Page 63 of Under Control
He looked past her and she knew he was looking at the kitchen table, where her laptop was still half in the case. She hadn’t even opened it. “It’s not easy to work with a sick kid.”
She shrugged, faking a casual tone she didn’t feel. “I’ll make up the work later. And Kelsey took care of some things for me. Fortunately, I didn’t have any high-priority meetings today.”
“I’m glad it didn’t mess up your day too much.” He ran a hand over his hair and then winced. “I should take a shower. How about after I get cleaned up, I take you out. We can get something to eat and...whatever.”
Olivia glanced over her shoulder at the pile representing the work she hadn’t done today. What she should do was go home, lock herself in the office and not leave it until she was caught up. But she could tell Derek felt guilty and he’d feel worse if she didn’t let him at least feed her a meal to make up for it.
“Sure. And maybe a glass of wine.” She’d earned one.
* * *
When Derek got out of the shower, he could hear Olivia’s voice and wondered for a moment who she was talking to. Then he heard a woman’s voice he didn’t recognize and realized it was probably the Kelsey he’d heard so much about because she was talking about work.
“I just hope you don’t get sick,” he heard Kelsey say.
“That would be a nightmare right now. Make sure you leave before I get back. By Monday I’ll know how that went.”
He winced, really hoping his daughter hadn’t managed to infect Olivia with whatever bug she’d picked up. A lot of things tended to go around in the fall, when the kids were all closed up together in school again, so he was used to it. Olivia probably wasn’t.
Fortunately, I didn’t have any high-priority meetings today.
What if she had? He wondered how he’d feel right now if he’d called her and she’d said no.
After he took his time drying off and pulling on a pair of jeans—trying to give her time on the phone—he took a moment to think about that possibility. Working it out in his head lessened the possibility something he’d regret might come out of his mouth.
He didn’t totally understand Olivia’s job. He had a grasp on the basic concept of it, but for a guy who needed his ex-wife to show him how to use his calendar app multiple times, it didn’t all make sense. But what he did know was that big companies looking for organization and scheduling help wouldn’t give money to somebody who couldn’t keep to a schedule. He got that part.
And yet she hadn’t said no. She’d packed up a mobile office—which she didn’t even get to use—and driven across the city so his sick daughter wouldn’t have to sit in the nurse’s office, waiting for him or Amber to show up. That’s what he needed to focus on. And if therehadbeen a high-priority meeting scheduled, she probably still would have done it. She just wouldn’t have smiled and assured him it was fine at the end of the day.
But when he walked out of the bathroom, she wasn’t smiling. She actually had an expression that looked a lot like regret.
“I’m actually going to take a rain check on the dinner,” she told him, and his stomach sank as he crossed to her. “Kelsey just got an email that a client I had to reschedule has some free time this evening, so I’m going to head back.”
“They can’t wait?” He trailed his fingers down her arm. “I feel like I should at least feed you. And you don’t work at night, remember?”
“Not usually, but if I meet with this client and then spend a little time working tonight, that’s less I have to carry over and I can start tomorrow fresh.”
She said the words matter-of-factly, with no hint of resentment or blame, but he still felt a pang of guilt. “Are you sure that’s it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I just...nothing, really. I’m trying to get a hold on whether or not that’s just a good excuse to leave because you’re not happy with me.”
“Your daughter was sick, Derek. It’s nothing that can be controlled, so do you really think I’d hold that against you?”
Maybe not that she’d gotten sick, but that he’d asked her to drop everything and take care of her. “Of course not. Call me before you go to bed?”
She smiled, and he was comforted by the warmth in her eyes. “I will. I have a hard time sleeping if I don’t talk to you first.”
“Good.” He cupped her cheek. “I want you to miss me when you’re alone in bed.”
“Oh, I do.” She kissed him, a sweet kiss that felt almost like an apology. “I should go before I change my mind.”
“Is that a possibility?” She zipped up her work bag and he lifted it off the table. The damn thing was heavier than it looked.
“With you, it’s always a possibility, but it would be better formeto go back to work.”
“Then I’ll walk you down.”
