Chapter Eight
Olivia
Friday
“Okay, right, well, I’ll see you later then.” I waved awkwardly to Justine. “Have a good day at school.”
She ignored me, purposefully shoving ear buds into her ears. I knew that she’d heard me, but I suppose that was the point. She didn’t want me to think that I was getting anywhere with her at all. I knew that much!
I watched the car pull away with my heart sinking in my chest. I just wanted that poor girl to be happy, but now everyone was mad at me. Even Mark was pissed because I dared to ask him to take some time out of his schedule for his daughter. I looked through his calendar, and he had time for everything but her. It was almost as if he couldn’t see that she was crying out for his attention… at least, I thought she was. Especially after losing her grandmother, the one person who was always a constant in her life. My God, it was a good thing I went to the therapy session with Justine or I wouldn’t know anything. To imagine that she went through all that… it made sense that she acted in the way that she did. Maybe now I would be able to get to her better. Somehow, I hoped that I would find a way to get through, and then Mark would forgive me.
With a deep sigh, I made my way up to the apartment, and I grabbed my laptop. I took it through to the library, which was weirdly the ugliest room in the house. I couldn’t sit in my room the whole time, and I wasn’t too sure I fit into the sleek living room. I preferred to inhale the wonderful scent of books. I also loved the futon in the middle of the room, and the cute little desk in the corner. That was where I preferred to sit today.
I rubbed my forehead, trying to get rid of the stress as I waited for my laptop to load. The screen seemed to take forever to load, but as soon as it did, it connected to the lightning-quick internet, allowing me to search for a better therapist in the area. I didn’t want one with a fancy office and lots of reviews; I wanted someone warm, someone who actually took the time to care about their clients. Someone who could help Justine.
It took me some time. My eyes started to ache from the glow of the screen, but soon I’d sent off a variety of emails to people I thought seemed good. Depending on their responses, I would pick one.
Once I was done, I leaned back in the chair and stared out the window at the city surrounding me. Maybe I didn’t have time to go right into the city center now and see all the touristy sights, but I had enough time to go and explore the local area. So, why the hell not? I needed to get used to where I was living for the time being anyway. Plus, I still hadn’t gotten around to getting my stuff shipped, so maybe I could use some of my first weekly payment, which had been transferred this morning, to get some new clothes. I already felt a little bit like I’d shed some of my old skin anyway, so maybe it was time to get a new look to reflect that…
With a smile on my face, I shoved the bundle of keys in my handbag, and I made my way to the elevator. It felt kinda good to be taking charge of what I was doing for the time being. It would be a very long time before I felt like a true New Yorker but I wanted to get on my way. I wanted to feel like I belonged.
“Good morning, again,” I smiled brightly to Lincoln as I greeted him again. “I’m just headed out for a bit.”
Lincoln looked happily at me. I got the impression that he was impressed by my change in mood. “Well that is just wonderful. I hope you have a lovely time and I look forward to seeing you later on.”
I stepped outside, allowing the warmth of the sunlight to wash over me. I moved away from the building and towards the row of shops that I vaguely remembered passing when I first drove towards here. I wasn’t paying much attention then; I was too busy being blown away by the wild job offer, but now I was interested.
Immediately, my eyes spotted a gorgeous looking bakery, which I needed to go to right away. I could already smell it, and the scent was delicious! The closer I got, the more I could see a wonderful row of cupcakes that were screaming out for me. I knew that I was supposed to be exploring, but this was best place to start.
As I stepped inside, the guy behind the counter gave me an adorable smile. He had a cute, preppy look. He reminded me a little of the guy back home. “Hello there. How can I help you today?”
“Erm, can I have a cupcake please?” I scanned my eyes over the selection. “That one. And a coffee?”
“Of course, you can.” His eyes crinkled as he got to work. “It’s a lovely day out, isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah, it sure is.” That was truer for me than he could know. “I’m loving the sun.”
“It makes such a difference, doesn’t it? It makes the whole city light up.”
So much for the supposed New York rudeness that people in Virginia spoke about when I first began to talk about moving here. This guy was the friendliest man that I’d ever come across! He made me feel comfortable.
“Okay, here we go.” He took my ten-dollar bill from me and handed me change. “Thank you.”
He gave me a grin that seemed to be meaningful, but I wasn’t quite sure what the meaning was. At least, not until I stepped outside and I took a deeper look at my coffee cup. The guy from inside the coffee shop, or Benji as it suggested from what he’d written, had given me his phone number. I didn’t think that I would ever call him, but it was always nice to be admired. It gave me pep in my step that hadn’t been there before.
This was going to be a really good day.
***
I had a handful of bags as I stepped back into the building, filled with clothes that I never would have purchased beforehand. I probably would have admired them if I’d seen them in Virginia. I would have liked them for other people but I never would’ve thought that I could be the one wearing them.
But today, anything was possible. Absolutely anything in the world.
“Ah, good afternoon, Olivia,” Lincoln called out to me. “You look well.”
“And who are you?” The older lady next to Lincoln peered over her glasses at me. “I haven’t seen you before.”
“Oh, I’m Olivia. I’m working with Mark Rylance and his daughter, Justine.”
“Yes, yes, I know them.” Her lips turned down into a disapproving frown. I wasn’t sure if that was directed at me or Mark. To be honest, I was so happy I didn’t really care. “I take it you aren’t from New York?”
“Is it that obvious?” I laughed awkwardly. “No, I’m not from here, I’m from Virginia.”
“Oh, well that’s lovely. It’s a very nice part of the country.”
“You’ve been?” She nodded and started to walk towards the elevator, so I followed her. “You like it?”
“I do very much.” She held out her hand to me. “I’m Mrs. Stedman, by the way. I live on floor six.” The elevator pinged open and we both stepped inside. There was something about this woman that intrigued me. She seemed like a really nice person, and I always loved a good friendly face. “If you’re new here, you probably don’t know many people, do you?” I shook my head. “Well, you can always come to me for a cup of tea.”
Wow, that was a nice offer. She didn’t know me at all, and she was being so kind to me. “Thank you.”
Mrs. Stedman leaned in closer to me. “I came to New York as a young woman on my own as well. I know what a daunting experience it can be. I’m always around if you want an ear to listen to you.”
As she stepped out of the elevator, I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t throw her kind offer away. Even if she wasn’t the person I thought I would want to be my friend, I’d learned recently that life didn’t always turn out as planned, but that didn’t have to be a bad thing. Maybe this lady would be a great friend in the end.
Once I stepped out the elevator myself into Mark’s apartment, I immediately headed for my laptop. While I waited for Justine to come home, it was time for me to check through the emails to see if any of the therapists had gotten back to me. The sooner I got this sorted, the better…
***
The elevator doors pinged open and Justine slunk inside. I bounced on my heels, excited to tell her the good news. I had just had the most wonderful phone conversation with a therapist whom I just knew would be perfect. She knew all about grief and she was great with kids. Plus, talking to her made me see how nice she was.
“Hey, Justine.” Of course, I got nothing more than an eye roll but I wasn’t about to let that put me off today. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Not now,” she snapped as she stalked towards her room. But I had no intention of being rolled over. Not today. I had been working my ass off to make her life a little better and I wanted her to hear it. Maybe if she knew that someone was on her side, it wouldn’t all seem so bad. I had to at least try, anyway.
“It’s about your therapy.” Predictably she stopped, but she didn’t turn to face me. “I got rid of the guy that your dad wanted you to see, and I’ve just been speaking to a lady called Susan instead. She seems really nice; she isn’t the sort of person who will tell you how you’re supposed to feel. She explores it with you.”
“Whatever.” Justine didn’t seem as impressed as me. “It sounds stupid.”
I felt like a deflated balloon as she shot me down. But I had to not take it personally. Susan told me that I would get the brunt of it for the moment because there wasn’t anyone else around. “Okay, so how was school?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her tight voice made me wonder if something was going on at school. Maybe she was having a hard time there, which also added to her bad moods. “I’m going.”
As she stormed away, I focused on the sadness hunched in her shoulders instead of the anger that burst out of her lips like bullets. She spoke like a teenager, but she looked like a child. It was heartbreaking to see.
“I’m going to make cookies,” I called after her desperately. “You can help if you want?”
She slammed her bedroom door so hard that it made wince, but I was determined to make the cookies anyway. Who knew? Maybe the smell would draw her out of her room. And if not, it didn’t matter. I had new clothes, a new attitude, and I felt good about myself. New York would work out for me; I was determined for that to happen.