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“That would be nice,” Charlie admitted. It did make him feel better to picture the consternation Cait would feel at being denied a conclusive answer. She wanted so badly to be right about him, and unfortunately, shewas— but she would never need to know that for certain. She probablywouldalways wonder, and there was relief in that idea.
“Come on,” he told Olivia. “Let’s get home. This was annoying.”
“It wasn’t so bad, really,” she said. “That Rogan guy isn’t bad. He seems reasonable. If we could have these meetings without your siblings being present, I don’t think I’d mind at all.”
“I really owe you one for being so cool and agreeable about all this,” Charlie said. “I know it’s a lot to put up with.”
She shrugged. “It’s what I agreed to,” she said. “It wouldn’t make much sense to start complaining about it now.”
“Even so, I want you to know that I appreciate what you did today. Really. This was so much easier because we were in there as a team. I’m glad we were able to be united.”
“So am I,” Olivia said with a smile, and Charlie felt a sense of companionship. They were in this together — the two of them aligned against his siblings and the uptight rules that had been laid out in the will. It felt at the moment as though Olivia was the only person in the world who was on his side.
They drove home in a companionable silence. When they got out of the car, Charlie hesitated. “Do you want to take the rest of the day to yourself? God knows you’ve done enough today.”
“Maybe a short nap until I have to pick up Izzy from school,” Olivia said.
“What time is that?”
“She gets out at three.”
“Olivia, you know it’s two forty-five right now, don’t you?”
Olivia’s jaw dropped. “It’swhat? Where did the time go? How long were we there? I’m late! I have to go right now! Oh my God, I need to get gas.”
“Get in the car.” Charlie grabbed his keys. “I’ll drive. After that meeting, I think it’s the least I can do.”
He thought Olivia might protest, but she didn’t. She looked at him for a moment, then nodded and headed out to the car.
CHAPTER8
OLIVIA
“Don’t talk to Izzy,” Olivia implored Charlie as they pulled up in front of the school.
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not allowed to talk to her?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“You think I’m that much of a bad influence? What do you think is going to happen if we have a conversation?”
“It’s not about you being a bad influence,” Olivia told him. “It’s about… I was trying to keep these parts of my life separate from one another. You and I decided together not to let my family know about this marriage. That’s why they weren’t at the wedding.”
“Well, I wouldn’t tell her about that.”
“No, I know, but when I’m at home with my family, I want that to be a space where I don’t have to think about what things are like when I’m here with you.”
“It’s that bad being with me?”
“Charlie, stop it. I’m not trying to insult you. I’m just trying to keep things separated. You can understand that, right?”
“What if she wants to know who I am?”
“She will want to know that, and I’ll tell her.” Olivia spotted her sister out the window. “Here she comes. Please.”
Before he could protest any further, she hopped out of the car and held up a hand, knowing that Izzy might have trouble locating her since she was in an unfamiliar car today. Izzy frowned, but she came jogging over.
“Did your car break down?” she asked Olivia.