CHAPTERNINETEEN
OLIVIA
Olivia took her time getting up. She was disappointed that Henry had to run off, but she trusted him when he said he wouldn’t be long. There were lots of good reasons why he wouldn’t want to go into detail about why he had to go so suddenly … most of them incredibly boring.
Once she found her clothes, she called a door repair company to fix the damaged entrance and then went around the studio tidying up. It gave her great pleasure to relive all their moments together, and she took her time wandering around the room, putting everything back in its place.
The sun had lowered so far toward the horizon that its light no longer slanted through the windows. Dusk was announcing the night, the pale shades of pink encouraging the sunset to bloom. Olivia sighed, thinking that the world was a much more beautiful place than it had been yesterday.
All her doubts about Henry had vanished. She still didn’t know how they would fit into each other's lives, but she knew she wanted him to be a part of hers. As she watched the sky through the darkening windows, she touched her lips gently, remembering his kiss.
He’s all I want.
She smiled. It was the spontaneous, joyful, secret smile of a woman whose heart had been taken. Even if she didn’t fully realize it yet, she was hopelessly in love.
There’s no good in standing here all night. He said he wouldn’t be long, but he didn’t say how long.
The repair company installed a new door and then left. With a sigh, Olivia collected her things and headed home. She was still hoping to resume her evening with Henry and didn’t want to make any plans until he came back. When she got home, she had a shower and changed, taking her time getting dressed.
Where is he?
Olivia told herself not to worry. It had only been a few hours, and there could be many reasons why he hadn’t called back yet.
She hurried back to her phone, hoping to see contact from Henry.
Nothing. Not a text or message of any kind. The last time this happened, she jumped the gun, thinking he’d left her high and dry after getting into her pants. She’d been so wrong about that. She wouldn’t do that again. But she was sure he learned not to just leave her hanging for so long. Her imagination was too active for that.
Tension rose in her, making her chest ache. The only explanation was that he hadn’t had time to tell her anything. Or it could be that nothing had happened and he was perfectly fine. Or…
“Fuck!” she muttered, almost shaking the phone in frustration. Even though she knew it might interrupt an important meeting, she tried calling him.
Immediately there was a dull tone and a recorded voice telling her that the number was out of the service area. Olivia cursed softly. She paced by her window for a few minutes. Henry had given her no clues about where he was going.
She tried to call Henry’s phone again, only to get the same out-of-service message. Cursing softly, she jammed her finger on theendicon.
Then her phone rang, startling her so badly that she almost dropped it. Her heart stopped when she glanced at the screen and saw it was an unknown number. Maybe it was Henry calling her from someone else’s phone because his phone was busted.
She flicked open the screen, grinning happily and waiting for his handsome face to come up. What she saw shocked her to the core.
“Hello, Olivia,” Philodendron said, his voice smooth. His face filled the screen, his satisfied smile making her feel sick to her stomach. Immediately, she knew he had something to do with Henry not contacting her.
I knew he was a creep. I didn’t think he was actually capable of committing a crime.
“Hi, Phil,” she said, her voice hard. “What can I do for you?”
“Oh, Olivia,” he said, his voice amused, his tone light. “You know we’ve had several meetings already. You’ve denied all my proposals so far. Now you’re asking what you can do for me as if you don’t know.”
Olivia tilted her phone up so she could stare into his eyes. “Where is Henry?” she said, shaking the phone as if it were his throat.
Philodendron’s eyes widened. He even put one hand over his mouth in shock.
“I have no idea. Shouldn’t he be with you?”
Behind his hand, she saw a smirk. There was a glint in his eye she didn’t like.
He knows.
“Listen, Phil,” she said, deliberately using a blunt tone to shorten his name and hoping it insulted him. “I’m on my way out right now. In fact, I was thinking of going straight to the police station …” It was a lie, but he didn’t know that.