Ryan’s door was open, and she knocked lightly. He was sitting at his desk with a file open in front of him and reading glasses perched on his nose. Glancing up, he regarded her a moment before closing the file. With deliberately slow motions, he removed his glasses, briefly pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I’ll never get used to these things, I guess.” He smiled and rose, coming around his desk. “Come in. Please have a seat.”
She stepped into the office. “I’d rather not sit. I’m not going to be here that long.” She tried to steady her breathing, but her heart raced and her hands were shaking. Get it under control, Olivia.
“I need to take some time off. Soon. Starting tomorrow afternoon, actually. I’m... I don’t know when I’ll be back. Maybe not for a week.”
She knew she was treading on thin ice with Ryan. Even when their working relationship had been more stable, he’d required at least a week’s notice for time off. But now, with Logan leaving for Scotland in a day’s time, Olivia was desperate. And she was angry enough with Ryan to deal with however he reacted.
“Olivia, you know you can’t take leave on such short notice, unless it’s an emergency.”
He walked toward her, reaching behind her to push the door closed. The sound of it slamming was loud, and she jumped.
“What’s gotten into you?” He watched her a moment, hands clasped behind his back. “You’re jumpy. You’re rushing off to who knows where on a whim.” He moved forward as he continued to speak, pacing around her. Olivia turned her head to follow his motion. “But I think I know where you’re going. And who you’re going after.”
Ryan stopped behind her, and she felt his hands coming down on her shoulders. “I think there’s something you’re not telling me. And I want to know where you’re going.”
“Take your hands off me now.” She was surprised by how calm she managed to sound. “Now.”
The stir of his breath on her neck as he spoke made her cringe. “Or? We’ve had this conversation before. You’ll go to human resources. You’ll file a complaint. I know; you’ve told me this. And I’ve said go ahead, because no one will believe you. And now you’re being an insubordinate employee, not following protocol.” His voice dropped lower. “You’re being willfully disobedient, Olivia. I could write you up, you know.”
His lips were suddenly on her neck, and she jerked out of his grip, spinning around to face him with anger fueling her movements. But Ryan only watched her calmly, a smug smile on his face.
“Are you going to slap me again? I enjoyed your little outburst last night.” He moved closer. “And I liked the pain.”
“You’re sick, you know that?”
“Am I?” He laughed. “As to your leave-”
“I’m taking it. I’ll be out of the office after lunch tomorrow. You can check with the new paralegal you hired—I forget her name—if you need anything with my cases. Or Lori can help you. And you can write me up, if you want.” Olivia could hear the rising anger in her voice, but for once didn’t lower it. She liked the way it made her feel. Strong. Finally standing up to him. “There are things in my life you cannot control, and this is one of them.”
For a moment, Ryan was silent, and she wondered if she’d surprised him. He shook his head. “You’re making an unwise choice. I’m sorry to see things heading in this direction.”
Moving around behind his desk, he sat down again, opening the file he’d abandoned, and reached for his glasses. Without looking up, he spoke.
“You’re granted... indefinite leave. Do what you think you have to. Just know that there are consequences waiting for you when you return.”
Olivia’s hands were shaking as she opened the door. Lori was at her desk and looked up briefly as Olivia walked past.
“Olivia,” she said, swiveling in her chair. “About Victoria...”
“I’m sorry, Lori. Later. I don’t have time right now.”
She pushed open the stairwell door, walking one flight down before she stopped, sinking onto the top step. It was becoming a familiar location. The last thing she wanted to do was anger Ryan further, but there was no way she was going to let him stand between her and any chance she might have with Logan.
When her hands had stopped shaking and her trip-hammering heart had slowed, she finished the descent back to her floor.
Victoria flagged Olivia down as soon as she came into view, waving an envelope. Olivia detoured over to her desk.
“Yes, Victoria?”
“It’s from Ashton’s attorney,” she said, proffering the envelope. “I thought you’d want to see it right away.”
“Oh. Yes. Thank you.” Olivia ripped open the thick envelope and pulled out the creamy sheets of expensive paper, scanning them quickly. A frown creased her forehead.
“They want to file a counter claim. I thought that might happen.”
“What are you going to do?”
Olivia didn’t answer. Hardly even heard the words. She was already walking away, still reading through the dense legal language on the papers.
Once she’d closed the door to her office behind her, Olivia tossed the papers onto her desk, pacing the room in agitation. Logan might have left, but he was still her client, and she had a duty to him to deal with the counter claim from Ashton, but there wasn’t time. Not if she wanted to bring him back into her life as more than just a professional acquaintance.
Logan was the man she loved. The man who loved her. Or, at least, the man who had. Maybe still did. But if she didn’t do something to try and find him quickly, to make him listen to reason, she would surely lose him forever.
On the other hand, if she neglected his case, her job would be on the line. This was a big case, the kind people in her industry would deem ‘career making.’ It was big for her, but also big for the firm.
So there was the decision. Choose her career or choose her love for Logan. And as she pondered what to do, she realized that it was a simple decision after all.
* * *
OLIVIA TRIED TO SLEEP on the flight, but under LED lights in a plane that was starting to feel very cramped, it was little use. Anxiety and uncertainty over what exactly she would do when she reached Scotland—much less what she would do when she finally tracked down Logan—made her restless. The interminable layover in Amsterdam nearly drove her mad. She paced the airports from end to end, too tire to enjoy the architecture of either place, too keyed up even to eat.
Inverness, when she finally arrived, was cold and raining, the sky low and heavy with gray clouds. She asked the taxi driver to take her to a local shopping mall so she could grab something warm. The light jacket that had been fine in New York was little protection against the elements, and she shivered as she stood on the narrow street. She ducked into the first shop that sold women’s clothing and bought a thick wool sweater.
After finally getting warm for the first time since she’d arrived, Olivia headed to her hotel. It was a tiny little place, tucked at the end of a dead-end street, and she was glad she’d taken a taxi instead of renting a car. She never would have found the place on her own.
She was also absolutely exhausted. Collapsing onto the lumpy bed in the tiny, damp room, she tried once more in vain to sleep, dozing fitfully for a short time. But she was almost too tired to sleep, and her stomach rumbled, reminding her of the meals she’d missed since she left New York.
Sleep wasn’t going to happen. Giving up on it for the moment, Olivia made her way to the bar downstairs, only to find she’d missed the dinner service. Dejected, she slumped onto a barstool. The man behind the bar gave her a sympathetic smile.
“I suppose we can fix ye a plate of beans and bridie. And ye’ll have a drink on the house.”
Somewhere, Olivia found a smile for him. “Thank you, that’s very kind. I’ve... I was going to say I’d had a long day, but I think it’s been more like a long month. So really, it means a lot.”
The barman smiled again, and poured her the promised drink, making polite conversation while she waited for whatever a ‘bridie’ was. He asked what brought her to Inverness.
Olivia took a long swallow from the glass he’d poured. “I came to see Logan Graham at the Ironworks.”
Saying his name out loud made her heart flutter. Even though it had only been a few days, it seemed so long since she’d seen him. A flush that could have been from thinking of Logan, or from the heat of the Scotch, crept up her face. Even with a splash of water, it was potent, although she was more prepared for the bite of the liquid on her tongue than she might have been a few months ago, before Logan and the Macallan.
“Aye. Graham’s a local lad. A good lad, at that. Come back to do a special show, just for us. Added last minute, so I hear. You’re lucky ye got tickets.” He winked at her and went off to see to a customer at the far end of the bar.
I am lucky. Olivia looked down at the amber liquid in her glass and tried not to think about Macallan spilled across her kitchen floor. I just hope my luck holds.