Dead End Fix by T. E. Woods

Author:T. E. Woods
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2016-06-07T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Olympia

Oliver Bane stood and waved Lydia to his table when she walked into the downtown tavern.

“Thanks for meeting me.” The place was nearly full. Nine thirty on a weeknight and every stool at the bar was occupied. “I know you’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

It wasn’t like Oliver not to smile. She understood. Oliver was a good man. A kind man. A man who had once offered her his heart and been rejected. Lydia had nothing to offer Oliver but pain. And if he ever discovered who she really was, any love he felt for her would instantly dissolve into disgust and loathing.

From the guarded look in his eyes, perhaps that process had already begun.

“You want some wine?” he asked. “I’ve got a beer coming.”

“I don’t want to take too much of your time.”

Oliver leaned forward. Lydia inhaled the aroma she’d come to recognize as distinctly his: coffee and sugar and steamed milk. He smelled like a long and lazy Sunday morning.

“Then let’s not spend a minute on small talk,” he said. “I won’t tell you how pleased I am to see your bruises have disappeared and you won’t ask me how business is going. We’ll not waste one precious second on the ruse that we’re two old friends grabbing a drink to catch up. Let’s get down to it, Lydia. Tell me what you need from me.”

“I am happy to see you, Oliver.”

He shook his head slightly, but even that minor move was enough to set his unruly hair into motion. “Tell me, Lydia. There was a time I thought you enjoyed my company. But in case you haven’t been keeping track, the only times I hear from you these days are when you want something. So spit it out.”

Lydia let him have his anger. There, indeed, had been a time when she’d been eager to see him. To feel his arms around her. To taste his kiss.

“I’ve come to talk about that woman again.”

Oliver’s eyes narrowed. He leaned back against his chair. “You mean Cassie? Did you find her? Is she all right?”

“I did find her. The information you gave me was quite helpful. Thank you.”

“She’s okay?”

Allie Grant will never be okay.

“We had a discussion, I’ll say that much.”

Oliver nodded. “Patient-doctor stuff. I get it. I hope you set her straight on my not having any interest in being her tool to work out whatever drama she’s got going with her shrink.”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here. This Cassie, as you call her, may not be pleased should she discover it was our conversation that led me to her.”

“What did you tell her?”

“Nothing specific. But she’s a smart woman. Brilliant, truth told. With an overdeveloped sense of self.”

“Narcissist? Is that what you’re saying?” Oliver smiled for the first time since she’d sat down. Weak and weary, but a smile nonetheless. “You can use your big-girl words, Lydia. My transitioning from attorney to coffee shop owner didn’t rob me of any IQ points.”

“I didn’t mean to offend. This woman is complicated.

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