I wake up early after a long and restless night. My mind is a jumbled mess. As is my room. I groan as I sit up and look the clothes that are everywhere. Later, I'll sort through them; maybe some of the work clothes can be sold. That task might be exactly what I need to busy my mind.
It still feels unreal, so unreal. Olly is here. He said I'd never see him again, but – my eyes blur with tears at memories I don't want to face. Memories I'll have to face now, right?
Or maybe not. He's not here for me, he's here to ruin the town. He's the enemy.
Only he's not. I could never hate him.
I glance over at the chair piled even higher with clothes; Hunter must've tossed the stuff on my bed onto it.
Hunter- what do I do now?
I'm not supposed to have heard those confessions last night, but I did, and I can't stop thinking about it. The one thing I once longed for, for so long, with my entire heart; all I wanted was one chance to see if we'd be as magical as I thought.
Hell, I'll even admit, long after I was over it, I wasn't totally. I always carried a torch for the one that never was. I probably always will. But now, the one that got away is here too.
A martyr for Olly? Manipulated? What did that even mean? What am I missing here? Not like I can ask him after I pretended to be asleep.
I'm gonna fight for you, Darlin. His words send a thrill through my body, lighting every nerve on fire at once. If I close my eyes for a moment and forget any residual loyalty to Julian. if I can somehow forget that my first boyfriend is back in town, it wouldn't even be a fight.
But I can't. I mean, the first part, maybe, but I can't forget Olly's here even if he did come here to ruin my damn town. A chime from my phone pulls me from my thoughts, and I grab it.
"Really, Julian, I do not need you too!" I groan at the long-winded text about the debts and the act fast and whatever the hell else it says and set it aside.
I grab some clothes, jeans, a tank top, and an old flannel. I don't have the energy to analyze my outfit, not that Oliver ever paid much attention to stuff like that anyway.
After standing under the shower until the hot water runs out, I finally go downstairs. Mama is pulling out eggs as I reach the bottom of the stairs.
"Don't make any for me; I'm not hungry," I say as I head over and fill a cup of coffee.
"You should eat, Sweetheart. You're too thin. Why not a little something? At least have some toast."
"Vodka might be nice," I say dryly, and she turns to look at me, concern washing over her face.
"What happened?"
"Do I look that bad?" After the shower, I hadn't bothered with makeup and left my long hair wet and hanging down my back.
"Kinsey?" she asks again as my dad comes back in and plops down at the table.
"The trees are in need of some hugs, Kinsey Girl. Want to help me fertilize today?"
"I can't," I say with a long sigh. "I have to go into town and meet with Oliver."
"Wha–?" Mama's mouth drops open.
"Little Olly?" Dad gasps as his eyes widen.
"He goes by Oliver now," I say with a trace of bitterness I don't bother hiding. Mama gives me a sympathetic look as she sits next to me.
"Why is he here?" Mama asks.
"Oh, you'll love this. S&S stands for Stone and Stone Enterprises. Oliver owns that company. He's the one ruining our town."
"What? Little Olly?" My dad looks stunned.
"Dad, he ages just like everyone else," I tell him. "You have to stop calling him that. You saw him grow up with your own eyes. I was with him for two years."
"Well yeah, but even at eighteen, he was just a skinny, quiet little thing," he mutters.
"Because he never knew what to say to you. He always felt like you liked Hunter more then him."
"Well..."
"Dad!"
"We had more to talk about," he defends. "What am I going to talk to Olly about, computers or something?"
"Did you guys know James, the foreman on the project, is Oliver's dad?" I ask, and they both look stunned.
"What?" Mama is shaking her head. "I didn't. I hadn't seen him, but I don't go into town much."
"I saw him once when I was dropping some apple butter off at the diner," My dad mutters. "Didn't recognize him, and he sure didn't say anything."
"Maybe he likes it that way, why he's going by James instead of Jimmy," I guess.
"Considering that he left his wife and little boy, it probably a good call. People around here don't forget stuff like that," Mama says.
"It was a divorce, Mama," I chide softly. "Not any different than what I'm going through, except a kid was involved."
Wait, am I defending James now?
"But he left, not just town, the entire state," she comments.
"Like father like son," I mumble.
***
An hour later, I'm again driving in Mama's van into town. It's a beautiful breezy morning, and I have the window open as I drive. I park outside the diner as I'll probably pop in for a late breakfast, if I have an appetite after this. That damn broken book is still in the front seat, and I frown at it. Just as I'm about to get out, my phone goes off again. It's Julian again.
When I didn't answer his text this morning, he started calling and hasn't stopped.
"Julian, what?" I answer in a snappy voice.
"You know what. We cannot keep putting this off," he says.
"It's Saturday," I say with a sigh. "Why do we have to talk about it today? No one's going to meet with us about it today."
"Because I went through my share of the debts yesterday, and Kinsey, once I make my payments, there's hardly anything left to live on," Julian gripes. "Have you even started making payments yet? I'm still getting calls about the debts we dispersed to you too."
"What would you like me to pay with, apples?" I ask irritably. "I have no money. I have no job. I don't even have my own car."
"Exactly why we need to do this now!" he exclaims. "The interest and fees continue to mount."
"I know all about the interests and fees, Julian," I say tersely. "You're the one that racked up those cards, you know! I never even used them."
"You still spent your share of the money, Kinsey, and you lost your job first."
"First, my spending was on stuff like our overpriced mortgage and utilities. Second, I lost my job because I worked at a bank we owed a lot of money too, and they said it was a conflict of interest. You promised me that couldn't happen, and you lied."
"I didn't call you to get into a blame game. The whys don't matter now. We need to get to solving the problem." Julian deflects as always when he knows it's his fault.
"You started the blame game!" I hiss into the phone.
"I just want to get this done and be done," he grits back.
"So do I, but I don't know if I'm ready to file bankruptcy, Julian. I need more time to think about it."
"We're getting buried further the longer we wait. Just for once, do as I ask, Kinsey."
Oh no, he did not... "Excuse me?"
"Just call me Monday morning. I got to go." He hangs up before I can call him out on that.
"Fuck!" I curse as I look at his contact. I can't wait until the day I can delete it.
Holy crap, did I... I think I mean that too.
"Kinsey?" A voice startles me, and I jump at the face in my open window.
"Jesus, Olly, you scared the hell out of me." I clasp a hand over my heart, and then remember I can't call him that. He doesn't correct me this time, at least.
"Sorry, I heard you, and you seemed upset—" he trails off as his eyes land on his old book. "Is that my book?"
I cringe. "Uh yeah..."
"What happened to it!?"
"I'm sorry... it was an accident." I could cry again.
"Hey, it's okay," he speaks softer, sounding like the boy I once knew. "I know someone that can fix bindings."
"You do?"
"Yeah, come on out and bring it with you."
I very carefully pick up the book before exiting the car. Oliver is standing on the sidewalk sipping his coffee, and I'm as taken aback as last night.
More so.
Julian prided himself on being a great dresser, and he was. That man can fill out a suit. But next to Oliver, even Jules's best suit would look cheap.
He's wearing navy blue again, which looks good on him. The pants are pinstriped, and with them, he's wearing a fitted white button-down, a blue patterned tie, with a navy-blue vest. Then he's got a pinstriped blazer, only buttoned once, to complete the look. It fits him so well I assume he has a tailor.
"A six-piece suit?" I have to ask as I step into the sidewalk.
He flashes me that smirk again, but a bit of a flush touches his cheeks.
"I have an important meeting this afternoon, so I had to bring out the vest," he explains. "Do I pull it off?"
"I think you know you do," I say, and now he full on blushes.
How can he look like that, and still be all bashful?
"Uh, Kinsey, I didn't mean to overhear, but if you're having trouble with debts-"
"I'm fine," I snap quickly, and he flinches at my tone.
"I deserved that. I was a jerk last night."
I lift my eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, you were, Oliver." It still feels weird to say his full name it doesn't leave my throat right. It almost sounds sarcastic, but I didn't mean it this time.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings about my name. I know you're mad about it and don't get it..." his eyes drift off, and I see a touch of sadness there. "...but reinventing myself means a lot to me. I never thought I could get to where I like myself."
Oh... well, now I feel like garbage.
"I ... I'll try and understand that," I say softly. "I guess it felt personal because I gave you the nickname."
I still feel like it is about me, at least in some ways.
"I didn't need to come right at you with it, it came off harsh," he sighs. "I was overwhelmed being back here. When my dad told me you were here, and I knew I'd see you again, I started stressing hard."
"At least you were prepared for it," I comment.
"Good point," he admits. "It wasn't just seeing you, though. We have this huge meeting today, and it needs to go well. I've been on pins and needles over it all week, and my dad too. Not sleeping at all. Then at the bar, when we got the call, some kids broke into the duplexes again; I knew what we'd find and instantly went on edge."
"That it was me?" I question.
"Yeah, at that time of night, it had to be. My dad just got done telling me how you threatened to go in there earlier and then how you all went out."
"You thought I was serious? I don't go vandalize properties."
"I know that, but I figured you went in. Maybe to reminisce or something, and I knew Hunter would be with you," Oliver says slowly. "But even still - seeing you two in that room again brought me right back to that night. Then he turned it into this you two versus me thing, and I got even more defensive."
"That's not what he was doing," I defend. "You don't know what..." I trail off because I can't. I can't tell him how broken I was after he left. I can't bring all that up right now. "Never mind that. But I can see how it came off the way, and I wasn't exactly friendly to you either."
"You have your reasons for being angry, and you have a right to be, but Kinsey, so do I," Oliver says, firmly with a confidence in his voice I've never heard before.
He may still be bashful in some ways, but Oliver, the man, has come a long way from Olly, the boy. After all the bullying he endured, I'm so proud of him; it nearly chokes me up.
"You're right. You do or did...I'm older now and can reflect on my fault in things. But—"
"But?" He raises an eyebrow.
Fuck, how did he get so handsome?
"But," I say slowly, "after last night, we're calm. Let's not go opening those wounds right now. It's a lot to dig up."
"Yeah, I agree," he says. "It is, and we're not doing it on a sidewalk in the middle of the morning. So, let's hold off on it for now, but I do want to talk."
"Okay," I agree with a sigh of relief. "I'm overwhelmed too. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around you being here and dealing with a lot of other stuff."
"That phone call?" he guesses.
That and your former best friend decided to confess hidden feelings in the dark last night... is what I don't say.
"Among other things," I say instead. "Didn't you want to show me your plans? Try and convince me you aren't ruining the town?"
"I did, and I'm not," he says with that darn smirk again. "Let's head over. Unless were you stopping here for breakfast? I already ate, but I can sit with you."
"It's okay. I was going to come by after," I say, and we start walking down the sidewalk. I hesitate before we step inside. "Is James in there?"
"No, he's at the duplexes," Oliver says to my relief. "They were setting fires in Hunter's old one. We need to make sure the building is still structurally sound now."
Why are teenagers always risking death for fun?
"But I thought you were tearing them down? To build condos, right?" I ask as I follow Oliver inside. It's less of a mess now, just a space full of dust. The wall on each side of the old bookstore is gone, and those old stores are also emptied, ready for whatever he has planned.
"Nope, but that's a weird rumor. We have no idea where it came from. We might rebuild and tear them down. It's still being decided."
"Here." Oliver hands me a paper mask, and I secure it over my face as he does as well.
There's a big drafting desk in the corner where Oliver heads as and I follow.
"So, you might not tear them down? Don't!" I urge.
"Do you remember that summer Brandi went to stay with her grandma in Knoxville because there wasn't a care facility close enough to here?"
"Yeah," I nod.
As if I'd ever forget that summer, that was the summer of heartbreak number one.
"Well, the same thing happened with my grandma. My mom and David had to move to Nashville to find a good care facility for her."
Ah, so that's why they moved...
"I got to looking into that, and most affordable retirement care centers are in big cities like that," Oliver explains. "It didn't seem right. My grandma hates it, she's scared to leave and walk around with all the big crowds and all the cars outside, so she feels so cooped up. She'd love a yard and fresh air; a small town would be a dream for her."
I am amazed at how animated his face is as he talks about this, memorized by the passion in his eyes.
"I decided I'd do it, well design one to be built, here in Sweet Haven, someday. My dad's owned a construction company for a long time. Once I was ready to open this company and see some of my projects come to life, he pooled in some money, and we started Stone and Stone. Then when we bought the stores here for my dream project, the timing was right, and the duplexes are perfect. They're not only a quick walk to town but across from a beach."
"So, you're taking them down to build a retirement center?"
"I don't want to have to do that. I don't have a big apartment-style building," Oliver clarifies. "I'd like to be able to set them up as small apartments with shared yards. Turn them from two to four units in each house and have a caretaker on site for each one."
"That's... an amazing idea," I'm stunned, but I can't deny it; it is. It would even provide a few jobs here, just like James said. It would still hurt, the duplexes being so different, but it would help people. It would be good for the town.
Well fuck. I acted like a brat for nothing.
"That's what the meeting is about today," Oliver says nervously. "The Tennessee medical board has to approve my plans for small houses."
"Oh, I see," I say, "that's why he didn't want the kids in there wrecking it."
"Yeah. I hope they approve it, Kinsey. I really like my vision for these. I don't want to tear them down and do one big building. It took months to get this meeting. They're also coming out on a Saturday; this is a huge deal."
"You'll get it!" I reach over and squeeze his arm. "I know you will; just tell them what you told me about your grandma and why you want to do this. I know they'll see it too."
"You always made me feel like I could do anything." He smiles, and I return it....and suddenly, we're just Kinz and Olly again.
"You can do anything," I tell him.
A group of workers come in, nodding at Oliver as they make their way towards the back, carrying boxes and stuff.
"Wait, you said something about your dream project?" I glance at Oliver, who is smiling as he opens the laptop.
"Sure did; come here," he motions for me, and I walk over, standing next to him as I peer at the screen.
"This is a model of what I want here," he explains as he holds it up.
I gasp at the screen, "It's our bookstore!"
"Yeah, kind of."
Growing up, our favorite place was the bookstore; the second best was the library. But we were always getting on the adult's nerves and getting shooshed or kicked out.
So, one day we sat down on his bedroom floor and imagined the coolest bookstore in the world. The central part would be where people buy the books and check out and stuff like that, but then each side would be either for kids or adults.
The adult side we didn't plan much for back then.
On the kids' side, we imagined it as a fantasy world, with bookshelves that look like magical forests and books in the trunk. The main area would be full of colorful flowers and comfortable with coaches and chairs that looked like stones. This is what he has drawn up on the screen, but it's far beyond what we imagined back then. The entire kids' area is like so many beautiful books come to life.
My part of our idea was to have an Alice in Wonderland tea party set up for group reading, and he even set that up in the center of the room, with a chair that looks like the mad hatter at the head of the table.
The adult side is just as cool; it has a lounge area in the center that looks like the Friends setup but with more modern furniture and a fireplace. The books are on traditional shelves giving it a cozy feel.
"There will be book repair services too. I'll be setting up a backroom," he says as he carefully takes the broken book from me and sets it on his table. "And, of course, I'm doing a small comic store in the center next to the cash registers."
"This is amazing!" I say as I shake my head. "You made our crazy childhood dream come true. I can't believe this."
"Not yet, this is just the plan. We still have a long way to go. I have zero construction ability, so I have to get my dad and his men to make my vision happen."
He and Hunter would have been a fantastic team, a pang of sadness hits me over that.
"You'll make it happen, and I can't wait to see it," I set down the laptop, then look at him. "I can't believe you did the Mad Hatter set up!"
"That and the lounge area looking like the Secret Garden are the two things I told my dad have to be perfect."
"Olly... er Oliver this is incredible," I feel a little misty eyed looking at it.
"Thanks." He's blushing again.
"I'm really sorry. I made assumptions and overreacted."
"You had nothing but rumors to go off of. You're protective of your town, I get it," Oliver shrugs.
Your town... not our town. I gulp back the emotion that brings on.
"Your dad probably thinks I'm a monster."
"He's fine; he's still laughing about you telling him to get a message to his boss," Oliver laughs.
"Last night, he seemed pissed, not amused."
"He was on edge about the meeting. It won't look good that the houses are always getting vandalized."
And I called him an asshole... for protecting his son's dream. The son who left the state before high school was even over and changed all his plans because of me.
Yeah, fair to say James hates me.
"Fuck," I agree. "I wish I'd known that. Instead of fighting with your dad, I'd have chased the teens off myself and kept watch."
"Did you just offer yourself a job in security?" Oliver laughs. "No offense, Kinz, but you're not that tough."
"I don't need muscles to scare those little shits away," I scoff, and he laughs again.
"Listen, I should get over there and see how things are going," Oliver says. "The meeting is in a few hours."
"Yeah, okay. I'm starving now anyway," I say as my stomach growls.
"I'll walk you to the diner," he offers, and we fall into step as we walk out. I take the mask off and hand it to him as we leave.
As we get closer to the diner, we stop in front, and a silence falls over us as Oliver frowns.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I can't stop thinking about what I heard earlier. One of my companies is a debt management service—"
"One of? How many companies do you have?" I ask.
"Uh, a lot," he says sheepishly. "Trying hard to drive myself to an early grave."
"There are more enjoyable ways to do that, you know."
"You mean not everyone finds working day and night enjoyable?" He jokes, and I shake my head.
"Listen though, on a serious note, you can't file bankruptcy," Oliver advises.
"I wish you didn't hear that," I say with a big sigh.
Oddly the one person I've never been embarrassed around is Oliver until now. He's Mr. Multi-Company in a six-piece suit, and I'm Miss Unemployed, living at home with a pile of debt.
"I'm glad I did, Kinsey. You can't let him convince you to do that. You're just starting over in life. Bankruptcy can take eight years or more to go away. What happens if you want to buy a home in five years, or what about the little apple butter shop you wanted to set up someday on the farm? You may need a loan for that. Your credit matters; don't throw it away."
"I get it! I do, and that's what I keep saying, but Julian says we're never getting out from under this, and honestly, he's right. It's a big fucking hole."
"I'm sorry; you deserved a lot better than that," Oliver says with a sigh.
"It's not all his fault."
"You're not a spender; it wasn't yours," Oliver says with a pointed look. "Please let me help you."
"I don't need any handouts, Oliver," I mutter.
"Not a handout; that's not what I'd offer," Oliver says. "I'm talking about debt management; it's where I started my career."
"Like consolidating it all? I get scam calls about that all the time."
"No, not that. Sort of, but deeper than that. I'd look at everything you owe. Call all of them and get some of it reduced, some of it waived, get all the fees and interest to stop while we work out a payback plan."
"How would you do that?" I ask. "Why would they waive fees and stuff?"
"I know what to say to who, and my name does have a little clout in the financial world." I see a flicker of pride in his eyes and am happy for him. I'm not surprised; I knew he'd do amazing things.
"So then after that's done, we sit down again and look at what's left, what you have coming in, and we work out a payment plan with your funds. Or I give you a loan through my company, you pay everything back, and have just that one bill."
"No loans." I'm going to need to find a job then, soon, even if it means working with Amber.
"We'll talk about that when we get to that point."
"Did you just hire yourself as my debt manager?" I throw his earlier words at him, and he chuckles.
"If you'll have me, I want to help you."
"How much do you charge to do all this?"
"You? Nothing."
"No, I can't..."
"It won't be more than a couple of meetings and phone calls," he assures me.
"Julian won't agree, and we're equally responsible," I frown. "He is convinced bankruptcy is the only way."
"I can talk to him," Oliver says. "I'll explain why it's a terrible idea for him too."
"I cannot ask you to talk to my ex-husband for me!" I exclaim with a shudder.
"Uh, Kinz," he says slowly. "I'm going to have to talk to him. To both of you, we'll all have to meet to go over this."
What? My ex-boyfriend and ex-husband all in one room? Can I die before that happens?
"Relax, Kinsey. It'll be a meeting about debts; I'm not Hunter. I'll be polite and professional, the point of this is to get you out of this mess, so you don't have to get calls like that from him anymore."
My eyes well with tears as that big lump in my throat doubles.
"I don't know how to... this means so much; the debts have been so bad. I don't sleep well and... thank you."
I throw my arms around him again. He doesn't hesitate to hug me back this time, but he lets me go almost as fast as he squeezes me.
"You're welcome." He fishes a card from his pocket and hands it to me. "Just text me a few times that work for you two, and I'll make it work."
"Good luck with your meeting today," I offer, and he smiles nervously.
"Thanks."
An awkward silence falls over us.
"Oliver, your dad's on the phone!" One of his guys calls from down the road relieving both of us.
"You better go, thanks again, Oliver," I manage to say normally this time.
"Yeah, I'll see you soon, Kinsey," he smiles quickly and darts down the sidewalk.
My phone rings, and I look down expecting it to be Julian, but I light up as soon as I see it's Brandi.
"Do I ever have news for you," I say with a grin as I answer the phone.
"What did you and—" Brandi starts.
"Not about me," I cut her off. "About you and your dream, Daddy."
"James? What about him?"
"I just talked with his son."
"His son is in town? Is he as hot as James?"
"Very." I know this is mean, but I have waited a long time for a moment of revenge like this on her.
"I don't know. I still prefer the dad, the age gap kind of turns me on. Unless you're aiming to double?"
"Brandi, it's Oliver," I blurt out, unable to hold the laughter back any longer.
"What?"
"Olly. James's son is Olly."
I hear her spit out her coffee or Bloody Mary, who knows, it's Brandi.
"You. Are. Lying."
"I couldn't make this up."
"You're telling me the man I've been..." she pauses. "Thinking about... in some pretty uh fun and raunchy ways....is my ex-boyfriend's dad?"
"Puts your daddy kink into a whole new perspective, doesn't it?"
"I hate you!" she yells and can't help but laugh.
"Sorry but you had that coming," I say. "Seriously though, get up and come to the diner. Olly is here and that's not all. Hunter— just hurry up and get here."
"On my way."
I love dropping tiny little bombs like that, hehe.
A series of flashback chaps are coming up next now! The summer of 2000 will be about three chapters, and I may even sneak in the first fall of 2000.