Page 32 of She’s a Big Deal

“I know you are also kind,” her assistant went on in a similar voice. “Caring, helpful, extremely generous. But this you keep behind the scenes, never seeking credit or recognition for all the good things you do. Ms. Bianchi…” Grace held her breath at the mention of her lover. “I think she sees the real you as well.”

A bold statement from Libby. And risky, too, veering into the personal like that. Grace swallowed to digest it.

“Falling in love,” she reflected then. “Sometimes it does feel a bit like having a heart attack. Don’t you think?”

“It can be intense.” Libby chuckled.

“It’s scary.” Grace exhaled. “I guess even more so for a lone wolf, domineering, and emotionally locked-down bitch like me.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Libby was still smiling gently. “But I’m sure you know, Ms. Michaels, that true love only comes once or twice in a lifetime. Of all the deals you’ll ever make, it’s the one that really counts.”

“Hmm.”

“May I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Did Ms. Bianchi really say you are an emotionally locked-down bitch?”

“She didn’t say that specific word but yes, that was the gist of it. And that she’s in love with me.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Hmm-mm.” Grace flashed a smile. “She kissed me in front of the French contingent. The kind of kiss a French person would highly approve of.”

Libby’s eyes glistened again, but now she was beaming. “I will finish the draft contract and take care of sending it. I’ll clear the rest of your schedule for this afternoon as well. No problem at all. You should go.”

“What about the—”

“No.” Libby was polite but firm. “Go. Now.”

◆◆◆

The growl of the Ferrari’s engine had never sounded better. The wind streaming in her hair as she raced down the freeway, the glint of sunshine on water, colors flashing... Everything so much sharper and more vivid. Must be the feel of true freedom, Grace thought. And that ugly weight on her chest, which she used to feel from time to time, was fully gone now. She pulled in front of the Holiday Inn, climbed out of the car, and headed straight for the entrance. Spotting Olivia up ahead, about to cross the street, she raised her arm to catch her attention. Before she could do so, there was a yell.

“Jaycee!”

A woman on the other side, laden with shopping bags and pushing a buggy, ran after a toddler who had escaped her grasp. As he suddenly shot across the street, like a bullet fired from a gun, the woman’s shout turned into a blood-curdling scream.

“JAYCEE! ”

A large delivery truck was fast approaching. Stunned faces turned to stare at the buzz of its ship-like horn. There was the sound of screeching brakes. More screams from people as they realized the situation. That truck won’t be able to stop. Grace was too far to intervene, but she saw that Olivia was already flying. She watched her cut across three lanes of heavy traffic. How she made it to the other side without taking a hit was a miracle in itself. And then she was able to grab the kid. Grace clearly saw her tuck him against her chest and turn her back to the road in an instinctively protective gesture. She was running too. And still too far. Goddammit! She heard the horn again, that dreadful blast, warning of impending disaster.

“Olivia!”

Horrified, Grace watched her desperate attempt to leap out of harm’s way. The truck, a nightmare of destructive power as it thundered past, obscured her view right at that moment. By the time she could see again, Grace noted that the kid was up, and running back toward his mom. Olivia was on the ground. Not moving. Not getting up. The sight of her so still was sickening, and a powerful trigger. Blood in the snow... No. NO! Grace almost shouted it out loud. Not again!

“Olivia!” She dropped to her knees in front of her. “Liv!”

Frantically, she laid her hands on her shoulders and started to turn her over so she could see her face. Watch her neck. Be careful with her back. Oh, God, what if she’s—

◆◆◆

“Ow. Shit. Dammit! Fuck, fuck!”

Olivia hissed in agony as her right knee pulsed and burned with enough heat to melt the pavement. She clutched at her leg. Broken? She kept her eyes tightly shut against almost unbearable pain. Then a single word cut through it all. One word spoken in that low and husky voice she would recognize anywhere.

“Liv.”

Disoriented, Olivia blinked in the sunshine as she glanced up. A sea of faces in front of her. Where had are all these people come from?

“Grace?” she called. “ Grace?”

“Here. Look at me. I’m right here.”

She was. She had come. Relief flooded through her as Olivia focused her attention on these intent blue eyes. Her heart lifted. Could this mean—

“You’re bleeding,” Grace interrupted before she could ask her anything. “Talk to me, babe. Are you okay?”

“I… Yeah. I just… I smashed my knee.”

“Your elbow, too.”

Olivia barely glanced at the huge bruise already forming. Her shirt was all torn up on that side. No matter. Even through her own pain, she could still hear an edge of pure terror in her lover’s voice. She reached for her, took her wrist, and kept her eyes firmly locked onto hers.

“I’m okay. I promise. The truck didn’t hit me.”

“Are you sure?” Grace insisted. “Did you black out at any point?”

“No. Just twisted my knee on… upon landing.” Damn. That brutal ache made it hard to talk. “I pulled something when I fell. I think it’s dislocated.”

“Get back!” Grace roared at the crowd of onlookers. “Give us some space. Let her breathe, for God’s sake!”

“I called an ambulance,” someone offered. “They’re on their way.”

“I don’t know what’s taking so long,” Grace grunted as she moved to sit behind her. “Lean back against me, darling. Try to relax.”

“Is the child okay?” Olivia inquired through gritted teeth.

The kid’s mother reached them just as she asked. “Oh my God! Thank you, thank you! You saved his life. Are you hurt? Is there anything I can do?”

“Put your kid on a damn leash,” Grace snarled.

Olivia might have laughed and also reassured the woman if her knee had not felt like someone was slicing through it with a butcher’s knife. She could not suppress a moan with her next breath.

“Grace… It hurts.”

“I know, babe, I’m sorry.” Grace kissed the side of her face and obviously tried her best to keep her comfortable. “Look, the EMTs are here. Hold on just another minute, okay?”

She refused to move when they examined her and insisted on riding in the back of the ambulance with her. Olivia was even more grateful for her presence than for the gas and air they put her on, which instantly took away the pain and made her mushy beyond all shame—at least according to Grace at the time, who did not sound impressed. And yet… She did not leave her side for a second.

“That’s my woman,” Olivia gushed at the EMTs. “Just look at her! Ain’t she great?”

The dislocation of her knee was so severe that they had to sedate her to put it back into place. She woke up sometime later, feeling sore and totally sober once more. Empty room... Her leg and elbow were wrapped up nice and tight. She was on her own. For a second, panic hit as she doubted her memory. Had Grace been there before? Had she really come for her ?

“Hey. Olivia? Over here.”

Cool fingers settled on her cheek, prompting her to turn her head. Grace. At the sight of her standing on the other side of the bed, for real, for sure, Olivia burst into tears.

“Oh, man, I thought I’d dreamt it all!”

“What?”

“You! That you were there with me… Were you? You came with me in the ambulance, right?”

“Yes, I did.” Grace spoke softly, soothingly. “It’s okay, don’t cry.”

“Don’t go, okay? Don’t leave just yet.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Period.”

“You’re so pale. Grace…”

“Shh. Take it easy.”

“But—"

“And don’t worry about my face. It’s just because the coffee is so weak in this place that it should be against the law.” Grace made her opinion known with her usual aplomb and that sexy, familiar smirk. Which turned warm and tender as she sat on the bed and took her hand in hers. “Let’s focus on you. How are you feeling?”

“Ah… Kinda crap.”

“Well, yeah. I’m not surprised.”

“But fine too, if you see what I mean.”

“Somehow, it makes perfect sense. On a scale of one to ten, how’s the pain?”

Olivia moved her leg gingerly to test it and sighed in relief when she experienced almost none. “It’s down to around two. Maybe a three. Let’s say two and a half.”

“I find precision so attractive in a woman.” Grace flashed her an amused smile which Olivia decided was positively sultry. “ Your doctor said anything three and below is normal. You also sprained your elbow, and you’ve got terrific bruising on your right hip. At least, nothing is broken. You’ll just be on crutches for the next two or three days. Rest will not be an option. Okay? Got it?”

“Yes.” Olivia kept her eyes fastened intently on hers. “You came.”

“I did.”

“I mean, before the accident. You came to see me?”

“Turns out your little speech was very effective. A bit of a kick in the teeth, but necessary.” Olivia started to protest that she never meant it to be like that, but her lover stopped her with a gentle kiss. “It’s alright. I needed to hear your side. And Libby confirmed.”

“Libby? What’s she got to do with it?”

“I asked her for some character feedback, shall we say. She was bluntly honest, as I requested. Told me she sees through my layer of bullshit, more or less. Like you do.”

“I see the real you,” Olivia murmured. “I love the real you. I know it’s a scary thought for you.”

“Not as terrifying as watching you almost get killed in front of me.” Grace pursed her lips with a tight shake of the head. “I thought it was happening all over again. You know?”

“I’m sorry.” Olivia squeezed her hand. “But I’m here. And I also have no intention of going anywhere.”

“Yes.” Emotions flickered wildly in those blue eyes before Grace regained control with a deep breath. “I told Libby that falling in love feels a bit like having a heart attack. Who’d want that, huh?”

“You, obviously.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Olivia caressed her cheek, smiling softly. “The real you certainly does, no matter how high you raise that dubious eyebrow at me. What else did your clever assistant tell you?”

“That we’re incredibly lucky if true love strikes twice in a lifetime.”

“I agree with her.”

“She said I’m a genius when it comes to my job, but that of all the glittering deals I could make, you are the one that really counts. She’s dead right about that.”

It was a good thing, Olivia decided, that she wasn’t hooked up to a heart rate monitor. Or Grace’s words would trigger all the alarms.

“Libby deserves a nice pay rise, I think,” she reflected.

“She does; consider it done. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world right now, Olivia.”

Olivia cupped her face in her hand. “Do you love me? For real?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Even though I’m a baby butch dyke?”

“And so not my type, it’s untrue?” Grace rolled her eyes in pretend disapproval, but she could not keep a straight face. “Yes.”

“Tell me more, Ms. Michaels,” Olivia demanded.

”I am startlingly, delightfully, helplessly in love with you, Liv. And I would not change it for all the riches in the world. You’re a big deal, you know?”

“Well, if you say so.” Olivia pulled her in for a long, deep, and steadying kiss. “I’ll believe you.”

“I had my wonderful assistant pick up the Ferrari I dumped at your hotel and bring it over here. What do you say we get out of this place?”

“You need a coffee, huh?”

“I don’t, actually,” Grace answered with a lingering smile. “Right now, all I need is you.”

“So, are you abducting me?”

“Too right I am.”

“Great!”