Life and Breath Part 18
Title: Life and Breath
Author: Pink Rabbit Productions
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Part: 18
Date: 8 August, 2009
Rating: Personally, I'd call it an R, but some might consider it NC-17 at some point.
Disclaimer: The characters and situations belong to other folks far wealthier, more important (or at least with better lawyers), and hopefully more charitable and kinder than I. They include, but are not necessarily limited to CBS, Proctor and Gamble, and Telenext. The actual arrangement of words, however, remains my own as do any original characters. Meanwhile, there is likely to be all female romantic and sexual activity ahead, so if this is likely to get you, me, or anybody else arrested should you take a gander, please move along. Also, if you find that sort of thing offensive, you really probably shouldn't hang around anyplace I'm posting. Just sayin'....
Archiving: The Pink Rabbit Consortium
Spoilers: Some early scenes definitely, plus anything through the spa trip is fair game.
Timeline: Unlike some folks, I don't have an exact scene where this one takes off. However, it's definitely set after the spa trip, but before Rafe's release from the halfway house. Oh, and it's after Natalia admits she's in love with Olivia to Father Ray.
Earlier Parts: | Part 1 (Prologue) | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 |
Life and Breath
by Pink Rabbit Productions
Part 18
Monday mornings at the Beacon were typically quiet. The tourist crowd usually left on Sunday night and the business crowd didn't get in until Monday evening. It gave the staff a little bit of a breather and some extra time to clear up any weekend damage and the management time to clear the books, get things reorganized, reordered and start the grind all over again. It also gave Olivia time to catch up on everything she'd missed during her weekend away.
"According to Nick Cranston, the main pin in the housing was crystalized...and brittle as a result," Jack Fielding explained to Olivia as he gestured to the recently repaired emergency door. His voice echoed faintly inside the narrow corridor where they stood. "He thinks it snapped when the waiter fell against the door...and probably sliced the trip wire to the alarm at the same time."
Olivia did a slow pivot, eyeing the rather boring surroundings. "Did anyone check the alcohol stores?" Even if it looked like an accident, she found herself on edge. Meanwhile, the wine cellar and hard liquor storage were just off this hallway. If some kids had gotten in, that would be a likely target.
"Yeah," Jack confirmed. "Yeah, someone from the bar checked the inventory. If anything's missing, it's minor...same for the kitchen and housekeeping by the way. And according to Nick, no signs of tampering on the door itself. There's really nothing to indicate anything other than a minor bit of breakage."
Olivia considered that, wondering as she did so why she was so uneasy with the explanation. She trusted Nick Cranston. She'd switched to his company after a fire some years before, and been nothing but pleased with the service and quality. She was about to make some kind of comment when her phone rang. She glanced at the called ID, smiling as she recognized the number. "I need to take this," she informed the security guard.
Jack stepped away politely, though he would have been lying if he'd claimed he didn't quirk an ear in his employer's direction as she answered the phone. Thankfully, however, he didn't have to make his eavesdropping efforts too obvious. Sound carried well in the narrow hallway, and Olivia Spencer's voice wasn't one that was easily ignored even when she was trying to modulate it.
"Yes, this is Olivia... So what did you... Really? Matching...and flawless?" she questioned, sounding pleased by whatever news she was hearing. "That sounds perfect...no...no, I meant identical...both women's." She paused, glancing his way, clearly aware she wasn't entirely alone. "Yes, Adolfo," she murmured, her tone wry, "that is indeed what that means...way too much information there, bud."
Jack turned enough to catch a glimpse of his employer at the edge of his peripheral vision and was treated to the sight of Olivia Spencer with something akin to a blush staining her cheeks. Would wonders never cease?
She rolled her eyes, her tone slightly impatient. "I am not going to answer that question." A long pause followed, then Olivia heaved a sigh.
Whatever the argument was, it seemed apparent to Jack that she'd lost.
"Absolutely gorgeous, okay? No...very sweet, I'll have you know...dark hair and eyes, light olive complexion...yes, that's my current email address...thank you." She glanced at Jack and he purposely turned away. "One set in my size...the other a half size smaller...What's the soonest you can deliver them once the design is approved?" She waited a moment, then Jack could hear the smile in her tone as she responded. "That would be wonderful...no, messenger it...don't worry about the cost. I can afford it." She chuckled softly. "You're incorrigible, Adolfo...utterly incorrigible. Thank you. I'll talk to you later." She clicked off with a soft sigh. "You can stop pretending you aren't eavesdropping now," she drawled knowingly to the security guard.
Not even trying to deny the charge, he turned to face her and mused on what he'd overheard. "Let's see...Adolfo...very expensive, very exclusive, custom designed jewelry shop in Chicago...women's... identical...one set for you, one set a half size smaller...that would be rings...jewelers don't handle anything else that's sized...and the gorgeous part...that would be Ms. Rivera."
Olivia's eyes narrowed as she glared at him.
He grinned, his tone cheerful as he asked, "So have you set a date yet?"
"Bastard," she hissed, though there was no malice in her tone. "I hate when you do that."
His grin broadened a notch. "Ah, but my detecting skills are why you pay me the big bucks," he pointed out.
"One word to the rest of the staff," she growled as she stuffed a finger in his face, "and I will..." she trailed off as she struggled to find a revenge hideous enough to make the merrily grinning security guard miss out on winning the office pool.
"What?" he shot back mockingly. "Whip me, beat me, take away my charge card-"
"Tell. Your. Wife," she threatened and spun neatly on her heel, leaving him sputtering behind her. "Lovely woman, by the way...somehow I don't think she'd approve of your betting on my sex life." She hadn't forgotten that particular piece of data, not that she hadn't tried.
"Your romantic life," he corrected, sounding mildly aggrieved, then added an addenda. "Well, mostly...and goddammit, you fight dirty," he complained as he caught up with her, because she was absolutely right. Evelyn would not approve of that particular side industry.
She tossed an annoyed glare his way. "Given your current hobby, I'd say you have very little room for complaint," she reminded him.
He ignored the dig. "By the way, Evie thought you and Natalia were lovely and Emma was adorable...and what the hell were you doing in church?" He would have bet serious money against that ever happening."
"Natalia asked us to...and I just couldn't say no."
He chuckled. "You are so whipped."
Olivia winced because it was so very true. "Y'know," she grumbled in irritation, "there was a time when my employees feared and respected me...actually, mostly they just they feared me," she added, then turned a longing look ceilingward. "I miss those days."
Jack snorted softly. Like hell she did. She was wearing away to the creamy marshmallow center, and it was adorable to watch happening.
Olivia was about to offer some kind of pithy comment when she rounded a corner and barreled straight into a solid wall of bone and muscle. Hard hands curved to her shoulders, steadying her as she was unbalanced.
"Well, fate seems to want us together," a smooth voice murmured, sending prickles of instinctive unease down her spine.
Tipping her head up, Olivia was strangely unsurprised to find she'd careened into the same man she'd run into in the hall a few days before. He smiled at her, his expression still full of masculine appreciation, leaving her with the sense he might just press his case again.
It set her teeth on edge. She'd already made it clear she wasn't interested and men who pushed got on her last nerve.
There was nothing remotely flirtatious or even welcoming in her tone as she bit out, "I'm afraid guests aren't allowed in this area." She glanced pointedly in the direction he had to have come from. "That's why the sign on the door says employees only."
"My apologies," he said quickly, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. "The door was open...and I was looking for a restroom."
"Go back out and hang a left. You'll see the sign," Olivia said stiffly.
"I guess a shared lunch...dinner..." his tone dropped, becoming low and intimate, "breakfast...is still off the table," he drawled.
She met the attempted flirtation with a flinty look. "You need to leave now, sir...and please, no more ignoring signs around the hotel." He wasn't the first person to get curious and want to explore the background areas, though usually it was children who gloried in getting in where they weren't supposed to be. However, it wasn't something that could be tolerated. "Staff areas can be...unsafe...for those who don't know their way around."
His gaze narrowed faintly and he tipped his head to one side in acknowledgment. "Well, I'll take my leave then. I wouldn't want to get...hurt." He pointedly angled a little closer. "Let me know if you change your mind about that meal." Then he turned and ambled back the way he'd come.
Olivia stood perfectly still, her feet braced as if ready to withstand an incoming wave as she watched him take his time leaving.
"Not your favorite guest, I take it," Jack murmured when they were alone again.
"He hit on me a couple of days ago," Olivia said, though even as she said, she knew perfectly well that wasn't what had her on edge, though she had no real idea what did. It was more than just finding someone unknown in an area where he didn't belong, or even the added stress of having a possible security problem in that area. It was something intangible that she couldn't define. Something in his eyes, or maybe something that wasn't in his eyes. She wasn't sure.
"Never known of that to throw your equilibrium," Jack commented while she was still contemplating the problem.
"True enough," she admitted and shrugged. "Something just...made me..."
"Uneasy," Jack finished when she didn't continue.
Surprised by his tone, she looked over and noted his expression was set into tense lines. "You too."
He shrugged. "He checked in last Wednesday...pays cash, rents day by day," he responded in tacit acknowledgment.
She arched an eyebrow. "Ok-ay." That usually meant somebody wanted to stay under the radar. The normal scenario was easy. Infidelity. Jack kept an eye out for that sort of thing because infidelity caused scenes and scenes often required intervention. They called the police at least a couple of times a year because somebody got caught doing something they weren't supposed to and someone else couldn't control their temper. Better to head off scenes like that in advance.
"He's spent some time in the hotel bar, but no sign of any women in his room...professional or otherwise. No trouble from him...he hung around the hotel the first couple of days, but was out most of the weekend. Comes and goes quietly, so I could be a little off."
"You've been tracking him," she observed quietly.
Jack shrugged again.
Olivia nodded. "Keep watching him," she instructed the guard even though she knew that was already his plan. Any further comments either of them might have made were cut off as her cell phone dinged for attention.
Jack watched as she glanced at the caller ID, and smiled in a way that told him instantly just who was on the other end. This time, he nodded and really did pull away, exiting to the main floor and leaving her with some privacy. Even he had a few limits when it came to spying on his employer.
Olivia watched the guard move away as she answered. "Hey there, beautiful," she drawled into the phone, her smile broadening a notch as she heard the tiny catch of breath on the other end of the connection. "What can I do for you?" She leaned against the wall, grinning like an idiot with sheer joy, broken doors and creepy guests all but forgotten in an instant.
"You're up early and sounding cheerful," Natalia said, sounding startled.
"Well, I sound that way whenever I talk to you. You should have heard me when I was talking to Jack about the broken fire door. I was all..." She made a series of nonsensical growling sounds that drew a soft giggle from the other end.
"You were not," Natalia said through a laugh. "You adore Jack."
"I'm telling you, he barely got out with his life," Olivia disagreed cheerfully.
"Right," Natalia said, drawing the word out an extra beat before becoming more businesslike again. "Seriously, what's the news on the door?"
"According to Nick, there was a bad part inside. It probably broke under the pressure when the waiter fell into it. He couldn't find any sign of tampering and the various departments checked their stores and couldn't find anything missing...so it looks like an accident that got caught when it happened."
"That's good to hear."
"Definitely," Olivia confirmed in her most official tone before she shifted back to warm and mushy. "So did you miss us last night?"
"Terribly," Natalia admitted almost instantly. "The house felt empty and all wrong."
Olivia barely stopped herself from responding, 'Good,' as she heard the note of longing in the other woman's voice. "We missed you too...but the good news is that Emma and I talked...a couple of times...and I think she's figuring things out...and coming to peace with it all."
"God, I hope so," Natalia exhaled, her voice thicker than normal. "Anyway," she said after a beat, "I just called to ask if it's okay if I'm a little late coming in today?"
"I think so," Olivia responded as she mentally went over her schedule for the day. "I don't have any meetings on the docket...and once I finish going over the weekend reports, I'm going to sit down with the Huntington proposal and go through it line by line." The high end resort company was building a ski lodge in the nearby mountains and wanted to contract with the Beacon to act as a feeder station, handle overflow, and also house guests in the event that inclement weather made transport to the resort impossible. It would probably keep the hotel booked during some of the leaner months, but if handled wrong, it could also wind up as a money pit. She had her lawyer checking the legal details, but needed to understand the finer points to have any chance at an intelligent negotiation.
There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Weren't you supposed to do that last week?"
"Yeah, well, I had something more important on my schedule," Olivia said through a laugh as she remembered exactly what-or rather who-had interrupted her last attempt to read through the proposal. "That would be you by the way," she teased the younger woman.
There was another pause on the other end of the line, and a tiny hiss as a breath was drawn in sharply. Apparently Olivia wasn't the only one with a good memory. "I guess I can't complain then," Natalia murmured after a beat, somehow managing an audible blush if such a thing was possible.
Unable to contain a grin, Olivia happily agreed, "No, you can't." Tempting as it was to keep flirting, it was obvious that Natalia had a purpose behind the call. "So you said you need some time...anything you want to talk about?" Despite the lightness of her tone, there was just a touch of worry threaded through the question.
"I barely got to talk to Rafe last night...some kind of scheduling snafu with the phone," the younger woman explained, sounding tired and a little frustrated. "But he's in this morning, and has some free time...so I want to go over and get this started face to face."
If Olivia had been drinking, that bit of news would have been a dose of instant sobriety. "Anything I can do to help?" She heard Natalia drag in a breath and blow it out again.
"I don't think so," the other woman said after a long beat. "I think it needs to be just Rafe and I...at least at first...and we need to start simple...discuss the idea of you and Emma moving back into the farmhouse...and make sure he understands how good a friend you've been to me while he was in prison...then go from there."
Hearing the trepidation in Natalia's voice, Olivia wished she could just wrap her in a protective embrace, wave a magic wand and make everything simple. "He loves you," she assured the younger woman. "Even if he has a hard time with some of it, I truly believe he'll come around."
"I hope so," Natalia exhaled.
Olivia felt her stomach start to knot with tension at the worried note in the younger woman's voice. Rafe was her entire family. What would she do if she couldn't get him to accept this relationship?
"No," Natalia said abruptly, her tone turning decisive. "He will...he has to...because I'm not losing this...or you." She took another shuddering breath. "He's just going to have to learn to accept it."
Some of the terror eased as Olivia consciously pushed back the fear of having the other shoe drop. "I love you," she whispered with heartfelt intensity.
"I love you too," Natalia responded, her voice low and serious. She paused a beat, then continued in a more formal tone. "I'll be in as soon as I can."
"This is important, so don't feel you have to rush," Olivia said quickly. "I'm not sure how I'll survive without you...but I will."
The soft answering laugh was light enough to ease more of Olivia's fears. "You always do...but it's good to know I make it easier."
"You make it all worthwhile," Olivia put extra emphasis on the last word.
"Okay," Natalia said, her tone suddenly brisk. "If I don't hang up and go, I'm going to just stand here and tell you how much I love you all day-"
"Which I wouldn't mind," Olivia pointed out.
"But which won't deal with Rafe."
"Right," Olivia exhaled. "Rafe." She took a breath. "Good luck."
"I'll talk to you later."
The connection went dead and Olivia snapped her phone shut, peering at it for a long moment. "Oh, please let this work out," she begged no one in particular, then finally tucked her phone in a pocket and hurried on.
* * * * * * *
TBC
Author: Pink Rabbit Productions
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Part: 18
Date: 8 August, 2009
Rating: Personally, I'd call it an R, but some might consider it NC-17 at some point.
Disclaimer: The characters and situations belong to other folks far wealthier, more important (or at least with better lawyers), and hopefully more charitable and kinder than I. They include, but are not necessarily limited to CBS, Proctor and Gamble, and Telenext. The actual arrangement of words, however, remains my own as do any original characters. Meanwhile, there is likely to be all female romantic and sexual activity ahead, so if this is likely to get you, me, or anybody else arrested should you take a gander, please move along. Also, if you find that sort of thing offensive, you really probably shouldn't hang around anyplace I'm posting. Just sayin'....
Archiving: The Pink Rabbit Consortium
Spoilers: Some early scenes definitely, plus anything through the spa trip is fair game.
Timeline: Unlike some folks, I don't have an exact scene where this one takes off. However, it's definitely set after the spa trip, but before Rafe's release from the halfway house. Oh, and it's after Natalia admits she's in love with Olivia to Father Ray.
Earlier Parts: | Part 1 (Prologue) | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 |
Life and Breath
by Pink Rabbit Productions
Part 18
Monday mornings at the Beacon were typically quiet. The tourist crowd usually left on Sunday night and the business crowd didn't get in until Monday evening. It gave the staff a little bit of a breather and some extra time to clear up any weekend damage and the management time to clear the books, get things reorganized, reordered and start the grind all over again. It also gave Olivia time to catch up on everything she'd missed during her weekend away.
"According to Nick Cranston, the main pin in the housing was crystalized...and brittle as a result," Jack Fielding explained to Olivia as he gestured to the recently repaired emergency door. His voice echoed faintly inside the narrow corridor where they stood. "He thinks it snapped when the waiter fell against the door...and probably sliced the trip wire to the alarm at the same time."
Olivia did a slow pivot, eyeing the rather boring surroundings. "Did anyone check the alcohol stores?" Even if it looked like an accident, she found herself on edge. Meanwhile, the wine cellar and hard liquor storage were just off this hallway. If some kids had gotten in, that would be a likely target.
"Yeah," Jack confirmed. "Yeah, someone from the bar checked the inventory. If anything's missing, it's minor...same for the kitchen and housekeeping by the way. And according to Nick, no signs of tampering on the door itself. There's really nothing to indicate anything other than a minor bit of breakage."
Olivia considered that, wondering as she did so why she was so uneasy with the explanation. She trusted Nick Cranston. She'd switched to his company after a fire some years before, and been nothing but pleased with the service and quality. She was about to make some kind of comment when her phone rang. She glanced at the called ID, smiling as she recognized the number. "I need to take this," she informed the security guard.
Jack stepped away politely, though he would have been lying if he'd claimed he didn't quirk an ear in his employer's direction as she answered the phone. Thankfully, however, he didn't have to make his eavesdropping efforts too obvious. Sound carried well in the narrow hallway, and Olivia Spencer's voice wasn't one that was easily ignored even when she was trying to modulate it.
"Yes, this is Olivia... So what did you... Really? Matching...and flawless?" she questioned, sounding pleased by whatever news she was hearing. "That sounds perfect...no...no, I meant identical...both women's." She paused, glancing his way, clearly aware she wasn't entirely alone. "Yes, Adolfo," she murmured, her tone wry, "that is indeed what that means...way too much information there, bud."
Jack turned enough to catch a glimpse of his employer at the edge of his peripheral vision and was treated to the sight of Olivia Spencer with something akin to a blush staining her cheeks. Would wonders never cease?
She rolled her eyes, her tone slightly impatient. "I am not going to answer that question." A long pause followed, then Olivia heaved a sigh.
Whatever the argument was, it seemed apparent to Jack that she'd lost.
"Absolutely gorgeous, okay? No...very sweet, I'll have you know...dark hair and eyes, light olive complexion...yes, that's my current email address...thank you." She glanced at Jack and he purposely turned away. "One set in my size...the other a half size smaller...What's the soonest you can deliver them once the design is approved?" She waited a moment, then Jack could hear the smile in her tone as she responded. "That would be wonderful...no, messenger it...don't worry about the cost. I can afford it." She chuckled softly. "You're incorrigible, Adolfo...utterly incorrigible. Thank you. I'll talk to you later." She clicked off with a soft sigh. "You can stop pretending you aren't eavesdropping now," she drawled knowingly to the security guard.
Not even trying to deny the charge, he turned to face her and mused on what he'd overheard. "Let's see...Adolfo...very expensive, very exclusive, custom designed jewelry shop in Chicago...women's... identical...one set for you, one set a half size smaller...that would be rings...jewelers don't handle anything else that's sized...and the gorgeous part...that would be Ms. Rivera."
Olivia's eyes narrowed as she glared at him.
He grinned, his tone cheerful as he asked, "So have you set a date yet?"
"Bastard," she hissed, though there was no malice in her tone. "I hate when you do that."
His grin broadened a notch. "Ah, but my detecting skills are why you pay me the big bucks," he pointed out.
"One word to the rest of the staff," she growled as she stuffed a finger in his face, "and I will..." she trailed off as she struggled to find a revenge hideous enough to make the merrily grinning security guard miss out on winning the office pool.
"What?" he shot back mockingly. "Whip me, beat me, take away my charge card-"
"Tell. Your. Wife," she threatened and spun neatly on her heel, leaving him sputtering behind her. "Lovely woman, by the way...somehow I don't think she'd approve of your betting on my sex life." She hadn't forgotten that particular piece of data, not that she hadn't tried.
"Your romantic life," he corrected, sounding mildly aggrieved, then added an addenda. "Well, mostly...and goddammit, you fight dirty," he complained as he caught up with her, because she was absolutely right. Evelyn would not approve of that particular side industry.
She tossed an annoyed glare his way. "Given your current hobby, I'd say you have very little room for complaint," she reminded him.
He ignored the dig. "By the way, Evie thought you and Natalia were lovely and Emma was adorable...and what the hell were you doing in church?" He would have bet serious money against that ever happening."
"Natalia asked us to...and I just couldn't say no."
He chuckled. "You are so whipped."
Olivia winced because it was so very true. "Y'know," she grumbled in irritation, "there was a time when my employees feared and respected me...actually, mostly they just they feared me," she added, then turned a longing look ceilingward. "I miss those days."
Jack snorted softly. Like hell she did. She was wearing away to the creamy marshmallow center, and it was adorable to watch happening.
Olivia was about to offer some kind of pithy comment when she rounded a corner and barreled straight into a solid wall of bone and muscle. Hard hands curved to her shoulders, steadying her as she was unbalanced.
"Well, fate seems to want us together," a smooth voice murmured, sending prickles of instinctive unease down her spine.
Tipping her head up, Olivia was strangely unsurprised to find she'd careened into the same man she'd run into in the hall a few days before. He smiled at her, his expression still full of masculine appreciation, leaving her with the sense he might just press his case again.
It set her teeth on edge. She'd already made it clear she wasn't interested and men who pushed got on her last nerve.
There was nothing remotely flirtatious or even welcoming in her tone as she bit out, "I'm afraid guests aren't allowed in this area." She glanced pointedly in the direction he had to have come from. "That's why the sign on the door says employees only."
"My apologies," he said quickly, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. "The door was open...and I was looking for a restroom."
"Go back out and hang a left. You'll see the sign," Olivia said stiffly.
"I guess a shared lunch...dinner..." his tone dropped, becoming low and intimate, "breakfast...is still off the table," he drawled.
She met the attempted flirtation with a flinty look. "You need to leave now, sir...and please, no more ignoring signs around the hotel." He wasn't the first person to get curious and want to explore the background areas, though usually it was children who gloried in getting in where they weren't supposed to be. However, it wasn't something that could be tolerated. "Staff areas can be...unsafe...for those who don't know their way around."
His gaze narrowed faintly and he tipped his head to one side in acknowledgment. "Well, I'll take my leave then. I wouldn't want to get...hurt." He pointedly angled a little closer. "Let me know if you change your mind about that meal." Then he turned and ambled back the way he'd come.
Olivia stood perfectly still, her feet braced as if ready to withstand an incoming wave as she watched him take his time leaving.
"Not your favorite guest, I take it," Jack murmured when they were alone again.
"He hit on me a couple of days ago," Olivia said, though even as she said, she knew perfectly well that wasn't what had her on edge, though she had no real idea what did. It was more than just finding someone unknown in an area where he didn't belong, or even the added stress of having a possible security problem in that area. It was something intangible that she couldn't define. Something in his eyes, or maybe something that wasn't in his eyes. She wasn't sure.
"Never known of that to throw your equilibrium," Jack commented while she was still contemplating the problem.
"True enough," she admitted and shrugged. "Something just...made me..."
"Uneasy," Jack finished when she didn't continue.
Surprised by his tone, she looked over and noted his expression was set into tense lines. "You too."
He shrugged. "He checked in last Wednesday...pays cash, rents day by day," he responded in tacit acknowledgment.
She arched an eyebrow. "Ok-ay." That usually meant somebody wanted to stay under the radar. The normal scenario was easy. Infidelity. Jack kept an eye out for that sort of thing because infidelity caused scenes and scenes often required intervention. They called the police at least a couple of times a year because somebody got caught doing something they weren't supposed to and someone else couldn't control their temper. Better to head off scenes like that in advance.
"He's spent some time in the hotel bar, but no sign of any women in his room...professional or otherwise. No trouble from him...he hung around the hotel the first couple of days, but was out most of the weekend. Comes and goes quietly, so I could be a little off."
"You've been tracking him," she observed quietly.
Jack shrugged again.
Olivia nodded. "Keep watching him," she instructed the guard even though she knew that was already his plan. Any further comments either of them might have made were cut off as her cell phone dinged for attention.
Jack watched as she glanced at the caller ID, and smiled in a way that told him instantly just who was on the other end. This time, he nodded and really did pull away, exiting to the main floor and leaving her with some privacy. Even he had a few limits when it came to spying on his employer.
Olivia watched the guard move away as she answered. "Hey there, beautiful," she drawled into the phone, her smile broadening a notch as she heard the tiny catch of breath on the other end of the connection. "What can I do for you?" She leaned against the wall, grinning like an idiot with sheer joy, broken doors and creepy guests all but forgotten in an instant.
"You're up early and sounding cheerful," Natalia said, sounding startled.
"Well, I sound that way whenever I talk to you. You should have heard me when I was talking to Jack about the broken fire door. I was all..." She made a series of nonsensical growling sounds that drew a soft giggle from the other end.
"You were not," Natalia said through a laugh. "You adore Jack."
"I'm telling you, he barely got out with his life," Olivia disagreed cheerfully.
"Right," Natalia said, drawing the word out an extra beat before becoming more businesslike again. "Seriously, what's the news on the door?"
"According to Nick, there was a bad part inside. It probably broke under the pressure when the waiter fell into it. He couldn't find any sign of tampering and the various departments checked their stores and couldn't find anything missing...so it looks like an accident that got caught when it happened."
"That's good to hear."
"Definitely," Olivia confirmed in her most official tone before she shifted back to warm and mushy. "So did you miss us last night?"
"Terribly," Natalia admitted almost instantly. "The house felt empty and all wrong."
Olivia barely stopped herself from responding, 'Good,' as she heard the note of longing in the other woman's voice. "We missed you too...but the good news is that Emma and I talked...a couple of times...and I think she's figuring things out...and coming to peace with it all."
"God, I hope so," Natalia exhaled, her voice thicker than normal. "Anyway," she said after a beat, "I just called to ask if it's okay if I'm a little late coming in today?"
"I think so," Olivia responded as she mentally went over her schedule for the day. "I don't have any meetings on the docket...and once I finish going over the weekend reports, I'm going to sit down with the Huntington proposal and go through it line by line." The high end resort company was building a ski lodge in the nearby mountains and wanted to contract with the Beacon to act as a feeder station, handle overflow, and also house guests in the event that inclement weather made transport to the resort impossible. It would probably keep the hotel booked during some of the leaner months, but if handled wrong, it could also wind up as a money pit. She had her lawyer checking the legal details, but needed to understand the finer points to have any chance at an intelligent negotiation.
There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Weren't you supposed to do that last week?"
"Yeah, well, I had something more important on my schedule," Olivia said through a laugh as she remembered exactly what-or rather who-had interrupted her last attempt to read through the proposal. "That would be you by the way," she teased the younger woman.
There was another pause on the other end of the line, and a tiny hiss as a breath was drawn in sharply. Apparently Olivia wasn't the only one with a good memory. "I guess I can't complain then," Natalia murmured after a beat, somehow managing an audible blush if such a thing was possible.
Unable to contain a grin, Olivia happily agreed, "No, you can't." Tempting as it was to keep flirting, it was obvious that Natalia had a purpose behind the call. "So you said you need some time...anything you want to talk about?" Despite the lightness of her tone, there was just a touch of worry threaded through the question.
"I barely got to talk to Rafe last night...some kind of scheduling snafu with the phone," the younger woman explained, sounding tired and a little frustrated. "But he's in this morning, and has some free time...so I want to go over and get this started face to face."
If Olivia had been drinking, that bit of news would have been a dose of instant sobriety. "Anything I can do to help?" She heard Natalia drag in a breath and blow it out again.
"I don't think so," the other woman said after a long beat. "I think it needs to be just Rafe and I...at least at first...and we need to start simple...discuss the idea of you and Emma moving back into the farmhouse...and make sure he understands how good a friend you've been to me while he was in prison...then go from there."
Hearing the trepidation in Natalia's voice, Olivia wished she could just wrap her in a protective embrace, wave a magic wand and make everything simple. "He loves you," she assured the younger woman. "Even if he has a hard time with some of it, I truly believe he'll come around."
"I hope so," Natalia exhaled.
Olivia felt her stomach start to knot with tension at the worried note in the younger woman's voice. Rafe was her entire family. What would she do if she couldn't get him to accept this relationship?
"No," Natalia said abruptly, her tone turning decisive. "He will...he has to...because I'm not losing this...or you." She took another shuddering breath. "He's just going to have to learn to accept it."
Some of the terror eased as Olivia consciously pushed back the fear of having the other shoe drop. "I love you," she whispered with heartfelt intensity.
"I love you too," Natalia responded, her voice low and serious. She paused a beat, then continued in a more formal tone. "I'll be in as soon as I can."
"This is important, so don't feel you have to rush," Olivia said quickly. "I'm not sure how I'll survive without you...but I will."
The soft answering laugh was light enough to ease more of Olivia's fears. "You always do...but it's good to know I make it easier."
"You make it all worthwhile," Olivia put extra emphasis on the last word.
"Okay," Natalia said, her tone suddenly brisk. "If I don't hang up and go, I'm going to just stand here and tell you how much I love you all day-"
"Which I wouldn't mind," Olivia pointed out.
"But which won't deal with Rafe."
"Right," Olivia exhaled. "Rafe." She took a breath. "Good luck."
"I'll talk to you later."
The connection went dead and Olivia snapped her phone shut, peering at it for a long moment. "Oh, please let this work out," she begged no one in particular, then finally tucked her phone in a pocket and hurried on.
* * * * * * *
TBC