A Beautiful Mess (11 page)

“Well, when we were talking about my dad before. I was so pissed at him growing up. He was never around. He always put his work before his family. Before me. It drove me crazy. I left Harvard to spite him. He wanted me to go there. That’s where he went. So after one semester, I joined the Navy just to piss him off. Then I decided I wanted to go for SEAL training and I was one of the few that made it through. I was good at special ops like my Dad, I guess.” He smiled at Olivia as she reached for his hand, squeezing it.

“Like I said before, the last several years of his life, he was working on a protection detail. No one in the office knew what he was working on. When he was killed, none of us got any closure. A few months after I returned home and took over the company, a letter arrived that he had sent to me overseas. It was probably written a few days before he died. I still haven’t opened it. I am not ready for his apologies just yet.” He looked out his window, deep in thought. Alexander hoped the only thing in the letter were apologies and not information. He wasn’t ready to face that letter. He didn’t know if he ever would be.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s worse, growing up without parents or growing up knowing your dad is too busy to even spend time with you.” Olivia seriously considered who had it worse. At least she had good memories of her mother. Wonderful memories. Learning to play the piano and sing with her. All the fun they used to have at the beach house. After all these years, it still upset her that her parents were taken from her so early in her life.

The car pulled up to Olivia’s house and Alexander ran around to open the car door for her before walking her up the steps to the front door.

Another awkward moment
, Olivia thought as she unlocked the door. “Would you like to come in?” she asked, her eyes brimming with hope.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

His response was like a knife to Olivia’s heart. She had never been rejected before.

Alexander noticed the disappointed look on her face and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “If you invite me in, I’m not so sure I can be held entirely responsible for what happens afterward.” His eyes became hooded and he looked as though he was ready to devour her. Olivia’s nerves stood on end from the intense look in his eyes, causing a strange sensation deep down in her stomach.

“I had a lovely time today, Olivia.” He reached down and grabbed her hand gently with his own and, ever so softly, placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles. “Oysters, Tuesday. I’ll pick you up at seven.” It wasn’t a question. It was more of a demand. And before she had time to respond, he turned, leaving her totally unsatisfied and wanting him, standing on her front stoop.

She watched as his car pulled away and noticed him blow her a kiss. Feeling like a teenager on her first date, she caught the kiss. It would have to do for the time being.

O
LIVIA
woke up the following morning after having the same dream again. The boy with the green eyes was now a permanent fixture. With these dreams returning, she decided it was probably time to talk to her overpriced therapist again and get her take. She made a mental note to call her office sometime that week.

Shortly after nine, she left her house, making her way to catch the subway out to the local animal shelter where she volunteered every Monday. As she waited for the T beneath the busy Boston streets, the screeching sound of metal wheels on the train tracks echoing throughout the dark tunnels, she checked her phone for the first time since the previous afternoon. Mo had called and left a voicemail telling her that the band would be rehearsing on Wednesday and he wanted her to be there. She became excited during her short ride to the animal shelter as she thought about singing with the band again.

“Olivia! Great to see you!” Bethany exclaimed when Olivia walked in the front door of the brick building.

Bethany Jones had been single handedly running that shelter for as long as anyone could remember. Olivia had started volunteering when she moved to Boston for college, wanting to spend some time with animals. And once she returned to the city, she resumed her volunteer work.

“Of course. I couldn’t miss spending time with my critters! Do we have anyone new?” Olivia dropped her bags and followed Bethany toward the kennels, the sound of dogs barking and yipping filling the room. It brought a smile to her face.

“Yeah. We picked up two dogs over the weekend as well as five baby kittens, all in the same litter. We’re running out of room. We need to get some adoptions this week or…”

“Don’t worry, Bethany,” Olivia interrupted. “I can take a few home with me to make some space if I need to. Nepenthe won’t mind.” Nepenthe was a mangy eight-year old cat that Olivia fell in love with several months ago.

“That would be a huge help. We need to get some more foster parents trained and ready to take some of these critters.” She was right. The shelter would be getting into its busy season soon. Winter was always the worst time of year. They had so many animals and just didn’t always have enough room to shelter them all.

“Well, I’m going to take some of these guys for a walk,” Olivia said, motioning to the dogs in the kennel. She did all sorts of things at the shelter from feeding, to helping with adoptions, to playing with all the cats. But her favorite was taking the dogs for their walks.

The morning passed by relatively quickly as she made sure all the dogs in the shelter got some exercise. After a quick lunch break, she got ready to take out the last dog. She always saved Runner for last. Runner was a pointer-terrier mix and her favorite. He was a little older so he wasn’t on the top of anyone’s list for an adoptable dog. Everyone always wanted a puppy, which was unfortunate for all the wonderful dogs available for adoption.

Runner lived up to his name. He loved to run. She always tried to take him out last so they could run a few miles together and then head to the dog park where she would tire him out with a round of fetch.

Olivia quickly changed into a pair of running shorts and a tank top before grabbing a few tennis balls. She threw them into her pack and headed toward Boston Common, Runner taking the lead.

That day, Runner was giving Olivia a good workout. She just did a long run the day before so her legs were a little tired. They ran the mile up over to the Commons where there was an off-leash dog park. Without fail, Runner would always head straight there. They reached the area and Olivia let him off his leash. The dog ran free, sprinting up and down the gated area. There weren’t that many other dogs there, so the pair had fun playing fetch, just the two of them.

After about half an hour, Runner was beat and Olivia was even more so. She pulled out his portable doggie bowl and filled it up from a fountain. He laid down on the ground after slopping up some water. She joined Runner, lying down on her back next to her favorite dog. He snuggled against her and they just enjoyed their moment together, savoring the feel of the cool grass beneath them.

After a few minutes of a rest, Olivia decided to head back to the shelter. She would never forgive herself if Runner missed an opportunity to be adopted. She leashed Runner back up and started to walk back to the shelter. “Come on buddy. Time to go back home.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Alexander couldn’t believe his luck. He was going over case reports from the previous week, unable to focus, when he decided he needed to clear his brain. That envelope still hung heavy on his mind. He left his office building and wandered the streets of Boston. Before he knew it, he found his way to Boston Common and sat on a park bench looking out over the Swan Boats, replaying the previous day in his head, when he saw her. Again.

He watched with admiration as Olivia leashed up a great looking dog that she had been playing with. She leaned down and gave the dog a quick scratch on the head before she headed in his direction, smiling. He wondered if she would even see him sitting just a few feet away. All her attention seemed to be devoted to the white and brown spotted dog walking proudly in front of her with its tongue hanging out.

As Olivia walked Runner through the Commons, she felt a familiar electricity coursing through her body. It almost felt as if someone was watching her.

No one is watching you, Libby. You just wish he was here. That’s all.

She looked up from Runner and stilled when her eyes met with his, her heart racing from seeing those beautiful green eyes so unexpectedly. She headed in his direction, seeing Alexander’s smile widen as she walked toward the bench he was sitting on, the dog eagerly wagging his tail.

“Miss Adler. Why do we keep running into each other here?” he asked, standing up to meet Olivia.

“Alexander. I’m starting to think that you’re stalking me,” she joked, taking in his nice navy blue suit that he made casual, foregoing the tie. He looked amazing as always. “You are a professional stalker, so my point is valid.”

“I prefer the term security consultant,” he replied smoothly.

“I’ve heard it both ways,” she smirked playfully.

He grinned at her. “Touché, Miss Adler. You have quite a smart mouth on you.” He leaned in, closing the distance between them. “I can’t wait to have that mouth on me,” he whispered, his warm breath sending shivers up Olivia’s spine.

She gasped.

“Well, who do we have here?” he continued as if he didn’t just tell Olivia that he wanted her mouth on his body. How did he expect her to react to that? She could barely form a sentence in response, all her thoughts going to places that were probably not appropriate to be talking about in a public park with people walking by.

Alexander bent down and let Runner smell his hand. Runner obviously approved of him so he let Alexander scratch his head. Olivia was floored. That man had on a rather expensive looking suit, but he seemed to have no problem petting Runner, getting dog fur all over him. Alexander Burnham was a conundrum.

“This is Runner,” Olivia said, finally finding her voice. “I was just tiring him out before having to take him back to the shelter,” she explained, gesturing to the dog that was leaning into Alexander’s hand, obviously enjoying the attention he was getting.

“To the shelter?” Alexander asked, straightening up and admiring Olivia’s obvious affection for the dog.

“Yeah,” she replied as Runner rolled over, hoping to get a belly rub. “He’s been at the animal shelter for the last few months. No one has adopted him yet. Everyone always wants a puppy. No one wants a four-year-old hound. It’s sad, really.”

“So you work at the animal shelter, too?” He took a step closer, surprised at the many different layers of Olivia.

Olivia’s breath caught, the proximity of Alexander to her overwhelming her once again. For a minute she forgot all about the dog rolling around in front of her. “I volunteer there,” she finally replied, returning to the present. “I take the dogs on walks, play with the cats. Stuff like that. I just love spending time with all the animals. Speaking of which, I really should be getting on. It was wonderful to see you again, Mr. Burnham,” she smirked as she gave Runner a biscuit.

Alexander grabbed her soft hand and kissed it as he always did. “The pleasure was all mine. I look forward to tomorrow evening, Miss Adler.” Olivia started to walk away. “And I do hope you can find a good home for Runner.” He winked.

“So do I.”

Alexander watched as Olivia walked away from him, her hips swaying in a way that excited him. When she disappeared from his view, he grabbed his cell phone, needing to make an important call.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank goodness you’re back!” Bethany shouted at Olivia as she walked through the door with Runner. They took their time returning to the shelter, mainly because Olivia’s head was in the clouds after her chance encounter with Alexander.

“Sorry it took so long. I ran into a friend at the dog park. What’s up? Is something wrong?” Olivia was worried they had gotten an order to destroy some of the animals due to lack of space. That was always her biggest fear.

“No. Nothing’s wrong. Someone called a little while ago. They saw Runner on the website and asked to see if he was still available for adoption. They’ll be here within the half-hour to fill out the paperwork.”

“That’s fantastic,” Olivia replied, her lack of enthusiasm showing. She was a little disappointed, knowing that she would miss her Runner. He had been in the shelter the longest out of all their dogs. Olivia and Runner had formed such a strong bond.

She grabbed his leash, pulling him along behind her down a long corridor toward the kennels. “I’ll go get him cleaned up then. He should have a nice bath so he looks good for his new family.”

“Libby,” Bethany said, placing her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “This is a good thing for Runner.”

“I know, I know. I’m just going to miss him,” she replied, her sadness about never being able to see Runner again evident.

Olivia took Runner into the back and started to run him a bath. Most dogs hated baths, but for some reason, Runner loved them. He loved water. He would make a good dog for any family, Olivia thought. She just hoped that whoever adopted him would be active.

Ten minutes later, she put the finishing touches on Runner’s bath, tying a cute doggie bandana around his neck, when Bethany peeked her head in.

“He’s here, Libby. And wow is he handsome.” Bethany fanned herself. Olivia couldn’t help but laugh. Bethany was pushing seventy, but she had no problem flirting with any good-looking man who came in.

“I’ll bring him out in a minute,” she replied. After giving Runner one last hug, she took a deep breath and walked down the hallway toward the large doggie playroom. As Olivia approached, she could see Bethany speaking to Runner’s potential new owner through the large glass windows. The man was tall and dressed in a pair of jeans and yellow polo shirt. His silhouette looked rather familiar to Olivia. Surely, it couldn’t be…