One Night with the Boss by Teresa Southwick Page B

from the refrigerator, then the wooden salad bowl to put it all in. “It smells good in here, Mom.”
    “I’m glad.” Using mitts, Ann pulled the baking dish out of the oven. “So, when did you plan to tell us you were in love, had a new job and were leaving town?”
    The sudden question startled her and she turned to look at her mother. In the blue eyes so like her own, she saw the same pain she’d experienced a little while ago when pulling up out front. Her words had to be as close to the truth as possible.
    “This change isn’t about Leonard and I’m not moving because of him. That was just what I told Brady to keep him from talking me into staying again. I need to shake up my life, Mom.”
    “You can’t just find another job here in Blackwater Lake?”
    “No.”
    “Because Brady would still be here,” her mother said.
    “You know?”
    “Of course. I’m your mother. I know you. I see the way you look at him.”
    “Remind me not to play poker with you.” Olivia sighed. “Excitement has passed me by for the last five years and if I don’t do something, another five will go by and nothing will change.”
    Her mom stared at her as if she could see straight into her heart and soul. Then she nodded. “I understand.”
    “If not for Leonard, I’ll weaken and Brady will talk me into staying.” She blew out a breath. “He already convinced me to stay until after the annual employee weekend.”
    “I see.”
    “After that, I’m taking a vacation. When I start work with Colin, it will probably be brutal hours and not much time off. I haven’t had a break in a long time.”
    “That sounds like a good plan, sweetie.”
    “Thanks for understanding, Mom.” She smiled. “I’ll be back for visits all the time and you guys can come see me. The Golden State. You and Dad will love it. But I have to go. If I don’t, I’ll never find a life.”
    And it hurt too much not to have one.
    * * *
    It was almost quitting time on Monday and Olivia was ready to be finished for the day. On top of trying to clean up work so as not to overwhelm her replacement, details for employee-appreciation weekend had to be handled. In addition to all that, Brady had asked her to contact Ian Bradshaw and make sure he could come in a few days early to consult with Cabot Dixon on a summer-camp website. That was taken care of.
    Lately she was doing more with less—sleep, that was. Telling her family about relocating had been stressful and emotional. She didn’t even want to think about how awful it would be when she finally moved, but move she must to get out of her personally unfulfilling rut. A clean break was the only way.
    She heard the beep, the deactivated security system’s warning that someone had opened the front door. Moments later her sister, Prudence, appeared in her office.
    “Hi, Liv.” She looked upset.
    Olivia stood up behind her desk. “Are you okay?”
    “I was wondering if you wanted to go to Bar None and get a drink after work.”
    “Sounds good. I could use one. Been a busy day.”
    “I can use one, too,” Pru said, her mouth trembling. “Because my day was just awful.”
    “What happened?” She was around the desk in a heartbeat. “Tell me—”
    The door to Brady’s office opened. “Prudence Lawson, as I live and breathe.” He must have heard the beep and surfaced, checking out who was there. “To what do we owe the honor of a visit from Blackwater Lake High School’s most popular chemistry teacher?”
    Big gray eyes welled with tears. When they rolled down Pru’s cheeks, she buried her face in her hands. In a heartbeat Olivia was holding her.
    Brady was beside them. “What’s wrong?”
    A horrible thought occurred to Olivia. “Is it Mom? Dad—”
    “No.” Pru looked up. “Gosh, no. I’m sorry. Compared to that, what happened is so unimportant, but—” Tears glistened in her eyes again. “Greg dumped me.”
    “Oh, sweetie—” Olivia urged her sister into one of the club chairs in