Page 16 of Save Me
No, it doesn’t.
Not even a little bit.
That reality makes me smile. “Have fun playing tour guide.” I head for the stairs.
“Olivia McEowan,”Archie prompts, his short legs working double time to keep up with the pace of my long ones down the hall.
“McEowan,” I echo, digging through my memory to find relevant facts. “CEO of Black Titan, a multinational oil and gas company with operations in Texas and Alberta, Canada. Olivia took over for her father ten years ago, after he died in a skydiving accident that investigators deemed suspicious but could never prove foul play. News flash: someone definitely fucked with his parachute,” I ad-lib. “Olivia owns a horse ranch and likes to bathe in her billions after Sunday church.” That last part is also in interpretation but likely accurate.
Archie snorts.
“Her close friends call her Ollie, but she doesn’t allow anyone else to. Husband left her for the nanny. Three children, all girls, all compete in equestrian sports. The youngest shows Olympic promise in …” I struggle for the specific one.
“Show jumping?—”
“Show jumping. Honestly, man, equestriansports and competitive duck herding? This is what I have to work with?” I toss an annoyed glance his way. “What is the point of meeting with these people anyway?”
“To get them to book their events here.” He says it like I should know this. “You’ve got a meeting with Belinda about it this afternoon. It’s in your calendar. She wants to go over special events targets for the next two years.”
“Two years?”
“Oh yeah! These companies book years out, and the contracts are huge. We’re talking millions.”
I whistle. This is the first I’m hearing of this.
“And corporate has big prizes for the people who bring in the biggest contracts.”
“What kind of prizes are we talking about?”
“Oh boy, I don’t know. Cars, vacations, that sort of thing.”
We round the corner and push through the doors of Opal Reef. Chester is waiting for us.
“What’s the verdict?” I ask by way of greeting.
His hollowed cheeks blow out with a deep exhale. “So, the good news is I got someone in late last night to assess the system.”
“And?”
“And it’s what Ray thought it might be—a faulty part that is about to kick it.”
I curse. “Do they have the part?”
“In Switzerland, so I made him sit in that chair—” He points to one of the dining tables in the corner. “—until after midnight when he could call his head officein Zurich. They put the part on a FedEx plane. It should be here by 4:00 p.m., and then he’ll come and install it …”
Chester’s words drift as a form appears in my line of sight, her long, fiery red hair gleaming in the midmorning sun.
Abbi approaches, her pastel pink dress hugging her round belly. It’s only been a few weeks, and yet she’s grown noticeably. She’s still all baby, though. Baby and tits. There’s a radiant glow about her. I’ve always heard that about pregnant women, but I’ve never actually seen it until now.
God, she issohappy to be carrying Henry’s child.
And I’m genuinely happy for her, even if he is a prick.
“Ronan?”
“Huh?” Chester’s gruff voice breaks into my reverie.
“I was just saying that if all goes as planned, it’ll be good as new tonight.”
