“Out of guilt,” Cole said.
“Out of respect and love for you,” she said. “I’ve always hoped you would forgive me. But honestly, Cole? That’s your choice, not mine. And as it’s out of my control, I’ve let go of it.”
He had to be impressed by that, and how she’d gone on with her life. “I just don’t get it,” he said. “I can fix just about anything—except myself and my own relationships.”
“Not true,” she said. “You’ve got some of the best relationships of anyone I know. You’ve got Sam and Tanner, who would lay down their lives for you. Your sisters, who worship the ground you walk on. Your mom, who can and does depend so much on you. And last, but so definitely not least, Gil. I know you feel betrayed by him, and by, well, everyone else. But whatever your feelings are on how we handled things, Cole, please don’t let it ruin the relationship you and Gil had. Or what you and Sam and Tanner have.”
“But they knew,” he said. “They knew and didn’t tell me. I don’t know how to get past that.”
“Cole,” she said slowly, gently, “everyone knew. It wasn’t that hard to see. Everyone saw it except you.”
He stared at her. “That…can’t be true.”
She let out a long breath, and he saw it in her eyes. Well, damn. Olivia wasn’t the only one who could create a fiction all around her. Apparently he was good at it as well.
“I know there’s someone new,” she said. “And I know she wasn’t completely honest with you about her past.”
“Seriously,” he muttered. “Going to kill Tanner and Sam.”
“Just don’t judge her from my actions,” Susan said.
He shook his head. He wasn’t sure how to do anything but.
“What she did probably had nothing to do with you, Cole. Do you get what I’m saying? She probably didn’t mean to hurt you, but sometimes shit happens.”
“That’s it?” he asked in disbelief. “That’s your big piece of advice—shit happens?”
“We’re all different,” she said. “We’re not all good, or all bad for that matter. The world isn’t black or white; you know that. Everyone’s their own complicated puzzle, with a bunch of mismatched pieces. You put the pieces together the best you can and accept the flaws. Even learn to love the flaws.”
“Easier said than done,” he said.
“I know,” she said, smiling when he swore. “You can be a little…rigid and unbending once you get an idea in your head of what you expect from a person.”
“I always thought I was so easygoing.”
She laughed, which he didn’t give a lot of thought to as they said their good-byes and he made his way back to his truck.
Bullshit he was rigid and unbending.
Right?
Okay, so he hadn’t exactly been a good listener when Olivia had tried to talk to him, but he’d been…
An ass.
A rigid, unbending ass.
Chapter 31
Olivia called the TV Land producer. “I’m in.”
“Making my day, sweetcheeks.”
“On one condition,” she said. “Well, make it two.”
“Name ’em,” he said without hesitation.
“Call me sweetcheeks again, and I kick you in your sweet cheeks. And two, you film my part of the retro special here in Lucky Harbor.”
“You don’t want to come to the studio? We were going to re-create the set of Not Again, Hailey! for you.”
“No.” She shuddered. God, no. “I want to do it here, where my life is now. Just a quick interview, and if you need an audience, we’ll use locals.” She wasn’t hiding here in Lucky Harbor, she was living the way she wanted to. No shame in that. Time to prove it to both herself and her world. “In my shop.”
“Done,” he said. “People will love the current look-see into your life. Can you do something wild and crazy to help ratings?”
“No! And I want to do this in the next few days.” She wanted this over with. An incoming call beeped. She looked at her screen.
Cole.
Surprise, anxiety, and hope hit her. Along with a good amount of anger. God, she was mad at herself, but she was mad at him, too. “I have to go,” she said.
“Just hold on a second. I’m working my mind around trying to get up there that fast,” he said. “I don’t know.”
“Take it or leave it; I have another call.”
“Jesus, you’re as difficult as they say.”
“Yeah, I am. You’ve been in a hurry for this for a long time,” she said. “And now I’m in a hurry to be done.”
“Killing me, Sharlyn.”
“Olivia,” she said. “My name’s Olivia. Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
God help her, but it was done. “Fine. Gotta go.” She clicked over to Cole, but he was gone.
About an hour into Cole’s return trip to Lucky Harbor, it began to rain. It came down in long, steady slashes that made seeing out the windshield a challenge.
This didn’t bother him any. Hell, he could remember being five years old and sitting on his dad’s lap in the family truck, hands on the wheel, steering while his dad worked the accelerator and brake.
And then being ten and driving his dad’s truck better than any of his sisters. Or his dad, for that matter. The old man had gotten a big kick out of that, and had let Cole drive on the back roads whenever they were out there together.