A Beautiful Mess
Page 41
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Alexander watched Olivia perform, thinking how perfect the song was. She was captivating, her enthusiasm contagious. I’ve never felt this way before either, Olibia, he thought to himself as she sang.
Olivia and Mo finished the song to roaring applause.
“Thanks everyone. See you all next week! And please come see us tomorrow night at MacFaddens!” Olivia jumped off the stage to her friend who gave her a massive hug.
“Oh, Libs. You were fantastic! And you are soooo falling in love with Alexander, I can tell.”
Olivia began to blush. She knew Kiera was right. She was torn about her feelings for him. On one hand, she had only known him a few short days so how could she possibly be falling for him so soon? But on the other hand, there was something so familiar about him. As if she knew him in a past life.
Once Alexander saw that Olivia would not be performing again, he discretely left the bar and climbed into his waiting SUV.
“Thank you, Martin. Now to my place, please. Then you’re free of me for the weekend. I’ll take my own car to Mystic.”
“Yes, sir.” Martin pulled into the street, heading toward the Waterfront.
Back in the bar, Mo and Marcus said their good-byes to the girls.
“Do we want to sail again?” Kiera asked, gesturing to their empty drink glasses after the guys left.
Olivia looked at her watch. “Probably not. I really should get some sleep. Early day tomorrow.”
“And a long one, huh? You’re playing with the guys, aren’t you?”
Olivia laughed. “Kiera. That sounds so dirty.” She grabbed her purse and stood up from the table, heading in the direction of the door.
“Oh my god. Stop it!” Kiera laughed.
Carter saw the two girls and stood up from his table.
“Are we all set ladies?” he asked.
“Yes, we are. Thank you, Carter.”
“You were quite good, Miss Adler,” Carter said, causing Olivia to blush.
“Thank you.” Olivia looked outside and saw a downpour cloaking the streets of Boston.
Carter did a quick sweep of the bar. “Why don’t you ladies wait inside for a few minutes while I run to grab the car.” He hadn’t noticed any suspicious behavior at the bar, so he figured they would be fine for the few minutes it took him to get the car and bring it around front.
“Okay. Thank you, Carter.” He left, running into the rain.
“Well, I’m going to go use the little girls’ room. Will you be okay out here?” Kiera asked.
“Yes. Go ahead.” Kiera turned in the direction of the restrooms.
Olivia stood in the bar area, keeping an eye out the door for Carter and the SUV. As she stared out into the rain, pondering what Alexander was doing at that very moment, she felt someone approach behind her, sending chills down her spine.
“Livvy. Were you singing those songs for me?”
Olivia turned around quickly, knowing that voice all too well.
“Simon.” Olivia’s heart started to race. “You can’t be here. You know that. Walk away and I won’t call the police.” She took a step back, trying to keep her distance.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything.” Simon glanced to the bar. “I saw your new little boyfriend here earlier. Thankfully, he was too self-absorbed to even notice that I was sitting just down the bar from him.”
Olivia looked at Simon, confused. “What are you talking about, Simon?”
“You know. Your latest victim,” he sneered. “Alexander Burnham. He came in right before you went on, sat at the bar, and left right after you finished.”
Shit, Olivia thought to herself. He saw me. And he heard those songs. Fuck! He heard me say that the last song was for him! Shit!
“Well, I’ll be off, Livvy. You enjoy your panic attack.” He turned to walk out the door as Olivia began to breathe heavily, fighting for air. How could I be so stupid?
Kiera walked out at that moment and noticed that her friend had become very pale. “Olivia, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Olivia looked at her friend and responded, her voice almost a whisper. “He was here, Kiera. He saw me. He heard the songs I sang.”
“Who was here?”
“Alexander.”
“Wait. Shut the front door,” Kiera interjected with a shocked look on her face. “How do you know that?”
“Ummm, well, Simon just came up to me and told me,” she replied nervously.
“Olivia!!!” Kiera screamed. “He cannot just come up and talk to you.”
“I know that,” Olivia admitted. “But he gets one. It happens again and I’ll report him. But, Kiera. He saw. He heard those songs. How could I be so stupid?” Olivia looked out at the rain pouring down, nervous about what Alexander would think.
“What are you so worried about? You sang a few songs. So what? If he has half a brain, he’ll fall even more in love with you now that he knows you were singing to him. Relax. And stop worrying about it.”
“What if he freaks out because of it? What if he leaves me?” Olivia couldn’t believe her own words. She normally couldn’t care less if a guy left her or not. But she had become attached to Alexander over the last few days, and him leaving scared her to death.
“Olivia, I saw the way he looked at you last night as he led us out of the bar. It was as if you’re the most precious treasure on the face of the planet. As if he had been looking for you his entire life. He would never leave you, unless you do something incredibly stupid.” Kiera winked as she spotted Carter standing in the bar doorway, holding an umbrella. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
“Okay,” Olivia exhaled, thankful to have someone like Kiera in her life to talk her down from the ledge.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ICE CREAM GRINS
“MR. Burnham, it’s wonderful to see you,” a middle-aged woman said, greeting Alexander when he entered his family’s house on the Mystic River.
“Good evening, Mrs. Carlson,” he replied, walking in through the large living room decorated in a nautical theme.
“How was your ride down? I had expected you earlier.”
“I’m sorry. I was detained in the city longer than I originally planned.” He dropped his bags by the mahogany staircase before striding into the formal dining room. Alexander couldn’t remember the last time that room had actually been used. The entire house seemed empty and cold.
“Can I get you anything to eat?” she asked, watching Alexander as he stopped in front of a large family portrait hanging on the expansive dining room wall. She always wondered who the little girl standing next to Alexander in the photo was.
Olivia and Mo finished the song to roaring applause.
“Thanks everyone. See you all next week! And please come see us tomorrow night at MacFaddens!” Olivia jumped off the stage to her friend who gave her a massive hug.
“Oh, Libs. You were fantastic! And you are soooo falling in love with Alexander, I can tell.”
Olivia began to blush. She knew Kiera was right. She was torn about her feelings for him. On one hand, she had only known him a few short days so how could she possibly be falling for him so soon? But on the other hand, there was something so familiar about him. As if she knew him in a past life.
Once Alexander saw that Olivia would not be performing again, he discretely left the bar and climbed into his waiting SUV.
“Thank you, Martin. Now to my place, please. Then you’re free of me for the weekend. I’ll take my own car to Mystic.”
“Yes, sir.” Martin pulled into the street, heading toward the Waterfront.
Back in the bar, Mo and Marcus said their good-byes to the girls.
“Do we want to sail again?” Kiera asked, gesturing to their empty drink glasses after the guys left.
Olivia looked at her watch. “Probably not. I really should get some sleep. Early day tomorrow.”
“And a long one, huh? You’re playing with the guys, aren’t you?”
Olivia laughed. “Kiera. That sounds so dirty.” She grabbed her purse and stood up from the table, heading in the direction of the door.
“Oh my god. Stop it!” Kiera laughed.
Carter saw the two girls and stood up from his table.
“Are we all set ladies?” he asked.
“Yes, we are. Thank you, Carter.”
“You were quite good, Miss Adler,” Carter said, causing Olivia to blush.
“Thank you.” Olivia looked outside and saw a downpour cloaking the streets of Boston.
Carter did a quick sweep of the bar. “Why don’t you ladies wait inside for a few minutes while I run to grab the car.” He hadn’t noticed any suspicious behavior at the bar, so he figured they would be fine for the few minutes it took him to get the car and bring it around front.
“Okay. Thank you, Carter.” He left, running into the rain.
“Well, I’m going to go use the little girls’ room. Will you be okay out here?” Kiera asked.
“Yes. Go ahead.” Kiera turned in the direction of the restrooms.
Olivia stood in the bar area, keeping an eye out the door for Carter and the SUV. As she stared out into the rain, pondering what Alexander was doing at that very moment, she felt someone approach behind her, sending chills down her spine.
“Livvy. Were you singing those songs for me?”
Olivia turned around quickly, knowing that voice all too well.
“Simon.” Olivia’s heart started to race. “You can’t be here. You know that. Walk away and I won’t call the police.” She took a step back, trying to keep her distance.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything.” Simon glanced to the bar. “I saw your new little boyfriend here earlier. Thankfully, he was too self-absorbed to even notice that I was sitting just down the bar from him.”
Olivia looked at Simon, confused. “What are you talking about, Simon?”
“You know. Your latest victim,” he sneered. “Alexander Burnham. He came in right before you went on, sat at the bar, and left right after you finished.”
Shit, Olivia thought to herself. He saw me. And he heard those songs. Fuck! He heard me say that the last song was for him! Shit!
“Well, I’ll be off, Livvy. You enjoy your panic attack.” He turned to walk out the door as Olivia began to breathe heavily, fighting for air. How could I be so stupid?
Kiera walked out at that moment and noticed that her friend had become very pale. “Olivia, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Olivia looked at her friend and responded, her voice almost a whisper. “He was here, Kiera. He saw me. He heard the songs I sang.”
“Who was here?”
“Alexander.”
“Wait. Shut the front door,” Kiera interjected with a shocked look on her face. “How do you know that?”
“Ummm, well, Simon just came up to me and told me,” she replied nervously.
“Olivia!!!” Kiera screamed. “He cannot just come up and talk to you.”
“I know that,” Olivia admitted. “But he gets one. It happens again and I’ll report him. But, Kiera. He saw. He heard those songs. How could I be so stupid?” Olivia looked out at the rain pouring down, nervous about what Alexander would think.
“What are you so worried about? You sang a few songs. So what? If he has half a brain, he’ll fall even more in love with you now that he knows you were singing to him. Relax. And stop worrying about it.”
“What if he freaks out because of it? What if he leaves me?” Olivia couldn’t believe her own words. She normally couldn’t care less if a guy left her or not. But she had become attached to Alexander over the last few days, and him leaving scared her to death.
“Olivia, I saw the way he looked at you last night as he led us out of the bar. It was as if you’re the most precious treasure on the face of the planet. As if he had been looking for you his entire life. He would never leave you, unless you do something incredibly stupid.” Kiera winked as she spotted Carter standing in the bar doorway, holding an umbrella. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
“Okay,” Olivia exhaled, thankful to have someone like Kiera in her life to talk her down from the ledge.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ICE CREAM GRINS
“MR. Burnham, it’s wonderful to see you,” a middle-aged woman said, greeting Alexander when he entered his family’s house on the Mystic River.
“Good evening, Mrs. Carlson,” he replied, walking in through the large living room decorated in a nautical theme.
“How was your ride down? I had expected you earlier.”
“I’m sorry. I was detained in the city longer than I originally planned.” He dropped his bags by the mahogany staircase before striding into the formal dining room. Alexander couldn’t remember the last time that room had actually been used. The entire house seemed empty and cold.
“Can I get you anything to eat?” she asked, watching Alexander as he stopped in front of a large family portrait hanging on the expansive dining room wall. She always wondered who the little girl standing next to Alexander in the photo was.
