Page 5 of See You Maybe

Kyle, who operated as the in-name-only vice-president, argued that if one of the potential buyers challenged her reports, Olivia could always say she made a mistake.

A mistake… where she had somehow missed the twenty-six people who owned the other fifty-two percent. He was a moron.

However, because no one person owned over two percent of shares, Olivia finally gave up trying to convince them of the danger. After listing the Armstrong immediate family members individually, along with the percentage of stock they held, she added one line that read “two percent owners,” and hoped no one noticed the ‘s’ on the end of the word ‘owner.’ It was dishonest and made her look incompetent. Olivia hated it.

The morning of that final board meeting, Richard had arrived straight from one of his treatments. Clearly weak and sick, he’d made it into the office. But as they sat around his desk, he had sided again with his son with the words, “This is his inheritance, Livvy. His opinion matters.” A not-so-subtle reminder that no matter Olivia’s professional expertise, she was no longer family.

Later that evening, Olivia was the last to leave the office after spending hours perfecting her presentation. She found Kyle waiting for her by her car.

“You always have to be right,” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. The civility he still gave her in the office for his father’s benefit was gone, replaced by the Kyle she’d lived with for too many years. “Everyone in the room tells you something is okay, but you just have to be a know-it-all. Little, insecure Livvy wants everyone to tell her she’s right.”

He stepped into her space, his chest almost touching hers. Actively resisting her fight-or-flight instinct, Olivia’s eyes slid away from the rage in his.

“My father is fighting for his life. You know the doctors aren’t sure if the chemo will be enough this time. Doesn’t he deserve to finish out his years enjoying what he worked so hard for?”

Her eyes snapped back to his, her own anger spiking. “We both know this isn’t about Richard. This is about you wanting the millions you’ll get for your stock.”

Olivia wanted to shove him off, but she knew it would only make him angrier, and they were alone in the dark parking lot. After she left Kyle, Olivia made sure they were never alone together, and now she cursed herself for becoming complacent. Kyle barely came into the office anymore, even for meetings. It never occurred to Olivia he would exert the effort to wait for her in a cold parking lot.

Kyle barked a laugh close to her face, and she tried not to react as his hot breath covered her.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You’re acting like a selfish, petty bitch because you won’t get any of the stock buyout.” His eyes glinted. “You want to wreck the deal for everyone. Breaking my father’s heart once by destroying our family wasn’t enough. Now you want to stress him out more when he’s dying. You really are a cold-hearted bitch.”

Olivia swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I would have filed for divorce years ago if not for your father, and you know it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Ugh. I’d forgotten about your daddy issues. Can’t make your own happy, so you latched onto mine. No wonder you were such a terrible wife. You only married me to get into the family and get that promotion. Thank god, I’ve got a real woman now.” Kyle’s smile turned vicious. “And since she already has a kid, at least I know her parts work the way they are supposed to.”

Every syllable sliced through her. Olivia had wanted a baby so badly. In the early days of their marriage, and when things were still good—before Kyle’s true personality had revealed itself—she’d gone off birth control with no success. After she learned of Kyle’s infidelity a year later, while lying naked from the waist down on an exam table, as her gynecologist wrote her a prescription for the STD Kyle had given her, they were rarely intimate again.

Olivia should have left Kyle then. She shouldn’t have believed his lies, that the affair was a onetime thing… That he would change.

“Don’t take shit.” Grandma Rose’s voice rang in her ears. She would be so disappointed in Olivia if she were still alive. But then again, she’d have to get in line.

There was some truth in Kyle’s accusations, and Olivia wasn’t proud of it. Richard Armstrong had been her mentor since she got her first part-time job at Armstrong Electronics in high-school, doing basic administrative tasks. She’d known him for years as her best friend Jessica’s quiet, but kind, uncle.

When he offered her a position that she wasn’t fully qualified for, straight out of college, Olivia felt like her dreams had come true. Richard said he saw something in her, and over the years had encouraged her to take on more and more responsibility until she was essentially running the company.

Olivia knew that a large factor in her saying yes to Kyle’s marriage proposal was she wanted to be part of the family. She’d been working at Armstrong for more than five years at that point, growing in position and authority faster than she ever would have been able to at another company.

When the fireworks exploded at the company picnic, and Kyle fell on one knee in front of everyone, her overwhelming feeling was one of being trapped. If Olivia said no, she would have to find somewhere else to work, and she’d poured her heart and soul into Armstrong Electronics. She loved Kyle, or thought she did, and when Jessica began screaming “Congratulations!” and rushed to hug her before Olivia even answered, it all felt inevitable.

Jessica knew about what happened with Declan in Ireland. He was all Olivia could think about for months after she returned to Atlanta. She’d sobbed on her friend’s couch more times than she could count, missing Declan so much she thought she would die.

“If you marry Kyle, we will be family for real.”

Olivia grinned. “His amazing cousin is a big selling point for him.”

“So, you like him?”

“It’s only been a couple of dates. He’s nice.”

Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “Why does it sound like you’re about to come up with some dumb excuse why you don’t want to go out with him again, like you always do?”

“We work together, Jessica. It hasn’t gone beyond a couple of dinners. We could still be friendly if we end it now. But if we keep going… What do I do when it doesn’t work out? He’s my boss’s son.”

“Don’t say when. You don’t know that it won’t work out.”

Olivia didn’t look at her friend. It was hard to tell her best friend that her cousin left her feeling flat. Kyle was attractive and polite. He’d even made her laugh a few times. But it wasn’t the heart-stopping feeling she was looking for… the one she still longed for.

---