagne and at least call them mimosas. Hold off
on the tissues. I’m going to try to keep it together and get this done.”
Jade turned her attention to her phone as Melanie started working on their cocktails. Olivia hadn’t bothered to bring her phone down. She didn’t want to look at e-mails or texts from work. She had to finish putting together an ad for one of her top clients, but she was nearly done and she planned on doing that after she tackled the past.
Leave it to her to use work to unwind and relax. She truly needed to get a life, but she was happy with the one she had . . . wasn’t she?
Damn it. She never questioned her happiness in Atlanta before coming back . . . and she’d only been back a few short days.
“Maybe we should book a few days at Bella Vous before we leave,” Jade suggested as she kept scrolling through her social media. “Or at the very least get some massages.”
Bella Vous had the most remarkable masseuse and despite the fact the resort was booked for months in advance, they knew Cora and she would squeeze them in.
Going to the old antebellum estate was relaxing enough even without the massage. The grand home had been transformed into something from a magazine.
Olivia and Jade had gone to school with the Monroe boys and nothing shocked Olivia more than knowing those guys had managed to pull off such a remarkable business. Of course, maybe that had something to do with the women in their lives, but who knows.
“I could definitely use a hot stone massage,” Olivia stated. “But the resort is getting so popular with the tourists coming in from Savannah, I’m not sure we could get in.”
With a shrug, Jade replied, “I’ll at least try.”
Melanie sat three glasses on the bar and poured their drinks. “Did you guys hear the rumor about the movie crew coming to Haven?”
Georgia was well-liked by the film industry because it was less expensive to shoot in and the scenery was simply gorgeous. Olivia wouldn’t want to live anywhere else; she just preferred the city over the small town.