You can do this.
I hoped that Beck’s Loser playing on the radio at that moment wasn’t a sign or bad omen. Pushing that silly thought out of my mind, I took one last deep breath and headed toward the front door. I could do this. This was the new Olivia, Version 2.0, and she could handle this, no problem.
The bar area looked empty as it always did when the club was closed, and as I walked through I looked for Stefan or Kane, but they didn’t seem to be anywhere nearby. All the better. I wasn’t in the mood to make small talk. I’d practiced what I would say to Cash half a dozen times on the drive there, and I didn’t want to forget it all by getting stuck in some distracting conversation, particularly with Stefan.
As I approached my office, I saw a box sitting next to my door. I got closer and realized it contained everything from my office. He’d taken me seriously when I said I quit. My bravado sank to its lowest point. This was not going according to plan already.
Cash’s door was slightly ajar, so I knocked lightly and peeked my head in hoping to be greeted by his typical workday smile. He looked up from his laptop and instead of seeing a smile, all I saw were his eyes ice cold staring back at me.
“Do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you, if you’re free.”
“Olivia, your things are in the box outside of your office. Your last paycheck will be direct deposited in your account, as usual.”
And with that he returned to typing away on his laptop, effectively dismissing me. I stood there with my cheek pressed up to the side of his door in shock. Why was he acting so cold toward me? What had changed?
I pushed the door open and stepped into his office, closing it behind me so we could have this discussion in private. He looked up as the door clicked closed, but again returned his attention to his work, leaving me standing there feeling awkward and unwanted.
“Cash, about my resignation. I’ve thought about it and I’d really like it if we could sit down and talk about things,” I said quietly, my plans barely holding up under his frigid reception.
Without even looking up, he said, “I’m not interested in talking about anything. Your things are outside in the box.”
His tone was so cold, so distant, that I stepped back feeling like I’d been slapped across the face. This man who’d been so wonderful now refused to even acknowledge my request to speak to him. What had happened?
“Why are you being like this? I thought we could…that you…What’s changed between us, Cash?”
He spun his laptop around to face me. “This changed between us, Olivia.”
I sat down in front of his desk and began reading an article on the club written by Ciara Danson. Somehow, she’d found a way to get information only available to members, and she’d gone to town ripping Cash and his brothers as “owners of a modern day whorehouse” and “overgrown boys who used their business as a front to satisfy their own depraved desires.” The entire article smacked of ignorance and petty jealousy, and by the time I finished reading what Ciara had written, I understood what had changed.
He thought I’d betrayed him and everything we’d had together.
I looked up and saw his expression full of hatred for me. “I didn’t do this, Cash. You can’t believe I’d ever do something like this to you and your brothers.”
“Tell me that doesn’t sound exactly like something you’d say. That it doesn’t sound like what you wanted to say to me when you left my place the other night.”
“No, I was hurt. I’ll admit that, but I wouldn’t do that to you. I care about you. You have to know that.”
He turned his laptop around toward him and stared over it at me. “I don’t know anything like that. All I know is that reporter wrote things only a member could know, and of all the members, you’re the only one I see with a reason to want this place closed.”
“No! That’s not true. I came here today to tell you I wanted to keep working here…” I stopped and tried to collect my thoughts as my mind reeled from his hurtful words. “I came here because I wanted to tell you that I miss you. I’d hoped we could try again.”
“There’s nothing more to try.”
I fought back the tears as his words felt like they were cutting into my heart. This time he didn’t turn away but just stared at me with a look full of hate. My emotions began to spin out of control, and I scrambled for anything that would convince him I wasn’t the one who’d betrayed him.
“Don’t do this, Cash. I swear I never spoke to her, except that day right here in your office. I wouldn’t do that, no matter how hurt I was about what happened the other day. You have to believe me. I didn’t do that.”
He sat there saying nothing, his expression emotionless like everything he’d felt for me had hardened over. I’d never felt so alone just inches away from another person in my entire life.
“Cash, please listen to me. I thought about what you said last night and you were right. I don’t want to throw away what we have. Please…”
My words weren’t getting through. He sat there just staring at me, his blue eyes so icy I wanted to look away. All the sexiness and tenderness they’d held in the past were gone. When he finally spoke again, his words crushed me.
“Go home, Olivia. There’s nothing here for you anymore.”
I stood to leave, stunned at how distant and uncaring he’d been and unsure what to do next. I couldn’t leave things like this, but he wasn’t even listening to me. I walked out to collect my things from the cardboard box and couldn’t hold back the tears any longer when I saw the nameplate he’d had made for me right after I began working for him. Running my fingers over the gold outline of my name, I cried as I remembered how wonderful things had been then.
A voice behind me quietly said my name, and I looked up to see Kane standing over me. I lifted the box and struggled to wipe my tears away so he didn’t see me falling apart right there outside my former office.
“Hey, I was just getting my stuff. I guess you know all about what happened and you think I told that Ciara woman everything too.”
Kane reached out and took the box from my arms. “Here, let me take this. Let’s go into the club and talk for a minute.”
I followed him, still a wreck emotionally from Cash’s coldness but happy at least one of them didn’t think I’d betrayed their trust. He set the box down on the bar and waved someone over. I turned to see Stefan smiling at me.