Stay with Me (Return to Haven 1)

Yes, the victory was going to be so sweet. Considering her opponent thought she was incompetent because she was a woman, that was all the fuel she needed to work her ass off toward this promotion. What did boobs and lack of a penis have to do with her job anyway?

“I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I hear from them,” Olivia said as she slid her pen over the paper. “They wanted things wrapped up by the weekend, so I should be getting word anytime.”

“When are you coming back?”

Olivia sighed and continued doodling. That was the proverbial million-dollar question, wasn’t it? She truly had no clue. Especially now with this brainstorm of Jade’s, Olivia had no idea what the future held. All she knew was she needed to be in the office for the announcement of her promotion.

“Soon.” There, that sounded like she knew what was going on, right? “Text, e-mail, or call anytime. I still have a few things to get done here and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Believe me, I miss you all.”

Although, over the last couple days she hadn’t thought so much about work. Her mind had been preoccupied with one very sexy, very charming pilot who constantly caught her off guard with his touch. And he did have that whole gentlemanly thing going. Why couldn’t he be rude or ugly? Yeah, ugly would really help.

No, he had those broad shoulders, dark hair, tanned skin, striking eyes. He was the perfect poster boy for small-town hunk. The fact he was a caring single father was so charming and sweet, she wanted to find something that turned her off . . . but she kept drawing a blank.

“Have I lost you again?” her assistant asked.

Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. “Sorry. I’m just overwhelmed at the moment.”

More like daydreaming about a man who was driving her out of her mind and keeping her awake at night. Not to mention the adorable toddler who had pretty much stolen her heart.

“It’s okay,” she replied. “Just don’t get too wrapped up in that town and forget to come back to us.”

Olivia laughed. “That would never happen.”

But as she glanced down to the paper, she stilled. She’d drawn her Cessna. No, not her Cessna. Jax’s Cessna. That was his plane now; she had no ties to it. Well, legally she did, but it wasn’t the plane she wanted.

What did she want, though? Because she thought she knew, but now she wasn’t so sure. She still wanted the coveted promotion; she’d worked too hard to just walk away. But part of her wanted that airport to be everything Jade suggested. Was it even possible to have both?

Olivia disconnected the call and sat her cell on the desk in the formal living room. Jade and Melanie had gone out for a run. They’d begged Olivia to join them, but she knew she had too much work to catch up on this morning. She needed to run, though. It was the only thing that kept her sane and cleared her thoughts. Nothing was as therapeutic as getting fresh air, working up a sweat, and pounding the pavement.

Getting in a good workout with her friends sounded ideal, but she wasn’t so sure she’d be good company.

Olivia leaned back in the creaky old leather chair and stared at the plane. Melanie had said to look for signs, something Olivia didn’t necessarily believe in, but if she did, was this a sign? Was Piper wearing Olivia’s old bibs a sign?

What exactly constituted a sign? Because Olivia would seriously love some help right about now.

Olivia couldn’t help but think about how sweet little sleepy Piper felt in her arms. The way she just relaxed and gave in to the state of exhaustion. Olivia couldn’t recall the last time she was ever relaxed or even leaned on someone with such trust and abandon.

Maybe as a child. Perhaps when her mind was still filled with puppy dogs and rainbows. Before her parents split she was definitely a different person. Once she graduated and she and her mother moved to Atlanta, Olivia started to gain some of her happiness back. College was a great escape and fresh start, especially with her best friend at her side.

She and Jade had been through it all together. Then they’d met Melanie a few years ago and carried her into their happy circle. Olivia guessed she had them to lean on. She knew she could always count on them for anything she’d ever need. They depended on one another, though, and that’s what made them so perfect for one another. They were like their own little army.

Olivia glanced back down to the image she’d drawn. Not that she was some grand artist, but she’d always loved doodling. Most often it was nothing of any importance, just a way to pass the time or relieve stress. Her planner had random ink sketches all around the borders.

Pushing her chair out, Olivia came to her feet. She couldn’t sit here all day and evaluate life or try to dissect all the chaos inside her mind. There wasn’t enough time for the mess that was her emotional state.

There were boxes to pack and memories to face. She’d finally made a dent in the spare room early this morning before her phone calls and e-mails. So far she had several bags of old school papers she was going to trash, but the pictures were sitting in a box until she could figure out the best approach for those.

Her mother had moved on, remarrying and settling down in Charlotte. Olivia rarely saw her, but they’d text and chat on the phone. They were close, not like they were when they’d first left Haven. Part of Olivia wondered what had happened, but deep down she knew. Her mother had literally moved on. When she’d wanted to leave Olivia’s dad, she had. Then when she wanted to leave Olivia, she had.

Weighing her mother’s actions wouldn’t change anything and Olivia was an adult. She didn’t need anyone, but she sure would like to know how to move forward. Was it even possible to get the promotion, increase her workload, and simultaneously work on revamping a dilapidated airport?

She must have been out of her mind for even considering it. But the possibilities were mounting so fast in her head, and she was the budgeting manager over marketing, so she saw this type of work all day, every day.

Before she could talk herself out of all the reasons not to, she jotted down a list. What started out as pros and cons quickly turned into pros and quickly escalated to grand ideas.

Seeing things on paper always made them seem more real. After glancing over all her notes, Olivia knew in her heart she wanted to pursue this plan. Jackson may not be too keen on it, but moving ahead to something bigger and better was at least going to keep him in the business he wanted. This was obviously the happy middle ground Jade had suggested.

Now Olivia just had to figure out a way to make sure Jackson knew this plan was brilliant and would benefit them both. That wasn’t even the most challenging part. She had to face him and hope he kept his roaming hands and talented lips to himself, because she was fighting a losing battle and each time he touched her, she craved even more.