Chapter 13
Brad
By the time Friday rolled around, I was done. The entire week had been long and stressful. After dealing with horrible customers all day, I wanted nothing more than to leave the shop behind for the weekend. I was mentally exhausted and physically drained. As I sat down in the office, I sighed and ran my hands over my face. Finally, the week was over, and I could forget about work for a while. My mind turned to Olivia, and I wondered what she was doing tonight.
Without stopping to think, I looked up her cell number in my system and called her. I couldn’t believe it had only been a week since she walked into my shop. This time last Friday, Olivia Storm was nothing more than a stranger. Now she was the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. No matter how hard I tried, her face swam through my mind a hundred times a day. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to be with her.
So, I pressed my phone to my ear and listened to the soft ringing. When she finally answered, her voice brought a smile to my face.
“Hello?” she said.
“Olivia?” I asked. “Hey, it’s Brad.”
“Oh!” she said. “Hey!”
I could hear the excitement in her voice.
“How’s your day been?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
“It’s been great,” she said. “I’m just now getting off work.”
“Me too,” I said with a sigh. “It’s been insane over here.”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Fucking horrible, actually,” I said.
She laughed. “Sounds like someone needs to have some fun tonight.”
“There’s a bar not too far from your hotel,” I said. “You interested?”
“That depends,” she said. “Does this bar serve food? I’m starving,”
“Yes,” I said. “It does.”
“Then I’m in,” she said.
I grinned. “What time?”
“Well,” I said. “I’m finishing up a few things at the shop, and then I need to head home. So, eight?”
“Perfect,” she said. “I’ll see you then.”
“Bye, Olivia,” I said, feeling lighter than I had in days.
We hung up, and I sighed deeply, sitting up and running my fingers through my hair. I still felt exhausted, but my energy was renewed at the prospect of seeing Olivia later. In just a couple hours, I would be with my new favorite distraction. All thoughts of work would be driven from my mind, and I couldn’t wait. Grinning, I stood up and spun around to go lock up the garage. When I looked up, I saw Rex standing in front of me. His eyes were locked on my face, a look of understanding on his face.
I knew he’d heard my entire conversation with Olivia. I felt a heavy weight fall inside my stomach. I could see the judgment in Rex’s eyes, and I hated it. I didn’t want to get into this with him, but I didn’t see a way out of it. Rex was the most opinionated person I’d ever met. Now that he knew about me and Olivia, he would have more than a few things to say.
“Seriously?” he asked, walking toward me. “I thought you said nothing was going on between you two?”
“Nothing is,” I said, sighing deeply. “It’s just a casual thing, Rex. Relax.”
“A casual thing with a customer is a big deal,” he said. “What are you thinking?”
“That it’s none of your damn business.” I snapped.
“It is,” Rex said. “I care about you, man. We both know this is a bad idea.”
“Why?” I asked. “Why is it such a bad idea?”
Rex sighed and leaned against my desk. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him, waiting for the answer I knew was coming. Rex and I had been friends for years. We bonded over our mutual time in lockup. He was the only person in my life who could understand the places I’d been and the things I’d done. Like me, he spent time behind bars because of his father and like me, he’d sworn to turn his life around once he was released.
I respected Rex more than anyone, and I didn’t want to fight with him. Still, I could feel my anger boiling inside of me as he stared me down.
“Olivia Storm isn’t like us,” he said simply. “She may be slumming it right now, traveling across the country, pursuing her art, but she isn’t like us. She’s from an extremely rich family. Do you even know who the Storms are?”
“No,” I said. “And I don’t care.”
“Well, you should,” Rex said. “They’re one of the most prominent families in New York City. I can’t even tell you how much money this girl has.”
“She doesn’t have any money,” I said defensively. “Her parents cut her off when she left New York.”
“Is that what she told you?” Rex asked.
“That’s the truth,” I said. “She wouldn’t lie about that. I mean, come on, who would?”
“Maybe so,” Rex said. “But that doesn’t mean she’s going to stick around. She’ll stay in town until her car is fixed and then she’ll be gone.”
“So?” I asked, my frustration growing.
“So, then what?” Rex asked. “You’re going to get yourself all involved with this girl and then she’s going to bail. You’ll be hurt and alone. What good is that, Brad?”
“I’ll be just fine,” I said. “I can take care of myself, Rex.”
“So, you keep saying,” Rex said. “But here you are, putting your business in jeopardy for some chick.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I demanded.
“You’re screwing a client,” Rex said. “That’s not exactly a shining business ad.”
“It’s no one’s business.” I snapped.
“Think about this for a second,” Rex said. “Really think about it.”
“I have,” I said.
“Have you?” Rex’s eyebrows shot up.
I paused. He wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t want to admit that. I didn’t know what I would do when Olivia left town. Already, I felt myself growing attached to her but what could I do about it? It was too late.
“I’m not some sappy little bitch,” I said. “I’m not falling in love with Olivia. When she lives, life will go on.”
“Good, because there’s no hope for this relationship,” Rex said seriously. “You have no future with this girl.”
His words were harsh, but I knew he was coming from a good place. Rex had seen me stumble and fall more times than I could count. He knew how hard I worked to get this shop off the ground. After prison, it wasn’t easy to get work. People turned their noses up at you and looked the other way, ignoring you until you disappeared.
It was an uphill battle for us both. Rex and I struggled together. He was my best friend, and I relied on him more than anyone. He was right about Olivia and me. We came from entirely different worlds, and there wasn’t anything I could do to change that.
Still, that didn’t change my mind. I knew she would leave town and I knew our relationship would inevitably end but so what? Her car was almost finished. Work would be done soon and then she would continue making payments until the bill was paid off. It didn’t hurt to spend a little time with her, especially not if it was only one more night.
“I get it,” I said. “Okay? I get it.”
“I just want you to be careful,” Rex said. “You’ve been through enough shit in your life, man. You don’t need any more trouble.”
“Trust me, I know.” I scoffed.
Rex nodded and slapped my back. He left the shop without another word about Olivia. I thought about calling her up to cancel, but I knew I never would. My day had been total shit, and the only thing that would make it better was seeing her. I locked up the shop, closed out the register, and checked the garages one final time. When I was sure the place was secure, I climbed into my truck and drove toward home.
My conversation with Rex ran through my mind on an endless loop. By the time I got home, I was pissed and in need of a long shower. I got ready for my date with Olivia, trying to calm myself down as I did. Rex brought doubts to the surface that I wished would have stayed buried.
I always knew Olivia would leave Santa Fe the first chance she got. She’d get her car fixed, pay up, and then be gone. I knew that. I’d always known that and yet, hearing it from Rex’s mouth was somehow worse. Knowing that another person was involved, however remotely, made the situation feel more real.
As I got dressed that night, I pushed through my doubts and decided to just have fun. Olivia was hot as hell and insanely fun to be around that. That was what mattered, nothing else.