Page 22 of Protected by the Sheriff (Magnolia Falls #2)
Olivia
A s I wake, I feel groggy and hungover, even though I only drank two glasses of wine at dinner last night. Not only that, I feel like crap. I’m cramping and spotting, but it’s not time for my period yet. The stress must be putting my body out of whack.
I was so tired after dinner last night, but Mason took care of me. He carried me up to bed and even tucked me in. In his arms, I feel so safe, and I wonder if I just quit resisting him, what that would feel like. I ache for him to hold me, but I’m so scared to give in completely.
“Good morning, baby,” Mason says, and it seems like he’s extra loud this morning.
Wrapping my arms around my middle to relieve the cramps, I croak, “Shhh… I don’t feel good.”
“What’s wrong, Liv?”
“I’m cramping like I’m starting my period, but it’s not time yet. I also have a headache from hell.”
He walks back into the bedroom with a glass of water and two small pills. “Here’s something for the pain, baby.”
Taking the pills, I swallow them down, followed by the water. He climbs back into bed and pulls me close, holding me. “Why don’t you take today off?”
“I can’t. I have a full diary and tons of paperwork to do today.”
I purposefully avoid mentioning that I also need to talk to Knox because I’m not dumb enough to mention his name around Mason.
Since he didn’t come back to work yesterday, I’m hoping we can have a heart-to-heart conversation today.
I don’t want to lose a friend. Even though Knox hasn’t been around long, I have bonded with him as much as I have with Piper and Hadley.
They are my friends, and I want to keep it that way.
When I arrive at work, I walk to my office with the mail in my hand.
As I sit down at my desk, I take a deep breath.
I hate paying bills and doing administrative work.
Maybe one day I can hire someone to do this part.
It would be great if I could tattoo all the time, but owning a business comes with added responsibilities.
As I flip through the envelopes, opening them and laying the bills in front of my computer, I come to an envelope that looks different. There’s no return address on it, and my name is handwritten on the front.
With a swift movement, I tear open the top, pull out the letter, and notice its striking similarity to the ransom notes often seen on TV, constructed from cut-out magazine words and letters. A shiver runs through me, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end as a sudden chill washes over me.
Ms. Lane
Leave. You aren’t welcome here. Don’t make us make you leave.
As I turn the paper over expecting more, or at least the sender’s details, all I see is the blank back of the paper.
The bell on the front door jingles, and I realize I forgot to lock it when I got here.
As I walk to the lobby, I see the asshole land developer standing with a sleazy expression on his face.
“Mr. Richards, what are you doing here?”
I can’t help the scowl on my face because I know this asshole had something to do with the vandalism of my shop, and I want him nowhere near me.
“Ms. Lane, did you think about my offer?”
“Mr. Richards, I told you, I’m not interested.”
The fake smile falls from his face, replaced by an ugly glare that sends goose bumps down my spine.
“Ms. Lane, I’ve been patient with you, but my company is ready to move forward, and you need to stop holding things up.”
“I know you are behind the vandalism to my shop, and you are going to get caught and arrested.”
“I’m sure you will be happy to know I have an alibi, and the police already questioned and cleared me,” he says with a smirk.
“I’m not selling and there’s nothing you can do that will change my mind.”
With a snarl twisting his lips, he raises one eyebrow and fixes me with a challenging stare. “We’ll see about that.”
As the bell rings on the door when he leaves, my hand trembles when I reach out to lock it behind him. That guy gives me the creeps. Mason can’t know that he paid me another visit or about the note, or he will go ballistic and never allow me to leave the house again.
This day is not starting off the way I envisioned. Starting my day with cramps from hell and feeling tired and groggy sucks. I even went to bed early last night. Then this douchebag comes and threatens me. It’s all enough to make me want to go home and crawl back into bed.
Mason was sweet enough to cook me dinner last night, and he made me breakfast the last two mornings.
It makes me want to do something nice for him.
I know he’s on patrol this evening, so he’ll be late tonight, but I’m not a great cook.
The best person to call and ask is Kate, but I wonder if I can bribe her to not tell her son so I can surprise him?
Today isn’t busy, so I can have Hadley, Piper, and hopefully Knox take any walk in appointments that come in. I finish up the administrative work and pick up my cell phone, dialing Kate.
“Hello.”
“Kate. This is Olivia.”
“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”
“I’m good. I wanted to ask you a favor, and I need you to keep it a secret from Mason.”
I hear her chuckle on the other line. “Sure, honey. What is it I can do to help?”
“I want to cook his favorite meal, but I’m not much of a cook. He’s been doing all the cooking for me.”
“Oh, that’s a lovely idea. When do you want to do it?”
“Can we do it later this afternoon? He’s going to be coming home a little late this evening and it should give us plenty of time.”
“Okay, I’ll text you a grocery list and meet you at your house.”
My cheeks are on fire. “Um, Kate. We can’t do it at my house. Your stubborn son took all my belongings and moved them to his house.”
Kate laughs at me. “That is fantastic news, and I am thrilled to hear it. I know you are aware of my family’s past, and it kills me that my ex-husband’s actions hurt my sons. All I want is for them to find happiness.”
I’m sitting here embarrassed having to tell Mason’s mom we are living together, and she’s laughing it off.
“Okay, so we will meet at Mason’s house, and I will text you the grocery list for you to pick up on the way home. I’ll make sure I’m gone before he gets home tonight.”
“Thank you, Kate.”
“Bye, hon.”
Kate is a sweet lady, and everyone loves her to pieces, but she also carries around a lot of pain from her husband’s affair with her then soon-to-be daughter-in-law.
Lisa was the worst. She even tried to kill Savannah.
By the time I moved here, she was already in prison, and I never got to meet her.
Thank goodness. I’d have grabbed her by her fake ass tits and banged her head into the ground for what she did to my best friend.
Hurrying along, I try to finish my workday as quickly as I can and then I drive to the local grocery store. It’s small, but it’s a long drive to get to one of those out-of-town supercenters, so this will do.
As I open my car door, I see a familiar truck. Knox is walking to his vehicle, and he looks awful. Hurrying out so I can catch up before he gets into his vehicle and leaves, I get to him just in time.
“Knox, hey, we need to talk.”
Knox turns to me, and he’s got dark circles under his eyes, and his face is bruised from the fight at the bar. His hair is unkept and oily, and he looks like he hasn’t shaved in days. His shirt is wrinkled. I’ve never seen Knox look like this at work, so it’s shocking.
“Knox, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Liv. I have to go.” As I reach for his arm, he moves just out of my reach, clearly wanting to avoid my touch.
“Please talk to me. We’re friends. When are you coming back to work?”
He glares at me with a look of hatred that I’ve never seen from Knox before. It startles me and makes me take a step back.
“That’s the fucking problem, Olivia. I don’t want to be your friend,” he spits.
“But, Knox, we can work this out.”
“No, we can’t. Your boyfriend made sure that there was no fixing this. I’ll be back at work when I’m ready. Don’t worry, you’ll get your booth rent.” He turns and hops up into his truck, taking off.
I’ve lost a friend and probably an outstanding employee, all because I was an idiot and tried to avoid what was happening between Mason and me.
I’m going to give in and not fight it anymore.
This isn’t fair to the people around us to become casualties of our war.
I’m going to negotiate a truce with Mason.