Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (35 page)

Olivia spends the rest of the weekend on the
couch with a hot water bottle and a large bottle of extra strength
Midol. Her contact with Ethan has been minimal, other than the few
times he’s texted to let her know that he’s thinking of her. If the
truth were told, she’s somewhat glad that his busy schedule has
given her a break right now, since she’s feeling bloated, cranky,
and not good company at all. By Sunday night, she’s terribly lonely
and after making herself a cup of tea, she curls up on the couch
and calls her sister.

“Hello.”

“Hi! It’s me… just checking in.”

“Hi! How are you feeling?”

“I’m doing much better except I’ve got my
period.” Olivia complains.

“Ew. Yuck. That’s the one thing about being
pregnant. I didn’t miss that at all.”

“How is everything there? Are Rick and the
kids ok?”

“Yes, everyone is just fine.”

“Good! I haven’t heard from you for a
while.”

“Well, I called to check on you a few weeks
ago but you were sick. I talked to your friend.”

“Oh? Rachel didn’t tell me you called.”
She’s surprised that it would slip Rachel’s mind.

“It wasn’t Rachel I spoke with. It was
Ethan.” Megan struggles to bite her tongue, determined not to pry
but busting at the seams to know what’s going on.

“Oh.” She doesn’t know why, but she feels a
little embarrassed.

“I called at least 10 times. I tried your
cell phone and the house phone. He finally answered your cell and
apologized, saying that he wasn’t quite sure who I was and you were
so out of it he had to ask you several times before you actually
told him.”

“Is that all he said?” Olivia wonders just
how much her sister knows.

“Pretty much. He said that you had been very
ill, but that he was staying with you until you were well and that
I shouldn’t worry.”

“Oh.”

“It seemed that you were in good hands.”
Megan is getting suspicious. Why isn’t her sister elaborating on
anything?

“Yes. I really was.”

“I don’t recall you mentioning that he’s
Irish.”

“I probably didn’t.” Olivia laughs.

“What is it about men with accents?” Megan
muses as she lets out a dreamy sigh.

“I know right?”

“The last time we talked you were feeling a
little conflicted about him. Have you worked it out?”

“Well… kind of.” There is something in her
voice that only a sister would notice.

“Oh my God! You slept with him.”

Olivia gets defensive and she’s not sure
why. “Only twice… but it was on the same day so it really only
counts as once.” How ridiculous is that logic?

Olivia hears the creek of the screen door
hinge and she knows that Megan has taken the phone outside for
privacy.

“I knew it!”

“It really sucks that I can’t hide anything
from you, do you know that?” Frustration strains her voice.

“And yet… you still try. So the big question
is… are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s just a casual
relationship. You know? Friends with benefits kind of thing.”

“Oh.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“ Sorry. It’s just that when I talked to him
he spoke of you with such adoration and caring that I kind of
envisioned him in a more ‘significant’ role.”

There is dead silence on the phone and Megan
knows there is much more to the story.

“Olivia?”

“Yes?”

“What’s really going on?”

She isn’t even going to bother trying to
deny it. There would be no point. Megan has always been able to
tell when Olivia’s world is a little off skew. “I don’t know Meg. I
feel like I’m ready to move forward but something keeps stopping
me.”

“Well maybe you need to cleanse your chakra.
Let all the negative energy drain from your body. You know? Make
room for more positive things.”

“I think I’m beyond chakra cleaning. Truth
is that there is just something about him. Something familiar, like
I’ve known him forever. He makes me feel things I never thought I’d
feel again… and it’s wonderful and exhilarating and then… I
panic.”

“Hmmm. Sounds exciting and confusing all at
the same time. So your thoughts are that you’ll keep telling
yourself that it’s just a physical thing so you won’t fall in love
with him?”

“Yes! I’m so glad you understand. Rachel
thinks I’m nuts and I was beginning to wonder if she’s right.”

“So I take it Ethan is ok with this
arrangement then?”

“I think he might be interested in more, but
this is all I can offer him right now.”

“Well it sounds like you are controlling the
things you need. I can’t really object as long as you feel safe and
he treats you well.” Megan will make every effort to support her
little sister. She has to, now that she’s the Matriarch of the
family.

“And that’s why you are my favorite
sister!”

“I’m your only sister.” She says
seriously.

Olivia fights the urge to laugh. “Yes Megan,
I know. It was a joke. Geez… maybe the next time you clean your
chakra you should knock some cobwebs off your sense of humor.”

“Very funny. When are you coming to visit?
The kids ask to see you all the time.”

“I’m not really sure. I’m pretty busy at
work right now and I have some bills I need to pay off. I’ll try to
figure something out, I promise.”

For Olivia, Monday was a day of irrational
mood swings and an intolerance for stupid people. She was glad to
see it end. Hopefully her mood today will be a little more
pleasant. Partially closing the blinds in an attempt to filter the
bright morning sunlight, she’s startled by a loud thud against her
office window. Peaking between the slats, she sees nothing out of
the ordinary.

Returning to her work something catches her
eye as there is another loud thud against the window. Walking
around her desk and opening the blinds, she sees several birds
sitting on the ground outside her office window, pecking at the
ground for food. With them is the little green bird. It turns and
looks at her as if it knows she’s watching and flies to a branch of
the bush outside the window. Its head twists in jerky robotic
movements and then hovers a few inches above the branches before
flying forward straight into the glass.

Olivia jumps and covers her mouth. “Oh my
Gosh!” She leans forward looking for it, fearing that it couldn’t
possibly have survived such a collision. When it suddenly
reappears, she grabs her phone and tries to take a picture but
again, it flies forward hitting the glass a third time. Frightened
that it’s going to kill itself, she takes off running down the hall
and out the front door. “Shoo!” She yells, flailing her arms. The
minute she approaches the other birds scatter into flight but the
little green bird sits on the bush unafraid. Realizing that she
still has her phone in her hand, she takes a picture. “You’re the
strangest little bird.” She whispers, snapping a few more before it
flies away.

On her way home, she notices Noah’s car
still outside his office and decides she should stop in to see him.
He hasn’t talked to her since the soccer game and she can use the
picture of the little green bird as an excuse to see him. The
waiting room is empty and the small space where the receptionist
would normally sit is in darkness. “Hello?” She calls out.

His head pops out of a doorway at the end of
the hall and grins when he sees her. “Hey! Come in.” He’s washing
his hands when she gets down to that end of the hallway. The smell
of antiseptic is so strong it leaves a taste in the back of her
throat and she makes a face.

“Hi! You’re here late.” Barking from the
overnight patients can be heard from the back room and it makes her
feel sad that so many pets have been separated from their owners
due to illness.

“I had a few surgeries today and was just
checking to make sure everyone was doing well before I left.”

She feels an unpleasant awkwardness between
them that she desperately wants to go away. “Noah… are WE ok?“ She
frowns at him. “I feel bad about what happened at soccer.”

“I can’t believe you left with him.” He
turns to lean against the counter and crosses his arms, looking for
an explanation.

“I know, I know. I should have stayed with
you.”

“So why didn’t you then?”

Shrugging, she sits down on the nearby stool
and uses her feet to make it roll on its casters back and forth
across the floor. “I really don’t know.” She avoids his stare by
playing with all the knobs and gadgets on the equipment around
her.

“Do you like that guy?” He sure as hell
hopes not.

“He’s ok.” She says with indifference,
trying to play it down.

It doesn’t work. Noah sees right through
her. “Olivia, that guy is dangerous.” He quickly turns to organize
vials of medication on the counter, trying to hide his
frustration.

“He won’t hurt me.” It’s beginning to bother
her that she always seems to be defending him.

Noah shakes his head and ignores her
statement. “We’re going to be getting some thunder storms at the
end of the week. Do you have enough medication?” He glances over at
her and waits for her reply.

“Yes, but I’m almost out.”

“Ok, you let me know when you need more and
I’ll look after it.”

Rachel sends her a text message and when her
phone beeps, it reminds her of the pictures. Now would be a really
good time to change the subject.

“Hey, I know this is a silly question to ask
a veterinarian but how much do you know about birds?”

He furrows his brow. “What kind of
birds?”

“Little, green, stalker birds.”

He tilts his head to the side and looks at
her strangely. “Ok, you’ve lost me.”

She laughs. “There is a green bird that I
see outside my office window all the time. And now… I see the same
bird in my backyard frequently. It’s almost as if it follows me. Do
birds do that?”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that. Are
you sure it’s the same bird?”

“I think so.” She scrolls through her phone
looking for the picture. “I’ve never seen a bird like it before.
Look.” She hands him her phone. “The markings on its chest are
pretty unique.”

“Huh. I don’t recognize it either.” He hands
her back her phone. “I’ll tell you what, email me the picture and
when I get a chance I’ll do some research for you.”

“Sweet!” She logs into email from her phone
and attaches the photo. “Done!”

The continual barking and whining from the
back room is starting to get on her nerves. “I don’t know how you
can listen to that all day.”

“I guess I’ve learned to tune it out.”

“Well it’s giving me a headache.”

Leaning his back against the counter he
crosses his feet at the ankle and grins. “Let’s go out for
dinner.”

Olivia is surprised. “Tonight?”

“Yes, right now. Let’s go to the Headwaters
for dinner one last time before it changes.”

“It’s not really changing that much,
Noah.”

“Yes it is. The new ‘owner’ is changing the
name to Ireland’s. I hate it.”

“No, I think you just hate the new owner.”
She crosses her arms in front of her and leans her head to the
side.

“Yup, that’s true. So how about it?” He
grins from ear to ear, giving her a charming smile.

Olivia takes a good long look at her friend.
Tall, dark and handsome, what girl wouldn’t want to spend an
evening with him? It wasn’t that long ago, that she asked him for
more and now he is finally asking her to dinner. Her mind flashes
quickly to Ethan. He’s too busy to spend time with her so what’s to
stop her from spending time with Noah? Maybe the fact that Ethan
will blow a gasket, when he finds out? Sucks to be him.

“Well I don’t know. Are you planning on
wearing that white lab coat?” She smiles.

“Only if it turns you on.” He gives her a
cheeky grin. One that would have made her tingle a few weeks ago.
Boy, have things have changed since then.

“No, I’m quite certain that wearing it to
dinner could be a deal breaker.”

“Ok, I’ll take it off.” He undoes it while
she watches and smirks. “Anything else you want me to take off?”
Maybe there is still a chance for him to get her into bed.

“Why, Mr. Thompson! Your unexpected, amorous
behavior is making me blush.”

He grins. “Let’s go before I try to talk you
into staying here and ordering in.” An idea he wishes he had
several minutes ago, then he wouldn’t have to share her with
anybody.

At the restaurant, Olivia and Noah sit on
opposite sides of one of the newly renovated booths and pick off of
each other’s plates, just as they have done for years. He has to
admit that the new menu is definitely an improvement. As the bar
starts to fill up, the atmosphere gets a little less quaint and the
music gets an awful lot louder. Recognizing one of the girls at the
bar, Olivia strains her neck trying to get a better look. Without a
doubt, it’s Hannah, receptionist extraordinaire at Aurora
Technologies. Damn! She looks even better in the evening than she
does during the day. How is that even possible? Olivia wonders.

Noah reaches over and touches her hand to
get her attention over the noise. “Do you want to get out of
here?”

Hell yes! Quick before she’s seen. “Yes. I
need to go to the ladies room first.”

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror,
she fixes her hair, pretending she doesn’t notice when Hannah walks
in and plants herself beside her at the counter. Crap! Taking her
lipstick out of her purse, Hannah runs it smoothly across her
bright red, voluptuous lips and stares at her in the mirror.
Washing her hands, Olivia tries to avoid eye contact.

“Where do I know you from?” Hannah asks when
Olivia finally lifts her head.

Olivia dries her hands. “I was at your work
not that long ago. I’m a friend of Ethan O’Connell’s.”